Getting Nashty: Rick Nash celebrates his second goal in as many games with Derek Stepan and Chris Kreider.
AP Photo/The Canadien Press/Graham Hughes

It’s official. The Rangers are on a roll and it’s taken them within two wins of playing for the Stanley Cup for the first time in 20 years. By following up with an even more impressive 3-1 Game 2 victory over the Canadiens at Bell Centre, they finally snapped the streak of losing 14 straight when leading a series. They’ll take a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Final back to MSG for Game 3 on Thursday.

They owe it in large part to Henrik Lundqvist, who was again brilliant stopping 40 of 41 shots en route to a fifth straight win. Getting remarkable goaltending from their best player allowed the Rangers to settle down following a predictable Habs’ onslaught. He stood on his head. That included making 13 saves in a hectic first period that somehow saw the Rangers sneak out with a 2-1 lead.

”I thought we played well, and the only reason we lost was Lundqvist,” Montreal coach Michel Therrien said. ”He stole that game.”

If there is one thing he’s right about, Therrien is on Lundqvist’s performance. Right now, he’s in a zone having stopped 162 of 168 shots during the Rangers last five wins. With the former Vezina winner taking care of business in net, it’s allowed his teammates to play with confidence. They’ve outscored opponents 20-6 during the stretch and have put themselves in a strong position to play into June.

It didn’t start out looking that way. With a much more aggressive Canadiens attack pressing the action, Lundqvist was under siege. They had the first four shots in just a couple of minutes. The Rangers were shaky turning over the puck which finally allowed Montreal to take a lead when Max Pacioretty got a favorable bounce off Lundqvist for an unassisted tally at 6:14. Following a Derek Stepan turnover, the Habs kept the Rangers pinned in until Mats Zuccarello over skated a puck allowing Pacioretty to have the good fortune of Lundqvist poking the puck off him and hop over the goalie into the net.

With the crowd in a frenzy, the Rangers responded immediately when only 17 seconds later Ryan McDonagh got a similar break with his point shot caroming off Habs’ defenseman Josh Gorges past Game 2 starter Dustin Tokarski. Dominic Moore made the play by getting the puck in deep. His forecheck forced a turnover allowing McDonagh the room and space to fire it quickly to tie the score. With Derick Brassard out due to injury, Moore again centered Zuccarello and Benoit Pouliot doing a solid job. Rangers coach Alain Vigneault inserted Daniel Carcillo on the fourth line.

”We knew they were going to come hard, but we put ourselves in a tough spot there by not getting pucks out,” Lundqvist said. ”They were all over us.

”But to tie it up quickly like that, I think that was important to kind of even out the momentum a little bit.”

Undeterred, the Canadiens continued to come. However, they once led in shots 12-3 before the Rangers got their footing. Montreal was unable to take advantage of eight giveaways.  When Lundqvist wasn’t stifling them, Thomas Vanek was taking a bad slashing minor on McDonagh that negated a power play. For the game, the Habs were unable to score in four opportunities making them 0-for-6 in the series. Despite what Therrien contested about getting the bounces and the calls at the right time, his team has failed on the man-advantage.

For a second consecutive game, Rick Nash scored. Unlike Game 1 when he got his first of the playoffs in a blowout, this time he made his second one count. With the game still knotted, he finished off a tic-tac-toe passing play from the combination of Stepan and Bell Centre target Chris Kreider. Forcing a turnover in the neutral zone, Kreider worked a give and go with Stepan, who drove the net leaving a perfect gap for Kreider to dish across for a sweet Nash finish that put the Rangers ahead 2-1 with 1:02 left in the period. The reaction of the bench led by Kevin Klein (seen above) was priceless. It speaks to the chemistry they have.

A tighter second saw the Rangers play better in front of Lundqvist. After being outshot 14-9, they held a 11-8 edge and were able to limit the Canadiens’ opportunities. Even P.K. Subban (game high 9 SOG) couldn’t solve Lundqvist. The Habs’ dangerous defenseman actually took 18 shots with six attempts never making it while another three missed completely. For a second consecutive game, he struggled defensively. Despite teaming with Gorges to match-up against Kreider, the tandem were on for the Rangers’ first two goals. Subban also took out frustration getting a roughing minor that gave the Rangers a power play they were unable to cash in on.

Still nursing a one-goal lead, the Rangers benefited from a weak call on Alex Galchenyuk. With Carl Hagelin skating by, he was nabbed for tripping. But replays showed that Hagelin was already going down with Galchenyuk hardly making contact. It was a bad call which Therrien alluded to in the postgame. His team didn’t get the job done.

Instead, they allowed a crucial power play goal to Martin St. Louis at 8:03 that increased the Rangers’ lead to 3-1. On the play, Stepan and McDonagh played catch down low before Stepan perfectly set up St. Louis for a rocket that went thru a Kreider screen top shelf. Neither Canadien defenseman took Kreider making Tokarski blameless. Aside from maybe not getting across fast enough on Nash’s tally, he played well making 30 saves including some key ones that gave his team a chance.

”It was a lot of fun,” Tokarski admitted on his first postseason start. ”There was a lot of adrenaline. You grow up as a kid wanting to play in the playoffs, and I got the opportunity and just came up a bit short.”

”He’s a winner,” Therrien added in reference to Tokarski’s resume which includes a Memorial Cup, WJC gold and Calder Cup. ”I thought he played well. We talked to Peter [Budaj] and he reacted as a pro. He’s a good teammate.”

Therrien has an interesting decision when the series shifts to MSG. Does he stick with Tokarski, who got better as the game went on or go back to Budaj, who might be a better play on the road? Coincidentally, the last time these teams met, the Rangers climbed out of an 0-2 deficit by winning twice in Montreal before finishing it off in six. It’s far from over.

Henrik Lundqvist battles Brendan Gallagher in front during Game 2. He made 40 saves leading the Rangers to a 3-1 win over the Canadiens.
AP Photo/The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes

With 10 holdovers from the 2011-12 team that lost in the same round to the Devils, they shouldn’t need any reminders. Listening to Lundqvist speak to the press afterwards was a treat. He mentioned how he felt last time, he didn’t think they gave all they could including himself. He talked about how that team didn’t reach its full potential. This time, they seem very focused. A big reason for that is the leadership of Brad Richards, who along with St. Louis got the message across not to take it for granted. Neither has been back to the Stanley Cup Final since winning a decade ago.

”The Canadiens were coming wave after wave in the first period,” St. Louis said after extending his point streak to four straight (3-2-5). ”If it wasn’t for Lundqvist, there might have been a different result after the first.

”He gave us time to find our legs. The goal by Mac was a big one. It calmed everyone down and allowed us to regroup.”

Despite allowing 19 shots in the third, the Rangers let Lundqvist see every one. The Canadiens didn’t get enough traffic. Even with Brendan Gallagher and Tomas Plekanec getting point blank chances while Subban bombed away, they couldn’t get one by a locked in Lundqvist. This is as good as I’ve ever seen him play. He’s playing the way Mike Richter did during some other run that resulted in a championship.

It wasn’t as if they sat back. The Rangers had 10 shots themselves but were turned away by Tokarski. They continued to attack playing smart defensive hockey by chipping pucks in and getting pressure. An ill advised boarding penalty by Pouliot, who foolishly caught Alexei Emelin from behind sending him to the locker room with 4:22 left allowed Therrien to pull Tokarski for a 6-on-4. Pouliot is lucky he didn’t receive more than two. The NHL should review the incident because it was that egregious.

When Lundqvist wasn’t eating up Habs shots, his team defense kept them to the outside and of course sacrificed for common good. The Rangers blocked 17 shots led by Dan Girardi (5) with ultimate warrior Brian Boyle blocking three along with Marc Staal, who recovered from a sluggish start. They may have lost on faceoffs 34-29 but they won key ones including several from Boyle and a couple of notables from Stepan.

Overall, it was a great team effort that allowed them to take both games in Montreal. Now, the Habs have the unenviable task of needing to win four of five. For the Rangers, they can’t be satisfied. The next game is the key.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Derek Stepan, NYR (2 assists, 4 SOG, 9-for-14 on draws in 29 shifts-19:10-strong defensively)

2nd Star-Ryan McDonagh, NYR (goal-3rd, assist, team high 6 SOG, 2-3-5 vs Habs, +1 in 33 shifts-25:24-Mac Truck)

1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (40 saves incl. 13/14 in 1st, 8/8 in 2nd, 19/19 in 3rd-the crown jewel)