I’m not sure what’s going on here. I’m a little confused. Are these the same New York Rangers I’ve watched all year? Is that really Wade Redden, the poster boy for nightmarish free agent contracts, and Michal Rozsival looking like a top-notch #1 defensive pair, stopping the high-powered Capitals offense? Is that really Markus Naslund playing with passion and purpose (though committing too many penalties)? Is that the whole team clogging the shooting lanes, blocking shots and playing sound defense? Was that the same feeble power play from the regular season scoring twice in the first game? Is that Scott Gomez stepping up and playing like the playoff veteran he is? Is that Alex Ovechkin being shutout in the first two games? I guess my eyes don’t deceive me.

What’s not surprising is the play of Henrik Lundqvist. He’s been the best player in the series so far, and if the Rangers are going to win he’s going to have to keep it up. He’s the Rangers’ big advantage. The play on the penalty kill is not surprising either. Sean Avery stirring things up is a given. And the continued solid play of the kids, Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, etc., is pretty much expected at this point.

Washington is outshooting the Blueshirts about 200-30, and the Rangers are in their own zone a lot more than they’d like, so things aren’t perfect for them, and with a 2-0 lead in the series they’re not exactly dominating the Caps. But they have a plan, they’re battling and they’re stepping up and playing playoff-intensity hockey. So far, so good. Two more wins to go. But it won’t be easy.