Rangers Report 4/11 - Playoff Time

It’s been a couple weeks since we have officially checked in on the New York Rangers...and guess what: It’s time for playoff hockey!

The Rangers are locked in as the first wild card in the Eastern Conference and will take on the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which begins on Wednesday. On Sunday, in just his fifth career game and first career start, rookie goaltender Magnus Hellberg made 22 saves in a 3-2 home victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins to close out the regular season. The Blueshirts finished the regular season with a 48-28-6 record. Hellberg was filling in for an injured Antti Raanta while Henrik Lundqvist enjoyed the day off. Raanta is expected to be dressed for Game 1 against the Canadiens at Bell Centre on Wednesday.

To help get you ready for some Rangers playoff hockey, I called upon Anthony Pucik for a little NYR-MTL Q&A session.

Anthony is a 2016 Fordham and WFUV Sports alum who once served as a New York Rangers beat reporter himself. He currently works at ABC News Radio and MSG Networks.

MM: Is the biggest storyline in this series simply the goaltending matchup between Henrik Lundqvist and Carey Price, or is there something else to focus on?

AP: From a national perspective I think that the goaltenders are the storyline, but from a Rangers perspective it's a matter of lineups and scoring. AV [Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault] has utilized multiple people over the final month of the season and shuffled lines due to a lack of scoring, and there's no guarantee you'll know the lines for sure until Wednesday. In that sense, Price is a big storyline because he's probably the toughest player on the ice the Rangers have to face, and he could make this a very short series if the Rangers don't shoot enough.

MM: Montreal took all three regular season meetings between these two teams. What is the biggest takeaway from that for Ranger fans?

AP: What the Rangers need to take away from their three losses against Montreal is that two were very close, and one went to a shootout. Outside of the Eastern Conference Finals the year the Rangers went to the Cup, they've struggled with Montreal. They have proven they can score against this team, but they've also shown they give up plenty of opportunities. Lundqvist needs to be on the top of his game in order for them to do well, and the defense in front of him needs to be better. That being said, the Rangers are one of the best road teams in hockey, and stealing one in Montreal early could give them the confidence they need.

MM: The Canadiens are 16-7-1 since Claude Julien replaced Michel Therrien as head coach on Valentine’s Day. We saw last year with the Pittsburgh Penguins how a fresh face behind the bench can lead a team to a Cup. Does that type of thinking apply to this Montreal situation?

AP: I think it can apply to Montreal because you've noticed much more attention to defense with this Montreal team. Price always keeps them in games, but before Julien was given the job they were struggling defensively. With Julien, and the addition of [defenseman] Jordie Benn, this team is much more balanced and puts a bigger emphasis on solid defensive play in the neutral zone. It also helps that Montreal's path to the ECF is much easier being in the Atlantic Division bracket.

MM: The above question addresses how Montreal finished the regular season. The Rangers, on the other hand, are 8-9-4 since February 25. Which is more concerning for the Blueshirts: the lack of scoring depth or the lack of depth on the blue line?

AP: For the Rangers it has to be the lack of scoring. Depth hasn't really been an issue for them. If you remember earlier in the season everyone and every line was scoring. I think the issue is all that depth has not led to goals recently. Grabner struggled down the stretch. Stepan is just starting to find the back of the net again. Those are two huge pieces the Rangers need to get going in order to compete. I think the addition of Brendan Smith has helped the Ranger blue line along, and while it's not a very solidified blue line it is certainly serviceable. It doesn't matter if you lose 4-0 or 1-0. If you don't score in the Cup playoffs, you won't get far.

MM: Who is the X-Factor (Henrik Lundqvist excluded) for the Rangers in this series?

AP: Lundqvist excluded, Chris Kreider is the X-Factor in this series. His history with Carey Price is well-documented, and he will most likely generate a lot of attention. It's up to him and the Rangers to exploit that to their advantage. If he's near the net deflecting shots like he usually does, he's an asset, but if being near Price gets under the Habs' skin and leads to penalties, more power to the Rangers. The more attention Kreider gets, the less attention is put on Stepan, Zuccarello, or his other linemates. With a lack of size on the Rangers, Kreider is going to need to utilize his speed and power.

MM: If the Rangers get by the Canadiens, which opponent is more desirable in the second round, the Ottawa Senators or the Boston Bruins?

AP: I think the Rangers would want to see the Sens in the second round. As mentioned above, this team doesn't have much size, and a series against the Bruins would not be ideal with the Rangers’ breakout style offense. Ottawa seems to rely on offense as well, and I believe the Rangers have more skill players and the advantage at goaltender in that matchup in order to succeed.

Puck drop for Game 1 between the Rangers and the Canadiens is slated for 7pm on Wednesday at Bell Centre in Montreal.

The first playoff home game for the Blueshirts comes on April 16, Easter Sunday, when the puck drops for Game 3 at 7pm.

Follow @Drew__Casey, @coreymill2, @Matt_Murphy04, and @dbradley3195 for Rangers updates throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs!