Mika Zibanejad’s goal in game two of the Eastern Conference Final extended his playoff point streak to seven games, and helped lead the Rangers to a commanding 2-0 series lead against the two-time defending champions.
But the location of Zibanejad’s goal may have been more telling than the goal itself.
Zibanejad’s wrister resulted in his sixth straight home playoff game with a goal, and it sailed just above the blocker of Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to give the Blueshirts a 3-1 lead.
Sound familiar? It should by now, as the Rangers seem to be hunting this potential weak spot on one of the best goalies in the league.
As Adam Herman of Bleacher Report noted after game one, Vasilevskiy’s save percentage on shots from the low to high blocker side were his worst during the regular season. He stopped 37 of 48 shots at the high blocker, or 77 percent, and New York fired nine shots to that area in game one, compared to just three on the glove side. As Luke Fox of Sportsnet noted after game two, Vasilevskiy has now allowed 18 goals this postseason to the high blocker side, with his next highest mark by area coming to his high glove side, where he’s allowed just eight.
In game one, four of the Rangers’ six goals came to Vasilevskiy’s blocker side, as it is becoming less and less of a secret. It was even apparent back in 2019 when Tampa was shockingly swept out of the first round by the Blue Jackets.
Can the Lightning adjust and take away open shots on Vasilevskiy’s blocker side? If they don’t, it could be a short series, as the Rangers take a 2-0 lead to Tampa armed with a game plan that has led to dominant results so far.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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