Making Beds...

It's still the eve of game 2, and I really have no idea what to expect from the Rangers tomorrow night. Part of me feels worried that Buffalo will pull another dud, like they did last round, but when I look at this series from a logical perspective, I can't see that happening. Last round the Isles got an enormous lift in game 2 with DiPietro coming back, and the Rangers simply don't have that type of motivation for tomorrow night.
In about 72 hours, the Rangers press clippings have gone from cocksure and overtly confident to sounding sort of shocked and searching for answers. Now I realize that this is the NHL playoffs and anything can happen, but I'm sorry...game 1 exposed the Rangers for what they are... a solid team that got a very hot goalie and a very easy stretch schedule, then lucked out and got a weak division winner with no playoff experience in round 1.
Much has been made of the Rangers record since they got Mark Messier version 2.0, ahem...I mean Sean Avery but who did they play? In the Rangers final 29 games of the Season, all with Avery in the lineup, they went 23-6. Sounds pretty impressive right?
However...15 of their final 29 games came against non-playoff teams, including 9 against the real dregs of the league (BOS, PHI, WAS, STL, CBL).They also picked up 8pts by getting games to shootouts.Of the remaining 14 games the Rangers played vs playoff opponents, the Rangers only had 4 regulation wins. 4. They beat TB once, PIT once and the Islanders twice (once in OT). Still impressed by this mighty team and their inspirational leader?
Look, it's great that the Rangers are in the playoffs, and it's great that they beat up Atlanta, and it's great that there has been so much media coverage of the league because of that.
For all I know the Rangers could come out and play a much stronger game 2 and head back downstate with a split. But they aren't going to get faster overnight. They aren't going to convince Jagr to actually play hard every shift overnight. They aren't going to find a capable replacement for Rozsival overnight, which means the Rangers defense, which already looked outmanned in Game 1, now will have to play more minutes.
There seems to be a sense coming from the Rangers that they had control of game 1, and let it get away. Head coach Tom Renney (who I have to admit I like) stated that the Rangers "made their own bed" in game 1. If that's what they need to convince themselves of, that's fine. But the Sabres skated Wednesday night like they hadn't skated all series against the Islanders, and Western New York breathed a collective sigh of relief. It was what we were waiting for since opening night in Carolina.
We all knew we had a team that could dominate at times, and we had been waiting for them to show it when it counted most. Round 1 came and went...5 games, 15 periods, and not once did the Sabres skate the Isles out of the building. It finally happened Wednesday night. You could tell from the drop of the puck that this was a different team from a week ago. Everyone has talked about how different and more impressive the Rangers are since they last played the Sabres...ever think that the same could be said about Buffalo? All 6 of their D are healthy, Tim Connolly is back, Ryan Miller is in postseason mode and the team FINALLY appears to be sufficiently motivated.
The Rangers absolutely could surprise me tomorrow night and win, but it will take Buffalo relapsing back into their form from round one as well as a remarkable game from NY. I really don't see either happening