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Rangers stave off elimination, force Game 5 with OT win over Bruins
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Henrik Lundqvist called it "the ugliest goal I've ever seen," but to the New York Rangers it was so, so beautiful. Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask's slip in the second period allowed Carl Hagelin to score the easiest goal of his career and turned Game 4 around.“It gave us some life," said Rangers head coach John Tortorella. "It’s funny how it works, huh?”
From that moment on, the Rangers played inspired hockey and woke up a Madison Square Garden crowd who grew restless after the Bruins took a 2-0 lead 7:41 into the second period. The energized arena reached its peak 7:03 into overtime when Chris Kreider redirected a Rick Nash pass to give the Rangers a 4-3 win, staving off elimination yet again:
The Rangers fought off elimination for a third time this postseason and will attempt to do so again on Saturday in Boston facing a 3-1 deficit.
Like Thursday night, Game 5 for the Rangers will be pressure-free. The expectations surrounding this team have changed drastically since January, and after digging themselves an 0-3 hole, handshakes were expected on the MSG ice Thursday night. That hockey tradition will be delayed for at least one more game.
“We’re breathing. We have a long road to go," said Tortorella. "We just need to think about one more game and that’s in Boston.”
It's way too early to start talking about the 2010 Bruins team that blew a 3-0 series lead to the Philadelphia Flyers. Many of the 2013 Bruins were on that team and remember full well how that series slowly began to slip away. Bruins head coach Claude Julien will certainly examine the failings in Game 4 to ensure that there is a handshake line takes place after Game 5.
Everything the Bruins did successfully through the first three games didn't work in Game 4. Boston allowed New York to score their first power play goal since Game 4 against the Washington Capitals in the opening round. And after holding the Rangers to only one goal in third periods all series, Thursday night the Bruins allowed two. Both were game-tying.
"There is no panic here," said Julien. "Had we been outworked and not been there at all, we would be talking differently here. But we didn't get outworked, and all it was, as a team, was we didn't execute as well as we have been. Our work ethic was there, but the things that we did extremely well [before] weren't that easy [tonight]."
No panic in Boston. No pressure in New York. One game to win for the Bruins. One big challenge for the Rangers.
“We should have some fun with this and don’t think about what you have to climb, think about the next game," said Tortorella.
Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy
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Daniel Alfredsson’s ‘Probably Not’ moment: Love honesty or loathe lack of leadership?
Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators has, for the most part, achieved Beloved Player status in the National Hockey League: a veteran whose work ethic, results and dedication to the only franchise he’s played for makes him exempt from most criticism.
So imagine, if you will, if Alex Ovechkin or Joe Thornton or Henrik Sedin or another captain who carries less respect than Alfredsson uttered the following when asked if it was feasible his team could win three in a row against the Pittsburgh Penguins after Wednesday's 7-3 Game 4 thumping:
"Probably not.”
Oh captain.
My, captain.
Here’s the video:
The full quote, via Erin Nicks of NHL.com, after Alfredsson was asked if it was feasible his team could win three in a row:
"Probably not," Alfredsson said. "[Pittsburgh's] depth and our play right now … it doesn't look too good.
"When you look at what we did, it wasn't good enough. Does that mean [Pittsburgh] was good? Did we make them good? Who really cares? From our point of view, we didn't manage the puck [well], we didn't execute our passes, and subsequently, we got punished in the neutral zone. We turned way too many pucks over and gave them some freebies. It would have been nice to have the lead for a little bit longer, but now we're back on our heels again. We didn't shut them down when it matters."
From the ‘Alfie Does No Wrong’ crowd, the defense of his statement goes like this (in summary of everything I’ve seen since Wednesday night):
“Daniel Alfredsson was speaking from frustration because his team was embarrassed in Game 4. He’s also staring into the abyss of his career’s end – he retrieved the puck at the end of Game 4, claiming it was for his kids. He’s speaking from the heart and, frankly, speaking the truth, and isn’t that what we want from all athletes? His candor is refreshing!”
It’s not really a surprise to see Alfredsson get a pass in many places for these comments. Alfredsson has banked enough goodwill that he could strangle a kitten in a postgame press scrum and the media would laud him for inventing a new form of “extreme petting.”
But they're comments that indicate the Senators are an inferior team to the Penguins.
Comments that effectively raise the white flag on the season after four semifinal games.
Comments that would seem like the antithesis of what you’d want out of a captain.
Again: Had Alex Ovechkin said the Capitals would “probably not” rally to win a series, he would have been called everything from selfish to a cancer of negativity infecting the Washington locker room.
Not Alfie, despite one of the most defeatist quotes ever uttered by an NHL captain in the playoffs.
It’s May 23. Nineteen years ago today, Mark Messier and the New York Rangers were down 3-2 to the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference Final. He was asked if the team could win Game 6. He said the following.
“I know we're going to go in and win Game 6 and bring it back here (to the Garden) for Game 7 ... We have enough talent and experience to turn the tide. That's exactly what we're going to do in Game 6.... I've put my five Stanley Cup rings, my reputation and my neck on the chopping block, boys. Now save me."
Imagine how history would remember the Rangers and Messier had he answered “Probably Not.”
As Scott Dobby writes:
@wyshynski I guess that puts him out if the Messier Leadership Award race.
— Scott Dobby (@Scott_Dobby) May 23, 2013
Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
• Rangers stave off elimination with OT win over Bruins
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• NHL legend Patrick Roy named Colorado Avalanche coach
Japers' Rink
from SBNation
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NHL Video Spotlight
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