I apologize for my mini-sabbatical from writing this blog, but I was so excited about the Rangers playoff win on Friday night that I just drank myself into a coma until now in celebration. Well, not really anyway. Although there is much reason to celebrate the exorcism of the demon of the dreadful '06 playoff first round sweep, the road to the Stanley Cup is far from over.
With Boston forcing a Game 7 at Montreal, they are one team to keep an eye on if they steal another game in Montreal as they did for Game 5. Not only would they have a lot of confidence after beating the best team in the East, they have played the Rangers to two 0-0 draws that ended up as 1-0 victories, one for each team, in the shootout this season. Two teams with similar styles of play would certainly make for a very interesting Eastern Conference Finals down the road, but the Rangers are by far not guaranteed to get there looking at possible opponents for the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Here are the possible opponents for Round 2:
Montreal- The scenario: Rangers go to Montreal if the Habs beat Boston in Game 7,and the Caps top the Flyers completing an improbable comeback. Despite the February 19th nightmare in Montreal that every Ranger fan would like to forget, I really like the Rangers chances against a Montreal team that the Rangers got 7 out of an 8 possible points against this season. While Montreal has it's fair threats on offense, a Montreal back-end is not to be so worried about if Mike Komisarek is not playing his best hockey. An otherwise average defensive corps held by a rookie 20-year old goalie in the first playoff games of his career is the perfect recipe for an upset. I have an itch that Bob Gainey will regret trading Huet to the Caps. Bank on a Montreal exit from the playoffs next round or sooner, regardless of who they play.
Pittsburgh- The scenario: The most likely of all scenarios, the Rangers start off in Pittsburgh if Montreal wins Game 7, and the Flyers finish off the Caps. While Pittsburgh boasts the best offensive corps in the East, they have a potentially lights out defensive crew along with another young goaltender that has the ability to steal games. The forecheck will definitely be key if the Rangers meet the Penguins. As long as the Rangers bring the heavy offensive pressure, play a consistent defense, and Lundqvist continues his Vezina caliber play, I can see the Rangers advancing without too much difficulty. Staying out of the penalty box wouldn't hurt either. Pierre McGuire, NBC, Versus, and all of the other Sidney Crosby lovers, eat your heart out.
Philadelphia- The scenario: If Montreal chokes at home in Game 7 and the Flyers beat the Caps, the Rangers will start on home ice against the Flyers. You may say. "Wouldn't it be great to have home ice advantage in a playoff series?" The answer is not necessarily, especially when you are playing the Flyers. I will go on the record and say that out of the 3 likely playoff opponents, the Flyers are the team that scares me the most. With a pretty steady defense, a good goaltender, and young guns on the offense, they have the style of play that can wear down and beat a team in a best of 7 series. We saw very good games between the two teams during the regular season, including a couple of contests that went to a shootout, suggesting a very close series that would go down to the wire if the two teams were to meet in the postseason.
Right now, I believe that the Rangers are capable of beating any team in the Eastern Conference in a 7 game series, but as we saw in the Devils series, all it takes for a series to completely change is one lucky goal that came off of a deflection or odd bounce. As fans, all we can do is wait for the next opponent, and hope that the hockey gods are on our team's side.
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