Unfortunately for New York, that seat got a lot less comfortable Wednesday.
Henrik Lundqvist did not play against the Bruins Wednesday night as the team investiaged potential problems stemming from the literal shot to the throat Lundqvist took Saturday against the Hurricanes.
Despite how bad the injury appeared at first glance, Lundqvist remained in the game. Lundqvist also started Monday’s Rangers victory over the Panthers, and had been scheduled to start against the Bruins. The severity of the issue is not known but the Rangers have called Lundqvist “day-to-day” for now.
Obviously, any complications regarding the injury puts the Rangers training staff into question, considering Lundqvist stayed in the game and then started New York’s next contest.
The good news for the Rangers: So long as the injury is not serious, they have a pretty solid cushion for a playoff spot over the Panthers. An eight-point lead with 33 games left is not insurmountable, but that’s not exactly easy to give away either.
However, the Rangers are not a particularly good possession team, ranking 18th in close situations in both Corsi For percentage and Fenwick For percentage, and are just under 50 percent in both. Only Montreal has worse possession numbers among playoff teams in the East, and they’re being carried by a nice shooting percentage and Carey Price.
The Rangers likewise have posted high shooting percentages this year, though they have regressed over the past month from over nine percent to the mid eights. What remains high is their save percentage, thanks to Lundqvist. Beyond owning a .936 even-strength save percentage, which is fifth among starters, Lundqvist has been average to above average on shots from all areas of the offensive zone. That’s not something any goalie can say.
Taking him out of the equation is removing one of the biggest reasons, if not the biggest, for the Rangers success. That’s a problem.
Backup Cam Talbot has a .926 even-strength save percentage in a very limited sample of 11 games (nine starts). That’s not bad, but his percentages on shot locations range from average to below average.
Expanding the sample to last season, since that includes all 32 games of Talbot’s NHL career, does make things a little better, — he comes out around average — though the point remains — he’s not Henrik Lundqvist.
There’s no shame in that, of course, Lundqvist has arguably been the best goalie in the NHL in the years following in the lockout, and a major factor in any success the Rangers have had over that span.
Regardless, Rangers should be very nervous. Without King Henrik, they’ll likely find the spring a very uncertain time.
