The Rangers held an optional morning skate Wednesday at the Verizon Center, a place where the Blueshirts lost three times during last year's post-season and one that will host Game 3 of this Eastern Conference Semifinal series with the Capitals tonight.
"I'm not really concerned about what has happened here before," said Henrik Lundqvist Wednesday morning. "All that matters to me is tonight."
Mats Zuccarello, who has not played during the post-season due to a fractured wrist, briefly skated with his teammates during the morning skate. Though there is no timetable for Zuccarello's return to game action, he has been skating for about a week now.
Once again Brandon Dubinsky, who has missed the previous two games with an unspecified injury, did not skate with the team and will not play this evening.
Brian Boyle, who returned from a concussion to play Game 2 Monday night at The Garden, said after the skate, "We have high expectations and expect a lot out of ourselves. We know how we play and what makes us successful, so we have to stick to that and do a better job of that."
Coming off a 3-2 loss in Game 2 which evened the series 1-1 heading into this evening's road contest in Washington D.C., the Rangers sounded like a team which understood it has to play better in all areas of its collective game, starting with tonight's Game 3.
"We're always looking to get better," said head coach John Tortorella. "As you keep on going, and the longer you stay in, there has to be more consistency. We are working on that every day."
