When people joke* about Henrik Lundqvist having a “perfect life,” the common retort is that he’s never enjoyed a great playoff run. Sure, he has that 2006 gold medal, the movie star looks and a Vezina to his name, yet there was the belief among some that he couldn’t get it done in big games.
That gripe is likely fading during this postseason. Lundqvist is now one win away from taking the Rangers to his first-ever Stanley Cup Final, a thought he acknowledges as exciting (even if he’s trying to take the one-game-at-a-time path, too).
“You just have to keep the same mindset that you had for the first four or five games, and then in the last series, you don’t change anything,” Lundqvist said. “You don’t think about what’s ahead.”
”...But it’s exciting too, to know that you’re one game away. I mean, you have to motivate yourself to get to a level where you’re helping the team, and that’s pretty good motivation right there.”
The 32-year-old made some minor history (his first postseason assist) and reached an impressive milestone (tying Mike Richter for the Rangers’ franchise playoff win record with his 41st victory) in Game 4, but it all pales in comparison to being this close to the championship round.
Still, the Rangers know all too well that a 3-1 series can turn around, as the Bergen Record reports.
“We’ll talk about it.” Brad Richards said. “This is far from over. I remember sitting in here down 3-1 against Pittsburgh. They will feel bad tonight, but tomorrow they will wake up in front of their home crowd and once that game starts, 3-1, you throw that out the window and it is back in the battle again.”
In other words, Montreal could still make Lundqvist look human yet.
* - Well, some people might not actually be joking.