NHL

Rangers’ penalty-kill unit proving dominant

The postseason is supposed to be another animal, unrecognizable from the regular season.

But a major part of the Rangers’ success in their run to the Stanley Cup finals has been emulating one important aspect of their regular season: their fine work when shorthanded.

The Rangers penalty killing has been tested throughout the postseason, facing top units in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Montreal, and the unit has only given up nine goals in 64 chances, a shade under 86 percent, second best in the playoffs to the Flyers.

It was particularly impressive against the Canadiens, yielding just one goal while down a man on 19 occasions. In fact, the Rangers had killed off 27 penalties in a row at one point during the run and haven’t let up a goal 39-of-41 times in their last 13 games, a stunning rate of success.

This should come as no surprise. Led by goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers were third in the NHL during the regular season, killing off penalties at an 85 percent rate, third best in the league.

“It’s been big,” said forward Brian Boyle, a mainstay on the top unit along with Carl Hagelin. “Special teams are big in the playoffs. It’s just all the things we harp on. If you make one little mistake it can compound into big things, especially when you’re down a man. We’ve done a pretty good job of being focused and aggressive.”

Rangers coach Alain Vigneault has preached discipline and staying out of the box. When those miscues do come — and the Rangers have given the opposition 16 more opportunities than anyone else in the playoffs — they have been able to erase the mistakes.

“The best thing we got is good chemistry in our units,” defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. “If one guy is going and another guy isn’t, it’s not going to work. Everybody has to be on the same page, read off each other well. Obviously, you don’t want to let teams get to their setup. We try to be aggressive on dumps and zone entrance. We try to keep them on the move and not feel comfortable out there.”

“[Assistant coach Ulf Samuelsson has] done a great job of pre-scouting the opposition and giving some real good info to our players, and our guys have really stuck to what needs to be done,” Vigneault said. “We’ve met, from [Flyers center Claude] Giroux to [Penguins center Sidney] Crosby and the Habs, three different power plays, each have big strengths — Giroux’s line, Crosby, how he runs his, and the last one with [Canadiens defenseman P.K.] Subban.

“They’ve been difference challenges, and we’ve been able to prepare and get it done.”

There is one challenge left, and it will be a significant one. The Rangers will need their penalty kill to continue to be at its best if they are going to hoist the Cup.

“It’s going to have to be huge, [it’s] probably our most important aspect of our team,” McDonagh said. “It’s going to be crucial to make sure we limit their good looks and limit their momentum.”