New York Rangers: Will Cam Talbot Ever Get Shot in Playoffs?
Goaltending and special teams—the two factors that make or break teams in the playoffs. The New York Rangers have half of their special teams clicking (the penalty kill) and have a seasoned and solid goaltender in Henrik Lundqvist, which puts them in a good position for a long playoff run. But the Blueshirts also have a fantastic goaltender just sitting on the bench. Would the Rangers ever dream of giving Cam Talbot a shot in net on their road to the Stanley Cup?
In the first round, we have seen numerous teams turn to their backup goaltenders. The Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks have all sat their No. 1 netminders to give their backups a shot. Why?—because they felt their backups maybe had a better chance of winning the game.
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Lundqvist has not given the Rangers any reason to sit him. Yes, the team dropped Game 2, but that is mainly because the Rangers could not capitalize on power-play opportunities; there were seven and they only scored on one. But it would be nice to see Talbot get a shot to prove himself in a high-pressure situation.
It almost seems like a waste to have that kind of talent glued to the bench. Talbot anchored the Rangers when Lundqvist was sidelined for more than a month with a vascular injury. This season, he posted a 21-9-4 record with a .926 save percentage, as well as a 17-4-3 record during Lundqvist’s recovery process. He, like Andrew Hammond and Scott Darling, became the story. Talbot wasn’t just OK, he was great. He kept the Rangers in tight games and helped them inch their way up to the No. 1 spot in the league.
Talbot understands his situation and is more than happy to watch as Lundqvist does his thing between the pipes. But, at least in my mind, Talbot earned a chance to start a game. He did so much for the team over the course of the season and it would be a nice reward to see him get his first ever playoff start. And playing against the Pittsburgh Penguins would be the perfect opportunity. The team has struggled offensively, and doesn’t really pose a real threat to the Rangers. The Rangers should advance to the next round. If they will, depends solely on them.
But the Rangers don’t really take risks, which is what Talbot may be seen as since he has never started a playoff game. The Rangers, in most instances, choose established players over young talent, experience over potential.
While in the first three games of the playoffs, other teams have watched their risks pay off and fail, the Rangers have never tried. They have played it safe by sticking to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality and there is nothing wrong with that. But, if for some reason, the Rangers drop Game 3, I would seriously hope they at least consider putting in Talbot for Game 4. For all we know, he can be a difference maker. He was in the regular season and we’ll never know his playoff potential unless he is given the opportunity.