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Hartnett: No Reason To Worry About Lundqvist Heading Into Playoffs

By Sean Hartnett
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No goaltender has been pulled more times than Henrik Lundqvist this season.

The 34-year-old Rangers star has gotten the hook three times over his last nine starts and has been yanked a grand total of eight times over the course of the first 81 games, although one occasion, on March 3 in Pittsburgh, was due to neck spasms.

This is new territory for Lundqvist. Over the previous four seasons, he had been pulled a total of seven times. Of course, this will cause some fans to ponder whether cracks are beginning to show in his game.

Lundqvist surrendered three goals on 16 shots on and was relieved by backup Antti Raanta to begin the third period of the eventual 4-1 loss to the visiting Islanders. The Finn did not allow a goal in the final stanza, making six saves before a John Tavares empty netter sealed the deal for the Rangers' archrivals.

Following the defeat, head coach Alain Vigneault admitted there was no point throwing Lundqvist back out there for the third and thought the introduction of Raanta would give the Rangers a jolt after they had conceded three unanswered goals. The Islanders proceeded to execute the trap to perfection over the final 20, frustrating the Blueshirts.

"I just thought at that time, 3-0, I thought it might spark our team a little bit," Vigneault said. "I talked briefly with Hank a little bit between the second and third. It probably wasn't worth risking it at that point and that's why I made the change."

With one more regular season game remaining, it will be interesting to see whether Vigneault decides to give Lundqvist a final tune-up before the playoffs or plans to hand Raanta his first start since March 26. The Rangers play the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.

Regardless of whether Lundqvist starts the season finale or is given a breather before the playoffs, he won't rest until his game is 100 percent back on track. That's who Lundqvist is and always has been -- the goalie who is obsessive about details and works harder than anyone to fine-tune all the little things. Put a challenge in front of Lundqvist and he will move heaven and earth to rise for his teammates and the diehard fans who always have his back.

All the pain associated with close calls that nearly resulted in Stanley Cup glory and the fear of not getting his name etched on the big silver chalice is what drives Lundqvist. Do you remember when he was sensational in making 40 saves in Game 4 of the 2014 Final? He just couldn't bear the thought of seeing the Los Angeles Kings lifting Lord Stanley at the Garden.

"We didn't want to see the Cup coming out on our home ice," Lundqvist said at the time. "Just the thought of it would make me sick."

Following Thursday's loss to the Isles, Lundqvist's thoughts immediately turned to working out the kinks on the practice ice with esteemed goalie guru Benoit Allaire.

"I am just going to focus on having some good practice time," he said. "I look at the game, I look at the goals. Like I said, tough bounce. Maybe better awareness on the second goal, but I have been feeling pretty good, so I am not going to over-analyze it. I'll take a look at it and see what I can do better and work hard.

"You try to get good habits," he continued. "You want to prepare the same way. You want to get ready for a good game. Of course, in the back of your head here you start focusing on next week and what's ahead. There's no question about it. You are getting close and you know you are in. But at the same time, you want to make sure you work on your game and try to play as good as you can."

Trust Lundqvist. Nobody prepares better and no goalie can single-handedly carry a team the way "The King" can come playoff time.

Follow Sean on Twitter at @HartnettHockey

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