The Rangers season has been on a break for five times in the spring, but so only the team will start the conference finals series on Thursday against the reigning champion.
The New York Rangers are arguably the toughest combination in the NHL spring so far. Kaapo Kakon the Broadway combination represented has already played five games in the playoffs when the season is interrupted, but has never bowed.
In the opening round, it was a loss to Pittsburgh with a win of 1 to 3 and a second round to Carolina with a win of 2 to 3.
The Rangers have shown a really tough character in the playoffs, even though they are a relatively young team. The Rangers, for example, have run a 44% game of superiority in the playoffs and at the same time killed almost 89% of the coolers they took. Also at the individual level, hard leadership has been found in the group in tight places.
A 31-year-old American striker Chris Kreider has already made five hits in this spring ‘s playoffs. In total, Kreider has already scored fifteen goals in his career in matches where the back of the team he represents has been put against the wall. Only Mark Messier (16) has scored more goals in the playoffs in the NHL ‘s more than 100 – year history.
– Indeed, this Carolina series was already the second series, which went to the sevens game. It’s a pretty tough thing that we’ve been able to translate these. We are a pretty tough group, you can’t say anything else, Kaapo Kakko sighs at Sport.
In addition to Kreider, there are other key players in Rangers Mika Zibanejadin and a Russian goalkeeper Igor Shestjorkinin leadership have been at their best when the group has missed it the most. Instead, a slightly more surprising bearer of responsibility has been found behind the tip in a chain of juniors called “Kid Line” across the Atlantic.
In this chain have cooled over the spring in addition to Kako Alexis Lafreniere20, and Filip Chytil22.
Kid Line already emerged in the Pittsburgh series by hitting a 2-2 draw in the first playoff game of the spring. In the sixth match of the Carolina series, the trio were smashing 3-0 and 4-1 hits – in other words, a winning goal as well. In the decisive stand-alone game, Chakil’s 4-1 hit, initiated by Kako, finally packed the match.
Kakko has had a great time in the chain.
– We are definitely pretty similar players, which helps. The strengths are in the attack zone, and each of us likes to stay on the puck. We are still pretty much the same age. We have been able to play well and have a printed puck on the attacking head. There have been a lot of places too, so it was nice to finish a few goals, Kakko says.
Kakko knows what he’s talking about, as the chain has won its game in just over a hundred minutes with 7-6 goals. Although it is only a 45 percent chain in goal expectations, in the goal spot statistics, the trio’s count hurts over 50. In total, the trio has made eight hits, Chytil five, Lafreniere two and Kakko one.
For the small liability triangle, these are good numbers.
– The playing time is not big, but it is now understood at this point. In all teams, the first and second chains carry such great responsibility. What has been on the field has rotated quite a bit at the attacking head. We have done more good than bad, Kakko laughs.
The media in North America has also awakened to glow the youthful Rangers youth chain.
– Of course it feels good. I was on the sidelines of that chain for a while, but I got back to it and the game started running right away. I showed that I can play in it and it feels good.
A huge challenge
However, the Rangers will not have time to taste the conference finals for longer than time, as the fight against the reigning double champion, Tampa Bay, will start early on Thursday morning in Finnish time. Although Tampa will probably leave the series without his No. 1 center Brayden Pointiait should be considered a clear favorite in the series.
Perhaps the most interesting battle in the series is between two really tough Russian goalkeepers. Tampan Andrei Vasilevski has been arguably the best goalkeeper in the world for a long time, while Rangers ’Shestjorkin was by far the best champion in the regular season. Shestjorkin started the playoffs nervously, but has been steadily improving its game.
The Rangers get a home advantage in the starting series.
– The goalkeeper game will be in the big part. The challenge for us is tough, of course, they are double champions. They even got to rest under this series. We, on the other hand, have a couple of hard wins and a good feel below. Fortunately, you can start the series from home. Tomorrow we will go through their game in more detail at the meetings, Kakko stated on Tuesday.