One last chance to make it right

April 28, 2009   ·   Derek Felix   ·   Jump to comments

As I sit here with fans on super high trying to stay cool from this crazy late April summer heat, I can honestly say that I’m ready for whatever happens later tonight.

Going into this series, the Rangers were a decided underdog against the game’s best player Alex Ovechkin and the much more talented Capitals. Nobody figured that they’d win the first two games at Washington and get a split at MSG to take a 3-1 lead. I guess that’s what great goaltending can do to cover up our team’s obvious weaknesses. In a word, Henrik Lundqvist was brilliant. However, the Caps raised their level and solved him to the point of scoring 9 times on 34 shots, forcing our best player to be yanked in two consecutive devastating losses, forcing tonight’s decider.

In getting outscored 9-3 with our coach losing discipline which started this mess, the wheels have come off. They’ve been outscored 17-10 overall yet somehow, still have one last chance to make it right. All the scoring woes and classic underachievments from Scott Gomez, Nik Antropov and ice capades specialist Nikolai Zherdev mean little heading into tonight. There’s one more opportunity to fix it and leave everything on what’s certain to be a revved up Red wearing Verizon Center. The choice is theirs.

All I can do is keep my playoff beard and continue supporting them by rooting for a miracle to happen on the ice. It’s out of my hands. If they want to finish this circus adventure of a season by becoming the first Ranger team to lose three straight to blow a 3-1 series lead, it’s on them. It’s the players’ responsibility along with our immature coach to be prepared for the most intense battle of the season.

Early in this series, these same guys sacrificed for the good of the team making some believers that they could actually pull this off. Were we fools? I know even when they got the 3-1 lead, I remained guarded because the Caps controlled most of the play and I knew how explosive they were. Let’s face it. This isn’t supposed to happen. The Caps were in this situation last year rallying from the same tough deficit to force an identicaly Game 7 on their home ice only to break hearts when the Flyers’ Joffrey Lupul scored in sudden death. So, it’s no shock that they got it to tonight. They’re a very confident club who believes they should be playing deep into this Spring.

It will take the most concentrated effort from every Ranger to win tonight. That must include a quick start. Let them know that unlike the last two pathetic efforts, that if the Caps are going to advance, they’ll be required to do so with our guys playing as hard as possible. Tonight, there are two choices. Roll over or compete.

I do agree with hobbled Ranger captain Chris Drury that this team has been resilient all year. They have dealt with a lot of adversity including getting a well respected coach Edmonton’s rumored to be interested in fired. They played better hockey under John Tortorella to make the final cut even if they made us nervous the final week. He always talks about his Safe Is Death philosophy but this team hasn’t played like it all series. Tonight, they have no choice. If this team plays not to lose, it will be a long game.

At this point, they really have nothing to lose because absolutely no one expects them to win. But there is this. Lose and maybe the roster drastically changes.

There’s added incentive with top penalty killer Blair Betts out with a broken orbital bone courtesy of the illegal cheapshot Donald Brashear laid on him which somehow was ruled a “clean hit” by veteran Bill McCreary. Even former Ranger coach Colin Campbell had his head up his ass referring to it as “a shoulder” and not an elbow after handing out a six-game suspension. You really can’t make this stuff up.

Be that as it may, Artem Anisimov gets the call. How much will he play? He was great for the Wolf Pack in his second pro season. The 20 year-old Russian who was a second round pick has some skill. My guess is Tort will try him on the fourth line and go shift to shift. It certainly can’t hurt an offensively challenged team that has turned new 21 year-old Simeon Varlamov into the reincarnation of Vladimir Tretiak. Not to take away from how well he’s played in posting two shutouts while permitting only six goals on 130 shots. However, our team has hardly pressured him. When they did in Game Four, he cracked.  Establishing a low cycle would do wonders for their chances.

There also could be one change for the Caps with veteran presence Chris Clark expected to go in Brashear’s place which is actually an upgrade. It speaks to the kinda depth they have. If he’s healthy enough to play, of course Bruce Boudreau would insert him over the useless Michael Nylander.

Finally, this has been a heated series on and off the ice. From Tortorella tossing a plastic bottle which hit a poor gal in response to lewd remarks to Brashear’s latest thuggery and “Bite Gate,” a distaste has developed. I never liked the Caps growing up and still have nightmares of John Druce destroying us. It’s hard not to respect Ovechkin even if he sometimes gets carried away with the goal celebrations. He’s not a baby like some superstars and plays the game the right way. Still, I’d love nothing better than to silence Boudreau for defending what Shaone Morrisonn did to Brandon Dubinsky. That was disgusting anyway you slice it even if in defense of Mike Green.

Now, this isn’t as heated a rivalry as the other Game 7 to be played between Hasan’s Devils and Hurricanes with drop of the puck a half hour later. I can certainly understand the disdain he feels towards Carolina. Mine is probably more of just wanting to see the Rangers show up tonight and shut up the detractors including loser veteran writers who wouldn’t know the hockey rulebook if it hit them in the head. A lot’s been said about our coach and he’s an easy target. But I don’t like when people who make factual mistakes suddenly are defending their joke of a beat writer who continues to carry a personal vendetta that he created during the Lightning-Devils series a couple of years ago for a foolish repeat of a question. Something pulled again yesterday. That is just as unprofessional as what our coach did making them a total hypocrite.

For once, I’d just like the focus to be on the actual hockey that will be played less than an hour from now. Isn’t that what a deciding Game 7 should be all about?

Whatever happens, I’ll be here to post a recap. Here’s hoping they shock the world.