The New York Rangers are remarkable not for their highlights but for their tenacity. They are not a team guded by stars. They are worker bees who sacrifice themselves to guard the hive. Often, they sting unexpectedly.
Through 13 play-offs matches, the Rangers averaged exactly two goals, a lowly 14th among the 16 play-offs teams.
Their power play is puttering along at a 14.7 per cent scoring rate, worthy of 13th place.
Nor are they anything special in the face-off circle, where their 45.3 per cent win rate is second-worst in the play-offs.
The Rangers are opportunistic: they play a tight defensive game and attack when their opponents make a mistake.
Take the first goal of Game 6 against Washington. The Rangers’ Jesper Fast chipped the puck up the ice with a backhander off the boards, catching the Caps off guard. New York’s Chris Kreider flew past Matt Niskanen to win possession and scooped the puck over Braden Holtby for the goal.
At the other end, the Rangers play a disciplined game to eliminate the other side’s opportunities.
New York might not have anybody among the play-offs’ top 10 scorers but they do have the second-ranked player for blocked shots, Dan Girardi with 47.
The Rangers have used shot blocking to keep Caps star Alexander Ovechkin at bay. In Game 5, Ovechkin took eight shots; worker-bee defenders sacrificed their bodies to block six of them.
Rangers games tend to be wars of attrition; all 13 of their play-offs games this season have been decided by one goal.
Another number: the Rangers have won nine successive home-ice games in which they faced elimination.
On Wednesday, they host the Capitals in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. The place will be buzzing.
rmckenzie@thenational.ae
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