Rangers Review: Henrik Lundqvist
by Joe Fortunato on May 28, 2010 6:00 AM EDT
in New York Rangers Analysis
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PrintSorry to have been so distant guys, but graduating from college and all took up a ton of time. Consider this my rising from the dead. Welcome me back! Anyway let’s get on to the easiest player review of them all: Henrik Lundqvist.
Henrik Lundqvist:
What We Liked: Uh, everything. While some might deem that Lundqvist had an off year, I truly feel that this was the best year of his career. His GAA was an astounding 2.38, and his save percentage was a brilliant .921—which is unbelievable when you consider the fact that he had Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival and two rookies in Matt Gilroy and Michael Del Zotto defending his crease. And while his 35 wins was the lowest total since his 30 win rookie season, try to remember just how many 2-1 or 1-0 games the Rangers lost this year. On a better team Lundqvist wins well over 40 games this year easy. Regardless, enough of me telling you all about the guy I think is the best goaltender in the league. You all know what statement is coming next: "this team goes where Hank (or any other variation of nickname for Lundqvist) goes." And that stamen holds true even now.
What We Didn’t like: I can honestly say that there isn’t anything to put in this category. He does go through one or two stretches every season where he is pretty bad, but aside from those three or four games he is top-flight. And in the end, what goalies don’t have an off game here or there? That’s really it.
Highlight Game: Does 90% of them count?
Final Thoughts: Like I said before " this team goes where Lundqvist goes." He is signed for the next four years, and barring him asking for a trade he will be a career New York Ranger. Although we said that about Brian Leetch as well
Video Highlight:
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Great review Joe and excellent choice for the highlight video. I was at that game (game 8 of regular season) and when everyone saw that save, we knew good ‘ol Hank was back and ready to help this team fight for a playoff spot. Unfortunately, he didn’t get much support.
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by Nick Montemagno on May 28, 2010 7:20 AM EDT reply actions
"Unfortunately, he didn’t get much support."
And that is the indictment the organization must be held ENTIRELY accountable for, in the way this offseason goes. Glen Sather has a world-class goaltender, who is getting paid big bucks; and it should not be a one-and-done playoff series team he puts on the ice next season.
Great review from me as well, Joe.
I Am HockeyMan!!
"When I tap my stick like this (thump, thump, thump), put the puck on the tape, and I'll take care of things." Jaromir Jagr, for Bud Light.
and his save percentage was a brilliant .921
More brilliant, his .929 EV SV% was his highest in 3 years. The GAA is a product of the team, a goalie can’t control how many shots he faces, he just has to stop them at the rate he’s supposed to, which with Henrik is one of the highest rates in the league since he joined.
He’s a rock back there, but also the reason we’re not getting Tyler Seguin. So can we add that to things we don’t like?
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
LOL so true!
He kept us in games we have no business of winning.
What a great goalie. He never complains about the lack of support he gets and you can tell what a great competitor he is. He wants to win so bad. Probably his greatest strength!
Lundqvist-Staal-MDZ-McDonagh-Krieder-Stepan-MZA-Cally-Dubi-Gabby-AA-Grachev-Prust
The core of the 2014 Stanley Cup winners!
by 76 Blueshirt on May 28, 2010 11:03 AM EDT up reply actions
He wants to win so bad. Probably his greatest strength!
Positioning, reflexes, recovery ability, size, flexibility…eh, take it or leave it.
Wanting to win? That’s how he makes those saves.
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
hey!
i know you’re an Oilers fan and all, but heart is important. Not that you have had much of a showing of that since Smyth left ;-)
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by Joe Fortunato on May 28, 2010 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes, I know, the nebulous “heart”, “grit”, “sandpaper”, “want”, and the always important “chemistry” are quite important. They’re so important that Tom Barrasso won a Calder, a Vezina, was second in a Vezina race and won two cups while being “heartless”, “cold” and hated by his teammates.
And saying that a goalie wants to win is a reason for being better than someone else…can you say with certainty that Lundqvist wants to win more than the average goalie? How do you measure that? Are there really goalies in the league that don’t want to win?
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
What, exactly, in that post is sour grapes?
Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
He’s getting Hall or Seguin in the next draft, why should he be sour?
Only YOU can prevent idiots from commenting!
by Knee high to a duck on May 30, 2010 9:08 AM EDT up reply actions
Just made a fanpost about Lundqvist tell me what you guys think.
Especially you smurf, I would love to see your opinion on it.
by Ahmad Bradshaw on May 28, 2010 10:59 AM EDT reply actions
I'll take a look
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by George E. Ays on May 28, 2010 11:12 AM EDT up reply actions
Also
He can’t be playing 70+ games a year. Every year this guy is burnt out towards the end of the season which might be the reason we havent advanced past the second round recently.
He should be playing no more than 60 games a season. Thats what backup goalies are for. To give your starter needed rest.
Lundqvist-Staal-MDZ-McDonagh-Krieder-Stepan-MZA-Cally-Dubi-Gabby-AA-Grachev-Prust
The core of the 2014 Stanley Cup winners!
Burntout?
His last 10 games this year: 7-1-2, .938 sv%, 2 shutouts.
Last 10 last year: 6-4-0, .931, 1 shutout
Last 10 year before that: 5-2-3, .929, 1 shutout.
If anything, he’s stronger at the end. Only 2 of those 30 games as he allowed more than 3, and 19 of 30 he allowed 2 or fewer.
If he’s burntout, he’s got a funny way of showing it.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on May 28, 2010 11:21 AM EDT up reply actions
haha nice.
he always does show up when we need him most
by Ahmad Bradshaw on May 28, 2010 11:22 AM EDT up reply actions
Yes but if you remember the last game of the season after the shootout win by the flyers Hank said himself he was totally exhausted during the shootout which is why he wasn’t as sharp.
Lundqvist-Staal-MDZ-McDonagh-Krieder-Stepan-MZA-Cally-Dubi-Gabby-AA-Grachev-Prust
The core of the 2014 Stanley Cup winners!
by 76 Blueshirt on May 28, 2010 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions
He just got absolutely shelled to the tune of 47 shots. If it was the 1st game of the year you’re going to be tired after that much action.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on May 28, 2010 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions
I hear your point Smurf. But honestly he can’t be playing 70+ games a season. Especially this past Olympic season with the compressed schedule. It’s just too much. Too much.
Lundqvist-Staal-MDZ-McDonagh-Krieder-Stepan-MZA-Cally-Dubi-Gabby-AA-Grachev-Prust
The core of the 2014 Stanley Cup winners!
by 76 Blueshirt on May 29, 2010 9:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Why stop at 70 then? Why not play 80? How about all 82? In my eyes Hank has shown fatigue towards the end of the season and into playoff games.
After this season he didn’t go to the World Chamionships because he had bad knees. Presumably from fatigue from the long season.
He’s our best player. Treat him that way.
Lundqvist-Staal-MDZ-McDonagh-Krieder-Stepan-MZA-Cally-Dubi-Gabby-AA-Grachev-Prust
The core of the 2014 Stanley Cup winners!
by 76 Blueshirt on May 29, 2010 10:07 AM EDT up reply actions
responding to both
How much did it hurt Brodeur to play 70 games a year for 15 years? Only now is he finally slowing down.
I agree with the olympics this year they probably should’ve lightened the load, but you lean on your franchise goalies. Maybe not 70, but 65 is not uncommon.
I mean, you’re entitled to your opinion, but clearly he doesn’t show signs of slowing down at the end of the year. Sure, we can nitpick goals that he “should’ve saved” in the playoffs, but fact is the playoff series we lost is because they were flat out better teams. You can blame it on fatigue all you want, but NHL goalies can play 80+ games (counting playoffs). Henrik’s on that level, he can handle it.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on May 29, 2010 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Just because Brodeur has played 70+ games every year doesn’t mean Hank should also. Every individual is different.
Now there’s a difference between “can” he play 70 games or “should” he. Of course he can because he’s done it in the past. If the coach pencils him in he’s going to play. No player in the league will say “no I can’t play tonight coach.” Hank is a competitor and if the coach asks him how he feels Hank will say he’s great. Let me play.
Now on the other hand should he be playing 70+ games every season? His past 4 seasons he’s playes 70, 72,70, 73 games. Thats a hell of a workload. You might not agree but i definately think he’s playing too much. Especially this past year.
Smurf you say the reason Hank said he was exhausted the final game of the year was because he faced 45+ shots and 65 minutes. Well any goalie should be able to handle that workload. I say the reason he was exhausted was because his knees are aching because he played too much during the season.
Lundqvist-Staal-MDZ-McDonagh-Krieder-Stepan-MZA-Cally-Dubi-Gabby-AA-Grachev-Prust
The core of the 2014 Stanley Cup winners!
by 76 Blueshirt on May 29, 2010 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Smurf you say the reason Hank said he was exhausted the final game of the year was because he faced 45+ shots and 65 minutes. Well any goalie should be able to handle that workload. I say the reason he was exhausted was because his knees are aching because he played too much during the season.
Well, without asking him it’s a matter of opinion, so it’s hard to keep arguing. You’re entitled to believe that, I happen to disagree.
Shit happens.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on May 29, 2010 8:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Lets just say we agree to disagree :)
Lundqvist-Staal-MDZ-McDonagh-Krieder-Stepan-MZA-Cally-Dubi-Gabby-AA-Grachev-Prust
The core of the 2014 Stanley Cup winners!
by 76 Blueshirt on May 30, 2010 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions
By the way, do people think there is any merit to the fact that the best performers in the playoffs are in time shares during the regular season rather than carrying the full load like Lundqvist?
or do people think it is just a coincidence?
by Ahmad Bradshaw on May 28, 2010 11:16 AM EDT reply actions
Coincidence
Just happened to break that way this year. Before this, here’s the cup winners:
Fleury, Osgood, Giguere, Khabibulin, Brodeur, Hasek, Roy, Brodeur.
I probably should double check, but I’m pretty sure all of them got 60+ reg. season starts those years.
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by George E. Ays on May 28, 2010 11:25 AM EDT up reply actions
good point
pretty sure osgood didnt but the rest probably did
by Ahmad Bradshaw on May 28, 2010 11:28 AM EDT up reply actions
You’re right, he and Conklin split about 50-50. So that is 2 of the last 3 years. Still say it’s a coincidence, but an interesting one.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on May 28, 2010 11:38 AM EDT up reply actions
3rd periods and Hank?
Does anybody have a link to goalie stats by period this year? My only complaint with Lundqvist is that he gives up a lot of third-period goals for a guy who is so good. I’d be curious to see how many games he lost in the last ten minutes in particular.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the guy. I’m just curious about his third-period stats and how they rank against the rest of the league.
Prole art threat.
by greifi griffie on May 28, 2010 12:38 PM EDT reply actions
Don't have Hank specifically
But here’s the breakdown by periods for the Rangers this year:
1st period: 68 GA (18th in the NHL)
2nd period 68GA (3rd in the NHL)
3rd period: 71 GA (T-14th in the NHL)
OT: 7 GA (T-27th in the NHL)
Also, Rangers were 32-1-5 when leading after two periods. They were 5-7-0 when tied after two. 1-25-2 when trailing after 2.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on May 28, 2010 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Why do people push less games
I can see 65 maybe if we were legitimately good and had a capable backup…
but this team is terrible, and the backup is still pretty much a rookie. If a backup is 17 games, we are losing more than half of those, and that’s the margin of error that will kill this team.
The burnout thing is bs. Stats above prove it. He was tired in the last game because they played back to back nights, and had 40 something shots in the final one, which went to 65+_
how do the stats prove it in 05-06 he started 50 games and was 30-12-9, his highest win , he had his best save it was also his 2nd best year in GAA with 2.24, his best 07-08 with 2.23. He has played over 70 games the last 4 years. Only 1 other goalie had 70+ the last 4 Kiprusoff. Of the last 5 Stanly cup winners only Fleury (67) had more than 60 starts. Johnson only played 5 games for the Rangers but his GAA and save%s were nearly identical to Henriks. So give him 20-27 games.
GAA is a product of the team
And his sv% this year was as good as it was in 05-06 and 06-07.
Beyond that:
Fleury missed 12 games to injury last year, that’s why he only played 62.
Hasek/Osgood were 43 and 35 yrs old, respectively.
Giguere missed 12 games to injury, and another 3 at season end for personal reasons.
Gerber missed 5 games to injury, played 60 and lost his job to Ward.
Khabibulin played 55, no excuse.
And before the those 5 …..you had 73, 65, 62, 72, 61, and 64 gp.
So yeah, 70 is limited to Brodeur, but expecting 65 out of your franchise goalie is not detrimental to your cup run, provided age is not a factor, and at 27, Henrik’s age is not a factor.
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by George E. Ays on May 29, 2010 1:40 PM EDT up reply actions
well if you are gonna argue fractions it was better 05-06 and his win percentage was considerably higher than his other years and that was not exactly a great roster!
win% is a product of the team too
And the 05-06 team was much better than this one, what with Jagr’s 123 pt season, Prucha’s random 30 goals, hell even Rozsival was +35.
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by George E. Ays on May 29, 2010 8:21 PM EDT up reply actions
on the flip side Smurf you could also argue that 05-06 was Henrik’s worst playoff performance, his stats were awful, they were swept and they gave up 17 goals and scored 4 in the sweep by the Devils.
Scoring 4 isn't Hank's problem.
And yes he was awful in that series, and that was also his lightest workload. So was he burntout then too?
I mean…I’m arguing this and I don’t really believe he needs 70 games persay, but 55 leaves 27 games to a backup, and there no backups in the league that are of Hank’s quality. And the roster isn’t good enough to make up for that.
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by George E. Ays on May 29, 2010 8:24 PM EDT up reply actions
yeah if there were they wouldn’t be backups. There is no telling if Johnson could or couldn’t, remember Weeks was number 1 and Hank changed that with the quality of his play. There were a number of backups that played 20 or more games and had better than .500 win % Auld, Clemensen, Legace, Graon and Ellis. That is all you really want from a back up.
I remember that series well.
We finished the season on a horrible losing streak. The Devils finished the season on a rediculous winning streak.
The team had no confidence at all and our best line in the playoffs was Dominec Moore, Ryan Hollweg (ha!), and Balir Betts.
It wasn’t just Lundqvist.
Lundqvist-Staal-MDZ-McDonagh-Krieder-Stepan-MZA-Cally-Dubi-Gabby-AA-Grachev-Prust
The core of the 2014 Stanley Cup winners!
by 76 Blueshirt on May 30, 2010 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions
Guys, He played well down the stretch the last few years but he burnt out against Buffalo in the 2nd round, burnt out against Pitt in the 2nd round and he burnt out towards the end of the Washington series last year. Yeah I know we didn’t play very well in front of him but he still gave up goals he would normally save.
I have a theory
about starters and when they should be rested. When you begin the season no matter what give your starter ten games to get in the groove. Now with a big win (shutout) or a blowout, never sit your starter the next game. Let him ride that wave into the next game. Now after a squeeker 2-1, or 3-2 ot loss and a long stretch thats when he should be given a game off. In Lundvquists case games vs. Pitts, Caps, Isles, Devils, Flyers, and lets say any original six should be an automatic start because of rivalry, ratings, and importance. IMO games vs crappy west teams go in the rest King catagory. He was overused this year and he didn’t break down but look at Brodeur he does not look the same after all that wear and tear. Set up some Joba Rules for Henrik and if we are in position to be in the playoffs atleast he will be rested enough.
by louielounz1 on May 28, 2010 9:33 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
What We Didn't Like...
I have watched almost every Ranger game of the past few years with my 2 brothers. My brother’s and I have similar views about hockey, but disagree on several aspects of the strategy of hockey, how to build a successful organization, as well as opinions of players. Two things are absolutely agreed upon by the three of us regarding Henrik Lundqvist:
1. Lundqvist is an incredible goalie and absolutely the stand-out player on the Rangers. His ability to keep the team in the game with save after save is something that was missed dearly during the years after Richter where the Rangers had Dunham and Hebert amongst others.
2. Lundqvist is a God-awful puck-handler. Not only are the times he chooses to go out or behind the net to play the puck very questionable at best, it is almost a certainty that when he does play it that the puck will find the stick or skate of an opponent. Could this be seen as a fault of the players around him? It can be, but it isn’t simply due to the frequency of the giveaways or sloppy passes regardless of the situation. Heavy fore-check or none whatsoever Lundqvist does not make a solid play when he handles the puck.
He is a fantastic goalie and the best player on the team. I think that we the fans tend to turn a blind-eye to some mistakes simply because we are so thankful for him. We place him upon a pedestal akin to those of a deity. I love the guy, but he can’t play the puck. Regardless, his positive aspects far and away outweigh his negative ones but don’t say his only fault is a couple off-games which every goalie has. Let’s Go Rangers.
Let's Go Rangers!
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Atlantic Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New York Rangers
|
52 | 34 | 13 | 5 | 73 |
|
Philadelphia
|
54 | 31 | 16 | 7 | 69 |
|
New Jersey
|
54 | 31 | 19 | 4 | 66 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
54 | 30 | 19 | 5 | 65 |
|
New York Islanders
|
53 | 22 | 23 | 8 | 52 |
(updated 2.11.2012 at 8:02 AM EST)
Rangers Schedule
Next 5 Games
|
Washington
|
Sun 02/12 | 12:30 PM EST |
|
@
Boston
|
Tue 02/14 | 7:00 PM EST |
|
Chicago
|
Thu 02/16 | 7:00 PM EST |
|
Columbus
|
Sun 02/19 | 8:00 PM EST |
|
@
Pittsburgh
|
Tue 02/21 | 7:00 PM EST |
Last 5 Games
|
@
Philadelphia
|
Sat 02/11 | W 5 - 2 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
Thu 02/09 | OT - W 4 - 3 |
|
New Jersey
|
Tue 02/07 | L 0 - 1 |
|
Philadelphia
|
Sun 02/05 | W 5 - 2 |
|
@
Buffalo
|
Wed 02/01 | SO - W 1 - 0 |
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