The New York Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens Will Face Off For Game 4 of the Round One Playoff Series Tonight, April 18. The Rangers Will Look to Even the Series’ Score to make it a 2-2 Series to Tie Things up Once Again.
The New York Rangers were dominant in game one of their series and shut out the Canadiens in a 2-0 win. However, New York fell in game two of the series despite leading and dominating most of the game. The Habs tied up the game with 17 seconds left and were able to top the tired Rangers in OT.
Then there was game three. The Rangers returned home to New York for game three and anticipated a win but the team wasn’t playing like themselves and let the Canadiens take advantage of them. The Rangers left the game with a 3-1 loss and let the Canadiens take the lead of the series 2-1.
Rangers Reboot For Game Four
The Rangers are looking for a win. In fact, the Rangers need a win if they want to stay in comfortable standing in the series. A tied series can be anyone’s game, not that a loss of the lead is a surefire road to a lost series.
New York will need to return to the dominating speed game they played in game one and two of the series. A speed and skill game is the Rangers’ strength and the best way to oppose the Canadien’s dominating size.
The Rangers have learned that the Habs have a difficult time catching up when they’re playing hard and fast; this is the game they need to have if they want the control.
The team needs to focus on their offensive play and get as many shots on Carey Price as possible. Price is a great goaltender, but he can’t save them all if they keep taking shots, especially shots that make his game harder.
The Rangers’ best goals on Price have been from the blue line, close by the goal with a player screen or an unexpected shot. New York has the offense to beat Price if they focus on their offensive play and chase his weaknesses.
Lineup switches could do the Rangers some good, especially if Alain Vigneault returns Pavel Buchnevich to the lineup. Buchnevich will provide fresh skates, good offense and a boost on the power play.
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The Rangers need to take advantage of the Canadiens’ mistakes to take control of the game. The Habs can be easily frustrated, as seen in game one of the series, and New York needs to take advantage of this.
To the Match-up
Henrik Lundqvist has been a standout for the Rangers in the series, but he can’t do it alone. He needs his defense to stand strong. Brady Skjei and Brendan Smith have had great performances in the series so far and have been solid defenders at almost all times. Lundqvist needs his defense to stand as strong as possible with him.
The Rangers’ returning players need to step up also. So far, we’ve seen a lot of production from players like Tanner Glass, Michael Grabner and Skjei, the rookie d-man who notched a goal in game three. Not to mention, some of the best on-ice play has come from Jimmy Vesey, Oscar Lindberg, and Mats Zuccarello, but there needs to be more.
The Rangers have a core of experienced playoff players, such as Derek Stepan and Chris Kreider, and all of these players need to take charge. These experienced players need to step up for their team.
Next: Underdog Maple Leafs Take 2-1 Series Lead Over Caps
Game four will be a big test for this team. New York needs to get in the right mindset and put their best play forward if they want to grab a win in game four.