It was hardly earth-shattering stuff, nothing like saying a player “stinks” on the power play, for instance, but John Tortorella sure had it right before the playoffs started when the Rangers’ coach talked about legacies being made in the postseason and not in the regular-season.
Ten games into the playoffs following last night’s dagger-to-the-heart, 2-1 defeat to the Bruins in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal, we’re still waiting.
There is Henrik Lundqvist, all right, whose back-to-back shutouts with the Blueshirts facing opening-round elimination by the Caps in Games 6 and 7 of the first round carried his team forward, and whose spectacular work last night was all that stood between the Rangers and humiliation.
Though The King has unquestionably been the Rangers’ best player, just as he has been for the last seven regular-seasons and just as he was a year ago in the Blueshirts’ trip to the conference finals, his lifetime playoff record is a cruel 29-36.
Which, eerily enough, is remarkably similar to the 29-35 record Ed Giacomin compiled over his post-season career for the Blueshirts from 1967 through 1975 when his team came up short every year.
And other than the unprecedented “Eddie…Eddie…Eddie” night on Nov. 1, 1975, when the Garden crowd roared in salute for the goaltender when he returned to New York as a Red Wing, Giacomin’s legacy is that he is regarded as the best Rangers’ goaltender who never won a Cup.
Lundqvist may have been humanized in Boston, but The King stepped up large last night in a match where only the score flattered the Blueshirts. Game 3 was a mismatch over the final 30 minutes, the Bruins all but toying with their opponents. The Rangers grimly went about their business, but could not find a way to blunt Boston’s attack or puck-possession game.
Over the first 31:36, the Rangers had 17 offensive zone faceoffs to Boston’s four. The rest of the second, it was 7-2 Boston, including 5-0 in a 54-second span that tilted the rink. The Bruins were off to the races.
Brian Boyle was dreadful in the defensive zone circle, losing 11 of 13 on the night. So of course it was Derick Brassard, who was sent out for the draw to Lundqvist’s left with 3:37 to go in third and the game tied 1-1 … only to lose it to Shawn Thornton (after center Gregory Campbell was thrown out) to initiate the sequence on which Dan Paille scored the winner with 3:31 remaining.
“They grabbed the momentum in the middle of the second and we never got it back,” Ryan Callahan told The Post. “I don’t think we handled their surge correctly.”
Just like in overtime of Game 1.
But about those legacies…
Rick Nash was as good as anyone, launching 10 attempts in 22:58 as Tortorella moved him around as best he could in an effort to avoid the match against Zdeno Chara. But Big 61, who got three on net and was denied twice in the third by Tuukka Rask, has one goal in 10 playoff games, for goodness sakes.
Understand this about Nash: The Rangers lusted after him and traded for him believing he would be the transformative playoff goal-scorer they lacked a year ago when they were limited to two goals or fewer in 13 of their 20 tournament matches.
They effectively chose Nash at $7.8 million per over Marian Gaborik at $7.5M per, for whether it was going to be this season, this summer or following next season, the Rangers weren’t going to keep both wingers going forward.
Now, the Rangers have two goals or fewer in seven of 10 tournament matches and are a game away from being swept in Round Two.
Brad Richards established his legacy by winning the 2004 Conn Smythe with the Lightning in 2004. His coolness in the big moments was one of the primary qualities that made the center so attractive to the Rangers two summers ago.
But No. 19’s game is in such a state of utter disrepair that recalling his legacy seems a cruel taunt more than a harbinger of good things yet to come for the Rangers.
Brassard had an outstanding opening round against the Capitals in his first NHL playoff experience, but hasn’t delivered against Boston. Callahan is relentless, but is hardly having a standout playoff. Derek Stepan has been negated. Ryan McDonagh has been good, but not a difference-maker.
Lundqvist has been the only difference-maker and even he hasn’t been able to make a difference. As far as the Blueshirts and creating legacies are concerned, we’re still waiting.
larry.brooks@nypost.com