Hartnett: Rangers' Big Guns Rise To The Occasion After Vigneault's Challenge
By Sean Hartnett
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After coach Alain Vigneault challenged the Rangers' top-six forwards to deliver, the Derick Brassard- and Derek Stepan-centered top lines raised their play in Game 2 to help the Rangers even the series at 1-1 heading back to Madison Square Garden.
"As a group tonight, we needed to respond and play better than we did last game. I thought we did that," Vigneault said following Saturday's 4-2 victory.
"I felt we needed to execute better with the puck," he continued. "I thought we needed to continue to compete smart. Obviously, they have a lot of skill and speed. When you get an opportunity to play the body, you have to play the body. I thought we did that in Game 1. We did it again in Game 2. It's playoff hockey; you've got to get better every game."
J.T. Miller entered Game 2 on a five-game (regular season and playoffs combined) pointless drought. The 23-year-old winger broke out in style. He provided vision and creativity, recording three assists. His net-front assist on Keith Yandle's second-period tying goal was a thing of beauty. Same goes for his pass through traffic on Mats Zuccarello's goal later in the second frame. He also played with a physical edge, registering three hits.
Miller, who played like a team MVP for much of the season, has shown how big of a difference maker he can be when the pressure is on. Since the start of the 2015 playoffs, Miller's 10 playoff assists are tied for the team lead. Rangers fans are well aware how high Miller's ceiling can be. It probably won't be long before the rest of the hockey world recognizes him as an instrumental part of the Blueshirts' success.
His linemate Brassard returned to his playoff best. They call him "Big-Game Brass" for a reason. The 28-year-old center collected a goal and two assists and threw his weight around to register seven hits. Brassard was on the ice for each of the Rangers' four goals scored. The Hull, Quebec, native leads the Rangers in goals (18), assists (26) and points (44) since the start of the 2013 playoffs.
Chris Kreider was a dominant force. He was very engaged and recorded six hits and three shots on goal. The 6-foot-3 winger corralled a bouncing puck and scored a skillful third-period goal to increase the Rangers' advantage to 4-1.
It wasn't just the veterans who put in big performances. Rookie blue liner Brady Skjei followed up his composed playoff debut with a standout effort in Game 2. The 22-year-old recorded his first career playoff assist, registered three hits and blocked three shots. As the game went on, Vigneault trusted him with increased minutes. Skjei finished with 19:02 TOI, 2:08 in shorthanded time and spent 1:37 on the power play.
As a whole, the Rangers played with a night-and-day difference in energy and competitiveness from their lackluster Game 1 showing. They outhit the Penguins 57-25 and forced their rivals into 10 giveaways.
Now healthy, Henrik Lundqvist made a winning return. Eagerly wanting to help the Blueshirts bounce back, King Henrik made 29 saves and stopped all 26 even-strength shots. Since the start of the 2012 playoffs, he has posted a 22-12 record, with a 1.90 goals-against average, a .934 save percentage and four shutouts in games following a Rangers loss. There's ample reason for Rangers fans to feel a renewed confidence in their team. Things are certainly looking up for the Blueshirts heading into Tuesday's Game 3 at MSG.
Follow Sean on Twitter at @HartnettHockey
