Rangers can lean on Richards' experience
Brad Richards #19 of the New York Rangers shoots on goal against the Colorado Avalanche. (March 17, 2012) Credit: Getty Images
Brad Richards had been there. He knew what it meant to be down three games to two in a playoff series and needing a give-it-your-all effort on the road to force a Game 7.
Of course, the year was 2004, Richards was with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the stage was the Stanley Cup Finals.
Having to win a Game 6 in the opening round in Ottawa, in his first year with the Rangers, isn't really comparable. Richards is older now, 31, and more of a mentor than one of the young stars for the Lightning. But Richards came up huge in Game 6 in Calgary eight years ago, and again Monday, and has been the best Rangers forward on the ice in the last few games.
In Ottawa, the veteran center set up Derek Stepan's tying goal at the left post at 8:55 of the second period on a power play and scored his second goal of the series on a five-on-three, skating off the boards and beating Craig Anderson high with a patient, precise shot at 17:08. He played 21:47, including 7:58 on the power play, which had been woeful, just 3-for-22.
"We took it to heart last game," Richards said after the 3-2 victory at Scotiabank Place, referring to the 2-0 shutout loss in Game 5, when the Rangers were 0-for-4 with the man-advantage. "It's not easy to go home and think about that. Step got it going, getting dirty going to the net, you could tell it was going to take one of those plays and then we got going, confidence-wise, and got two more off of it."
The Rangers hope that confidence carries over to Game 7 Thursday at Madison Square Garden. In their history, the Rangers are 3-5 in seventh games, but 3-0 at home and 3-1 since 1974. The Senators are 0-4 and 0-3 on the road.
But Ottawa has won four of the last five in the Garden, and believe they can win one more. "Their team has a lot of pressure on them, being the No. 1 seed," center Jason Spezza said Tuesday. "We have a chance to spoil their season. How often is it that a No. 8 seed gets two cracks to end a series?"
Well, since 1994, No. 8 seeds have gone on the road six times to play No. 1 seeds in Game 7s. The 8 seeds are 4-2.
Richards, who has five points in the series, wants to prevent that from happening. But he knows it won't be easy, repeatedly reminding questioners that it is extraordinarily tough to eliminate an opponent.
In Game 6 in Calgary in 2004, Richards scored twice, and 33 seconds into the second overtime, Martin St. Louis had the 3-2 winner. Ruslan Fedotenko, now Richards' teammate in New York, scored twice in Game 7 in Tampa as the Lightning won, 2-1, and along with coach John Tortorella, hoisted the Cup.
But first things first this week.
If the Rangers, who had Tuesday off and will practice Wednesday, win Game 7 and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals, they'll face either the No. 5-seed Flyers, the No. 6 Devils or the No. 7 Capitals. With reseeding, they cannot face the No. 2 Bruins or No. 3 Panthers. If Washington beats the Bruins in Game 7 Wednesday night, the Blueshirts would meet the Capitals, as they did last season and in 2009. They lost each series, but this time the Rangers would have home ice.
More Rangers
