The Rangers, who were one of the more dominating teams in the NHL this season, turns out to be one of two teams that has lost the first three games of their series and finds themselves on the brink of elimination.
New York, who slumped its way into the playoffs after losing a season-long grip on first place in the Atlantic Division, continued to play the way they ended the season, uninspired and lifeless.
The Rangers had two major problems going into this year's post season. Let me preface this by saying that you have to throw out game one. Since the Rangers aren't scoring, they thought that they would just come out and bully and beat up the Devils. The problem was they did it illegally, they got caught doing it, and they looked ugly doing it. You're never going to win a game, especially a playoff game, when you give the other team 13 power plays and five PP goals. So forget that one.
Back to the two problems.
First of all, as great a season that he may have had, Henrik Lundqvist is a rooke who had not yet experienced the overdrive and ferocity that is the NHL Playoffs. That can be a very bad thing.
Second, this team is far too top heavy in the scoring department. They don't have the depth that you need to go deep into the playoffs. This team relies heavily on its all-world player, Jaromir Jagr. They aren't getting any scoring out of their other lines. I have been wondering for some time now how New York would fare without its prized posession. We saw what happened, and it wasn't pretty. It still isn't. From the moment I saw him get hurt, it appeared to me to be the type of injury that results in a separated shoulder or a torn rotator cuff. As often happens during the playoffs, all that the Rangers would release on Jagr's injury was that he had an "upper body injury". Yea, big surprise that was to hear.
Jagr has been leading this club all season long, and without him they are in deep trouble and may not live beyond tonight.
New York, who slumped its way into the playoffs after losing a season-long grip on first place in the Atlantic Division, continued to play the way they ended the season, uninspired and lifeless.
The Rangers had two major problems going into this year's post season. Let me preface this by saying that you have to throw out game one. Since the Rangers aren't scoring, they thought that they would just come out and bully and beat up the Devils. The problem was they did it illegally, they got caught doing it, and they looked ugly doing it. You're never going to win a game, especially a playoff game, when you give the other team 13 power plays and five PP goals. So forget that one.
Back to the two problems.
First of all, as great a season that he may have had, Henrik Lundqvist is a rooke who had not yet experienced the overdrive and ferocity that is the NHL Playoffs. That can be a very bad thing.
Second, this team is far too top heavy in the scoring department. They don't have the depth that you need to go deep into the playoffs. This team relies heavily on its all-world player, Jaromir Jagr. They aren't getting any scoring out of their other lines. I have been wondering for some time now how New York would fare without its prized posession. We saw what happened, and it wasn't pretty. It still isn't. From the moment I saw him get hurt, it appeared to me to be the type of injury that results in a separated shoulder or a torn rotator cuff. As often happens during the playoffs, all that the Rangers would release on Jagr's injury was that he had an "upper body injury". Yea, big surprise that was to hear.
Jagr has been leading this club all season long, and without him they are in deep trouble and may not live beyond tonight.
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