Game 7. Nothing more really needs to be said. Tonight, one team goes home a winner and on to the next round and the other just goes home, period.
Game 7, it's where heroes are made and reputations burnished. Legends are made and broken. Bit players step up and are remembered forever. Who will be the Rangers' next Stephane Matteau or Artemi Panarin?
Game 7 - New York has a history in these contests, going 10-6 overall. But the team is 9-2 in their last 11, starting with Game 7 against New Jersey and Vancouver in 1994 to 2014 against Pittsburgh and 2015 versus Washington. We remember the pain of falling to Washington and Sergei Fedorov and Tampa Bay in 2015 as well as the exhilaration caused by Panarin's overtime game-winner just last round.
For the Rangers, the
task is simple and hard. Play as they did the first two periods of Game 1 or Games 4 and 6 at home. Don't allow Carolina to dictate the pace and style of the game. Avoid getting squeezed in the neutral or the defensive zone. If dumping the puck in, really dump it, so the blue line turnovers that resulted in two shorthanded goals against don't re-occur. Get shots on net, making it difficult for Antti Raanta, while allowing Igor Shesterkin a clear line of sight to pucks from the 'Canes.
Grab an early lead, as the team scoring the first goal has won five of the first six games, Have the stars be stars and the support players produce as they have this series. Most important, to quote Al Davis, "Just Win Baby" and advance to play the Lightning at home Wednesday for the right to play for the silver chalice.
A really good piece on
Igor, who has been brilliant this round with a .949 save percentage. Solid insight from Steve Valiquette. I thought this component of the column really stood out, explaining the difference in the styles of play from the teams New York faced in each round.
While Carolina is a volume-shooting team – they’ve outshot the Rangers, 196-152, thus far – many come from longer distances without much disruption around the net. The Penguins were more effective at creating the type of intentional chaos that leads to tips, rebounds, ricochets and other scrambly situations.
“Pittsburgh’s style of play creates a load of broken plays,” Valiquette said. “How many times did they score from the trapezoid when Igor was getting back to the post and banking it off him? They made him feel very uncomfortable. Pittsburgh scored 27 goals in the series. Nine were off broken plays, but they created 29 broken play chances. Going into (Game 6), Carolina had only created five in the series so far.”
The
lineup tonight should be the same as Saturday. Barclay Goodrow came out of Saturday's win with no ill-effects to his leg, so look for him to be in the lineup again. Sammy Blais has been ruled out for tonight, making him a non-opton. These 20 will look to New York back home on a victorious flight.
Kreider-Zibanejad-Vatrano
Panarin-Strome-Copp
Lafrenière-Chytil-Kakko
Motte-Goodrow-Reaves
Lindgren-Fox
Miller-Trouba
Braun-Schneider
Shesterkin
Scratches: Hunt, Rooney, Nemeth, Gauthier, McKegg, Tinordi, Jones, Hajek, Gettinger, Lundkvist, Robertson, Pajuniemi, Brodzinski, Huska, Kinkaid
As I said after Game 4 in the Pittsburgh series, I would run this every day for however long that series lasted. I first wrote this in 2014 when the team was down 3-1 to Pittsburgh. What I said certainly applies now, with some very small tweaks, as at the time, New York had never rallied from a 3-1 series deficit. Now, on the brink of a series loss again, it's appropriate to run it again.
I am as optimistic as anyone, but would not be shocked if the series ends in Game 7. If it does, what I want to see is heart, passion and effort. Lose but lose with all of it left on the ice. Show some pride for the name on the front of the jersey. Don't just let Carolina walk over you, stand up for yourselves as an athlete and member of the New York Rangers. It doesn't matter who plays and who sits, whoever is in the lineup needs to bring it. To quote Boomer Esiason and it's something I have said a lot, win one shift, then another, then another. Then win one period and another. Then win the game and send the Rangers back MSG for Game 1 of the ECF.
Heart. It's the willingness to take a hit to move the puck or score a goal. Heart. It's what makes the name on the front of the jersey more than the one of the back. Heart. It's what New Yorkers love to see in their athletes. It's rising over trying circumstances. It's carrying a team or a teammate on your backs when needed. Heart. It can overcome talent when talent doesn't have or use it. Heart. It's what needs to be on display tonight.
Win or lose, We Are All Rangers!!!
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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