Brad Richards’ most important moments of this postseason might come before the puck is dropped Monday night.
With the Rangers nursing their collective jarred psyches following Saturday night’s draining 5-4, double-overtime Game 2 loss to the Kings at Staples Center — a loss that leaves them down 2-0 in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup finals — maybe Richards can help the Rangers off the ice now, because he was not much help to them on it in Game 2.
The unquestioned team leader (a captain without the “C’’ stitched onto his game sweater) was a noticeable weak link in Game 2, playing perhaps his worst game of these playoffs, producing as many turnovers as shots (three) and with a minus-3 rating.
Richards was not very good on the ice, but now he has a chance to be great off of it as the Rangers ready for Game 3 at the Garden.
The Rangers have never needed Richards’ leadership and veteran wisdom more than they do right now. As it is, they are facing the daunting task of having to win four of five games against the powerhouse Kings to win their first Cup in 20 years.
It would be easy and understandable for the Rangers to feel overwhelmed.
It would be easy for them to lament the fact — remarkably — they have played 2 hours, 35 minutes and 2 seconds of hockey in this series without trailing for one second in those two games, yet still trail 2-0.
It would be easy for them to be angry about the poor refereeing job by Dan O’Halloran and Wes McCauley on that egregious no call of obvious goaltender interference by L.A.’s Dwight King, who plowed into Henrik Lundqvist in the crease on the critical third goal that gave the Kings life early in the third period on Saturday night.
It would be easy for them to be ticked off at themselves for blowing three two-goal leads in Game 2 and one in Game 1, and for failing to finish on scoring chance after scoring chance when they had opportunities to put the Kings away in both games.
Richards, in the leadership role he has grown into since the Rangers traded away their captain, Ryan Callahan, for Martin St. Louis in March, can have a powerful behind-closed-doors influence on how his teammates view their chances entering Game 3 and on how strong their belief is despite the deficit.
This playoff run has been an emotional time for the 34-year-old Richards, because his lasting memory of last season’s playoffs was being a healthy scratch in the final two games of the Rangers’ five-game series loss to the Bruins. Then-coach John Tortorella essentially left Richards for road kill, emasculating his pride and embarrassing him.
“It was the lowest point of my career,” Richards said before this series began.
That is what has made these playoffs so special for Richards, because he’s been rejuvenated by current coach Alain Vigneault. He scored 51 points in 82 regular-season games (third on the team) and has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 22 playoff games.
Whether Saturday night’s poor performance was an anomaly is yet to be determined, but Richards looked as if he were skating in a wading pool, showing no bounce in his legs.
But in the time the team had back at its Santa Monica, Calif. hotel over dinner after the game Saturday night and in the time it had together Sunday, Richards’ leadership was going to be key, because his teammates look to him.
When the Rangers traded Callahan, Vigneault opted not to name a new captain, instead leaving it to the committee of “alternate’’ captains — Richards, Marc Staal and Dan Girardi. But since the trade, Richards has clearly emerged as the de facto captain.
“We point to [Richards] as our captain and the guy we lean on most,’’ defenseman Ryan McDonagh said.
“It’s easy to get swept up in things at this time of year, and he’s the calming voice in the room telling us to take a deep breath and keep going,’’ defenseman John Moore said.
“I was around long enough to have a pulse of the room,’’ Richards said before this series began, referring to his assuming Callahan’s captain duties. “You just read the room and you have a feel of the room and what’s going on.’’
The Rangers surely need a better Richards on the ice Monday night, but never have they needed him more off the ice than they have in the creaky, emotionally vulnerable bridge from Game 2 to Game 3.