Written by Pat Leonard at New York Daily News
An eye for an eye.
Henrik Lundqvist sparkled in Saturday afternoon’s intense, must-have 4-2 Game 2 win over the Penguins, overcoming any uncertainty about whether the swollen, black and blue right eye that had forced him out of Wednesday night’s Game 1 loss would compromise his level of play.
“It was important for me to get good news at the doctor’s so I could just put that aside,” Lundqvist (29 saves) said of Thursday’s visit to a local specialist to confirm his eye was not damaged. “Knowing that there’s nothing wrong, that the reason I feel pressure is that there’s a little swelling there – that there’s nothing that should excuse me for not being ready.”
Derick Brassard (goal, two assists) and Pittsburgh-area product J.T. Miller (three assists) jump-started a second-period comeback from a 1-0 deficit to finally exploit Pens third-string goalie Jeff Zatkoff (24 saves) and finally get the Rangers emotionally charged compared to Wednesday’s lackluster effort to start the series.
“We just put the puck in the net,” said Brassard, whose goal 12:56 into the middle frame gave the Blueshirts their first lead of the series. “In Game 1, we didn’t do it.”
But Lundqvist’s perfect 10-save first period, his flawless 26-save even-strength performance and final-minute lockdown reestablished a mental edge for the Rangers headed back to New York for Game 3 on Tuesday night.
Pittsburgh, after all, still hasn’t beaten the Rangers in this series when Lundqvist plays the full 60 minutes.
He did not take the Game 1 loss, since Antti Raanta replaced him at first intermission after Marc Staal’s stick inadvertently poked through his mask. Now, Lundqvist has a 5-0 record his last five road playoff games at the Penguins, plus an 8-1 record his last 10 appearances against them in eliminating them two straight years.
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