A few days back, Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist said the acquisition of backup netminder Martin Biron would be huge in helping him stay fresh for the playoffs. Whether the Blueshirts can get back to the second season is another issue, but his assessment about regular-season heavy lifting and playoff fall-off is right on the money.

For the past two seasons, ESPN Insider has teamed with Puck Prospectus to serve up a Hot Goalie Index heading into the playoffs. The idea was to see if we could find a way to predict which goalies were most likely to stand on their head and steal a series. The formula for the index is based on several factors, but one of them is fresh legs. Author, and formula creator, Timo Seppa explains in the 2009 article:

“It's not a long-term trend, but over the past four postseason tournaments, there is a strong indication that a greater workload may decrease a goalie's chances of winning a playoff series. Over that period, the average playoff series-winning goalie played in six fewer regular-season games and faced 170 fewer shots on goal than his opponent. As a case in point, a well-rested Chris Osgood posted a .930 save percentage last postseason [2008], after facing only 976 shots over 43 games during the regular season.”

Here’s what the index looked like last season. For non-Insiders, the top four are Ilya Bryzgalov, Jaroslav Halak, Tuukka Rask and Antti Niemi. I think we all remember how well those last three netminders carried their teams in the postseason. And it seems more than a coincidence that none of those three started more than 43 games last season.

Lundqvist isn’t going to sit for half a season, but giving him a few extra nights’ rest could go a long way in the playoffs. Now the Rangers just have to, you know, get there.

Morning Links

• Blueshirt Banter looks at former Rangers Dean Prentice (No. 17) in its Blueshirts By The Numbers series.
• In the Daily News, thoughts of last year’s season-ending shootout loss to Philadelphia are still plaguing Michael Del Zotto. Meanwhile ex-Sabre Tim Kennedy is looking forward to squaring off against his old team in the season opener.
• Kennedy’s also happy to be a Ranger after a stressful offseason, according to Jim Cerny of NewYorkRangers.com.
• Want a preview of what Kennedy brings to the table? Here are some of his highlights.
• LoHud.com’s Rangers Report shares some favorite Rangers clips via YouTube.
• Via SNY Rangers Blog, Newsday’s Steve Zipay is floating a rumor of Marc Savard coming to Broadway in exchange for Matt Gilroy, Sean Avery and a second-round pick in 2011.