The New York Rangers have had a few days off now to enjoy watching the Chicago Blackhawks stretch their series to a tie with the Los Angeles Kings. After defeating Montreal in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals 1-0 Thursday night, the Rangers will have had six days off before the finals begin.
It’s no doubt New York is watching the series out west very closely, but if you’re the Rangers, who do you want to win Game 7?
Regardless of the outcome New York will be on the road for Game 1 Wednesday, June 4th in either Chicago or Los Angeles. The Rangers are 6-4 on the road this Stanley Cup Playoffs. It will be even tougher to win out West. Chicago is 8-1 at the United Center, while Los Angeles boasts a mediocre 5-4 at the Staples Center.
The last thing the Rangers want is to have all this rest, and to come out and lose the opening two games of the Stanley Cup Finals. The top five point getters in the playoffs are all from LA and Chicago, with Anze Kopitar leading the way with 23 points. LA also has the leading goal scorer, Marian Gaborik (11), assists leader, Kopitar (18), and +/- Kopitar (10).
But what New York does have is ‘King’ Henrik Lundqvist. The Swedish goaltender is playing some of the best hockey of his career. He is a step ahead of Corey Crawford and Jonathan Quick statistically this postseason. Lundqvist is carrying a 2.03 goals against average, and a solid .928 save percentage.
He’ll be the key the the Rangers success if they can continue to win. They’ll have to keep their hard-nosed defense at their current mark of only allowing 2.25 goals a game. Chicago averages 3 goals a game, while LA a little higher paced at 3.4 a game.
If you’re the New York Rangers you want the Kings to win Game 7. It will be almost impossible to win a game in Chicago during the Stanley Cup Finals. It’s safe to say the Rangers may be just as nervous as the two teams waiting to play Game 7 Sunday night. It’s a pick your poison between Chicago and Los Angeles.
photo credit: getty images gifs: officialnhl
