Here’s an uncomfortable refrain for New York Rangers fans: Henrik Lundqvist can only do so much.
After he shut out the Canadiens in Montreal for a 3-1 win in Game 1, the Habs have been asserting their dominance in the last two contests, taking a 2-1 series lead.
Sunday likely stands as the most emphatic showing of Montreal’s power of this first-round series. Carey Price didn’t need to deal with much, making 20 saves. He was unable to shut out the Rangers in Game 3, with a spoiler goal coming with about three minutes remaining in the third, but most of his night was pretty light.
Artturi Lehkonen’s power-play goal began the scoring, while Alex Radulov’s heroics really put things away. He provided a fantastic effort in making the initial play before Alex Galchenyuk set up a Shea Weber power-play marker, which would become the game-winner:
The Radulov pass to Galchenyuk that starts this sequence is pure science fiction. pic.twitter.com/vZrnqQ2orB
— Paul Campbell (@WayToGoPaul) April 17, 2017
Those who gaped in awe at that display enjoyed a comparable showing of will and skill, as Radulov drew (reasonable) Peter Forsberg comparisons as he bulled his way to this 3-0 goal:
Absolutely GORGEOUS. 😍 #StanleyCuphttps://t.co/Y53dScNbfj pic.twitter.com/S80VZx9EY5
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) April 17, 2017
Wow.
The Rangers need to get things together at Madison Square Garden if they hope to stick with the Habs. They’ve now lost six straight postseason games at home.