For hockey fans of a certain age, this must be like déjà vu.
Ten years ago, led by the heroics of a plucky Martin St. Louis and eventual Conn Smythe winner Brad Richards, the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Final on route to a Stanley Cup championship. On Sunday night in Madison Square Gardens the story was different, but the outcome for those two players may be the same.
ECF Game 4
Richards, thanks to some excellent board work and a poor clearing attempt by Andrei Markov, helped move the puck to a wide open St. Louis who had seemingly all night to pick his corner and finally wire one past Montreal Canadiens goaltender Dustin Tokarski in overtime to win the game 3-2 and push the New York Rangers to just one win away from a berth in the Stanley Cup final.
For St. Louis, the goal was more than just taking advantage of a good opportunity, it was the validation of years of hard work. Afterwards it was noted by Rangers coach Alain Vigneault that the goal was quite reminiscent of a shot that St.Louis works on in practice. “The goal he scored tonight is exactly what you see him practice every time he’s on the ice,” said Vigneault. “Like 100 pucks, he’s trying to put it right there.”
It also broke a bit of frustration that may have been building in St. Louis. He’d fired 10 shots on Tokarski over the last two games, only to be stymied again and again by the young netminder playing just his third career NHL post-season game (and 13th overall).
Tokarski has played well under the circumstances (having to spell all-star starter Carey Price), though he hasn’t had much help from his teammates. On the winning goal, both Markov and his defensive partner Alexei Emelin, were caught so far out of position that St. Louis looked like a man on an island when he scored the winning goal.
It was a common theme for the Canadiens who surrendered odd-man rushes time and time again to the Rangers. Carl Hagelin’s shorthanded goal to open the scoring for the Rangers came on a breakaway, and he very neatly tucked the puck through Tokarski’s five-hole. Derick Brassard’s go-ahead goal in the second period came on a stretch pass that gave him a partial break and an unobstructed lane to Tokarski, whom he simply blasted it past. The Rangers had multiple other chances on defensive break-downs but, luckily for Montreal, Tokarski was there.
The optics for the Canadiens don’t look good. You can say all you want about how the Rangers are trying to intimidate them physically or about how the Rangers’ coaches were spotted watching the Canadiens practice but, at the end of the day, it’s the Habs who are shooting themselves in the foot by not protecting their young, inexperienced goaltender.
However, you can’t put too much blame on Montreal. The times they struggled in round two against the Boston Bruins were not coincidentally the times when they got away from their game. The Habs are built for speed and transition, a deadly combination when it works. They’ve been doing their best to stick to that framework which has brought them so much success, but unfortunately it’s also a game that can be exploited through turnovers and quick puck movement, as the Rangers displayed last night.
In truth, this game and indeed the entire series is much closer than the 3-1 game differential would indicate. If not for a crossbar shot off the stick of Alex Galchenyuk, and perhaps with a bit more puck luck on the power play, the Canadiens could very well be tied or ahead in this series.
But, let’s be honest here and give credit where credit is due. The speedy forwards of the Rangers, including the aforementioned Hagelin, are the perfect team to combat the Canadiens at their own game, and in game four they proved it. Now, riding the wave of momentum built by timely offense, solid special teams, excellent goaltending by Henrik Lundqvist and supported by the heroics of their spiritual leader St. Louis, the Rangers are but one win away from the first berth in the Stanley Cup final since 1994.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @LWOSpuckhead. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter –@LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Interested in writing for LWOS? We are looking for enthusiastic, talented writers to join our Hockey writing team. Visit our “Write for Us” page for very easy details in how you can get started today!
Don’t forget to check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert for the latest in NHL injuries.
Main photo:
