There really was little to be said after Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final on Monday night. With Carey Price out for the rest of the playoffs (knee), it fell on Dustin Tokarski to try and hold the fort down. It was going to be an uphill struggle regardless but Montreal came out flying and took a 1-0 lead on a Max Pacioretty goal.
The lead was short lived as just 17 seconds later, Ryan McDonagh scored off Josh Gorges and his rear to tie the game. From there, the inevitability of everything crept in. The chances that Montreal created in the first period lacked one thing. They lacked traffic on second shot opportunities. It happened time and time with Pittsburgh and again tonight with Montreal. It was not as if the New York Rangers were playing well enough to prevent them. Montreal just could not capitalize and it cost them as the Rangers went on to the 3-1 win with Rick Nash scoring his second in as many games (the game winner).
So who did we give out the three stars to this night? It was really tough to go anywhere near Montreal but it was close. It really is not all that hard to guess the first star, is it? Anyway we trudge onward.
Fantasy Hockey Three Stars
Third Star — Martin St. Louis — New York Rangers
Again it was tough but under the circumstances, Martin St. Louis scoring in front of friends and family resonated. It was tough to say the second goal was a bigger difference than the third because honestly who knew at 3-1, no more goals would be scored. However, that was the case. Martin St. Louis made quick work of a one timer to beat Dustin Tokarski on the man advantage and that pretty much sealed the game. There were some blips on the Montreal radar but nothing like the pinging in the first 20 minutes. The St. Louis goal was a big reason and a heck of a shot.
Second Star — Ryan McDonagh — New York Rangers
This series is probably the first time all playoffs that Ryan McDonagh has looked 100 percent. His bank shot off Josh Gorges’ derriere is likely going to go down as the pivotal point of the series. McDonagh played a dominant role, performed well under pressure in his own zone, and had a two-point night. The 25+ minutes of ice time with six shots on net were pretty good selling points as well. So far in the series, the defenseman has six points in two games. We need not say much more at this juncture.
First Star — Henrik Lundqvist — New York Rangers
Michel Therrien quotes aside, Henrik Lundqvist was phenomenal tonight, especially in the third period. Lundqvist stopped all 19 shots in the third period, including five of them on a six-on-four sequence late in the third period. The Swedish goalie stopped 40 shots in all and gave up kind of a fluky goal early. None of that would matter as the New York Rangers took a 2-0 series lead and achieved a stranglehold on the series. As Pete Jensen of NHL Fantasy pointed out, Lundqvist has given up two goals or less in 13 of the 16 games this postseason, which is otherworldly. If Montreal cannot solve #30, the series may just be a sweep and that was unfathomable just a few days ago fantasy hockey fans.
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Tuesday features a bit of a break as there is no playoff hockey. There may be something else cooked up on this blog that has to do with the playoffs. Keep an eye out for it.Â
