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Welcome back to AV’s good books, Ryan McDonagh

New York Rangers v Montreal Canadiens - Game One

in Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on May 17, 2014 in Montreal, Canada.

Bruce Bennett

In the first round of the playoffs, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said that Ryan McDonagh needed to find “another level.”

In the second round, Vigneault was even more blunt, saying of his top defenseman: “Obviously, he hasn’t played very well.”

But last night? Last night was different. McDonagh had just registered another two points, making it six in the first two games of the Eastern Conference Final against Montreal.

What did his coach have to say about that?

“When Ryan’s gap is good -- and obviously he’s got tough match-ups because he’s always playing against the other team’s best line -- when his gap is good and he’s battling hard in his one-on-ones, usually the offensive part of his game is there, and it’s been very good the last two games.”

That’s what.

McDonagh, meanwhile, owed his improved play to simplifying his game.

“If I have a second or two to make a direct pass, make it,” he said, per TSN. “But I was just looking for stick blades too much at times and it’s tight checking in the playoffs so you want to make sure that you’re not giving forwards an opportunity to grind you in your own zone. So the simple plays will work a lot in the playoffs and I’ve been able to make good reads and that’s helped me.”

It’s a good sign for the Rangers that McDonagh is playing like an elite defenseman again. Most Stanley Cup champions have a dominant blue-liner, and with two more wins over the Canadiens, the 24-year-old will be vying for a title against either Duncan Keith’s Blackhawks or Drew Doughty’s Kings.