Is this it for the New York Rangers?
Not if they can say anything about it.
After coming just a goal away from taking a 3-0 series lead, the Rangers now find themselves in elimination territory after a trio of victories from the Tampa Bay Lightning.
It’s Saturday night, baby, and things are just about to get interesting. The Bolts have been the favorites for a couple years now, but the Rangers took some serious shots at them early in the series. That’s why the series is still close, but if you’re New York, you can’t run on borrowed time anymore. This is your once chance to make this work.
Here’s a look at what to keep an eye on ahead of Game 6 tonight:
Andrei Vasilevskiy is the key to closing this out
Vasilevskiy’s brilliance in winner-takes-all scenarios has been heavily publicized, with six shutouts in elimination contests. So when the Bolts found themselves down 0-2 to kick off the third round, Vasilevskiy seemed to turn a switch and go into full-on brick-wall mode, leading the Lighting to three-straight victories and in a spot to force elimination once again.
When it comes to star power, both teams have it. When it comes to goaltending, it’s practically equal when both are playing at 100 percent. Shesterkin was the star in Games 1 and 2, with Vasilevskiy taking over the mantle from there on out. And after losing at home in regulation, something that hadn’t happened all playoffs long, you know the Rangers are going to come swinging and look for any cracks in Vasilevskiy’s armor.
So, Tampa, if it’s going to work out for a third year in a row, you have to hope Vasilevskiy can keep up his incredible play, and we know he can. The Bolts won’t want to see Madison Square Garden again this season, and with how low-scoring a few of these games have been, every save matters.
New York needs the fight or flight mentality more than ever
It’s so easy to say “just do what you did before!” and hope for the best. But, truly, the Rangers need to look back at what worked in the closing stages against Pittsburgh and Carolina and replicate it, but this time against one of the best goalies in the world with a dynasty in front of him.
With their backs against the wall, the Rangers have survived everything thrown at them this post-season. Even when some of the team’s top players haven’t played at full performance, they’ve managed to make it work as best they can.
So, more than ever, they need to get the depth working, clean up defensively and get another five-star effort out of Igor Shesterkin, who has been outplayed by Vasilevskiy in the last few games. Forward Artemi Panarin has just one even-strength point in this series, while Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad have also struggled to do much offensively without the man advantage.
If there has ever been a time for New York’s top stars to really pull through, it’s tonight. The goal is simple, the journey isn’t. And that’s where the Rangers need to steal a win on the road before heading back to the Big Apple next week.
