All of the emotion and memories, they’re all left way in the past. Because the Rangers are cold-blooded in the playoffs, and don’t mind at all when it’s this tight.
As in another one-goal game, this time a 2-1 win over some old pals playing for the Lightning in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final on Saturday afternoon at the Garden.
With Ryan Callahan and Anton Stralman in the opposing sweaters, the Blueshirts got some late heroics from Dominic Moore, who had the game-winning goal bounce off his leg and into the net with 2:35 remaining in the third, taking the opening salvo in the best-of-seven contest.
“You’ve been thinking about them in the regular season when you play them,” goalie Henrik Lundqvist said of buddies Callahan and Stralman. “Now, the only thing I see is them being in our way.”
The Rangers have a narrowed focus, and there is no room for distractions. How can there be when they extended their NHL record to 15 straight one-goal postseason games, and the ninth 2-1 game in 13 playoff games this season?
“It’s challenging as a coach,” Alain Vigneault said jokingly. “But this is such a competitive league, so little separating the teams.”
With the Lightning net empty in the final seconds, Moore hit the post, narrowly keeping the score at 2-1, and allowing Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop to deliver this quip: “You almost think they missed that empty net on purpose to keep it going.
“You know they’ve been playing close games all of the playoffs,” said Bishop, the 6-foot-7 netminder who kept his team in the game turning aside all 11 shots he faced in a first period the Rangers dominated but came away scoreless. “I don’t expect it to be any different.”
Neither do the Rangers.
It just so happens they have made themselves incredibly comfortable playing in these types of games, with so much on the line and such a small margin for error. Which also is why Lundqvist is the face of this team, never more so than in the playoffs.
“I think it helps us when we’re in that position almost every night,” Lundqvist said. “We all understand that every play matters throughout the game.”
Then look at how much it mattered when rookie Kevin Hayes took the puck behind the Tampa Bay net late in the third period, battling for position with — who else? — Callahan. Just over the goal line, Hayes turned and fired one blindly at the net, where Moore had crashed the crease right through — who else? — Stralman.
The puck hit Moore in the right shin, deflected behind Bishop and into the net, and the Garden awoke from its afternoon slumber.
“I think it’s just a matter of wanting to win,” Moore said. “Just tried to stay with it and work for a good bounce, and finally it came.”
Moore had just gotten out of the penalty box, which at the time seemed like it could have been a fatal mistake. The Lightning had tied the game, 1-1, when Ondrej Palat buried a great cross-ice feed from Tyler Johnson on the power play 6:45 into the third. It had negated the opening goal from Derek Stepan with 12.7 seconds remaining in the second, a play that started when Chris Kreider knocked the goal stick out of Bishop’s hands.
“It’s just how the goals are scored in the playoffs,” said Stepan, who now has four in this tournament after winning the dramatic Game 7 of the second round against the Capitals on Wednesday with an almost identical score. “You kind of have to get the ugly ones and that’s where they’re going to be scored is around the net.”
Those were the types of goals Callahan used to score for the Rangers, but no longer. This is a different team without him, a team entirely comfortable playing tight games. All this group cares about is moving on and getting a second shot in as many years to play for the Stanley Cup.
“It’s always a good feeling to start at home with a good feeling and build some confidence, because you start over,” Lundqvist said. “Whatever happened last series — it was really amazing, the way it ended — but you put it behind you and start over. This was a first good step for us.”