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Yes, the New York Rangers are still Stanley Cup contenders and the reason why was on full display Thursday night as Henrik Lundqvist was absolutely brilliant in a win over the St. Louis Blues.
This isn’t something new for Rangers fans. They are used to Lundqvist standing on his head and carrying the team for long stretches. He did so at the beginning of the year when the Rangers got off to a 16-3-2 start. The team struggled when he struggled in December, but now all seems right on this ship. And with Lundqvist guiding it there is no telling where it might end up.
Any hockey fan knows a hot goaltender at the right time can be the absolute difference between a first-round exit or a deep run to the Cup. Lundqvist has that ability and his performance last night, making 35 saves, some of which will be shown on weekly highlights, proves that he is still in prime form.
It wasn’t just this game. There have been several lately where Lundqvist has been the best player on the ice for the Rangers. In fact, almost all season that has been the case. The skaters for the Rangers have not played good, consistent hockey this year at all, at least not for long stretches. Even last night when Ryan McDonagh turned the puck over to Scottie Upshall who went on a breakaway, it was Lundqvist covering that mistake and bailing out his captain. His save on Upshall allowed the Rangers, led by Oscar Lindberg who made a beautiful pass on his knees to Chris Kreider, to net the game-winner.
This season certainly doesn’t have the same feel in terms of hope for the Rangers. There are deficiencies on this team especially on the penalty kill. They might not be good enough to win it all as currently constructed. However, they will enter the playoffs with a legitimate shot to get back to the Stanley Cup because of the man in the net. The rest of the team just has to play well enough to win, just like last night’s victory over the Blues.
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