For years Henrik Lundqvist has been one of hockey’s elite goaltenders, but one thing he’s never been able to do is win a Stanley Cup with the Rangers. He hasn’t even come close.
That might change this year. For one thing, Lundqvist set an even higher standard for himself in 2011-12. He finished the campaign with a sub-2 GAA for the first time and set a new career-high with a .930 save percentage.
He’s also more rested going into the playoffs than he’s been in several of his previous attempts, thanks to backup goaltender Martin Biron’s efforts.
Lundqvist was the difference on Monday, stopping 39 shots in the Rangers’ 1-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators. After an overtime loss in Game 2, Lundqvist has put the Rangers back in the drivers seat by handing them a 2-1 series lead.
“We ran into a hot goaltender tonight,” Senators goaltender Craig Anderson said. “We just have to find a way to get more traffic and put a couple by him.”
Of course, that’s easier said than done. So far Lundqvist has been just as good in the playoffs as he was during the regular season. Still, the Senators have already demonstrated that they shouldn’t be taken lightly.
