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Gionta: Don't Count Out His Habs |
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They’ve been there before. They’ll have to do it again.
The Montreal Canadiens are no strangers to having to dig themselves out of a from 3-1 series disadvantage.
The Habs have successfully accomplished the task twice in the past 10 years. If they are going to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, they will have to beat Henrik Lundqvist and the resilient NY Rangers three times in a row.
After suffering a 3-2 OT loss to the Rangers at MSG on Sunday night, Habs captain Brian Gionta cited the recent flip of the script that the Los Angeles Kings relished in having successfully dug themselves out of a 3-0 hole against the Anaheim Ducks in the second round of the 2014 playoffs. The NY Rangers also overcame a bleak 3-1 series to defeat Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round of these playoffs.
Others have done it. Now, the Habs must do the same, or else their season will end in the Eastern Conference Finals.
“By no means are we counting ourselves out,” Brian Gionta said vehemently on Sunday night. The Habs scratched and clawed their way out of a 3-2 series deficit against Boston in the last round of the playoffs. They went on to beat Boston in seven games.
“It’s a tough loss, it’s a bitter loss, but at the end of the day we’re still in this series.”
Thanks, Canadiens TV
Gionta is one of seven Habs players who still remain from the 2010 vintage that lost its way and found itself trailing Washington three games to one before mounting its against all odds, Harry Houdini-like escape act. The Habs entered that opening round series against Ovechkin and the heavily favored Caps as the eighth seed he eighth-seed.
“It’s something you’ve dealt with before in your career and there’s a reason you have to win four games to win a series,” he said. “LA did it, these guys did it earlier on and we need to believe in ourselves. We’ll regroup and come back in Game 5. Our backs are against the wall, but we’re not out of the series yet.
It will be a pressure-filled game and guys will be excited.”
The Habs cannot point at rookie Dustin Tokarski as the reason that they trail the Rangers three games to one right now. Tokarski has made 96 saves on the 104 shots that he has faced thus far. He's only allowed eight goals against to the Rangers. His save % is .917 and GAA is 2.62.
Five on five scoring was a problem for the Habs in Game 3. Gionta, Gallagher, Bourque, Vanek, Plekanec, Eller and the rest of the Montreal forwards have to get pucks to the net and create rebound opportunities for their linemates. Pucks to the net and arrive their in ill humor. Shooting far pad off the rush will induce long rebounds off of Lundqvist.
The Montreal PP has been an unmitigated disaster against the Rangers.
The Canadiens will spend their practice day working on their pathetic power play. The Rangers played an undisciplined style in Game 3 and gave Montreal 8 power play opportunities. However, they could only muster one goal by PK Subban with the man advantage.
In 15 playoff games played so far this spring, the Canadiens are 11 for 55 on the PP, which is 20%.
Go inside the numbers, and the stat that jumps off the compute screen is that the Habs' PP is better on the road than it is on home ice, where Game 5 will be played on Tuesday night.
In eight road games, the Habs are 9 for 35, or 25.7%. This includes their 1 for 8 Game 4 performance.
In seven home games, they are 2 for 20, or 10%.
The Habs PP have allowed two shorthanded goals against, including the dagger that Carl Hagelin fired through their heart in Game 4.
Mike Therrien, JJ Daigneault, and Gerard Gallante better device a strategy to feed Subban and Markov at the points so that they can fire pucks through traffic at Lundqvist. Otherwise, this series is over.
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Twenty years to the day that the NY Rangers defeated New Jersey 4-2 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final. New York captain Mark Messier, who had guaranteed the win, scored a natural hat trick that night. The Rangers went on to beat Vancouver for the Cup.
On Sunday night at MSG, the Rangers found a way to overcome adversity. They are now heading to Montreal with a commanding three games to one series lead. They will look to eliminate the Habs on Tuesday night.
The Rangers committed five penalties while they were 200 feet from their net.
All told, New York took eight penalties combined. Benoit Pouliot rung up for holding the stick just 30 seconds into overtime.
The Rangers are lucky that they won Game 4. Championship teams can't make a habit out of taking eight penalties in a playoff game.
Thankfully for the Rangers, the Montreal Canadiens have been putrid on the power play in this Rangers series. Their entries haven't been good, their recoveries have been, and they are not getting pucks on Henrik Lundqvist. Rebounds have been an issue too.
Penalties not withstanding, the Rangers found a way to overcome their poor discipline and to win Game 4 when soon-to-be 39 year old Marty St. Louis scored the 3-2 overtime winner.
Montreal rookie goalie Dustin Tokarski has made several ten-bell save on St. Louis previously in the series. Not the case on the OT GWG when St. Louis buried a Carl Hagelin high cheese, glove high.
Thanks, NBCSN
Carl Hagelin and Derick Brassard scored on breakaways.
The Rangers now take a 3-1 series lead to Montreal.
Thanks, NBCSN
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