2013 NHL Playoffs: 5 Most Important New York Rangers

The 5 Most Important New York Rangers

To be frank, the New York Rangers’ regular season was a disappointment. For much of the strike-shortened campaign, the Blueshirts were wildly inconsistent. Whether it was the constant line shuffling, the paucity of goals or the perceived identity crisis, this was a different team than the one that advanced to Conference Finals last year.

The team that could pulverize foes on the boards and block shots like nobody’s business was only tough in disguise. In truth, the Rangers played soft for much of the season – of the “Charmin Ultra” variety. Then, all of a sudden, April 3 happened. On that day the Rangers traded three-time, 40-goal scorer Marian Gaborik to the Columbus Blue Jackets for center Derick Brassard, right winger Derek Dorsett and defenseman John Moore. Hours earlier the team acquired gritty winger Ryane Clowe from the San Jose Sharks for second- and third-round picks in this year’s draft along with a conditional second-rounder in 2014.

Many analysts bashed Rangers General Manager Glenn Sather for executing the Gaborik trade, questioning the decision to trade away a leading offensive talent. Particularly, when the team was statistically the lowest scoring club in the NHL at the time.

But ‘lookie’ here. Since that Gaborik trade, the Rangers closed out the season at 9-3-1. The Blueshirts not only moved up in the standings to close out the season as the sixth seed, it now finds itself competing in a winnable series against the third-seeded Washington Capitals.

However, if the Blueshirts are going to triumph over the Caps and rejuvenated winger Alex Ovechkin, these five Ranger players will have to play prominent roles in order for their team to advance. With any luck, a few of these guys may get the opportunity to don the “Broadway Hat.”

5. Ryan Callahan

He is the captain and heart on the Blueshirts’ collective sleeve. His hunger and determination are what catalyzes this club. Captain ‘Cally’ is not a prolific scorer, but he has a penchant for making impactful plays in the biggest moments. In February, he notched a shootout goal against the dreaded Boston Bruins, giving the Rangers a much-needed victory against one of the Eastern Conference’s elite teams. Yet, none was bigger than the overtime goal he scored against the Carolina Hurricanes in the second-to-last game of the season, propelling his team into the playoffs.

Callahan is riding a seven-game point streak, notching five goals and six assists. He appears to be on at just the right time. For a team that has struggled to score, Callahan put the puck in the net, in addition to hitting and blocking shots, in order for the Rangers to have a chance in this series.

4. Ryan McDonagh

Dan Girardi and McDonagh represent the top defensive pairing for the Rangers. Girardi sets the tone for a team that has a penchant for hitting and blocking shots. Girardi led the league in blocked shots with 125 in the regular season and was eighth in the league in time-on-ice per game at 25:24.

Yet, it is McDonough who could be the X-factor, particularly as the young winger is expected to draw the defensive assignment against the reinvigorated Alex Ovechkin, who reassumed his place among the league’s elite scorers.

It doesn’t help that due to fellow defenseman Marc Staal’s lingering eye injury, Head Coach John Tortorella is expected to split up Girardi and McDonagh, necessitating that one of the two will be up against Washington’s two top lines at all times, according to the New York Post.

It is important that McDonagh continues to grow his game because he will be tested by a Capitals squad that has depth scoring. Let me rephrase that, the club has deadly depth scoring, finishing in the top five in goals per game this regular season. In addition to Ovechkin, the 23-year-old will be tasked with defending the zone against the Capitals other dynamic playmakers, Mike Ribeiro and Nicklas Backstrom. The Capitals are deadly, particularly with the man advantage as it led the league in power-play conversion percentage at 27 percent.

3. Derek Stepan

The Hastings, Minnesota native was his team’s top scorer and biggest surprise in this strike-shortened season. Not only did he mature into a dynamic two-way player, “Step” stepped up in the moments that mattered most. He finished second in the league in game-winning goals in the regular season. He was also fifth in the league in +/- of 25.

Dude is scorching hot, finished the regular season with eight goals and 19 points for April, en route to earning the NHL’s third star for the month. Stepan is the second-line center between the speedy Carl Hagelin and Callahan. Again, it is important for the Rangers’ second line to produce goals, something it hadn’t been able to do for most of the regular season. Stepan’s evolution is important for a club, which – aside from J.T. Miller – lacks front-line center prospects in its farm system.

The implications of the 22-year-old’s development are huge beyond this season. With a firm anchor in place behind Rick Nash, the Rangers have a reliable playmaker that can pick up the slack when its first line is off the ice.

2. Rick Nash

Offensively, he is the main attraction, the guy you pay to see. Like his basketball counterpart with the same last name, the 28-year-old center is the consummate playmaker. Nash makes “wow” plays and generates breakaways toward the net with ease. When the Rangers struggled to score, he was the one constant offensive presence. He finished tenth in goals this regular season, but he will have to earn his pelts in the playoffs, where he only has four games of experience.

The Rangers need Nash to help resuscitate a moribund power play. The Blueshirts finished in the bottom eight with the man advantage. It was the one glaring weakness the club overcame this season. Yet, in the playoffs, a lack of power play productivity can snuff out Stanley Cup aspirations.

Speaking of aspirations, this series is the perfect opportunity for Nash to enter into the national consciousness. He has a chance to square off against a household name in Ovechkin in a series that everyone will be watching. As the leading offensive threat, this is his time to emerge as a bonafide star. When the puck drops Thursday, he will know this: he isn’t in Columbus anymore.

1. Henrik Lundqvist

The most important ingredient to the Rangers’ success is and will always be the play of Lundqvist. Last year’s Vezina Trophy Winner (for best goaltender at his position), is what makes the Rangers a reasonable threat to reach the conference finals. When Lundqvist is on, he is capable of stealing games.

Admittedly, Lundqvist did not have as good a season as last year’s. Yet, he was still very good. Here’s proof: he was tied for the league lead with 24 wins and was fifth in save percentage to go along with a 2.05 GAA, which is sixth in the NHL.

While the Capitals have a gifted net-minder in Braden Holtby, what the Rangers have in Lundqvist represents a distinct advantage, at the most critical position. Expectedly, the series will turn based on how the goalies fare against one another. During last year’s conference-semis, Holtby went glove-to-glove with the King before surrendering the winning goal to the Blueshirts to clinch the seven-game series.

The Rangers, who have been banged up all year will have to over-rely on its goaltender again. And depending on how well he holds up, Rangers players could move on to face either the Boston Bruins or Toronto Maple Leafs or they could find themselves making mid-May vacation plans.

Tacuma R. Roeback is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TacumaRoe, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+