Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

A Goalie Problem For The New York Rangers

01/18/2017 at 7:38am EST

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

...If there was one constant on Broadway, it was Lundqvist’s consistent excellence through which he infused his team with confidence night after night after night and allowed the Rangers to overcome deficiencies anywhere and sometimes everywhere else.

Until now.

In words that have most assuredly never been previously typed: Lundqvist has allowed 16 goals on 76 shots in 138:18 (.789/6.94) over his last seven periods after being torched for seven in 40 minutes Tuesday night at the Garden before being mercifully pulled for Magnus Hellberg in the Rangers’ 7-6 defeat to the Stars.

This is a crisis of confidence for the goaltender, who no longer looks at ease in making even the most routine save. And this is a crisis for the Rangers, who seem to be suffering a concurrent collective nervous breakdown of their own in front of the team’s signature athlete.

Lundqvist was both figuratively and literally helpless in this one, with his teammates appearing to have only the most casual acquaintance with the concept of playing defense in falling behind 7-3 by the 17:40 mark of the second period before a furious push in the third period produced a 25-4 shot advantage and several last-ditch chances to get at least a point.

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Watch the game highlights below...

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About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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