More than ever the Rangers seem determined to protect their goalie from tough shots. The Rangers seemed to focus on the defensive end of things that they sacrificed some of the positive momentum they had coming in from their last game where the offensive end of things seemed to be taking a step forward.
Despite the fact that I think Vally is an underrated goalie, I think we can all agree he’s not even in the same stratosphere as Henrik Lundqvist. Not by a country mile. So you can understand why the Rangers are doing what they are doing.
With that said, I thought the reffing in this period was decidedly against the Leafs. Paul Mara got away with 2 massively blatant hooks when the Rangers were on the PK. I was shocked neither of them were called, as they should have been. He also got away with another hold, and a bit of a pick play. Despite the fact that the plays weren’t called, you have to wonder what the hell Paul is thinking. Just because you are getting away with it, doesn’t mean you should push the envelope, particularly when you are on the PK.
