Washington’s Vincent Iorio attempted to move the puck from the Caps’ end to the right side about 30 seconds after Matt Lempe scored his first playoff goal and brought joy to the Garden.
But then, the unlucky Iorio ran into Alexis Lafreniere, who was on an expedition to find Puck. Lafreniere buries the defenseman against the wall, picks up a loose puck while his opponent is prone, sends the puck to Vincent Trocheck, who passes the puck to Artemi Panarin, who passes it to Charlie from the right side. – Beat Lindgren and took a 2-0 lead with 4 points. 2nd 50.
This was the most notable of Lafreniere’s five hits, tying him with Jacob Trouba for the club lead in this category. It was reminiscent of how Lafreniere burst out of the gate in the first playoff game against the Penguins two years ago.
It also showed how the Rangers can and do expect to approach the playoffs.
“I was obviously expecting that [physicality] I have high expectations from him and I have high expectations for everyone,” Panarin said after the Blueshirts’ 4-1 Game 1 win over the Caps on Sunday afternoon. “It’s important that we play physical. When he made a good check and helped us score, it was great to see.”
There was no great artistry to this. Minimizing artistry is Capps’ only hope for making this a competitive series. They want to muddy the track. They want to destroy the flow. The longer they can maintain the game in tight spaces, the more likely they are to pull off an 8-1 upset.
Maybe that explains the first 20 minutes, when the team combined for three shots (one, two, three) at 5-on-5. The Rangers probably deserve a medal for maintaining interest during a long period of nothingness as much as they did for maintaining discipline and mindset as the game evolved and the Caps tried to stir things up. Sho.
“So obviously in the game, I don’t want to say they’re taking away their freedom, but they definitely got a little tougher there in the third period,” said an impressed K’Andre Miller. Told. A team-leading on-ice record of 21 minutes and 10 seconds. “I think we played smart knowing we had a long series and a long postseason ahead of us.”
Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
The Blueshirts had a smooth transition from the regular season. When Cap was able to jam it, they stuck with it. Their penalty kill was outstanding. They didn’t get frustrated when the refereeing staff came up with a new definition of “charge,” so they were able to penalize Lempe 34 seconds into the No. 73’s first shift, 2:07 into the first.
Basically, all NHL bench bosses like to think of themselves as four-line coaches. Alain Vigneault always proudly proclaimed that he was, even though his Fortliners were the most surprised people in the room to learn about their coach.
But Peter Laviolette is a four-line coach. At least that’s the case now. He is currently coming off a Game 1 in which the unit of Jimmy Vesey, Barclay Goodrow and Rempe scored two goals and had an expected goal share of 74.45 percent in a crucial 6 minutes, 45 seconds of ice time.
Lempe received a relay from Goodrow under the goal line and scored a centering pass with a nice touch from Vesey to score the first goal, but at 6:23 of the second, he made it 3-0 with a drive from the right side. It was Vesey who made the decision. Goodrow’s faceoff in the right circle won… Meanwhile, the Caps’ Bec Marestin was trying to go to Vesey and collided with Rempe, causing him to fall face down.
Yes, Chris Kreider scored on a breakaway backhand to round out the scoring, Panarin scored, and Igor Shesterkin showed some sharpness when things fell apart a bit in front of him, but the Rangers’ The fourth line dominated this game.
They got 11 shifts, five in the neutral zone and six in the offensive zone, with the three forwards setting the tone for the team. Rempe gives the impression of Johnny Appleseed. The line’s tone is set by a blue-collar ethos.
“I think we’re just trying to play a simple game. Just trying to put the puck in, play the forecheck, be physical,” said Goodrow, who was built for this time of year. . “We’re just looking to sustain plays in the offensive zone and create momentum for our team.”
The Blueshirts played methodically. They played calmly. They defended strongly. They played with the discipline of a No. 1 seed facing an No. 8 seed and got the job done.
The Rangers redeemed them.
