Who will start in goal for the Rangers in Game 2?
Who is likely to be the starting goaltender for the New York Rangers in Game 2?
During the New York Rangers 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of their first round series of the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs, New York goaltender Henrik Lundqvist suffered a brief scare as his own teammate Marc Staal inadvertently hit Lundqvist in the eye with his stick. While he tried to play through it, he would not return after the first period. Antti Raanta replaced Lundqvist and despite his numbers, did a respectable job considering how bad their defense was.
The injury was not nearly as bad as it looked. It appears that there is no damage to his eyeball, which is a very good sign. The area around his eye is swollen but it is not directly affecting his eyesight. Lundqvist has been listed as a game time decision for their Saturday matchup against the Penguins.
#NYR Update: AV says that @hlundqvist30 is game time decision tomorrow and that Dan Girardi is hurt, will not play
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 15, 2016
If Lundqvist is good to go, there’s no question that he will get the start in net for the Rangers. As long as Lundqvist is in net, New York has a significant advantage in goaltending, which has proven to be a factor that can help one team upset another.
With that said, if New York can’t improve defensively, stop turning the puck over, and stop leaving guys wide open, it might not matter who’s in net because they will lose.
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