Here are seven assorted thoughts of mine about this series, as it currently stands (three games in, with the Caps taking the first two at home and the Rangers so far keeping serve as well).
1. I thought we played better in game two than we did in game one, despite being a lot less close to winning. In game one, we only played about 30 good minutes out of 80. In game two, more like 45 out of 60. Still not enough, since we gave up two goals in 5. But still, just a thought.
2. From the "right about everything" files, we take another quick look at Sean Avery's impact. In both games two and three, Avery reestablished himself as one of the only Rangers who consistently forechecks. Sure, he can't score goals, but right now, neither can anyone else. What he can do is create chances by pushing the puck deep and always skating quickly, even when the rest of his team is gliding around.
Even Torts seemed to finally be catching on, rewarding Sean with 10:22 of ice time in game 2 (more than Wolski or Drury, and within 45 seconds (1 shift) of Anisimov and Prust). But in game 3, Avery was just as effective despite being limited to 8:45. There's a part of me that says I should trust that decision, since we lost game 2 and won game 3, but watching these guys play, Avery deserves more time.
One more note on Avery: go read what this guy of Blue Line Station says about him. This is what I'm always saying: yes, he's a pest, but he's not a good, and he's really good at being a pest. The case this guy makes is for Sean Avery as the Ferris Bueller of hockey. I'm on board.
3. I need to lay off of Erik Christensen. Yeah, he's soft. A strong gust of wind will take him off his game. But at least he shoots, and he shoots well when he does. Anisimov and Wolski are just as soft, and they don't make up for it by having a powerful shot that they're willing to take, ever. Christensen is like the anti-Avery: he's soft, he doesn't take the body, he rarely forechecks, and he can't keep possession if you grimace at him hard enough; but, he has great hands. I think Avery and Christensen complement each other rather well, if the latter can keep his big mouth shut.
4. Speaking of people I need to lay off of, year-long mediocre presence Ruslan Fedotenko has shown me over the last three games that maybe having a veteran presence down the stretch is all it's cracked up to be. He has been consistently great, after a regular season of being passable. There's not a Ranger who has stepped up his game for the playoffs more than he has. Kudos to you, Ruslan Fedotenko, right now you do not stenko at all.
5. Not to beat a dead horse or anything, but do we really have the only coach in all of professional sports who just doesn't believe in lines? Like, at all?
6. In case there was anyone out there whining about the calls, you're wrong. Yes, the Caps' tying goal in game one was on a play they could have stood to blow the whistle on. They didn't. To me, that only comes up again because in game three, there were a couple of times they did blow the whistle way sooner than that, in front of Neuvirth. Whatever. As for the no-goal in game 3, despite NBC's embarrassing inability to show us a useful replay, the refs made the right call. The official game clock (which is not the NBC clock, people) hit zero before the puck crossed the line. If anything, the Caps got hosed yesterday afternoon, by a number of calls against them that were questionable at best.
Note: this does not excuse Bruce Boudreau from running his big, fat mouth off. Ranger fans, go to game four. Start "Fuck Bruce Boudreau" chants. Loudly and often. Please, please, show this dingleberry (whose fan base, it's worth noting, materialized in 2006 composed mostly rich suits who are bored with the Wizards and have never heard of Peter Bondra) some reasons to really hate the Garden.
7. Speaking of things Ranger fans should stop complaining about, Marian Gaborik. He hasn't scored goals, this is true. But he has created far more scoring chances than most of his coworkers lately. Let's play a game, in which we draw comparisons to fan-favorite and awful-mustache-haver Brandon Dubinsky. Dubinsky has, up until scoring the very bizarre game-winner Sunday afternoon, been largely invisible this series. Meanwhile, Gaborik has had fans screaming "how did he not put that in?" a few times a game.
Oh my god you guys, if one forward is coming really, really close to scoring all the time, and another one is doing bupkus until he has a bizarre bounce go his way, don't run the first one out of town! Your hockey team will get worse if you do that!
Also, let's talk about defensive responsibility. Look. We're a club that wins by not allowing goals, rather than by scoring them, a club whose motto has become "play smart defense and the goals will come." Marian Gaborik may be the fastest skater in the NHL, and he's got a crazy-fast shot. He was brought to New York expecting a system of "safe is death," and he prospered under it last season. As we've become a more defensive club, Gabby has completely changed his game: blocking shots, back-checking, and generally being in the right place at the right time to stop a play from developing. Watch him over the last three games: other than Drury and Boyle, he's probably been our most defensively responsible forward!
So, Gabby's had among our best scoring chances of the series, though he hasn't put one in, and he's been among our most defensively responsible forwards, despite absolutely not being that kind of player. Remind me, again, why we're all getting on his case?
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