NHL teams
Scott Burnside, ESPN Senior Writer 8y

Lundqvist injury shows window closing on Rangers' chances

NHL, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers

PITTSBURGH -- By Friday afternoon, we should have a much better idea whether Henrik Lundqvist will able to return to the New York Rangers goal and continue a playoff streak that is among the longest in NHL history.

In the meantime, the worrisome eye injury suffered by Lundqvist in the last minute of the first period of Game 1 of their first-round playoff matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins certainly has given his teammates and maybe all of hockey pause.

Because it's not just about whether Lundqvist can start his 112th straight postseason game for the Rangers on Saturday in a game that now looms as crucial after their 5-2 drubbing at the hands of the Penguins on Wednesday night. Rather, the bigger picture of what Lundqvist means to this team and the ever-shortening window for both he and his teammates has been brought, if you will pardon the expression, more fully into focus by Lundqvist's uncertain status.

Whether those thoughts can be distilled to something like "if not now, then when" for the 34-year-old and the rest of a team whose core has been kept intact for the past four or five seasons is open to debate. But no doubt the sight of Lundqvist writhing in agony after the tip of teammate Marc Staal's stick somehow breached the caged portion of Lundqvist's mask near his left eye certainly had a sobering effect on Lundqvist's teammates.

"For sure. You have a window when you are on a team that's getting older and guys are in the prime of their careers," said forward Rick Nash on Thursday as the Rangers took a day off from skating to watch video and otherwise regroup from a disappointing turn in Game 1.

"We all know now is the time to win and we all put pressure on ourselves to produce."

But he and his teammates acknowledged that Lundqvist represents something different to this team. To lose him, whether it was for two periods as was the case Wednesday or for a longer period, is something different.

"Yeah, you never want to see any player on your team on the ice in pain, especially when he's the leader and your best player," Nash said. "But it's part of the game. Injuries happen. Every team goes through it, and you have to find a way to overcome it."

That said, Nash acknowledged, "you're not going to be able to fill those shoes."

"He's won at every level," he said. "He's the face of this franchise. We just have to use this as a challenge. It's not like everything's over."

The Rangers figured it to be tough going against the red-hot Penguins to begin with in this series.

Some of the reasons for that were revealed in Game 1: awful defensive coverage and breakdowns on the first and third goals. But coming into this series, especially with the Pittsburgh goaltending situation in a state of flux with Marc-Andre Fleury trying to recover from a concussion, Lundqvist figured to be a leveling factor.

After all, that's what he's been doing since coming on in Game 3 of the Rangers' opening playoff round against the New Jersey Devils back in 2006.

He has started every playoff game for the Rangers since a remarkable streak of continuous playoff service with one franchise that is surpassed by only two goaltenders NHL history: Martin Brodeur, against whom Lundqvist played in that Game 3 long ago, and Patrick Roy in his Colorado Avalanche days.

Lundqvist has been especially good against the Penguins, whom the Rangers are facing for the third straight playoff year. Since Game 5 of the second round in 2014, he is 7-1 with a .954 save percentage, not counting his no-decision Wednesday.

"Yeah, it's tough to see," defenseman Keith Yandle said. "You never want to see anyone get hurt, whether it's your teammate or anyone else. You hate to see stuff like that. Especially when it's your goalie, your best player, you have a certain level of concern right away."

Backup Antti Raanta came on in relief of Lundqvist in the second period of Game 1 and allowed three goals on 19 shots to take the loss.

Not that the loss can be blamed solely on Raanta. But just as the Montreal Canadiens had a crisis of confidence this season when all-world goalie Carey Price went down with injury, it's fair to say any long-term absence by Lundqvist will put this playoff season in grave peril for a Rangers team for whom the proverbial Stanley Cup clock is ticking.

Lundqvist is 34.

Nash will turn 32 in June.

Dan Girardi, whose game is declining, will be 32 before the end of the month.

Dan Boyle is 39 and nearing the end of a stellar career.

Dominic Moore is 35.

Yandle, 29, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and even though he has likely been the team's most consistent defender, there are questions about the team's ability to afford him.

In short, after reaching the Eastern Conference finals in 2012 and 2015 and advancing to the Stanley Cup finals in 2014, time is growing short, perhaps even shorter pending the news on Lundqvist on Friday.

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