Henrik Lundqvist (Neil Miller)
BOSTON — It seems like only yesterday that Ed Giacomin moseyed out of his net to tell Derek Sanderson a bounty had been placed on his head, a chat that would precipitate a massive brawl, but that was actually 43 years of yesterdays ago, Game 3 of the 1970 first round that marked the first of three Rangers-Bruins playoff clashes in four years.
Tonight, these bitter rivals of the late ’60s and early ’70s will meet here in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. It will be their first postseason meeting in 40 years since the Rangers defeated the Bruins in a 1973 five-game first round during which, in Game 1, Blueshirt winger Glen Sather fought Fred O’Donnell, and early in Game 2, Ron Harris took out Phil Esposito’s knee.
Then, the names were Park and Orr; Ratelle and Bucyk; Fairbairn and Cashman. Now, they are Lundqvist and Rask; Girardi and Chara; Brassard and Bergeron; Nash and Jagr.
But it is still the diagonally arranged letters on one sweater and the spoked B on the other. Forty years later, the puck drops tonight in the first of this best-of-seven. Winner to the Eastern Conference finals.
Goaltending
Henrik Lundqvist not only is at the height of his powers, he is operating with a serene presence that has infused his team with an added dose of confidence. The King allowed three goals in both games in Boston this season after having allowed two or fewer in 12 straight here.
Tuukka Rask was excellent against Toronto, allowing two goals or fewer in four of the seven games while faced with a considerable amount of scoring chances. Covers a lot of net, always competes.
Offense
Talk about depth perception: Lines as rearranged for final two games of Washington series have given the Rangers four units that can get in after the puck. Derick Brassard has had a breakout tournament. Brian Boyle is going to need to use his body. Derek Dorsett must remain disciplined and avoid retaliatory penalties against a team that’s the best in the NHL at agitating. The Rangers will need production from the Derek Stepan-Ryan Callahan-Carl Hagelin first line. And of course from Rick Nash, who is likely to become extremely well acquainted with Zdeno Chara.
The Bruins present a blend of skill, speed and toughness up front and go four lines deep. Much more sandpaper than Washington. Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci must be watched, Milan Lucic must be dealt with, Brad Marchand must not be allowed to instigate. Nathan Horton has rediscovered his finish. Jaromir Jagr, impossible to knock off the puck, didn’t score against Toronto.
Defense
The Dan Girardi-Ryan McDonagh shutdown pair that was so strong against the Capitals will likely draw Krejci, Lucic and Horton this time around. It’s important that Anton Stralman maintain the high caliber of play he reached against the Caps and for likely partner Michael Del Zotto to attain consistency. Coach John Tortorella would like to be able to give the third pair of John Moore and Steve Eminger a good 12-14 minutes a night.
The Bruins could be vulnerable on blue line with both Andrew Ference (leg/foot) and Wade Redden (undisclosed) having missed Game 7 with injuries and
Dennis Seidenberg forced out after a couple of shifts in the first period. Chara remains a towering force.
Special teams
The Rangers were outstanding on the penalty kill (3-for-16) against Caps, but the power play (2-for-28) is a civic blight. Hard to figure why Tortorella won’t give Moore an extended run. At this point, anything Brad Richards delivers is gravy.
The Bruins’ PP (3-for-20) has been bad all year despite Big Chara blasting away from the point and big-bodied Lucic sniffing around the net. Note to Callahan: Remember the 2011 broken leg and consider the risk/reward of diving in front of Chara’s shots. Penalty-kill (5-for-21) is vulnerable.
Coaching
Under Tortorella, the Rangers not only remained steady as they overcame 2-0 and 3-2 first-round deficits, they improved as the series evolved. But oh, those power-play personnel decisions!
Claude Julien is unflappable and unafraid to make tough decisions when required. Coach doesn’t get in the way of a veteran group.
Prediction
Bruins are deeper up front, bigger and meaner all around. But Rangers are deeper on the back end … and have the King.
Rangers in 6