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New York Rangers Can Win Stanley Cup With Cam Talbot

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The New York Rangers knew that it would be tough pressing into the latter stages of the season without Henrik Lundqvist, but backup goalie Cam Talbot has stepped in and done better than anyone could have expected. The Rangers have points in 14 of the last 15 games. New York is making a push to possibly finish first in the Eastern Conference this season — a streak that has been led by Talbot’s brilliant play. The great numbers that Talbot’s put up over the last five weeks beg the question: Could New York win the Stanley Cup with Talbot between the pipes?

As much as any Ranger fan would hate to think about it, the elephant in the room is that there’s a chance Lundqvist doesn’t come back at all this season. Everyone thought Lundqvist would return in plenty of time for the playoffs after the star goalie suffered a throat injury, but it hasn’t looked promising of late. Lundqvist went on injured reserve exactly five weeks ago, and the Rangers have been very quiet and unspecific about his possible return to the lineup.

Most people would say the Rangers cannot pull off a championship run with Talbot, but the young netminder has proved otherwise over the last few weeks. Talbot is 10-1-2 in his last 13 starts and has stood tall against some very tough teams fighting for playoff positions. On Tuesday, Talbot made 29 saves against the New York Islanders and kept the Rangers in the game with timely stops — a game in which they won 2-1. The thought of not having Lundqvist for the playoffs is certainly alarming, but the confidence that Talbot has shown is very encouraging if the worst should happen with Lundqvist.

Talbot doesn’t have any postseason starts under his belt, but he did appear in two playoff games last season in relief of Lundqvist. It might not be much, but it helps Talbot’s comfort level knowing he’s played at least a little in the playoffs if he’s needed to be the primary goalie this year. Talbot’s given the Rangers a chance to win in every start he’s made this season and has exceptional numbers on home ice. Talbot is 7-0-3 at Madison Square Garden this season with a 1.73 goals-against average.

This is the first time in Talbot’s young career that he’s been given the chance to start consistently, and he’s proven he can handle the pressure as well as the workload. The pressure of a playoff series is a different animal, but Talbot is playing so well right now that he seems to get better each game. The Rangers also have to be uneasy about thrusting Lundqvist into a playoff series after missing months of time, especially if Talbot continues to shine in goal. Whether or not Lundqvist can return quickly enough to get some regular season games in before the playoffs will be pivotal.

Meanwhile, Talbot hasn’t worried about anything but playing his game and helping his team find ways to win. Not only does he have great confidence that seems to be growing rapidly, but also Talbot’s teammates have rallied around him and have a lot of faith and trust in the young goalie.

The Rangers would obviously love for Lundqvist to return in time to help the team try and return to the Finals for the second season in a row, but New York will also feel comfortable with Talbot if that turns out to be the only option. The important thing right now is that Talbot and the Rangers are playing well and collecting points in bunches. Talbot has proved to himself, as well as the entire team that he is capable of winning big games for the Blueshirts and maybe even the most coveted trophy in sports.

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