Holding a 3 games to 1 lead, the Rangers were supposed to be in command of the series. Then game 5 came along. With Sean Avery benched, John Tortorella wielded a stick at a Capital fan, and the Rangers were shut out 4-0. The momentum was back on Washington’s side.
The game turned back to MSG for game 6, considered a must-win for Ranger’s fans as a return to Washington for Game 7 spelled certain doom. Tortorella was suspended for his game 5 actions and New York came out flat on their home ice. The Caps held a 5-1 lead as early as the 2nd period. The Rangers put forth a lackluster effort and Alex Ovechkin was starting to take over the series. Henrik Lundqvist was no longer the force he was when the Rangers were stealing games. The final score was 5-3, and it was now a 1 game series.
The Rangers had no choice but to play better in game 7, after they were so terrible in the previous 2 contests. The defense tightened up, Lundqvist returned to form and New York outplayed the Caps in the first 2 periods. Suddenly there was a renewed hope as the game was tied 1-1 after 2. Period 3 started and the offense sputtered. The Rangers could only generate 1 shot in the period and finished with 15 for the game. Lundqvist continued to bail out the team until Sergei Federov sped down the ice straight at defenseman Wade Redden. Redden froze, and Federov roofed a hard-wrist shot passed Lundqvist with 4:59 left on the clock. Thats all the Capitals would need against a poor Ranger attack, and the series was over for the Blueshirts.
You can blame Wade Redden for giving Federov an easy path, or John Tortorella for losing his cool, or Sean Avery for disappearing for the majority of the series. There were many factors for the Ranger’s failure in the series. However, the main reason the Rangers were unable to close it out was their inability to score when it mattered most, plain and simple. This was the Rangers problem all season. They did not have a single player in the Top 60 of NHL scoring leaders. Without that, going deep into the playoffs is close to impossible.
Looking ahead to the 09-10 season, and the Rangers may end up having some of the same problems. New York will have very little cap room to work with, due to some of the questionable signings the past few years. Finding the go-to-scorer they desperately need will be very difficult. GM Glen Sather will be looking at all possible trade options. Some of the underperforming players of the past few years may be on their way out. Scott Gomez and Michal Roszival are a few that come to mind.
Making the playoffs hasn’t been a problem for New York the past few seasons. Big changes will have to be made though if they want to make it past the 2nd round. The front office has a lot of work ahead of them as it will be a challenge to dig themselves out of the the financial hole they’ve dug themselves into.
