Head Coach Knows Why His Star Goalie Is Underperforming

There is no denying that the New York Rangers have had a few issues between the pipes lately. Once upon a time, King Henrik Lundqvist was, well, exactly that: the King of Broadway. 

Recently, his form has come under fire, and you need not look any further than the 7-6 loss at the hands of the Dallas Stars on Tuesday evening to see what everyone is talking about. The all-world netminder allowed seven goals on 27 shots, and has brought his overall stats down to a 2.89 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage, well below his career averages of 2.31 GAA and .920 SV%.

 Lundqvist has always been the type of goaltender to play deep in his net- something that is rare nowadays, as goalies continue to get bigger and leaving the blue crease to close off shooting angles has long been the standard. But "Hank" has his signature style that has simply not been up to the task lately. 

Head coach Alain Vigneault spoke with the New York Post and shared his thoughts regarding what is certainly the toughest stretch of Lundqvist's career:

"There's no doubt that there is a confidence issue with Hank," he said. 

The 34-year-old former Vezina Trophy winner has allowed 16 goals on the last 76 shots he faced, and a three-game losing streak for the Rangers seems to be cause for concern shortly before the start of the All-Star break set to take place next week. 

While many are confident that Lundqvist will bounce back, this is certainly the biggest challenge he has faced in his career and will need all of his teammates' help in righting the ship.