Playoff Prescription: Round 3 Rangers vs. Devils Game 4

Slowly but surely, the Rangers are inching their way closer to advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals.

And tonight, they add a new chapter to the Eastern Conference Finals as they take on the New Jersey Devils in Game 4. What a series this has been. If there was one word to describe this series it would have to be; odd. Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Brodeur are showing everyone why they are the best in the game by pulling out miraculous saves every night. But thing that really surprises me about this series is the scoring, and how it is happening.

For the Rangers, so many of their goals are coming off of a defensemans work. In Game 3, Dan Girardi scored the first goal of the game in the 3rd, followed up by a Ryan McDonagh shot that tipped off of Chris Kreider and into the net. The offensive players for the Rangers have been damn-near nonexistent in this series, but the defense is picking up the slack. Can you imagine what they'd look like if the forwards were chipping in as regularly as the defense?



Another thing is the rise of Chris Kreider. Before the playoffs, when the talks of calling up Kreider started, I wrote an article saying the Rangers should wait with Kreider and not rush him. Since then, he's had five goals and two assists in the playoffs, and has put my speculation to an absolute shame. What more can we as fans ask from a kid who played his first game in the NHL straight out of college at the start of the NHL playoffs? He has gone above and beyond all of our expectations, and hopefully can continue to be a spark for the offense.

Now, on the Devils side, they are having problems scoring. Zach Parise and Travis Zajac have been held without a goal so far in this series. Considering they have only scored goals in one of the games so far, it's not a surprise. The Devils are looking for a cog to help them in the scoring for the team, so tonight the Devils have inserted Jacob Josefson, who has sat with an injury since early April to try and jump start the Devils scoring.

Keys to Victory


Try Not to Take Too Many Penalties: It is never a good idea to be shorthanded. Ever, I do not care how good the Rangers penalty kill is. You do not give Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, and crew two minutes to fire at will at the Rangers net. Yes, Lundqvist has played a key part in keeping the Rangers off of the board. But like everyone else in this league, he is human. And sooner or later, this string of luck isn't going to be as fruitful as it's been. The Rangers need to play smart hockey, and stay out of the penalty box.

One Eye on Ilya Kovalchuk At All Times: The man is dangerous to say the utmost least. He scored the first goal for the Devils in Game 2 to get them going, which eventually lead them to a win. His cutback across the ice when he gets space entering the offensive zone works. The Rangers have done a good job of neutralizing that cross of his, and Lundqvist has tracked his shots like a champ. In order to win, the Rangers need to keep tabs of Kovy all night.

Enjoy the game!