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Flipping the switch on the Pittsburgh series and focusing on Carolina
May 17, 2022, 7:33 AM ET [222 Comments]
Jan Levine
New York Rangers Blogger • RSS • Archive • CONTACT
Monday, the Rangers rested. After a grueling seven-game series and overtime win Sunday in Game 7 against the Penguins, the Blueshirts had yesterday off. Today, New York travels to Carolina to prepare for their second-round series against the Hurricanes.

After the below, we wipe the slate clean on the series win over Pittsburgh and focus on Carolina. A nice Game 7 summary video, aerial view of Artemi Panarin’s game-winning goal and photos from the victory are the tweets below. Let these images sink in as we turn our focus forward.

Game 7 video:, aerial view and photos






New York signed three prior draft picks to entry-level deals. Olaf Lindblom, given where he was selected - second round in 2018 - and performance to date, has been the one who drawn the most interest and ire from the fanbase. Goaltending coach Benoit Allaire must see something we don’t or haven’t seen to date, as he likely played a part in the signing. Korczak is the one that intrigues me the most, based on what we have seen to date and potential future production.



Monday night, the Rangers added a big, 27-year old center, Gustav Rydahl, who played in Sweden this season. Rydahl appears to play with a little edge to his game and should open the year in Hartford. The one-year contract is kind of a make it or not deal for the big pivotman. Rydahl could end up a third or fourth-line agitating type center, if he can adapt to the North American game.



Coach Gerard Gallant met with the media Monday. The good news is that it sounds like no one came out of the Pittsburgh series any worse for wear. We know Ryan Lindgren is playing banged up and that won’t change. Tyler Motte has not shown any setbacks or lingering effects after returning from his upper body injury. This is a major key as I would expect Motte to be moved up and down the lineup, depending on how the series is going and Frank Vatrano is playing.

The one bit of news is that Barclay Goodrow is a possibility to return late in this series. As of now, Goodrow is still in a boot and using crutches, nor has he skated yet. We know the pain threshold of hockey players, so I am ruling nothing out. But view Goodrow as a long shot whose appearance would just be an added benefit. If he can come back, the lineup becomes a lot more complete, since he can play on various lines, fill a key role on the penalty kill and provide additional veteran leadership.

I will get to my Rangers-Hurricanes preview tomorrow. To tide you over, here is a pair of previews from the Athletic. The first is a solid series overview from Dom Luszczyszyn and Shayna Goldman while Sara Civian and Arthur Staple provide five storylines for the match up:





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