MONTREAL – Inspired by Quebec-born winger Martin St. Louis, the New York Rangers unleashed a formidable barrage north of the border.
St. Louis, whose mother, France, passed away during their series against the top-seed Pittsburgh Penguins, will attend her funeral with his Ranger teammates, sparked New York to a 7-2 rout of the Montreal Canadiens. That in addition to Henrik Lundqvist’s 20 saves helped the Blueshirts wrestle away home-ice from the Canadiens and earn their first win at the Bell Centre in two years.
Mats Zuccarello, Chris Kreider, Brad Richards, Ryan McDonagh, Derek Stepan and Rick Nash would also tally for the Rangers, who after rallying from a 3-1 deficit to stun the top-seeded Penguins on the road, have the look of a team getting hot at the right time, and that no other team wishes to face.
Montreal, who continued their post-season mastery of perennial foil, Boston would see Rene Bourque and Lars Eller net goals for the cause.
But once again, the Swedish-born Lundqvist proved harder to solve than instructions for an IKEA office desk.
In 15 postseason games, the Rangers netminder is putting up Vezina Trophy-like numbers thanks to a goals against average of 1.99 and a save percentage of .929 If the rangers hope to return to the Stanley Cup—and win—for the first time since 1994, New York will need to look no further than the man between the pipes.
For now, the Rangers can enjoy their impressive road win and continue to build on what appears to be a Stanley Cup worthy tam fueled by the heart of St. Louis and the quiet efficiency of Lundqvist.