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New York Rangers: Will Ryan Callahan have an impact on Game 5?

By Nick Ziegler

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The New York Rangers will be hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden in a pivotal Game 5.

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The Lightning do have a few former Rangers on the team, and one of them is the Rangers’ former captain Ryan Callahan. In the second-round, Callahan had an emergency appendectomy surgery, which cost him to miss the clinching game of the series.

Callahan would only miss one game however, but so far against his former team he hasn’t registered a point. As the Rangers know, Callahan has a knack for stepping up in big situations, and Game 5 might be his breakout performance.

“I’m glad you brought that question up,”Jon Cooper said Sunday morning to Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post, “because probably tonight’s the night he’s going to score. Because he does that on big stages and he’s probably going to do it in the building that he grew up [in] as a hockey player.”

Game 5 is huge for both teams in a tied series, as a win for the Lightning can put them in position to finish the Rangers off at home in Game 6.

“I think in any situation, you want to step up,” Callahan said to Cyrgalis. “Being the conference finals, no matter where you are, you want to step up and be helpful and contribute. Being at MSG, I don’t know if that changes it too much right now. When I first came in, the first, second game in here during the [regular] season, that was big. I wanted to get in here and I wanted to contribute. I had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder.

“But now it’s the conference final. I don’t need an extra emotion or energy or a reason to play well. It should just be trying to make it to the Stanley Cup final is reason enough.”

The Lightning’s offense has done very well for the most part, as Tyler Johnson has had a great playoffs. In the last two games, the Lightning have allowed five goals in each game. Callahan is a great two-way player, and his team will need him in Game 5.

“When I speak with him, I don’t judge him on, well, he hasn’t scored a goal in this series,” Cooper said to Cyrgalis. “Ryan Callahan brings so much to our team in the locker room, on the ice, his physical play. … He just wears his heart on his sleeve.”

Game 5 may very well decide the series, so it’ll be interesting to see if Callahan makes an impact on the series.

Next: Who is the best Ranger of all-time?

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