The 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs have already given us some good hockey. Last night, the #8 seeded Los Angeles Kings upset the Presidents Trophy winning Vancouver Canucks in the first game of their series by beating them 4-2, and the Philadelphia Flyers pulled of an epic comeback after being down 3-0 to win in overtime.
For Rangers fans, now the excitement and anxiety really begins with the commencement of their series against the Ottawa Senators. A team that beat them 3-out-of-4 times in the regular season fought until the last day of the season to see who their opponent would be. Make no mistake, this 8th seed is not one to be taken lightly.
The consensus among experts who have put their picks in seems to be the Sens will get at least one win over the Rangers in this series, before the Rangers take the reigns and hop into overdrive to win and advance. For the most part, I have to agree with the experts. I see the Rangers as a team with more depth, and more game-breaking ability. While the Sens have proven to be threatening (when they won the first game against the Rangers in a shootout after being down 4-1) their goaltending as of lately has been spotty, and I think that will come back to haunt them in this series, causing the coaching staff to juggle their options between Craig Anderson and Ben Bishop.
Keys to Success
Smothering the Offense: The Rangers have done this all year: block a shot by any means. And if the shot does get through, Henrik Lundqvist still has a crack at making a save. Add those two factors together, and that is why the Rangers were in the top three for least goals against in the regular season. Players who have performed well against the Rangers this year like Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek, who each had four goals in four games against the Rangers, need to be accounted for. If they can get them taken care of, and make sure Erik Karlsson doesn't get a chance to load up a big shot from the point, the Rangers can have every opportunity to win the game with their offense. Which brings me to my next point...Offense Needs to be on the Same Page: I saw this pose a problem for the Rangers multiple times this season. The defense is good, but the offense cannot get anything going. And if one line is getting all the points, the rest of the lines go silent and the Rangers become overpowered on defense. Both sides of the puck need to be accounted for if the Rangers want to beat the Senators.
Go Hard, But Play Smart: The Rangers need to be smart in certain situations. Maning no bad penalties, not slamming opponents heads into the glass a la Shea Weber, and don't get disoriented and fade from the system. The playing style of the Rangers has worked for them all season, and the Playoffs is not a place where they should quit on it. Pedal to the metal.
Predictions
The first game of any series is usually the feeling out process by both teams. Like I said, the Playoffs are a different beast, and the team you verse is not going to be the same team you saw in the regular season. I think the Rangers are going to get their time with the puck, and Henrik Lundqvist will be sharp tonight. I don't see explosive offense happening tonight by these teams, and therefore I predict a 2-1 victory for the Rangers.
Enjoy the game, rock your beard, and be LOUD!
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