Henrik Lundqvist managed to shut out the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1, but he could only do so much as the Habs had the New York Rangers on their heels to open Game 2.
The Canadiens kept applying pressure behind a raucous crowd until Jeff Petry finally broke through for Montreal’s first goal of this young series, and a 1-0 lead for the Habs.
Petry enjoyed far too much time to pick a spot against Lundqvist, yet that might not be the only reason that the star netminder seemed a little upset. Lundqvist’s stick broke during that sequence, and while there’s no full replacement for a goalie stick, no skater gave him a makeshift option in the moment.
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Considering those two factors and the early rush from Montreal, you can kind of understand why Hank was a little flustered.
Lundqvist just wants his stick back, man. pic.twitter.com/cfAI2qk6t2
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) April 14, 2017
It didn’t throw him off though, really, as Lundqvist robbed Paul Byron on a breakaway attempt later on in the opening frame. Not long after, Michael Grabner scored a beautiful breakaway goal on his try to make it 1-1. Byron eventually got his goal back later on in the first, allowing Montreal to go into the intermission with a 2-1 lead.
Here’s a GIF of the goal itself (video above), if that’s what you prefer:
Getting the #StanleyCup Playoffs party started on a Friday night!
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) April 14, 2017
Stream: https://t.co/gA5OK47Mjk pic.twitter.com/4lszXqUC8U