If the tale of a team can be told by a specimen of 20 minutes, then the Rangers’ third period in Boston on Saturday stands as testament to this team that has stayed on its feet no matter the number of body blows it has absorbed.
Twenty minutes in Boston without the puck attempting to protect a 1-0 lead. Twenty minutes during which the Bruins unleashed 34 attempted shots to the Rangers’ seven. That’s no misprint; it was 34-7.
And yet, the Black-and-Blueshirts never lost their poise, never lost their checks, never yielded. Four Boston shots missed the net. Eighteen Bruins’ shots were blocked. And the 12 that got through were stopped by Henrik Lundqvist, who has saved his best of this season for the last of this season.
Twenty minutes in Boston without the puck successfully protecting a 1-0 lead. Twenty minutes closer to a return to the playoffs.
They have bent, they have never broken. They have been knocked down, they have never failed to get back up and answer the bell. This is an admirable hockey team, willing itself to victory against opposition that might be more gifted, but not more committed.
There’s trust and a belief system not only within the room but flowing from the coaching staff into the room, and back out again.
I’ll be honest, I don’t know exactly how much credit John Tortorella and assistants Mike Sullivan and Jim Schoenfeld deserve for the mental makeup of the team, but I do know if the Rangers were weak-willed, the coaches would sure be getting most of the blame. And while I don’t know exactly how much credit to assign Tortorella for his team’s resiliency, either, I do know this head coach has found exactly the right tone with which to reach his players on the season’s darkest days.
From what I know, the players met very early in the season, when Marian Gaborik was sidelined after separating his shoulder in the third game of the year. They reached the conclusion they could succeed only by sacrificing and standing up for one another; by blocking shots, by finishing checks, by being willing to take punishment to make a play.
The players invented this Black-and Blueshirt identity for themselves in claiming ownership of their team a year after Tortorella just wouldn’t give it to them. A year ago, there was a lot of divide and conquer in the coach’s philosophy. This year, it’s all been a unification process.
There are pimples on the landscape, don’t get me wrong. Gaborik’s season is one. So is Michael Del Zotto’s descent. If there’s a common denominator that led to the Rangers’ two most skilled players having such disappointing years, it must be identified, because teams cannot win the Stanley Cup on commitment alone.
But someone is coaching Michael Sauer and Ryan McDonagh, the rookie defensemen who form the second pair that plays so far beyond its experience that it’s a revelation. Someone identified Brandon Prust as an athlete worthy of responsibility.
Someone saw the upside in Derek Stepan very early in camp. Someone acknowl edged the 180 in Brian Boyle’s attitude. Someone has remained patient with and protective of Artem Anisimov. Someone has had the vision to turn the team over to the bluebloods instead of staying the course with faded mercenaries.
Players generally get the credit while coaches take the blame. For these Rangers, charging down the stretch 8-1-1 for a Magic Number of eight points with six games to go to clinch a playoff spot, there is enough credit to go around.