Game 5 of the Sabres/Rangers series was last night. That game, to me, was an out-and-out thriller that almost got ruined by the number of penalties called. The Sabres seemed a little like sprinters trying to run with bowling shoes on; they just didn’t seem to be able to get going properly in the right direction until very late in the game indeed. I suppose it’s not surprising that they had a little trouble getting the bow up on plane because they spent so much time killing penalties. Their own forays on to the power play didn’t seem to help much either – the Buffalo power play may be one of the most inept I’ve ever seen at recovering loose pucks in the opposition zone. This last feature of the Sabre man-advantage unit has allowed the Rangers (as Pierre McGuire has ably pointed out on many occasions during the TSN telecasts of the series) to overplay the Sabres defence and virtually eliminate at times the “D to D” pass option. Obviously, it becomes that much harder for the Sabres to move the puck East-West if that passing option is curtailed, which means that Lundstrom is not required to move laterally very much. Combine this lack of functionality with an apparent reluctance on the part of the Buffalo forwards to get in front of the Swede and set up a persistent screen, and the result is a power play that coughs up the puck at the offensive blue line and spends a lot of time retrieving icings.
It was fortunate for the Sabres that the Rangers’ powerplay looked equally disinterested at times. Jaromir Jagr was so missing in action in this game, rumour has it that his face was being printed on milk cartons throughout the Empire State before the third period started last night. If the guy floated any more, somebody would be tempted to paint “Goodyear” on his ass.
Rangers’ goaler Henrik Lundstrom stole the show on a night that his team-mates didn’t show up with their “A” game. He almost stole the game, which may very well have resulted in a stolen series. What a performance! For anyone fretting about the future of quality netminding as Dominik Hasek, Ed Belfour and even the now suddenly occasionally human Martin Brodeur stagger towards retirement, let there be no doubt that the kids are alright – Marty Turco, Roberto Luongo and King Henrik know how to put up a brick wall in front of the basket like nobody’s business. Just getting there in time to have a chance at making this save (from Game 4, and I’m calling it a “save” though I know there is quite a debate about whether the puck went in or not) tells you all you need to know about Lundstrom’s ability.
Somehow, Buffalo’s offence managed to get it all together in the dying moments of last night’s game. Fedor Tyutin is sure to hear about icing the puck unnecessarily in the waning seconds of the game, giving the Sabres an opportunity to get a scoring chance following the face off in the Rangers’ zone. Although I’m sure Marek Malik will be pleased to have the Broadway Boobirds focussing on someone else, the truth is that the Rangers are in a tough spot – in their heart of hearts, they know that they let one get away and it will be tough to put that out of their minds while trying to win two straight against the Sabres now. In the New York Post, Jagr is quoted as saying, “It’s not easy to overcome this…but somehow we have to forget it.”
Update on my prediction: If the Sabres win Sunday, Junior has pegged the result correctly though it must be said that the Rangers showed more speed and forecheck than I gave them credit for.