By JEFF Z. KLEIN
When Henrik Lundqvist talks about his craft as a goaltender, it is almost as if he is giving a seminar about how to succeed at any endeavor requiring work, devotion and concentration.
So it was again Wednesday, after the N.H.L. announced that Lundqvist, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, was a finalist for the award again this year. The Vezina is given to the league’s best goalie as voted by the league’s 30 general managers, and Lundqvist has been named a finalist five times in his eight-season N.H.L. career. The other finalists are Sergei Bobrovsky of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Antti Niemi of the San Jose Sharks.
“I always try to push myself as much as possible,” Lundqvist said before Game 4 against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night. “I want to be up there and be recognized as a good goalie, and when people appreciate what you do, it’s always a good thing.”
Rangers Coach John Tortorella often calls Lundqvist the backbone of the team, and he has been voted the Rangers’ most valuable player for seven consecutive years. He is a model of consistency, finishing below the N.H.L.'s top 10 in save percentage only twice in the last eight years, despite playing more minutes in that span (30,216) than any goalie besides Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff.
Last season the Rangers surged to the regular-season conference title; this year they struggled, qualifying for the playoffs after Game 47 of the lockout-shortened 48-game schedule. Lundqvist noted the difference, and what it required of him.
“I like the challenge,” he said. “Last season things were going our way early, and a lot of fun things happened. This year we had to work to get back in the race. As long as you see it as a great challenge, you can have fun with that as well. It doesn’t always have to go your way.”
Describing the inner dialogue he conducted with himself during a year that was difficult for the Rangers, he added: “Personally, for me, it was important to ask myself the right questions during the season. We were not winning as much, but I had to look at my game: Am I doing the right thing here? Do I need to change something? Even though it’s a team sport, for me it’s about what I’m doing. I have to look at myself, and when I do my best, I’m going to help the team to do well.
“So sometimes you just have to make sure you ask yourself the right questions and not get carried away with the result all the time.”
Martin Biron has been Lundqvist’s backup for three seasons. This year he got into only six games, as the Rangers’ desperation forced Tortorella to go with his No. 1 goalie almost every night. But Biron brings a goalie’s special insight to describing his teammate’s process.
“The key for him the last two years has been consistency,” Biron said. “That consistent preparation on ice, off ice, has got to be there. He’s better than anybody at doing that. His routine is perfect, and that’s what he gives us every night.
Biron noted what it meant for Lundqvist to lead the Rangers through a season when they were constantly on the brink of crushing disappointment.
“There’s pressure when you’re at the top of the conference like we were last year, to always keep it at the same level,” Biron said. “But it’s such completely different pressure from being in 9th and 10th and 8th and 7th and 9th, and then having to move back up. There’s a reason why we finished sixth, and that reason is him. It’s the reason why he was M.V.P. for seven straight years here. That’s a tribute to his consistency.”
Tortorella said: “How he competes, he helps the team in front of him on how he plays -- it forces the team in front of him to play the right way.”
Tortorella noted that he had hoped to give Lundqvist more rest this season, but could not because of the need to make the playoffs. But Lundqvist’s steady excellence made it an easy choice for Tortorella.
“He is that good, and that consistent,” Tortorella said.
He finished tied for the league lead in wins with 24 in 43 starts. He was fifth in save percentage (.926) and seventh in goals-against average (2.05). Niemi also had 24 wins in 43 starts, with a .924 save percentage and 2.16 goals-against average for the Sharks, who advanced to the Western Conference semifinals Tuesday night with a victory over Vancouver. Bobrovsky, with 21 wins in 37 starts, was second in the N.H.L. in save percentage (.932) and tied for fifth in goals-against average (2.00)
Lundqvist said he found a certain kind of fulfillment from the season just ended.
“It’s been an interesting year, and a different year – shorter season, tight schedule, and things maybe didn’t go our way all the time,” he said. “But when you have to work really hard to get back in the race, and finally you get in, it’s just a big reward.
“Last year it felt like things were going our way. This year we had to work really hard for it. And personally I maybe had a little bit more highs last year. But the consistency this year is something I’m pretty pleased with.”
As for Game 4 against Washington, which the Rangers need to win in order to even the series?
“I feel good, excited,” Lundqvist said. “It’s always fun to play here, especially in the playoffs. You try to enjoy it. It’s a lot of pressure, no question – I’m not going to hide that. But it’s fun to be out there, and feel the adrenaline, feel the crowd – it’s a little nervous as well.
“You just try to go out there and play your absolute best. That’s what we need right now. We’re facing a good team. If we can continue the play we had last game, I think we’ll be in good shape.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/sports/hockey/rangers-lundqvist-is-vezina-trophy-finalist.html?pagewanted=1&_r=3
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