NEW YORK—Speaking to reporters Wednesday ahead of the Stanley Cup Finals, New York Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault confirmed that veteran goaltender Henrik Lundqvist will need to really step up on offense if the team is to beat the Kings and secure their first championship in two decades. “Henrik is obviously a huge reason we’ve made it this far, but we all know he’ll have to come up big and score some goals if we’re going to stand any chance of beating the Kings,” said Vigneault, stressing that the 32-year-old goaltender will be under considerable pressure to spark the team’s otherwise disappointing power play. “There’s no question that we’re counting on him to create assists and put shots on net. Henrik is our best chance to generate some offense, so if he can’t be a potent goalscoring threat, I don’t know if we can win this series.” Vigneault added that if the team is trailing late in the third period, he will not hesitate to have an empty net and put on backup goalie Cam Talbot in a last-ditch attempt to score an equalizer.

Advertisement