They said a two goal lead could not be blown again. They were wrong. It was said that the Rangers are so good after two periods. Now the team from New York has blown two leads after forty minutes. Goaltending was not exactly a clinic at times tonight so these three stars will not feature Henrik Lundqvist or Jonathan Quick. However they will probably feature some depth players playing well.
Will that change when the scene shifts to New York? I am not so sure honestly. This is not the 2012 Los Angeles Kings and not the 2012 New York Rangers. Both teams have improved significantly and the margin of victory in this series has been razor thin but the Rangers inability to shut the door while the Kings are not playing their best could prove to be a nightmare that recurs again.
Who are our three fantasy hockey stars tonight? Let’s take a look!
Fantasy Hockey Three Stars
Third Star — Ryan McDonagh — New York Rangers
We may turn some heads with this one but Ryan McDonagh played hard and tough last night along with getting a goal and an assist. When one is paired with Dan Girardi, it cannot be easy. Let’s just say Girardi has had a first two games to forget. McDonagh will have to compensate a lot because the Kings have attacked the player with a six year extension so relentlessly. The bottom line is McDonagh never complains and just continues to play well. If it wasn’t for the constant Drew Doughty talk, the Ranger might have received some Conn Smythe consideration.
Second Star — Willie Mitchell — Los Angeles Kings
Yes maybe Dwight King could have been a better choice but give Willie Mitchell credit tonight as he played rather well. His power play goal was key in getting Los Angeles back in the game when it looked like it could go too far south. Mitchell also assisted on the game winning goal by Dustin Brown. He played almost 35 minutes of ice time, was a +2, and fared well on the penalty kill. The depth for the Kings has been key in this series despite playing poorly early in games. They must play better and get a little more defensive with Mitchell. Last night, however, was a nice balance of offense and defense.
First Star — Justin Williams — Los Angeles Kings
So you all thought Dustin Brown was receiving the first star? That answer would be wrong followed by a 37 second buzzer. Justin Williams played like a man with vision in Game 2 as he had three assists. For those wondering, those were two secondary assists along with one primary helper. However it was the scoring chances created that caught our eyes in Game 2. There was this prevailing thought that the forward was a one trick pony with all the same performance base deal. The future is quite bright in LA.
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The Three Stars are always a point of fun debate. If you have one we missed, please contact us @ChrisWasselTHW. Needless to say, go play some banangrams in the meantime. Thanks for reading.
