There will be a lineup change in this game but it’s the Bruins inserting a veteran, not the Rangers.
D Dennis Seidenberg, who has missed the first four games of this series with a lower-body injury, will replace rookie Dougie ...
There will be a lineup change in this game but it’s the Bruins inserting a veteran, not the Rangers.
D Dennis Seidenberg, who has missed the first four games of this series with a lower-body injury, will replace rookie Dougie Hamilton, who was burned on Chris Kreider’s OT winner in Game 4, as Zdeno Chara’s partner.
For the Rangers, Darroll Powe, out since Game 3 of the first round against the Capitals with a suspected concussion, was on the ice for warmups but did not participate in the line rushes.
So coach John Tortorella, with his team facing elimination for the second straight game in this series and for the fourth time so far this postseason, is trusting his players and his Rangers’ lineup from Game 4, including the revamped fourth line of Kris Newbury centering Micheal Haley and Derek Dorsett.
“We’ve been fine in the room,” Tortorella said. “We have momentum on our side, we’ll try to keep it.”
Tortorella added there was “no update” on D Anton Stralman, who is missing his second straight game but did add that D Ryan McDonagh is going to “play a ton.” Which is not necessarily breaking a lot of news there. He logged 29:43 in Game 4 and was on the ice for 31:59 in Game 1. It’s sort of like saying McDonagh is “going to make a lot of money” in his new contract this summer.
Speaking of reliable, Tortorella was asked whether he thought Henrik Lundqvist elevated his game in elimination situations.
“I don’t pay attention to Henrik,” Tortorella said. “I know he’s going to be there. He stops the puck. All the time.”
“We worked too long and too hard to go out in four straight,” Lundqvist said. “We gave ourselves an opportunity to play one more game. That’s our approach now is just win. We go in that building, we’re playing a good team. I think the last couple of games we’ve had more intensity, at least the second half of (Game 4) was really good and parts of the game before that were really good as well. So focus on the good parts and the stuff we’ve been doing well and feel as good as we can.”
Here’s a look at how the Rangers have thrived in elimination games the past two seasons.
While Lundqvist and the Rangers are 6-1 over the past two playoffs - five series - it should be noted the Rangers were 1-5 in elimination games from 2006-11, all with Lundqvist in net.
And here’s Tom Gulitti’s column on how closing out series has been a tough chore for Bruins goalie Tuukka “I Fell on My” Rask.
Before today’s game, Bruins fourth liner Shawn Thornton explained why he and his linemates did not accept challenges from the Rangers’ fourth line to fight in Game 4.
Thornton said the Bruins had just scored and added he wasn’t sure if Newbury, who was jawing at him, legitimately wanted to fight or whether Newbury was trying to sucker Thornton into dropping his gloves. Thornton said that when the time was appropriate, his gloves aren’t “sewn on.” At the same time, he said wouldn’t have fought in that situation in any game.
Keys to Game 5:
1. Up their game: Yes, the Rangers won Game 4 to avoid a sweep. But they can’t forget they trailed 2-0 in the second period and needed an incredible flub by Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask to kickstart their comeback. The Rangers did not start Game 4 with the requisite sense of desperation. A repeat of that won’t work on the Bruins’ home ice.
2. More from the new guys: Tortorella shook up his Game 4 lineup and the same is expected in Game 5: Brad Richards and Arron Asham out, Newbury and Haley anchoring the fourth line, Kreider starting the game with Derek Stepan and Rick Nash and veteran defenseman Roman Hamrlik in for the injured Anton Stralman. The Rangers need balanced production to have a chance.
3. Special teams: While the focus has remained on
