Joe Micheletti, the Rangers’ game analyst on MSG who is working the playoffs for NBC, gives his thoughts on the Rangers-Canadiens series:
After giving the Rangers a huge edge in nets in the first two series, has Henrik Lundqvist met his match in Carey Price?
I think the goaltending is a wash in this series. They both have been so good that it’s hard to imagine that either of them is going to be better. Henrik’s numbers — his goals against and his save percentage — they are just slightly [better] than Carey Price’s, but they both in the playoffs have won games by themselves, and I would expect the same in this series. I just don’t think there’s that much room for improvement by either of them.
What impact did the death of Martin St. Louis’ mom have on the Rangers’ comeback vs. Pittsburgh and chances going forward?
I think it was just a part. There was a really important time in that series, and that was directly after Game 4 when the Rangers fell behind 3 games to 1 and had played a terrible Game 4 at the Garden. They get into the locker room and close the doors to everyone, and Brad Richards and Marty St. Louis stand up, and before the players finish wiping the sweat away, they remind the players how momentum in a series can change. To forget about how they had just played, which was not good, and to not take it home but to understand it’s time to get back to playing how they could play … that it could be done, that we’ve done it before.
Those are two players who have gone through it. If you’re a player who hasn’t, and you’re listening to these two, then there’s something where you just believe it can be done.
So that was the critical point, and then the next day is when they flew to Pittsburgh and when they landed, Martin St. Louis found out about his mother, and I think that added to what they were trying to do and brought them closer together.
Will Rick Nash ever score another goal?
The answer is yes. Rick Nash has done a lot of good things in the playoffs — the penalty killing, he’s been more physical. You can see he wants to be a factor in the Rangers winning. That being said, he does score goals. That line is going to be a key line because you know Montreal is going to keep a close eye on the Brassard line. But Rick Nash has got to be more of a threat and he’s got to score some goals. Derek Stepan the same way; he’s got to be better offensively. And I think [Chris] Kreider will help that line get to that point.
Who or what are the X-factors in this series?
You’ve got a player like Dominic Moore, who has played in the playoffs for Montreal. And he gives you a little something to keep an eye on. Brian Boyle is one whose playoffs are generally better than his regular season. Ryan McDonagh seems to have found his game, or is much closer than what he was, and he could be a huge factor in the Rangers’ power play being better.
The Rangers have to find a way to control P.K. Subban. They have to. He’s been a galvanizing figure, a magnetic figure, for that team. I love the guy. He’s just charismatic and energetic and a great player with so much talent. If the Rangers can put enough pressure on him, though, he’s still learning … how to be a better defensive player. But if he has the puck a lot in this series it’s going to be a problem. And I don’t think you can forget about Brandon Prust, a former Ranger.
Do you foresee the Rangers hoisting the Stanley Cup in mid-June?
When you get to the final four, any one of these four teams can do that. Any one of them. I don’t think there’s a team that has an edge anymore, because they all now have so much confidence in what they can do, and they can all smell it. You’ve got to have good goaltending, and the teams that are left all have good goaltending. The Rangers have as good a chance to win it as anybody.