Rivalries to Remember

Throughout the course of an 82-game regular season, there are certain games that stand out more than others. For example, having three consecutive home games against two division opponents within the final month of the regular season creates a heightened level of excitement and anticipation.
The Rangers' upcoming stretch of three straight games at Madison Square Garden against the Washington Capitals (on March 14) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (on March 16 and March 18) is one of the highlights of the team's schedule this season. The nature of the rivalry the Rangers have with these teams, as well as the points that are at stake in these matchups, make for compelling storylines.
Rangers legend Henrik Lundqvist played 86 career regular season and playoff games against the Penguins and 75 career regular season and playoff games against the Capitals during his 15 seasons with the franchise. He described the rivalry that the Rangers had with the Penguins and Capitals during his career as "special."
"It was special for a couple of reasons," Lundqvist explained. "They had some of the best players in the game for a very long time. Even though the teams have changed a bit over the years, the core of their teams has remained the same. You knew you had to be on your best game to have a chance. Also, over the years, we just seemed to play them every other year in the playoffs, and that created a special rivalry. When you play big games against certain teams, you get to know them even more."

"That combination of playing against some of the best players and facing them in the playoffs made it great matchups for many years."
Over the 15 seasons that Lundqvist played in the NHL and with the Rangers (2005-06 - 2019-20), no goaltender played more games and earned more wins with one franchise than Lundqvist did with the Rangers. Over that same span, the two players who scored the most goals and had the most points in the NHL were Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby.
Lundqvist, Ovechkin, and Crosby all entered the league in 2005-06 and quickly established themselves as the face of their respective franchises. For Lundqvist, the individual battles against two of the game's all-time greats added to the excitement of playing against the Capitals and Penguins.
"When you play in the NHL, you want to measure yourself against the best and you want to challenge yourself when you face the best players," Lundqvist said. With a laugh, Lundqvist added, "I know both guys scored a lot on me, but I think I made a lot of saves as well, luckily. It was definitely challenging, but in a fun way."
Because of the star power that all three teams had (and continue to have), several of the regular season matchups that the Rangers had against the Penguins and Capitals during Lundqvist's tenure were nationally televised games (as are two of the upcoming three games). Lundqvist recalled that the additional excitement surrounding those regular season games, combined with what was at stake in the standings, made those games feel like playoff games.
"The game is a game of will," Lundqvist said. "The more excited the players are to play, the more will they have, and the more intense it gets. You see more guys crashing the net, and it usually gets more physical in front of the net. Players are willing to pay the price a little bit more to get to the areas where they can score or get into your head.
"It's a step closer to playoff hockey in a way, where you expect that every night. I felt like some in some of these regular season games against Pittsburgh and Washington, the intensity increased, for sure, because of the meaning of the game, the points in the standings, and the history between the teams."
The history that the Rangers have with both the Capitals and Penguins that carries over into current games was established in large part through the battles that Lundqvist's Rangers teams had against each opponent. During his career, the Rangers faced the Capitals in five different playoff series and the Penguins in four different playoff series. The apex of these battles came during the Rangers' playoff runs in 2014 and 2015, when the Rangers became the first team in NHL history to rally from a three-games-to-one deficit and win a playoff series in back-to-back years by doing so against Pittsburgh in the Second Round in 2014 and against Washington in the Second Round in 2015.
"I remember in both series, we were trying to figure out what happened and how we ended up in a really tough spot," Lundqvist recalled. "The focus was on just trying to win Game 5 and not looking further than that. But once you win Game 5, you know you're building great momentum and there's a lot of pressure on the other team to win Game 6, because you know they definitely don't want to go to a Game 7. It's funny how a series can change - the energy and the momentum - even though you're still down in the series.
"In both of those series, we used that momentum to our advantage and were able to turn things around."
Lundqvist's stellar goaltending helped propel the Rangers in both comebacks. In Games 5, 6, and 7 of both the 2014 Second Round and the 2015 Second Round, Lundqvist posted a 6-0 record, along with a 1.26 GAA and a .963 SV% and only allowed one goal in five of the six games. According to Lundqvist, what made him and the team successful in those moments, particularly in Game 7 in each of those series, was the "trust and focus within the group. Everybody was committed and focused on what we needed to do individually and as a group to win."
When Lundqvist reflected on the many games and moments he had against Pittsburgh and Washington, one sequence that stands out above all of the rest for him was in Game 7 of the Second Round in 2014 against the Penguins. With just over five minutes to play in regulation and the Rangers holding a 2-1 lead, Lundqvist and his teammates prevented Pittsburgh from tying the game during a scramble in front of the net. The sequence concluded with Lundqvist making a save off a Paul Martin backhand shot, which deflected off a loose stick that was in the crease.
"At one point, we had five guys within a few feet of each other just laying all over the place," Lundqvist remembered. "That image is what I remember most clearly from that series. Guys were throwing themselves everywhere trying to block shots."
In that Game 7 against Pittsburgh in 2014, Lundqvist and the Rangers didn't have the benefit of having the home crowd at MSG behind them. In those rivalry games, whether it's the regular season or playoffs, Lundqvist said the crowd makes a huge difference for the players on the ice.
"When you have the crowd into it, it definitely helps you get re-energized," Lundqvist said. "The crowd helps you bring up the level of emotions, which is important to have when you play the game, and that's why I always enjoyed playing at home. It was an extra push to get to that level where you wanted to be.
"Being in the same division as Pittsburgh and Washington, those games are always important, especially when you're fighting for positioning in the standings. You play 82 games, but there are definitely certain games that feel a little bit extra."