New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist carries a lot of enviable accolades. If it wasn’t already a safe thing to do, you can probably put “money goaltender” on that overflowing list.
Plenty of stats sprouted up before, during and after the Rangers’ 2-1 overtime win against the Washington Capitals, and just about any related to Lundqvist were highly complimentary. Quite a few were pretty mind-blowing, even.
Specifically, he’s been almost unbeatable in Game 7 situations. Look at the all-time giants he’s already tied with:
.@HLundqvist30 won his NHL record 6th straight Game 7. His six Game 7 wins also tie him with Brodeur and Roy for the most in League history.
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 14, 2015
Being shoulder-to-shoulder with Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy is quite the feat. It’s not as if Lundqvist is just riding along with great support, either, as he’s been like a wall with everything on the line.
#NYRangers Henrik Lundqvist career in Game 7s:
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) May 14, 2015
Record: 6-1
GAA: 0.97
Save %: .960
If Justin Williams is worried about Lundqvist grabbing the “Mr. Game 7" moniker from him, his amazing numbers extend to other elimination situations:
Lundqvist halfway to 16 Ws needed for Cup. On home ice he's proven near flawless when NYR's backs are up against wall pic.twitter.com/2yUZ9FcLfP
— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) May 14, 2015
Wow, that’s something else, right? As an added bonus, Lundqvist even dominates in the “weird coincidences” category:
5/13/13: Henrik 35 saves, Rangers win Game 7
— Andrew Shapiro (@AndrewShapiro10) May 14, 2015
5/13/14: Henrik 35 saves, Rangers win Game 7
5/13/15: Henrik 35 saves, Rangers win Game 7
The 33-year-old also has an Olympic gold medal to his name, so more and more, it really feels like a Stanley Cup is about the only thing Lundqvist is lacking. Perhaps he’ll amend that over the next month-or-so, then?
Chances are, he won’t be easy to beat either way.