KANATA, Ont. — Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist takes every puck that gets by him seriously, so when Chris Neil managed to kick one by him with 40 seconds left in last night’s 3-2 Game 6 win over the Senators, Lundqvist was furious.
“Oh my God, it scares me,” Lundqvist said after making 25 saves as the Rangers tied the opening-round playoff series 3-3. “When it’s such an obvious play, goalie interference and a kick, and they still call it a goal, it scares me that someone can call that. It’s just unbelievable. It still upsets me.
“We have this game and they get a chance,” Lundqvist said. “Someone wants them back in the game, obviously, because there’s no other explanation.”
Lundqvist’s remarks were somewhat similar to what coach John Tortorella said after the Winter Classic, when Philadelphia forward Danny Briere got a penalty shot in the final minute of a one-goal game. Tortorella made reference to a conspiracy involving the television network NBC and was subsequently fined $20,000.
The goal last night was awarded to Jason Spezza, as he was the one that shot the puck before it ended up under Lundqvist and Neil pushed the goalie back with his stick and kicked it in with his left foot. Referees Steve Kozari and Tim Peel originally called it a goal, and upon review from the league office in Toronto, the call was upheld.
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Rangers defenseman Michael Del Zotto put a big hit on Senators’ agitator Chris Neil with 5:37 to go in the third period, Neil going to the ice in a heap.
“I’m sure I’ll catch him with his head down one of these times,” Neil said about Del Zotto.
It was Neil who nailed Brian Boyle high in Game 5, concussing Boyle and keeping him out last night’s game. Neil later said he thought it was a clean hit, and received no disciplinary action from the league.
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Senators’ first-line winger Milan Michalek may be facing a suspension for Game 7 as a result of kicking Dan Girardi twice in the midsection with his skate blade.
The play was part of the scrum in front of Lundqvist that resulted in the second goal, and Canadian television outlet CBC has numerous angles of the altercation.
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The Rangers’ struggling power play came up big in going 2-for-7 last night, with Derek Stepan scoring halfway through the second period to tie the game 1-1, followed almost 10 minutes later with a blast from Brad Richards on a 5-on-3 that gave them a lead.
“We took it to heart after last game,” Richards said about Game 5 when the power play went 0-for-4 in a 2-0 loss, one goal being an empty-netter. “We wanted to give ourselves a chance and we did that with the power play tonight.”
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Carl Hagelin returned to the Rangers’ lineup after a three-game suspension and was reunited with Richards and Marian Gaborik on the top line. He played 14:53 and had two shots . . . Senators’ captain Daniel Alfredsson returned as well after missing the past three games because of a concussion he sustained on the hit from Hagelin in Game 2. He played 18:21 and had three shots, with the fans often chanting his nickname, “Alfie.”