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Zuccarello Carries the Rangers

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Throughout the regular season, Mats Zuccarello has been a large part of the New York Rangers, helping them into the spot they are today (a second-round playoff series against the Ottawa Senators.) Zuccarello proved just how valuable he is to the team when his two goals were the deciding factor in a 3-1, series-clinching win against the Montreal Canadiens-the third goal was an empty-netter. With all due respect to Hendrik Lundqvist, who has had a great playoffs so far, Zuccarello has done a great job of stepping up and leading by example. He leads the team with three goals, and has twelve shots on goal against an elite goaltender in Carey Price. Zuccarello lead his team in assists during the regular season (44), points (59), and was third in power-play goals and power-play points.

While Mats Zuccarello also leads the team with 14 penalty minutes (including an absurd six minutes in Game 1), he more than makes up for it with his leadership and gritty play. During the first period of the eventual series-clinching Game 6 on home ice, the Rangers went into intermission playing bad, sloppy hockey and were lucky to come out with only a one-goal defecit. Zuccarello went into the locker room and called out his teammates, telling them that they "needed to be better". Then he went out and delivered not once but twice, from virtually the same spot in the same period, scoring the tying and game-winning goals. Zuccarello, or "Zuuucccccs" as he is known with the Rangers crowd, plays a gritty, old-school game combined with pure will to win. If he keeps performing like he has, the Rangers have plenty of talent to take down teams like Washington or Pittsburgh.

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