The surefire future Hall of Fame broadcaster will be calling the Eastern Conference Final between the Rangers and two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay on NHL Radio and the Sports Radio America Network. By virtue of one more regulation win than the Lightning, New York will be hosting the showdown.
Tampa Bay swept in-state rival and 2021-22 Presidents Trophy winner Florida (122 standings points) in four games during the second round. The Lightning, recovering from several player injuries, most notably past playoff scoring star Brayden Point, have enjoyed nine days of rest. New York gets one day before Game 1 unfolds Wednesday.
NYR star defenseman Adam Fox has tallied 10 points in five elimination games to date this postseason (three straight to oust Pittsburgh, then two more versus Carolina). Naturally, he was interviewed post-game by ESPN's formidable Emily Kaplan, saying he and teammates were in postseason mode and mentality, ready for the next.
Forslund admires the perspective and notes the Rangers are the youngest team in the playoffs. But he's not convinced that Fox and company will benefit from the quick turnaround.
"I would say in this circumstance, advantage Tampa," said Forslund, waiting on a plane to New York Tuesday and anticipating Rangers supporters all over the Manhattan streets this week. "That's based on the fact Tampa have won two years in a row.
"I don't think the time off is going to adversely affect them. I think they can use it to their advantage to heal and to rest and understand what it takes. You know, it's always the argument, rust or rest. What's going to happen here ere. I think Lightning realize their scare team was Toronto. They beat a really good Toronto team [in seven games] and then a very good Florida team in short order.
"Nine days of rest can only benefit them. They can get healthier. They can get mentally reset. Their best players need the energy based on how much hockey they played over the last three seasons. It's going to help them be ready for the Rangers. They're battle-tested."
Forslund said New York is "riding a crest of emotion" and built character based on winning five straight elimination games. That, plus a "red-hot goalie" in Igor Shesterkin.
"The Rangers have believed in him all season," said Forslund, "but you've got a world-class goalie at the other end too in [Andrei] Vasilevskiy."
Shesterkin struggled mightily in the early games of the playoffs, getting pulled after two periods in one game against Pittsburgh and yanked after just one period in another loss. But Forslund said he has witnessed this before and, talking to a fellow reporter after NYR beat the Kraken this season, said, unfair might it be, that Shesterkin looks like the goalie who follow in the enormous goalie boots of Henrik Lundqvist.
"I've got a little history with this guy," said Forslund about Shesterkin. "I called his first game ever against Colorado [early January 2019 on NBC Sports] ... He let in a bad goal to start the game I will never forget it. He went out to play a puck. Everybody said, you know, he can really handle the puck.
"He went out to play that puck. He made a hell of a pass up the ice after the soft goal, and the [Madison Square] Garden crowd went crazy and he fed off of it. They ended up winning that night."
Forslund said he recognizes Shesterkin's bounce-back abilities again in this postseason. Those early poor starts against Pittsburgh occurred with a "banged up Rangers defense in front of him, especially the loss of [Ryan] Lindgren."
"They really missed Lindgren," said Forslund. "They weren't right. They were up against a really good team [Pittsburgh]. Maybe the pressure was getting to [Shesterkin] a little bit, like any other young player. I mean, they're the youngest team in the playoffs.
"He had to get through that test and then he got to the next step and he was really steady in this series over Carolina. I mean really good. It's only going to get better for him. He's a sensational goaltender."
