Domination. That’s the one word that comes to mind with what the Rangers were able to do against the Thrashers tonight at a raucous capacity Garden- destroying them 7-0 in Game Three en route to a 3-0 series lead with a chance to wrap up the First Round series later tonight.
For a long time, many diehard Blueshirt fans including my Dad, brother, myself and buddy have been waiting for something like this to materialize over the past decade. That moment came Tuesday night in a chaotic atmosphere which ate it all up about as much as the Rangers ate up their mismatched opponents.
From the time you could barely hear the national anthem singer about midway through (an old tradition) to the game’s signature shift (yes it really was) which set the tone when Jaromir Jagr, who was brilliant all night setup Michael Nylander for the first of a playoff hat trick just 32 seconds in, the Garden was alive and rocking like it hasn’t in years.
And why not? It’s not every night that your team makes the kind of collective statement that Tom Renney’s club did in backing up the first two wins on the road to put themselves one victory from Round Two.
It was a banner night for every Ranger. Sure, you could single out No.1 Star Nylander who never looked better in actually shooting the puck enough to register his first postseason trick. The same could be said for promising rookie Ryan Callahan, who netted his first two career playoff tallies and dominated his shifts to garner Second Star honors.
It also was a great night for the captain Jagr. While No.68 didn’t add to his 68 career postseason goals, he was splendid all game in finding time and space to unselfishly dish the puck to his red hot linemate. The proud Czech factored in on all three first period goals on the way to a four assist night.
The move Jagr put on the Atlanta D to undress them at the blueline before finding a cutting Nylander, who wristed one past Kari Lehtonen, was just vintage JJ. It set the tone and immediately kept the fans into it.
It’s not like Atlanta didn’t have a chance to respond. Nylander’s shot was the only one the Rangers got in the first six-plus until enforcer Colton Orr tested Lehtonen. The fact that Bob Hartley’s club didn’t really take the opportunity to get one early on Henrik Lundqvist really hurt them big time. King Henrik would make 21 saves en route to his first career postseason shutout. Probably the easiest blanking he’s ever gotten. Sure, he made one good save with his club up three early in the second shutting the five-hole on a nifty setup from ex-Ranger Greg de Vries. But was Lundqvist ever really challenged? No. That’s how dominant his teammates were. In every facet possible, they controlled the action which helps explain what took place on Broadway.
So dominant was the top line of Jagr, Nylander and key ingredient Marcel Hossa that the Thrashers D couldn’t handle the Euro-trio. They just kept working the walls and winning the battles making the Atlanta D go in circles at a dizzying rate. And when they kept working the puck for a good 60 seconds, the hard work paid off as Hossa found Nylander wide open in the slot for his second before the midway point.
Another amazing shift less than three minutes later resulted in Marek Malik’s first. Just how remarkable was that shift? At one point during the four-on-four with Sean Avery and de Vries in the box, Big Bird was somehow allowed to walk in on Lehtonen and try a Brian Leetch move to the backhand but was denied wide. He’ll never be confused with Leetch but it was a heck of a try. With the Thrashers now in full scramble mode, Jagr and Nylander kept the puck alive before the playmaking pivot found Malik for a left point blast which beat Lehtonen for the third goal of the stanza much to the delight of the crowd. It was really something if you were there.
They did get a little sloppy near the end of the period and almost paid when one-time Ranger Pascal Dupuis walked in shorthanded but Lundqvist stood tall.
It would only get better in the second. After a jittery start which gave Atlanta a power play chance to get back in it, the Rangers would put this one on ice. The big play would be made by fan favorite Avery, who chipped a puck past a pinching Atlanta D and then headmanned Callahan for a two-on-one. The rookie didn’t make any mistake walking in on the right side and beating Lehtonen to the far left post for his first ever NHL playoff tally.
When it got announced, everyone went wild. It’s always more special when it’s one of your own which the organization drafted and developed. Maybe that’s why fans are taking to what this team has done. Because with Cally, rookie D Daniel Girardi along with stellar partner Fedor Tyutin (five assists), Lundqvist, Petr Prucha and hardworking types such as Jed Ortmeyer and Ryan Hollweg, maybe this team isn’t where it is. You can never underestimate those guys who the organization has stuck with and given a chance to be part of this. And I think that’s what you’re seeing.
They have meshed well with stars such as Jagr, Brendan Shanahan, Martin Straka and Nylander. The importance of underrated gritty third line pivot Matt Cullen can’t be understated as the 2006 Cup winner has been a vital cog and great locker room presence.
Callahan got his second of the period on a nifty redirect of a Paul Mara point shot for the first of the Rangers’ three power play goals. Avery, who once again ticked off the Thrashers netted his second helper. He really was big again and pissed off Ilya Kovalchuk to the point that the frustrated Russian sniper challenged the pest in the third and the two each received 17 penalty minutes ending Kovy’s night.
The good news for the Rangers continued in the final 20 as Shanahan’s right wing slapper went off a Thrasher and in for his second from Cullen and Thomas Pock for another PPG. It was the popular finisher’s second consecutive game with a goal and drew a loud reception which brought a grin from Shanny on the bench. You know this ultimate warrior appreciated how he was treated by Garden supporters and probably loved what he was hearing in such a big game which was probably why he signed here last summer.
There were only two things left to decide. Whether Nylander would get the trick and Lundqvist the shutout. Nylander would complete it on a nice feed from Michal Rozsival and put home his own rebound as hats were littered all over the ice with 4:06 left.
There was never any doubt that Lundqvist would get his first postseason blanking as his team was just awesome in front. They played very determined hockey and didn’t allow Atlanta to get a sniff on any of their five power plays.
The crowd stood in unison with 90 seconds remaining and chanted a variety of things from “Let’s Go Rangers” to “Henrik,” to “Avery,” to even a mock of the Tomahawk chop. Don’t ask why. 
It was just a wild environment on what was a great night 10 years in the making. The first Ranger home win since defeating the Devils in a second round upset.
Our Three Stars:
Third Star- Jaromir Jagr (4 assists)
Second Star- Ryan Callahan (1st 2 career postseason goals)
First Star- Michael Nylander (1st playoff hat trick, assist)
Just a couple of quick hits:
-Hartley’s decision to bring back Lehtonen for Johan Hedberg backfired. While it’s true the young Finn was under siege literally, he didn’t make one big momentum changing save. I’m not putting it all on him though as his teammates just didn’t show up. They were dead once Nylander scored on the game’s opening shift.
-Why the Atlanta coach who won a Cup with Colorado opted against matching Bobby Holik against Jagr is beyond us. Holik did a great job in Game Two and his line was effective the first two games. This was a monumental screw up on Hartley’s part.
-Marian Hossa has not only been invisible in this series but he’s resorted to taking cheap penalties. When is this great talent finally going to step up in a postseason?
-The Thrashers took some cheap runs as the game went on. As usual, Avery was involved. But he hardly did anything out of the ordinary. Kovalchuk’s frustration finally boiled over early in the third. To leave his gloves on and punch Avery was wrong. If you’re going to fight, do it the right way.
-The officials get a thumbs down for not letting Orr and Atlanta instigator Eric Boulton go at the end of the second. Why not? Instead, they were assessed matching misconducts. I understand the stripes didn’t want anything to happen but come on.
-There’s really not anything negative to say about the Rangers. I can’t think of one player who didn’t show up ready to play. They knew what was at hand and sent the message. Now it’s time for them to finish off their wounded opponent later tonight.
In other playoff action, the Sens took Game Four 2-1 over the Pens to put them on the brink heading back to Ottawa. Underrated pickup Mike Comrie setup Anton Volchenkov for the winner in the third. Comrie has had a good series thus far and is a reason his team is up. Can Pitt comeback? It’s still possible. But not without monster performances from dynamic duo Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Jordan Staal has done his part with three tallies.
The Wild staved off elimination with four unanswered to post a 4-1 home win over Anaheim. They got two goals from Brian Rolston and Mark Parrish netted his first of the series on a redirect in front. They trail the series 3-1 with the Ducks looking to wrap it up at the Pond Thursday.
The Canucks won their second straight in Big D by another 2-1 margin to move within one win of the second round. After Mattias Ohlund and Darryl Sydor traded third period goals less than 3:00 apart, wily veteran Trevor Linden struck for the winner 2:00 later by finding a loose puck and beating Marty Turco with 5:31 left. It was his second point of the series. He also had a hand in setting up Taylor Pyatt’s Game 3 OT winner the other night. Pyatt btw assisted on both goals last night and continues to be a factor. The series shifts to British Columbia where the Stars will try to extend it back home. Maybe that’s not such a good thing because they’ve now dropped their last six home playoff games.
And in the final game of a busy Tuesday night which saw five contests in total, the Flames got back in their series with a well earned come from behind 3-2 triumph over Detroit. With the game tied at one in the third, Kris Draper got his second of the night by outworking a Flame to a loose puck and beating Miikka Kiprusoff 39 seconds in. But with Calgary staring an 0-3 hole in the face, they responded well by getting the next two. Uncharacteristically, standout D Nick Lidstrom would play a role in both. First on a Flames power play, the Detroit captain tried to pass the puck to Henrik Zetterberg for a clear. But the pass was just a tad off allowing Mark Giordano to keep it in and use a Jaromie Iginla screen to beat Dominik Hasek to tie it 4:04 later.
The Calgary captain Iginla wasn’t done. Knowing he needed to step up, he did just that by outfinessing Lidstrom to a Wayne Primeau pass at the Detroit blueline and circling around before firing his patented one-footed wrister past a surprised Hasek with 11:39 to spare for his first of the series. It would stand up as Kipper made some big stops near the end on his way to an easier 28 stops. In the first two games, the 2006 Vezina winner faced a ridiculous 97 shots. Last night, the Flames were much sharper at the Saddledome where it won 30 home games. Now they know they can compete with the Wings. So Game Four in Alberta looms large.
We’ll also be at MSG tonight for Game 4 of Thrashers-Rangers. So expect more Ranger coverage and postseason coverage of the other games later tonight! Make sure to stop by for complete analysis. 
