Bob Birge, Pro Blogger

Hockey Night In Connecticut

A blog focusing on the New York Rangers and all things hockey (also Yankees and Giants) with a New York attitude from a fan of 40 years whose greatest highlight came when Mark Messier lifting the Stanley Cup on June 14, 1994

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Punchless Rangers Can't Get It Done

May 10, 2012

Eighty-eight seconds.

That's all you really needed to watch because once Alex Ovechkin rifled a blast from the slot past Henrik Lundqvist 1:28 into Wednesday'

s contest, you knew the series was headed back to Madison Square Garden for game seven on Saturday night.

You knew the goalless wonders weren't going to score and they didn't until getting a lucky bounce in the final minute after pulling Lundqvist. Final score: Capitals 2, Rangers 1.

The Rangers have one even-strength goal in the last two games as they continue to be thwarted by the Capitals' shot-blocking prowess.

The Rangers' lack of finish may finally finish them on Saturday, when, if you're a Rangers' fan, you can not have a ton of confidence. If not for Monday's miracle finish, the season would be over.

There may be a small part of you that is wishing for the Rangers to lose Saturday and just get it over with. I guess I don't really believe that and it probably is just the emotion talking, but these games are too frustrating too watch.

They are like undergoing root canal surgery or banging your head against a wall, which the area in front of Braden Holtby seems to be that the Rangers can't penetrate.

Can't you just see it -- Ovechkin scoring on an odd-man rush midway through the third period Saturday to snap a 1-1 tie and send the Capitals into the Eastern Conference finals with a 2-1 victory?

Who says Washington isn't a team of destiny? On Wednesday, they became the first team in NHL history to win four straight games after an overtime loss. Talk about resiliency. Also, Holtby improved to 6-0 following losses.

Only the Rangers can played in a game in which the opponent can sit on a lead for 58-plus minutes, which is essentially what the Capitals did. And the Rangers' power play (0-for-5) retrurned to previous putrid form.

Jason Chimera's rebound goal gave the Capitals a 2-0 lead at 10:59 of the second. It might as well have been 6-0.












 

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