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Post-game notes, quotes

28 April 2012 by in Hockey New York Rangers NHL - 106 Comments

Courtesy of the Rangers:

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES
Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 1
Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
(NYR lead 1-0)

Team Notes:

-        The Rangers opened their Eastern Conference Semifinal series against the Washington Capitals with a 3-1 win in Game 1 today at Madison Square Garden.  The Blueshirts now lead the series, 1-0.

-        New York improved to 203-219-8 overall in postseason action, including a 113-85-2 mark at home.

-        The Rangers have won their last three games, including wins in Games 6 and 7 of their first round series against Ottawa.

-        The Blueshirts have opened five of their last eight playoff series with a win in Game 1.  New York has posted a 31-11 series record when winning Game 1, including wins in six of the last seven playoff series in which the Rangers won the opening game.

Player Notes:

-        Chris Kreider tallied his first goal at Madison Square Garden with the game-winner, and added his first career assist in 15:22 of ice time to earn first star honors.  The last Rangers rookie to register a multi-point effort in the postseason was Brandon Dubinsky (one goal, one assist) on May 1, 2008, in Game 4 of the Rangers Eastern Conference Semifinal series against Pittsburgh.  Kreider now leads all rookies and is tied for first in the NHL overall with two game-winning goals in the playoffs.

-        Henrik Lundqvist made 17 saves to register his 20th career playoff win, and is now 20-23 overall in postseason action with an 11-10 mark at home.  Lundqvist is the third Rangers goaltender to record 20 playoff wins in franchise history, joining Mike Richter (41) and Ed Giacomin (29).

-        Brad Richards notched one goal, was credited with two blocked shots, won a game-high, 12 faceoffs (12-24, 50%), and led all forwards with 23:16 of ice time.  He leads the team in playoff scoring with six points, and is tied for the team lead with three goals in postseason action.

-        Artem Anisimov opened the game’s scoring with his first goal of the playoffs at 12:38 of the second period.  He is now tied for third on the team in playoff scoring with four points (one goal, three assists).

-        Ruslan Fedotenko recorded the primary assist on Anisimov’s second period goal, and tied for the game-high with three blocked shots to earn third star honors.  He is now tied for fourth among NHL forwards with 11 blocked shots in the postseason.

-        Ryan McDonagh tallied his first career playoff point with an assist on Anisimov’s second period goal, and led all skaters with four shots on goal and 25:04 of ice time.

-        Derek Stepan registered the lone assist on Kreider’s game-winning goal at 7:00 of the third period to extend his point streak to three games (one goal, four assists over the span).  He was also credited with a playoff career-high, five hits and logged 20:20 of ice time.  Stepan now ranks second on the team in playoff scoring with five points (one goal, four assists).

-        Marian Gaborik recorded one assist and logged 19:20 of ice time in the contest.  He is now tied for second on the team in playoff assists (three) and third in playoff points (four).

-        Ryan Callahan was credited with a game-high, eight hits, and tied for the game-high with three blocked shots in 23:01 of ice time.  The Rangers’ captain now leads the NHL with 38 hits in the playoffs, and is tied for fourth among league forwards with 11 blocked shots.

Post-Game Quotes:

-        John Tortorella on the play of Chris Kreider… “We showed him our concept.  We went over our concept with him, and then we just wanted him to play.  There are a number of things that we’ll end up working with him on but this isn’t the time of year to do that.  We just want his instincts and speed, and then just go out there and play.  As I said the other night, forget about what he’s doing on the ice, the mental part of the game as far as him trying to make a difference every shift it’s really good stuff for a young kid.”

-        Henrik Lundqvist on the team’s focus after Washington’s goal… “That could have hurt us big time, but we came in here, regrouped, talked about staying patient and just let the game come to us.  I think we played really well.  Coming from that Game 7, such an emotional and big win, it was important for us to regroup and start all over. This team doesn’t give up much so we have to be smart with pucks and they kind of wait for mistakes, so the key for us is not to make too many.”

-        Chris Kreider on the crowd chanting his name… “It was a surreal experience; I got goose bumps, obviously. I was really tired after the goal, but didn’t feel so tired when they started chanting.”

Team Schedule:

-        The Blueshirts’ practice schedule for tomorrow, Apr. 29, is 12:00 p.m. at MSG Training Center.

-        The Rangers will return to action when they face-off against the Washington Capitals on Monday, Apr. 30, at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m.), in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series.  The game will be televised live on NBC Sports Network, and can be heard on Bloomberg Radio.

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