Game 4 – What do Chris Drury and Adam Banks have in common?
What a game! I almost had a heart attack or three, but I’m glad to say I was in the Garden for this one. Definitely a game I will remember. Here are some notes…
-Lundqvist was outstanding. Yes, he got some help from the posts. But, with a lesser goalie, the Rangers lose this game. Some of the saves he made were just phenomenal.
Chris Drury and John Tortorella, played here by Emilio Estevez and the guy who played Adam Banks
-Chris Drury. There’s no questioning the heart of the Captain. The guy can barely move his wrist. In fact, when the 3 stars were announced, he came out and tossed the puck into the crowd with his left hand while cradling his right. Yet somehow, after taking an “I can’t use my wrist”-shot that barely reached the net from 15 feet away (let’s be nice and call it a changeup), which gave Varlamov trouble, he managed to absolutely bury the rebound. Clutch goal. I hope he has an Adam Banks moment, and soon. (skip to 3 minutes in). Look Coach!
-It’s official. Rally Towels > Power Sticks
-Sean Avery – WTF? (Doesn’t that look familiar?) Look, I’m not going to question his effort. And yes, the guy has a giant target on his back for the referees to call penalties. I will even say that the roughing penalty he took on the icing touch-up might have been a bad call. (Btw, Tortorella went bananas on the bench). But the high-sticking penalty, with 3 minutes left in the game, was just idiotic.
Ok, Let’s play a Sean Avery game: You are Sean Avery. There are 3 minutes left in the game and your team is desperately clinging to a one-goal lead. The other team is scaring the crap out of 18,200 people and has a player who causes heart palpitations whenever he touches the puck. You are in the offensive zone. The other team’s goalie covers the puck, and as the whistle blows a defenseman gives you a run-of-the-mill love tap. Do you:
- (a) ignore it because he barely touched you.
- (b) ignore it because you can’t afford to put your team on the penalty kill so late in the game.
- (c) ignore it because the other team’s power play has been scary good, and if not for a spectacular penalty killing effort from your teammates and goaltender, you would probably be losing.
- (d) ignore it because the guy who hit you (Pothier) is a marginal NHL player, a 6th defenseman at best.
- (e) Turn around and smack him across the face and neck with your stick, all but FORCING the refs to call the obvious penalty.
Avery is a good player, but he needs to play smarter.
About the author: Marc is a Long Island native and a hockey goalie. He has been a Rangers fan for as long as he can remember, although, in the interest of full disclosure, there was a time during the 1993 playoffs when he vaguely remembers cheering for Pierre Turgeon and the Islanders after the Dale Hunter cheap shot. His favorite Ranger of all time is Mike Richter. Related posts:
