Battle Of Hudson

Derick Brassard celebrates a goal with teammates Benoit Pouliot and Ryan McDonagh. His overtime winner allowed the Rangers to prevail over the Penguins in Game 1 3-2.
AP Photos/Gene J. Puskar

The Rangers are on their way to winning Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Canadiens at Bell Centre. However, it doesn’t come without concern. Center Derick Brassard left the game in the first period with an upper body injury. On his second shift, he took a tough hit from Montreal defenseman Mike Weaver. Brassard soon left with trainer Jim Ramsay to the locker room.

Brassard has been a key performer. In the Rangers’ second round comeback over the Pens, he scored three goals and set up one other in the final three games. For the series, he led them with four goals. Centering a line with Benoit Pouliot and Mats Zuccarello, he’s been a constant for Rangers coach Alain Vigneault. With him unable to return, the injury could be serious. If so, Vigneault might have an interesting decision for Game 2 Monday. I would insert J.T. Miller over Daniel Carcillo because Miller is bigger and more offensive minded.

For one game at least, Vigneault has successfully used Dominic Moore in Brassard’s place. The inspirational Masterton Trophy favorite helped set up the first two goals in the first period. He’s versatile enough to trust. Especially on faceoffs. Moore has been a great addition. Today exemplifies why.

Among the top story lines between the Canadiens and Rangers, the goalie battle between Carey Price and Henrik Lundqvist promises to be intense.
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When the puck officially drops for the Eastern Conference Final Saturday afternoon at Bell Centre, the Rangers and Canadiens will make for great story lines. Fans of the sport along with NBC will have plenty to choose from. Here are our top eight.

1.Lundqvist vs Price-Perhaps the biggest story line on ice will be the play of two of the NHL’s best goalies. In Henrik Lundqvist and Carey Price, it promises to be a battle among elite netminders who have carried their teams to this point. Entering Round 3, Lundqvist is tied for second in goals-against-average (1.99) and tied for first in save percentage (.931) while sporting a perfect 4-0 mark and 1.00 GAA in elimination games. The new playoff record holder with five consecutive Game 7 wins brings that into Montreal where he’s struggled. He’ll face Price, who brings in an 8-3 record with a 2.15 GAA, .926 save percentage and one shutout. It’s the first time in his career he’ll appear in the third round. For Lundqvist, it’s his second appearance in three years. Which goalie will come out on top?

2.Vigneault Faces Former Team-Before he guided the Canucks to a Stanley Cup Final appearance, Alain Vigneault began his NHL coaching career behind the Montreal bench. Taking over for Mario Tremblay in ’97-98, he lasted three plus seasons getting the Canadiens to one postseason appearance. He was fired 20 games into his fourth year in ’00-01. Over a decade later, he goes up against his former team.

3.Vigneault vs Therrien-Sticking with the coaching theme, this match-up pits Vigneault against the guy who replaced him. Interestingly, Michel Therrien spent parts of three seasons with the Habs before they gave him the ax during ’02-03. After coaching the Pens, he returned to Montreal last year. Following regular season success, Therrien’s club bowed out in the first round. In Year 2, they are fresh off ousting Ottawa and Boston to make the Conference Final for the first time since 2009. Both Vigneault and Therrien have learned valuable lessons. Now, we find out who can get their team further.

4.McDonagh vs Canadiens-Once, Ryan McDonagh was drafted by the Canadiens in the first round of the ’07 Draft 12th overall. For some reason, he fell out of favor in Montreal. Then general manager Bob Gainey included him as part of a package to the Rangers for Scott Gomez. A deal viewed as one of the worst or best depending on which side of the fence you’re on. Glen Sather not only dumped salary but landed a top defenseman who’s become a staple. Entering the third round, a banged up McDonagh only has three points and a minus-four rating. However, he was much better the final three scoring a big goal while setting up two others and returning to top defensive form. Will he come back to haunt the Habs?

5.P.K. Subban-He’s the most dangerous defenseman left in the tournament. The blueline leader and Habs’ leader in points (12), P.K. Subban can have a huge impact on the series. Of his dozen points, 10 have come on the power play including three PPG’s. It’s where he does most of his damage. That heavy shot is deadly. The Rangers penalty killers must be aware of where he is and limit his time and space. Avoid the penalty box. It’s not just his on ice performance but his colorful personality that make him a lightning rod. He’s already said he feels sorry for the Habs’ next opponent when they visit Bell Centre. He’s right.

6.Prust Ready To See Former Team-In another fun subplot, Brandon Prust goes up against his former team. It was with the Rangers where he flourished becoming an integral part of the ’11-12 Black and Blueshirts identity helping them reach the Eastern Conference Final. Ironically, he teamed with Brian Boyle to form a dynamic duo ex-coach John Tortorella trusted in checking and penalty killing situations. After departing for bigger bucks in the summer of 2012, Prust is playing a similar role on the Habs’ fourth line. You know he’ll want to stick it to Slats. Will he be able to play under control?

7.Will Weise Be A Thorn In Rangers’ Side? Don’t forget Dale Weise, who originally started with the Rangers and also teams with Prust. In a twist of fate, he was acquired from Vancouver for Raphael Diaz, who now is the Rangers’ extra defenseman. Weise has become one of the unsung playoff heroes scoring three goals including the first one in Montreal’s 3-1 Game 7 elimination of the Bruins.

8.Pouliot Faces Habs-Benoit Pouliot has gone through many teams. His second one was Montreal after being acquired from Minnesota for Guillaume Latendresse. He lasted two years with the Habs totaling 29 goals and 33 assists for 62 points. After spending a year in Boston and then Tampa, he’s landed on his feet in Manhattan. Under Vigneault, he’s flourished playing a key role on the Rangers’ pseudo top line with Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello. Pouliot has followed up a good regular season in which he set career highs in games (80), assists (21), points (36) and power play goals (7) by going 3-5-8 and plus-four in the first two rounds. His eight points put him in a three-way tie for second in team scoring trailing only Brad Richards. How motivated will he be against a team that gave up on him?

Old Rivalry Renewed: The Rangers and Canadiens will battle for a chance to play for the Stanley Cup.

For the first time since 1986, the Rangers and Canadiens will play in the Conference Final for a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup. By virtue of the Habs’ 3-1 win in Game 7 over the Bruins, they guaranteed that either they or the Rangers will play for Lord Stanley for the first time in two decades. The Canadiens last won was 1993. The Rangers won the following year in 1994.

It’s a sexy Original Six match-up between old rivals. This will be the 15th playoff series between the franchises. All-time, they’re tied 7-7. It’ll be the first meeting since 1996 when the Rangers rallied from 0-2 down to defeat the Canadiens in six games. Previously, they met in the Wales Conference Final in 1986 with Montreal prevailing in five. In 1979, the Habs defeated the Rangers 4-1 to win the Cup. In best-of-sevens all-time, Montreal owns a 6-4 record over New York.

As has already been documented, the Canadiens will have home ice. During the regular season, they finished with 100 points to the Rangers’ 96. Game 1 is set for Saturday at 1 PM on NBC. An unfriendly time due to the Preakness. Many are up in arms over NBC and the NHL rejecting the Rangers’ request to move the game to Saturday night due to Martin St. Louis’ Mom France’s funeral. Instead, the St. Louis family moved the funeral to Sunday so the entire team could attend. I’m mystified as to why NBC wanted a 1 PM time slot for Game 1 of the ECF. It makes no sense. Why not have the game on NBCSN at 7:30 PM? Shame on them.

Be that as it may, the Rangers finally have a couple of days to recoup from another taxing series that went seven. They’ve played 14 games so far compared to the Canadiens’ 11. Montreal swept Tampa Bay in the first round. They still dug deep coming back from 3-2 down to stun Boston. With rumors of another back-to-back for Games 3 and 4 at MSG, the Rangers again have their work cut out. But as I referenced last round, the schedule is the same for both teams. Hopefully, they’ll handle it better than Round 2 when they put themselves in a 3-1 hole.

I’m very excited about this series. The Rangers versus the Canadiens for the right to play for the Cup. It doesn’t get any better. As I already alluded to, they haven’t played a lot recently. The stakes are high. One team will advance and have a chance to deliver a championship. As fun as 2012 was facing the Hudson rival Devils, this feels bigger. There’s something to be said for history and tradition. My Dad can’t stand Montreal. He grew up in a different era when the Canadiens dominated led by Ken Dryden and Guy Lafleur winning six Cups in the 1970’s including a fourth straight in 1979 over the Blueshirts. Since, they have added two (’86, ’93) for an NHL record 24 Cups.

Unlike the rich history of Montreal, the Rangers have only won four Cups. The last time they won, I was a teenager. It’s hard to believe they only won in 1994. That was a great team. Sometimes, you don’t realize how lucky you are. When you’re younger, you think your team will win every year. But sports aren’t like that. It’s made me appreciate it more. As our resident New Jersey blogger knows, nothing lasts forever. When they lost two years ago, it sucked. I went for a long walk after that series ended. I doubted whether they could get back. Here they are two years later playing a more exciting style under a different coach with most of the core still intact along with a few other pieces.

Comeback King: An excited Henrik Lundqvist celebrates the Rangers 3-1 series comeback. He made 35 saves in their 2-1 Game 7 win elimination of the Pens and stopped 102 of the final 105 shots.
Associated Press/Getty Images

History was made. The Rangers made franchise history by completing the first comeback from a 3-1 series deficit by defeating the Pens 2-1 in a hair raising Game 7 at Consol Energy Center. They won in large part due to the brilliant play of Henrik Lundqvist, who made 35 saves to cement his playoff reputation. In stopping 102 of 105 shots over the last three games, he improved to 10-2 when facing elimination.

”I was so tired at the end,” a triumphant Lundqvist expressed after also winning for an NHL record fifth consecutive time in Game 7. ”But it was just a great feeling when you know it’s a done deal and we did it.”

A heroic effort from their best player allowed the Rangers to prevail despite clinging on for dear life. In the last three wins, they never trailed. That was significant in allowing the franchise to finally exorcise some demons. Not only did they overcome a 3-1 deficit but finally beat the Pens in the postseason. Entering the second round series, they were 0-for-4. No more. Following Game 4, it was all hands on deck. A gritty effort allowed them to pull the upset and advance to a second Eastern Conference Final in three years.

In the final three games, they outscored the Pens 10-3. They rallied around Martin St. Louis following the death of his Mom France. Poetically, it was his assist on Brad Richards’ power play goal at 7:56 of the second period that proved to be the series clincher. Considering all that he’s been through, St. Louis scoring on Mother’s Day and then setting up his close buddy was appropriate. It was after Game 4 that the former Lightning Cup champs held a closed door meeting. What followed is one of the most emotional and memorable comebacks the Rangers have ever had in their history.

Brian Boyle beats Marc-Andre Fleury in the first period of Game 7.
Associated Press/Getty Images

They did it by getting the first goal for a third straight game. Following a strong start by the Pens, Anton Stralman made a key defensive play at his own blueline that started an odd-man rush. Derek Dorsett gained the Pittsburgh zone and handed the puck to Dominic Moore, who fed Brian Boyle for a one-time blast past Marc-Andre Fleury to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead at 5:25. It was a remarkable offensive sequence by a fourth line that hadn’t produced a goal in the series. Dorsett made a great play as did Stralman, who stayed onside at the blueline. Moore’s pass was a thing of beauty and for once, Boyle hit the net.

The goal seemed to settle them down. Up till that point, it was mostly Pens with an aggressive attack recovering pucks deep and testing Lundqvist. They finished every check and showed no signs of carryover from the previous two games. Their fans were loud and enthusiastic. Following Boyle’s goal, Fleury made a key stop a minute later to keep his team within one. He only made 18 saves but wasn’t at fault on either Ranger goal.

Ref tandem Marc Joannette and Kevin Pollock kept the whistles to a minimum allowing the teams to settle it. When they did make a call, there was no complaint. They nabbed Chris Kreider for holding Sidney Crosby with 3:23 left in the first. However, the Pens failed to cash in. James Neal took an offensive zone minor when he held Marc Staal 50 seconds later. During four-on-four, Pittsburgh looked dangerous but failed to score. Despite being outshot 10-7 and destroyed on faceoffs (9-for-27) due to way too many icings, the Rangers took the lead to the locker room.

Any positive vibe quickly disappeared early in the second period. Continuing to dictate most of the play, the Pens finally got to Lundqvist when Jussi Jokinen pounced on an Olli Maatta rebound and fired home his seventh (4th of series) past Lundqvist’s glove at 4:15 tying the score. Evgeni Malkin helped set it up with some aggressive play along the boards. Forcing Lundqvist to cough up the puck behind the net, he passed for Maatta, whose shot rebounded out to Jokinen for the equalizer. For the series, Malkin was a terror scoring and setting up teammates throughout. He was easily the Pens’ best player.

It would’ve been easy for the Rangers to allow the Pens to ride the momentum. Instead, they showed some character by pushing back almost immediately. A strong cycle from Derick Brassard’s line drew a tripping penalty on Matt Niskanen. Brassard spun off a check and got a step on Niskanen, who reached out with his stick. Before the game, I hinted in my preview that I felt the power play might come through because it was on the road. As if prophetic, sure enough they delivered the go-ahead tally. Off a rush started by Kreider, he sent in Derek Stepan for a mini-break. Instead of shooting, he passed for St. Louis misconnecting. But a hustling St. Louis got to a loose puck behind the net and centered for Richards, who buried it at 7:56. Stepan picked up the secondary assist.

For a long stretch, the Rangers remained stuck on 12 shots. In fact, they only got one more in the stanza. It wasn’t for lack of opportunities. While the Pens held an 11-6 shots-on-goal edge, they were pinching their D. Every so often, the Rangers made a smart defensive play trapping a Pen at the blueline. That led to odd-man rushes. They had their share but couldn’t finish. Benoit Pouliot had the most scoring chances including hitting a crossbar. There also was another sequence where he over skated a pass. At times, it was frustrating as well as exhausting.

When Lundqvist stoned Neal on the doorstep with over four minutes left in the second, it was just a hint of what was to come. Again, his brilliance allowed the Rangers to take a precarious one-goal lead to the locker room. With 20 long minutes left, they had been outshot 23-13. Lundqvist had already made 22 saves. He needed one more memorable period to hold off a lethal Pens attack.

As NBC workhorse Pierre McGuire labeled early in period three, the Rangers were playing “a dangerous game.” It was basically a game of chicken. They allowed the Pens to consistently get the puck in and set up camp in the Ranger zone. A desperate Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma tried everything. That included finally reteaming Crosby and Malkin while even having faceoff specialist Marcel Goc win an offensive draw with Crosby double shifted. Nothing worked. Lundqvist wouldn’t allow it.

The Pens took shots from seemingly everywhere. They got the puck to open points where Paul Martin or Kris Letang had plenty of time. When Lundqvist wasn’t busy making acrobatic saves through traffic, a determined group of Blueshirts sacrificed their bodies getting in lanes, finishing checks and blocking shots. They blocked 16 while forcing many Pens’ attempts wide. The Pens totaled 81 with only 36 reaching Lundqvist. By comparison, the Rangers had only 44 with 20 getting to Fleury.

Despite plenty of puck dominance, the Pens never found a way to tie it. It wasn’t for lack of effort or quality chances. Lundqvist was unbelievable. He repeatedly robbed the Pens. The most amazing sequence came with over four minutes remaining. After denying Neal minutes earlier, he saw through a maze of traffic and made a pair of remarkable stops. He also had a bit of luck when a backhand attempt deflected off St. Louis’ stick into his body allowing him to trap the puck and get a whistle. The bizarre save came without a goalie stick. The Pens did everything possible to score there but had luck go against them. If not for St. Louis’ stick laying flat on the ice, they probably tie it. It was almost as if all the stars were aligned for the Rangers to win.

”He was OK with guys being on top of him as long as we didn’t take penalties,” Ryan McDonagh said after surviving 37 grueling shifts against the Pens’ arsenal. ”He fought through screens, fought for loose pucks. He was incredible.”

Despite playing a game of rope-a-dope, the Rangers were still able to get seven shots on Fleury. Oddly enough, it was a weird save he made on his own teammate Maatta that kept his team alive. In another wild moment, the Pens’ netminder and Maatta miscommunicated with the rookie defenseman nearly knocking the puck past his own teammate. Fleury actually had to stop it and then deny a St. Louis backhand. The Pens crowd shrieked. It was bizarre.

A much better opportunity presented itself for St. Louis. A Pens’ turnover allowed Richards and him to come in two-on-one. With Richards setting him up perfectly, he missed the top half of a gaping net. If he finishes, the ending script would’ve been a lot easier. But these are the Rangers. They never do anything easy.

Instead, the Pens missed on some glorious opportunities. Or rather Lundqvist shut them down. This is easily the best goaltending display of his NHL career. He’s won an Olympic gold medal, Vezina and was the backbone of the 2011-12 team that reached the Conference Finals. Lundqvist has never performed better than now. He was clutch stopping all 13 Pens’ shots in a hectic third.

As the Rangers inched closer to completing the comeback, they defended better. Coach Alain Vigneault did a masterful job mixing and matching lines. He kept shifts short and used everyone. After losing 18 of 27 faceoffs in a lopsided first, the Rangers improved dramatically. They went 22-and-20 the rest of the way to finish a respectable 31-and-38. Vigneault had Boyle take some key defensive draws. He went 4-and-2. Moore was 8-for-16. After struggling early, Stepan finished 7-for-16 including a couple of big wins over Crosby. It was a collective effort.

An excited bunch of Rangers celebrate their second round series victory by mobbing Henrik Lundqvist.
Associated Press/Getty Images

With the Rangers doing a nice job keeping the Pens to the outside, they limited their chances the last couple of minutes. They also did a good job in the neutral zone forcing turnovers and getting pucks deep. That kept Bylsma from pulling Fleury until there was over a minute left. With seconds to go, the Rangers battled the Pens behind Lundqvist’s net preventing them from getting one final shot. Excited teammates mobbed their goalie, who deservedly was rewarded with the Broadway Hat.

What awaits is a second trip to the Conference Finals in three years. This time, they await the Game 7 winner between Montreal and Boston. That’ll get decided tonight. Either way, the Rangers will start the third round on the road which suits them. With it not expected to go off until Saturday or Sunday, the NHL’s Road Warriors will again be the underdog. They finished off the Pens by going 3-1 in Pittsburgh. Storybook.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Brian Boyle, NYR (goal-2nd, team high 5 hits, team high 4 blocks, 4-for-6 on draws, +1 in 15:15-his hustle and leadership made a difference)

2nd Star-Brad Richards, NYR (PPG-4th proved to be series clincher at 7:56 of 2nd- sweet redemption for Broadway Brad)

1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (35 saves incl. 10/10 in 1st, 12/13 in 2nd, 13/13 in 3rd-stopped 102 of the final 105 shots-legendary stuff)

It’s all come down to this. One game is all that separates the Rangers from making history. In a series they once trailed 3-1 and were left for dead, they have shown tremendous character and heart to force Game 7 against the Pens tonight.

Facing a team that boasts two of the best players on the planet, they have given themselves a chance to complete a great comeback. In franchise history, they have never rallied from a 3-1 deficit or defeated the Pens. One more complete 60-minute effort will accomplish both. The Rangers are here because they have dug deep rallying around Martin St. Louis following the death of his Mom France. In outscoring the Pens 8-2 the last two games, they have all the momentum. It’ll take plenty of guts and sacrifice to pull it off.

The pressure is on the Pens. They are facing another crisis. Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2009, they’ve failed in their quest to deliver a fourth championship to Pittsburgh. Aside from last year’s Conference Finals appearance in which they were swept by Boston, the Pens have been eliminated in the first two rounds by heavy underdogs. That included the ’10-11 Lightning who came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Pens in the first round. Two current Rangers Dominic Moore and Martin St. Louis were part of it. It was St. Louis along with Brad Richards who called a team meeting after Game 4 reminding their teammates to forget about everything and that it could change in an instant.

Here they are following Game 5 and Game 6 victories in position. Henrik Lundqvist has stopped 67 of the last 69 shots giving his team confidence entering tonight. His performance along with the team’s in elimination games should provide a mental edge. What they must remember is that momentum is a strange thing. As last round proved, it truly can be game to game. The Rangers bounced back from a blowout Game 6 loss to edge the Flyers in Game 7 on home ice.

They know how dangerous their opponent is. Facing the prospect of Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma splitting up Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, they must be prepared for a more balanced Pens attack. If that happens, it’ll put more emphasis on Rangers coach Alain Vigneault having his top four defensemen out. That means plenty of Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal and Anton Stralman. With Bylsma getting the last change, Vigneault can’t afford to let him dictate match-ups. How well they defend along with the play of Lundqvist should go a long way to determining the series outcome.

Offensively speaking, the Rangers want to get off to a fast start. Similar to Game 5 when they scored early, take the crowd out of it. They’ll be looking for a reason to get down on their team. That’s how much pressure is on the Pens. Early Ranger pressure is exactly the recipe. Scoring first helps too. In Game 7 history, the team scoring first is 112-40 (.737). This will be the 153rd Game 7. In the previous 152, the home team has a 91-61 record (.599) all-time. If it reaches overtime, it won’t favor either side. Thirty-eight Game 7’s have needed sudden death. It’s dead even at 19-19.

For the Rangers to win, the line of Derick Brassard, Benoit Pouliot and Mats Zuccarello must continue to be a factor. In the series, the dynamic trio have combined to score 6 of their 13 goals. The other seven goal scorers are Carl Hagelin (2), Kevin Klein, Chris Kreider, Ryan McDonagh, Brad Richards, Martin St. Louis. That list excludes Rick Nash and Derek Stepan. Both of who with one big game can put their imprint on the series. Nash and Stepan make up two-thirds of the top line. Each has been held to one assist so far. Game 7 would be as good as any for that to change.

The other notable is the fourth line haven’t scored. Brian Boyle and Dominic Moore have contributed defensively. Their penalty killing and faceoff work are invaluable. Boyle’s hustle in Game 5 during a Pens’ 5-on-3 proved pivotal. Moore’s done a solid job on draws giving Vigneault an effective two-way pivot who can win them defensively. On a team that doesn’t boast a consistent faceoff guy, that can’t be underestimated. After sitting out, Derek Dorsett returned for the last two. He only received five shifts in Game 6 but contributed four hits. Daniel Carcillo also can sub in but AV has shown loyalty to the guys who got them here. John Moore has also played the last two with Klein on the third defensive pair. Why mess with a winning formula?

If there is something to watch, it’s the power play. Sure. They followed up a miraculous 2-for-3 Game 5 performance by going 0-for-6 in Game 6. But that was at home. For whatever reason, the Rangers are better on the road. That includes the man-advantage. I got a funny feeling they’ll score one if they win. The Kreider net presence could be a factor.

All year they have been a better road team. With a win tonight, they can go 3-1 in four games at Pittsburgh. That would be symbolic of how the season’s gone. We’ll hold off on the nickname. Win tonight and it would mean a lot to not only the franchise but every Rangers fan. For years, we’ve heard how they can’t get it done against the Pens. How they’re not in their class. All that can be thrown out the window with a win. Of all the opponents, the one I want to beat the most is them. Earlier in the series, I stated how sick and tired I am of losing to that team. To have a chance to rally from a 3-1 deficit and beat the Pens is a dream scenario. They must finish bury their chances, finish every check and get every big save. A win here would be bigger than 2012. Get it done.

Is Game 7 the one Rick Nash celebrates a goal?

So far, the Rangers have gotten to this point without a goal from Rick Nash. Through 13 games, he’s still stuck on zero. Despite having gone that many games without one, Nash leads the postseason with 51 shots-on-goal.

How dubious is this? During last year’s run to the Stanley Cup Final, former Bruin Jaromir Jagr went 0-for-58. The only difference being he didn’t lead the league in shots. His 58 tied him with Sidney Crosby for 10th. In 22 games, Jagr contributed 12 assists. Ultimately, Boston fell short losing in dramatic fashion to Chicago in six.

Nash has still contributed to the Rangers. In the first round win over the Flyers, he had four assists and played a strong Game 7 dominating puck possession and shots. Against the Pens, he has 21 shots in six games. Unable to finish, he has increased his physical play delivering four hits and four blocked shots in last night’s Game 6 win which extended the second round series. His only point over the last 10 is an assist on Kevin Klein’s empty netter in Game 5.

It isn’t a matter of Nash not trying. He’s put the effort in. Since Chris Kreider returned to play with Nash and Derek Stepan, they have reformed solid chemistry. I just wish it would result in goal production from the big man. He’s not the only one struggling. Stepan hasn’t scored over his last 10 while only registering a pair of assists. At some point, the Rangers need Nash and Stepan to deliver a big goal.

In our own fun interactive poll, we ask a simple yet complex question. Will Nash score in tomorrow’s Game 7 against the Pens? Vote away.

It comes as no surprise that the NHL didn’t take any discipline against Sidney Crosby. The Pens superstar mixed it up during last night’s Game 6 loss to the Rangers. Frustrated, he speared Dominic Moore during a scrum. Moore retaliated with a cross check. The previous game, he exchanged pleasantries with Crosby. Looks like they won’t be exchanging Christmas cards.

That wasn’t the only incident. Crosby also slew footed Dan Girardi. Nothing was called on the play. Even if not ruled a slew foot, it’s a trip from behind to an unsuspecting player.

In both instances, it was Crosby bending the rules. This is nothing new. When things don’t go his or the Pens’ way, they resort to such borderline tactics. Considering how a slanted Pens media whined over Marc Staal’s unpenalized cross check to Crosby’s back and neck area, it is what it is. These kind of things happen during the heat of battle.

Even Henrik Lundqvist got involved during a stoppage giving Sid a little taste of his water bottle. A day removed from Bruins tough guy Shawn Thornton doing the same to P.K. Subban during play, he was fined $2,800. It was more publicized with Subban making light of the situation.

”Somebody sprayed water on my visor at the end of the game. I couldn’t see out of half of it,” Subban said after the Canadiens lost Game 5 to the Bruins 4-2. ”I don’t want it to be bulletin board material.”

”As a coach, you always want to support your players. But there’s certain things you can’t support,” Boston coach Claude Julien said yesterday. ”I don’t think I can support Shawn on those actions. To me, I don’t think we like seeing our players do that. Now whether he got caught up in the game or whatever, to me he’s got to own up to it.”

Such incidents are common occurrence during the postseason. It would be nice to see players show more respect for one another. But when they’re battling for every inch, any advantage they can get is taken even if it means gamesmanship. At some point tomorrow in Game 7, you know both sides will push the envelope. Only one team will advance. The other is going home.