The natural question entering Tuesday night’s Game 3 between the Rangers and Senators at the Garden was this: What in the world did Ottawa’s unheralded center Jean-Gabriel Pageau have in store as an encore?
Pageau rattled the Rangers and startled the hockey world in the Senators’ 6-5 double-overtime win Saturday by scoring four goals — twice in the final 3:19 of regulation to erase a 5-3 Rangers lead and the game-winner in the second OT.
This from a player who scored 12 goals in 82 games this season.
“That was one of the most impressive performances I’ve ever seen in the playoffs — whether it was from a teammate or players I’ve played against,’’ Senators center Derick Brassard, the former Ranger, said before Tuesday’s game. “Three unanswered goals — the tying goal, game-winner. It says a lot about his character.’’
Senators coach Guy Boucher fondly refers to Pageau as “the perfect soldier,’’ raving about his “willingness to adapt to what we need on that particular day.’’
“That’s his biggest asset,’’ Boucher said. “He’s such an open individual. A lot of guys will say, ‘OK, I’ll do that, but…’ With this guy, there’s no ‘but.’ It’s, ‘What do you need? OK.’ No questions.
“Am I surprised for four goals? I’d be stupid to say I’m not surprised. I don’t think anyone is expecting anybody to score four goals on any team. Am I surprised by the fact that [Pageau] showed up in a big game when we needed him? No. He has all year.’’
Despite the fact he’s not known as a goal scorer, Pageau actually had a previous playoff hat trick against the Canadiens in 2013.
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For sure, the prospect of taking a commanding 3-0 lead…
“He’s just one of those guys that shows up,’’ Boucher said. “He’s not fazed by pressure or gets tight in tough situations.’’
Senators captain Erik Karlsson called Pageau, an Ottawa native who was drafted by his hometown club in the fourth round (96th overall) in 2011, “a character guy who has always dedicated himself to this team and playing the game the right way.
“I don’t think him scoring those four goals gives him any special privileges,’’ Karlsson said. “He’s earned that in the other ways that he plays the game and what he’s sacrificed to the team over the course of his career here. He’s born and raised in Ottawa, someone who cares about the game and his city and his team. That’s how he earned a spot here and how he’s presented himself day in and day out, not only the last game when he scored four goals.’’
Pageau had little time to bask in his greatest performance because he dropped his cellphone and broke it, so he never got to listen to the dozens of messages from family and friends.
He laughed about the fact he closed his eyes as he unleashed the game-winner.
“I was tired, it was the end of a shift, I was just trying to shoot as hard as I could and obviously it went in,’’ he said. “A little lucky, but we’ll take it. I’ve never scored four goals before. I always have been a big defensive player, so it’s obviously fun to contribute offensively like that.’’
Boucher, in his first year as the Ottawa coach, noted the 22 goals Pageau scored in the 2015-16 season and said with the new defensive system he brought in, he asked Pageau for different things this year.
“I felt that our group needed to learn how to defend, and I thought [Pageau] was at the forefront of that,” Boucher said. “We needed him to take on all the top players from the opposing team all year long, which he has done, and he’s been in our No. 1 guy on the PK all year long because he’s that good at it — not because he’s not good at scoring some goals.”
As Saturday night proved, Pageau is not merely a checking center, as his 2016-17 statistics would suggest.
“He’s a do-it-all guy, a jack-of-all-trades,’’ Boucher said. “That’s why I say, just ask him what you need and he’s going to do it.’’
After a pause, Boucher added with a smile, “Maybe I should ask for more goals.’’