WASHINGTON – If goaltending wins in the playoffs, the seventh-seeded New York Rangers’ Game 1 victory over the second-seeded Washington Capitals might be worth more than an early series lead.
There was nothing but praise for Henrik Lundqvist’s performance following the Rangers’ 4-3 win Wednesday. The New York goalie made 32 saves.
Around the corner in the home locker room at the Verizon Center, there was plenty of finger-pointing at Jose Theodore, by himself. His coach didn’t exactly disagree.
“There’s times when you sit there, you need the save, and he didn’t make the save when we needed it,” Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said.
“Just wasn’t good enough,” said Theodore, who stopped 17 of 21 shots and was unable to get his glove on Brandon Dubinsky’s winner with 8:17 remaining after Markus Naslund popped out of the penalty box and fed Dubinsky.
Boudreau said he didn’t pull Theodore because “you never want to look like you’re panicking and that’s what that would have looked like,” but the coach didn’t rule out playing rookie Simeon Varlamov in Game 2 on Saturday – a stunning admission considering that Varlamov has played in only six career NHL games.
Other games
Penguins 4, Flyers 1: In Pittsburgh, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin each had a goal and an assist, and Pittsburgh shut down Philadelphia. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, idle for long stretches in the first two periods as his teammates controlled play at the other end, made 26 saves. Game 2 is Friday in Pittsburgh.
Devils 4, Hurricanes 1: In Newark, N.J., Martin Brodeur made 18 saves, and Zach Parise and Jamie Langenbrunner each had a goal and an assist for New Jersey. Martin Brodeur came within 11 minutes of tying Patrick Roy’s record for career playoff shutouts at 23. Game 2 is Friday in New Jersey.
Canucks 2, Blues 1: In Vancouver, British Columbia, Daniel Sedin had a goal and an assist, and Roberto Luongo made 25 saves for Vancouver. Game 2 is Friday in Vancouver.