Rangers Vs. Canadiens Game 4 Recap: One More Win. One More!
The New York Rangers take Game 4 in overtime thanks to Martin St. Louis and are a single win away from advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals.
How crazy is this? The New York Rangers are one more win away from a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. Let that one sink in for a moment. Now that we were able to relive that awesomeness in overtime, let's get on to our thoughts on the game.
- Thank god the Rangers penalty killing was on point for the most part tonight, otherwise this game may have slipped away here pretty early. Henrik Lundqvist also played like an absolute god all throughout the game and made a few jaw dropping saves like usual, and kept this one in the Rangers favor.
- Carl Hagelin was also in beast mode tonight as he notched the opening goal of the game on a shorthanded breakaway, and assisted on Martin St. Louis' overtime winner. His first goal showed tremendous hockey IQ, as he snuck out of the zone early as soon as he noticed the Rangers gaining possession below the goal line. Also credit Brian Boyle with a perfect pass on the tape to spring Hagelin, and he finished it off with a beautiful backhand goal.
- Anton Stralman had a strong game in his own end tonight, except for the massive mistake he made in the second period which lead to the tying goal. An ill-advised pinch in the neutral zone allowed Francis Bouillon to slip in undetected, and he ripped it over the glove of Henrik Lundqvist.
- Derick Brassard continues to come up big in the playoffs with the Rangers, and tonight was another example of that. In his first game back from an apparent shoulder/back injury, he scored a massive goal at the end of the second period to put the Rangers on top 2-1. The shot was absolutely wired over the blocker of Dustin Tokarski, and honestly, I never even saw the puck after the shot, that's how fast it was traveling.
- You had to figure it was only a matter of time before P.K. Subban finally got on the board in this series. With all of the power plays the Rangers were handing the Canadiens, you could sense that it would eventually come back to haunt them. Sure enough, Subban blasted a cannon of a shot early in the third period, and it found a way through the legs of Lundqvist.
- It's only fitting that we finish off this recap with Marty St. Louis. What a scene following his overtime winner, and what an absolute snipe it was. He had merely inches to work with and he placed it perfectly over the shoulder of Tokarski for the game winner. It's kind of funny, for anyone who has noticed, St. Louis practices that same shot from that same exact spot during warmups. Looks like it finally paid off!
- We'll have one more day to enjoy this massive win before we shift our focus to Game 5, which is set to take place on Tuesday evening at 8:00 PM. One more win, baby!/