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Hartnett: Inside Backup Goalie Antti Raanta's First Season With Rangers

By Sean Hartnett
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High-quality backup goaltending is essential in the modern-day NHL. With league parity at an all-time high and the fast pace contributing to an increasing number of goaltender collisions, more teams than ever are paying a premium for expensive insurance policies behind their No. 1.

Last season, the Rangers held their breath on Jan. 31 when captain Ryan McDonagh's stick accidentally lifted Henrik Lundqvist's mask, allowing a shot by Carolina Hurricanes forward Brad Malone to strike the all-world netminder in the throat while his plastic neck protector was raised.

While Lundqvist went on to complete the game, medical scans later revealed the full severity of a serious vascular injury. The three-time All-Star suffered a sprained blood vessel, and had he continued playing he would have run a high risk of having a stroke.

Unavailable for nearly two months, the injury forced Lundqvist to sit out 25 games. This situation would have muddied the progress of some teams, but the Rangers were able to stay on track toward capturing the Presidents' Trophy due to the stabilizing presence of backup Cam Talbot. The Rangers stayed hot, going 18-4-3 during Lundqvist's absence.

With Talbot now plying his trade in Edmonton, the responsibility of serving as Lundqvist's caddy falls on 26-year-old Antti Raanta. Having fully recovered from a head injury over the holiday break, he is ready to resume backup duty.

As the second half nears, an increased workload will be placed on Raanta's shoulders. Gone are the days of Lundqvist standing between the pipes for 70-plus regular-season games. The Rangers play 17 back-to-back games this season. With this in mind, head coach Alain Vigneault indicated in early October that his plan is for Raanta to appear in 20-25 games.

"I told him, we need probably anywhere in the vicinity of 20-25 games from him," Vigneault said on October 6.

Prior to suffering the injury, Raanta gave WFAN.com an inside look into his first season with the Blueshirts. The former undrafted free agent is working vigorously with renowned goaltending coach Benoit Allaire and is studying Lundqvist's habits closely.

"It's the small things that Benny says – locate, locate and move," Raanta said. "It's pretty easy, just the two things to remember, but sometimes it's a little harder to do. I'm trying to locate the puck better, trying to move a little bit more and see the play before it even happens. I'm searching the puck.

"Whenever I see the puck, I try to make quick looks and see what is going to happen. Now I'm reading the play a little bit better. I'm always trying to be in good position to make the save, then follow the rebound."

Through 10 games, Raanta is 4-3-1, a record that doesn't properly reflect the Finn's quality performances. His save percentage is .919 and his goals-against average is 2.10. At an even 6-foot-0 and 193 pounds, Raanta is an average-sized goalie. Part of his learning under Allaire is maximizing his frame in the eyes of shooters.

"Even though I'm not the biggest goalie in the league, you can still cheat the players a little bit," Raanta said. "That's something we've worked on. If you can just show yourself, you give the kind of feeling to the skater that there's a big goalie in the net. You try to be as big as possible."

Along with lessons from the highly-respected Allaire, Raanta is benefiting from seeing Lundqvist's insatiable drive firsthand. It's up to goaltenders to push each other and Lundqvist sets an ideal example through his eye for detail.

"Working with Henrik, you can see what he's doing on a daily basis," Raanta said. "If you follow him around for a day, you can see that he's not giving up anything. He's always trying to battle. He's always trying to work on all the things that need work. I try to take a little bit of that also for my game, but I'm a little more relaxed.

"I try to not be too into someone scoring on me in practice. I can still sleep at night, but of course you want to work hard and play good also."

A positive mindset is also key for a backup goalie. For some, it can be frustrating to sit out long stretches without game action. Although Raanta projects a bubbly personality, being a backup can sometimes be a lonely existence. He credits Allaire for keeping him focused on striving toward improvement.

"When you work with Benny, he always has a smile on his face," Raanta said. "You try to take the good things with you. Of course, sometimes there's a little bit tougher days and it feels like everybody is scoring on you. You just have to get your mind ready again and work on the things you've been working on. It's been a fun first couple months and it's going to be even more fun as the season goes on."

As the season wears on, Lundqvist will need breaks to catch his breath, and it will be up to Raanta to prove he can fill Talbot's pads.

Follow Sean on Twitter @HartnettHockey.  

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