Save of the Season

 

Patrick Hoffman (HV)

 

Not many hockey pundits, including this one, thought that after four games in the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the New York Rangers (6th seed) and Buffalo Sabres (#1 seed), that the series would be knotted up at two games apiece.

On Sunday afternoon, the Rangers took Game three by defeating the Sabres 2-1 in an overtime thriller as Rangers defenseman Michal Rozsival was the hero by scoring the winner.

 

In Game four, the Rangers once again came out as the victors by defeating Buffalo 2-1, this time with Rangers’ goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, a Vezina Trophy finalist, starring as the hero. In the game, Lundqvist stopped 29 shots, including a game-saving stop on Daniel Briere with just 13 seconds to go as he slid across to kick out his right pad and deny Briere’s stuff attempt.

 

The play was reviewed for several minutes because Buffalo had thought that the puck had crossed the line. Even Henrik had his doubts.

“I felt like it was a save when I made it but when I looked at the replay I wasn't so sure anymore,” Lundqvist told reporters after the Rangers series tying victory.

 

The frantic moment was created when Lundqvist came out to stop a Sabres dump in. After doing so, he left the puck for defenseman Karel Rachunek, who ended up missing the drop off as the oncoming Briere took the puck and tried to stuff it past Lundqvist, who was out of position. However, as he done for most of the season, Henrik came up with the crucial stop.

 

“It was a great finish to this game,” Lundqvist said. “It is just how playoff hockey should be.”

“Henrik has been fantastic this whole season,” Brendan Shanahan told reporters after the Blueshirts’ Game four victory. “Certainly he is a big-game goalie. He showed that in the Olympics last year. He showed that as a rookie last year. He was showing it this year just in order for us to make to playoffs. We are in a good spot.”

Rangers head coach Tom Renney also had nothing but praise for his starting goaltender.

“What we have now is a goaltender who is very focused, obviously," Renney said. “He is a year wiser in this league. I think he has a real terrific disposition, not only on behalf of himself and how he plays, but also on behalf of his teammates to help them play with the type of confidence that is required.”

Rangers’ captain Jaromir Jagr, who helped out the Rangers cause by scoring the first goal of the game, had some helpful advice for the teams’ star goaltender.

 

“Stay in the net,” Jagr joked across the room to Lundqvist.

 

Regarding the review of the play, Bob Hall, supervisor of officials for this series, said the following: “We review all the angles that are provided to us. We communicate with the on-ice officials and with the war room in Toronto. What we're looking for is to either confirm the call on the ice or have a conclusive picture of the puck in the net -- it's what we're looking for because the on-ice ruling was no goal. They hadn't seen the puck in the net. It has to be definitive. We looked and looked and looked. No replay that we have seen shows it definitely crossing the goal line. No common sense or circumstantial evidence is used -- you have to see the puck across the goal line. We have to see it in the goal.”

The two teams will battle once again on Friday night for Game 5 at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo.

Photo: Henrik Lundqvist © Richard Wolowicz (HV)