Rangers Show A Pulse, Cut Kings Series Lead To 3-1

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Lundqvist stood on his head all night, here robbing Jeff Carter. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Lundqvist stood on his head all night, here robbing Jeff Carter. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Coming into tonight, the New York Rangers were just looking for some pride and dignity. Being in a 3-0 hole is never something to be happy about, and the Rangers certainly felt that way. Yesterday, they almost seemed like zombies, with no emotion and definitely a melancholy mood was surrounding the organization. The sudden realization that this series slipped away from them quickly weighed heavily.

Today however, the players were a little bit more upbeat, explaining how belief in themselves and playing the right way would get them back on the right track.

For the most part tonight, the Rangers did that against the Los Angeles Kings, en route to a 2-1 victory at Madison Square Garden to book a game five back in LA.

The first period was quite eventful for the Blueshirts, they came out strong and looked to catch the Kings sleeping a little bit. Benoit Pouliot got things going with a beautiful re-direction in front to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. From there, they got some momentum and stuck with it for the remainder of the period.

The second period and forward is history however, with Henrik Lundqvist writing the script. The Rangers were outshot 41-19 in this game, and Lundqvist made 40 saves. Half of those coming in the final 20 minutes, and they involved Hank having to stick his pads out in desperation and throwing his body all around the crease to keep the puck out of the net.

[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la06nkr4FAo”]Game Seven Highlights – [/su_youtube]

Martin St. Louis scored the eventual game-winner with the second goal of the night. The Kings made it interesting when Dustin Brown potted one home on a breakaway in the second, but the Rangers held on for dear life, and they now live to fight another day.

[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5na45pOs8Y”]Game Seven Highlights – [/su_youtube]

With time winding down in the third, the puck almost went in and tied the game for the Kings. After multiple replays, we saw that a mini snow-bank had built up behind the puck, slowing the speed and causing it to stop right on the goal line. Derek Stepan swooped in to sweep the puck away, preventing it from going in.

It is clear that the Rangers were very much outplayed in the remaining two periods, and to some that may pose some troubling feelings, but either way, the Rangers have won a game, and they now know that they can skate and play with these Kings. This series could easily be 3-1 in favor of the Rangers, if not for some puck luck in games one and two for LA.

The Rangers have been a great road team all season long, and that needs to continue if they want to come back in front of their fans for game six, could you imagine how loud that building would get?

Don’t stop believing, keep the faith, and the unthinkable just might happen. If New York takes game five on Friday night, we have a series on our hands. 

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