There is a certain ease about the way Henrik Lundqvist fills the net, occupying the space just in front of the goal line and rarely budging.
It is an ease built during four Swedish professional seasons and refined during two silver-medal world championship runs and an Olympic gold in 2006. Lundqvist parks his 6-foot-1 frame just in front of the net, at the back of the crease, knowing there is nothing in the course of a game that should cause him to move. He has the size, speed and vision to stop everything from that spot, if only he trusts himself.
“I try to be aggressive in the way I’m aggressive,” he said. “I don’t play at the top of the crease. I play pretty deep. I can still be aggressive.”
Perhaps the most striking thing about the New York Rangers’ 1-0 win against the Washington Capitals in Saturday’s Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals was how relaxed Lundqvist appeared as he methodically shut out a team that had been held scoreless just one other time this season at home.
The Capitals, whose 268 goals ranked third in the NHL this year, are two games from seeing their season end because they haven’t figured out how to crack Lundqvist.
It wasn’t for lack of effort Saturday. Washington attempted 64 shots, 35 of which reached Lundqvist. The Capitals forced the 27-year-old to make 16 saves in the third period and nearly got one past him when Alex Ovechkin rang a wrist shot off the crossbar late in the game.
That shot was the only one that got past Lundqvist. The rest of the time, he crammed in front of the goal line and sucked up shots with his pads.
“Third period, he was just outstanding,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said. “That’s a good offensive team we’re playing against. … They’re a pretty good hockey club. Hank stood tall.”
Lundqvist finished third in the Vezina Trophy running each of his first three NHL seasons. He’s not likely to crack the top three again; his 2.43 goals-against average ranked 11th in the league, and netminders like Boston’s Tim Thomas, Minnesota’s Niklas Backstrom and Columbus’ Steve Mason have overshadowed him.
But he has a chance to help the Rangers engineer a first-round upset against one of the game’s most potent offenses. Lundqvist owes his defense some credit for that; the Rangers blocked 29 shots Saturday.
“We want to keep them to the outside as much as we can,” defenseman Wade Redden said. “Even then, they find guys in the middle and make plays.”
So far, the Capitals haven’t made enough plays to crack Lundqvist, who now has two games at Madison Square Garden, where he posted a 2.30 goals-against average this year.
He allowed 11 goals in three regular-season games against the Capitals, proof the team has it in its DNA to beat Lundqvist. But with a 2-0 lead and playing at home, the All-Star figures to be in his comfort zone.
“We have to do something new,” Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom said. “Maybe we have to go even more to the net. I mean more traffic, we have to try and get the rebounds and those kind of things. He is a good goalie and he is pretty big in the net.”
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