Staal will make name by avoiding attention

WASHINGTON

This is the time of year when stars are made. When careers are defined.

No one on the Rangers knows that better than Marc Staal. He's got two brothers who have Stanley Cups, brothers who made their names on a championship run with big goals and big plays.

It's different for Marc than it is for older brother Eric and younger brother Jordan, though. Marc Staal's big plays are the kind that don't get noticed all that often. When they are, it's usually a mistake or a play that ends up in the Rangers' net, as happened in overtime of Game 1 here against the Capitals on Wednesday night.

"The puck came to me and someone was coming at Danny [Girardi], and another coming at me, so I tried to get it up on the wall and [Jason Arnott] made a good play," Staal said. "When you get to OT, it's always someone who's going to make a mistake that leads to a goal. You've got to move forward."

For those pointing the finger at Staal or declaring that fatigue, after he played a game-high 33:48, was the culprit, understand that two Rangers forwards had cleared the zone before the puck came to Staal, limiting his options to dump it out.

It's unfortunate, but that's part of staking territory as an elite defenseman. There will be mistakes, errant clearing passes and other assorted breakdowns.

His name will not be made with flashy moves on offense but with restricting the flashy moves of Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and any other Caps forward he's matched against. That makes it twice as hard to become a postseason hero for Staal.

He and Girardi, who is the one to face Ovechkin's first rush from the left side, did a good job for much of Game 1 on the Caps' captain and most dynamic player.

There were hiccups in the first period, one shift in which Ovechkin was alone in front of Henrik Lundqvist for long enough to have a chance to swipe at a bouncing puck (he fanned), but the Rangers' top defensive pair held Ovechkin off the scoresheet for a long stretch, as they did (with help from Ryan McDonagh and Michael Sauer) in four regular-season games.

"For the most part, we did a good job," John Tortorella said of his defense. "Not a great job."

And Staal and Girardi have to be great, nearly perfect for their Rangers team, overmatched up front, to win this series.

The Rangers are a team that excels when all five players on the ice are committed at both ends of the rink. When there's a breakdown, as there was in overtime, as there was with 6:16 left in the third and the Rangers trying to escape with a 1-0 lead, the defense usually gets the blame.

"They're good enough up front that they're going to get some chances no matter what we do," Staal said. "I thought we did a decent job on their top line. We just have to make sure we're in their faces every time they get the puck."

Staal was the only Ranger to sit out Thursday's practice, and he looked like a boxer who was on the short end of a 12-round decision after Wednesday night's game. It was the second-most minutes he's ever played in an NHL game, but bumps and bruises disappear once the next game comes up in a playoff series.

"It's the fun time of year," Staal said, managing a smile.

It's the time of year when big-time players seize the day, as Staal's brothers can attest.

For Marc Staal to do it, he has to seize the seizers, and keep Ovechkin and Co. from taking over.