New York Rangers stun New Jersey Devils with 3-0 shutout in Game 1 -NHL Playoffs Update
It has been quite a while since anyone has managed to show New Jersey what it means to be shutout as New York Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist stunned and blanked the Devils, 3-0, to take Game 1 of the 2012 National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Eastern Conference
Playoff Finals.
Henrik Lundqvist blocked all 21 attempts on his net, registering a second shutout of the postseason, the first being against Ottawa Senators, while Rookie player, Chris Kreider, showed impressive form on his insurance goal.
"Yeah, as a goalie you always have to step up when your team needs you, not when you feel good and have your moments," Lundqvist said. "A lot of times, it's when the team's struggling that you have to step up. It's fun, too, to be there and make a difference
when your team is going through a tough stretch."
Game 1 proved a lot of things for many people. One suspicion was that New Jersey Devils game play would have caught rust with all that rest and New York Rangers were too fatigued, having only one day in between the semi-finals and Eastern Conference Finals.
"I don't know where you guys get all this stuff about being tired," Rangers coach, John Tortorella, said. "If we're tired this time of the year, there's something the matter. We still have a month to play. You might as well not even ask me questions about
being tired."
The first two periods were intense as Devils and Rangers killed three and two penalties respectively and headed into the final 20 minutes without a single goal.
Fans at the sold-out Madison Square Garden were expecting it to head into overtime, until defenseman, Dan Girardi came out to kick off the scoring.
Kreider assisted Girardi on the opening goal 53 seconds into the third and added one of his own at the 12:00 mark on a power play opportunity. Artem Anisimov capped it off at 18:33 on the empty net as New Jersey pulled Martin Brodeur out after he fell short
on two of 27 attempts.
Game 2 is set for Wednesday, May 16, 2012, in New York.
Tags: