Written by Justin Tasch at NY Daily News.com
You can throw out all the numbers about Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers struggling here at the Bell Centre over the years, you can forget the career-worst stats Lundqvist posted during the regular season.
Because if you doubt Lundqvist he will always remind you he is one of the best to ever do this, a player as competitive and driven as anybody you’ve ever seen, and a man who will rise to the occasion in King-like fashion.
“I had butterflies for two days,” Lundqvist said after his 31-save shutout in the Rangers’ 2-0, Game 1 win over the Canadiens. “I’ve been thinking about this for almost every hour for the past week about the start and to get going and feeling anxious and nervous and excited at the same time. It’s just nice to get going.”
Lundqvist set the tone with 16 first-period saves while Montreal threw everything it had at him, yet the Rangers came away with a 1-0 lead off of a backhanded snipe over Carey Price’s left shoulder by Tanner Glass — you read that right. “Expect the unexpected,” Glass said.
The last time Lundqvist earned a postseason shutout was the Game 6 clincher against these Canadiens three years ago to send the Blueshirts to the Cup Final. He now has 10 career playoff shutouts.
“I’m aware of it,” Lundqvist said regarding talk about his struggles here. “But at the same time as a goalie you always try to look at the good things in every situation.”
“(Lundqvist) was competing like he always does,” said Ryan McDonagh, tremendous in a game-high 24:32. “I didn’t see anything different in his game than he’s shown all throughout the regular season. It’s a good sign for us that we were able to play well in front of him, too.”
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