Per Bob McKenzie, the Rangers have claimed defenseman Roman Hamrlik off waivers from the Washington Capitals. It is unknown whether the Rangers claimed him before or after the Marc Staal injury, as they definitely had a need for a depth defenseman before Staal’s freak injury.
Hamrlik, 38, skated in just four games with the Caps, notching an assist. Last season, Hamrlik skated in 68 contests with Washington, finishing with a scoring line of 2-11-13. Using his 2011-2012 metrics, he is still functional in his own end, with a 4.5 GVT (4.7 DGVT). He also finished last season with a -.061 QoC, 7.8 RCorsi (0.26 CorsiON), and 46.8% OZone start. These metrics all suggest competence in his own end, which is what the Rangers need at the moment.
Well, that was awesome, huh? The Rangers are going to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1997 with a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals in Game 7 of the Conference Semi-Finals. Brad Richards and Henrik Lundqvist were the story in this one, as well as tremendous team defense from the Blueshirts. Let’s break down the goals…
1-0 Rangers
- Michael Del Zotto started this play by getting the puck deep. Carl Hagelin used his speed on the forecheck to gain possession and began to move the puck around the net. The forecheck caught 4 Capitals in the slot or below, which opened up the top of the offensive zone.
- Hagelin slipped a pass to a trailing Richards, which caught Niklas Backstrom too low in coverage, and Richie blasted a slapshot under Braden Holtby’s left arm. It was just the quick strike the Rangers needed. First goal, got the crowd into it, just 1:32 in.
2-0 Rangers
- The Rangers’ second goal originated in their own zone. Michael Del Zotto made a great hit on Alex Ovechkin, causing a turnover at the Ranger blue line. Carl Hagelin quickly picked the puck up and led Marian Gaborik.
- Gabby turned on the jets realizing the Caps were in the midst of a change and carried the puck into the Caps’ zone. The defenders converged on Gabby’s shot from the high slot, blocking the wrister. Unfortunately for them, they lost track of the puck in the slot and lined up a perfect screen for Michael Del Zotto. DZ grabbed the puck in the slot and fired a nice little snap shot to the low stick side of Holtby. Read more »
