Rangers-Caps Preview and More
Here we go–
My prediction? Rangers in six.
Why?
This is the series that will make Marc Staal a star. He has no choice but to be the best defenseman on the ice. He needs to be on Alex Ovechkin like superglue. Ovechkin is the leagues best player and he is going to get an endless amount of shots on net. If Staal can bang him up a little, force him to keep his head thinking about getting leveled — the Rangers could quiet down AO. For Dan Girardi — he needs to act as Staal’s backup. If it’s not Ovechkin — it’s Alex Semin, another 30 goal scorer, or Nicklas Backstrom or Brooks Laich or veteran Sergei Federov or a familiar face…Michael Nylander. If these guys can contain these players, with the help of Derek Morris and Paul Mara, the Rangers may have a fighting chance.
Let’s not forget about the Capitals no-so-secret weapon, defenseman Mike Green. Green scored 31 goals this season, the first defenseman since Kevin Hatcher back in 92-93 to score 30+ goals. Green will be a force that everyone from Fred Sjostrom to Brandon Dubinsky needs to keep an eye on.
Goaltending — obviously, advantage Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist is a money goaltender. This is where he shines. Jose Theodore is shakey at best and under the spotlight, has not been a reliable goalie.
John Tortorella will have this team ready, and expects a lot from his team — and with Jim Schoenfield by his side, this team will be revving to go.
We can talk about Scott Gomez and Nik Antropov needing to play well, but a guy that needs to step up as secondary scoring is Markus Naslund. Scoring 24 goals this year was nice but he goes a little under the radar and if the Caps focus on Gomez, Antropov, Chris Drury and Nikolai Zherdev, Naslund could be left with plenty of opportunities to bury the puck.
We know what Sean Avery can do — and he needs to do exactly that. He needs to be himself, but at the same time, contribute offensively. Ryan Callahan, like Markus Naslund needs to be a secondary scoring force.
So there it is. The Rangers have gone to the second round the last two seasons, but this is their toughest first round match-up. Continue checking SNYRangersblog for all your Ranger info.
Real quick — around the NHL—
Bruins/Habs — Bruins on fire, Habs not to much. Bruins in 5.
Devils/Canes — Love Canes here. Canes in 7.
Pens/Flyers — Penguins can go deep again. Pens in 5.
In the West–
Sharks/Ducks — Long series, but no upset. Sharks in 7.
Red Wings/Blue Jackets — Would love to see it, but no shot the Jackets win. Wings in 5.
Canucks/Blues — Blues, considering Erik Johnson has been out all year, along with injuries to Paul Kariya and Andy McDonald — have been on fire since January. Blues with the upset in 6.
Blackhawks/Flames — The Kane and Toews show continues. Long series, Hawks in 7. Here come the Hawks.
More later………
