Henrik Lundqvist seeking Roger Federer's advice to prolong career

Henrik Lundqvist, just like good friend Roger Federer, has been at the pinnacle of his sport for nearly two decades. However, unlike Federer, the 35-year-old New York Rangers goaltender has failed to sustain a level of excellence in the twilight of his career.

On Saturday, Lundqvist allowed the Ottawa Senators to score six goals on 34 shots in a double-overtime defeat as the Rangers fell to a 2-0 deficit in the conference semi-finals of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. After New York's practice session on Monday, Lundqvist was bombarded with questions about his aging body and waning reflexes, questions that seemed to bother the Swede.

Lundqvist is admittedly trying to take a leaf out of Federer's book. The Swiss master has made a tremendous comeback from a six-month injury layoff to recover from arthroscopic knee surgery. Since his comeback at the start of the 2017, the 35-year-old Federer has risen from World No. 17 to World no. 4 after winning Grand Slam No. 18 at the Australian Open, besides capturing prestigious ATP 1000 titles at Indian Wells and Key Biscayne.

Roger Federer and Henrik Lundqvist: Two peas in a pod

Federer and Lundqvist have remained friends for many years. Besides sharing the same marketing agency, they try to catch up whenever possible “I’ve talked to Roger a lot about his training and his approach. He’s a champion, the best ever, so of course I’m interested in learning and taking what I can from him. But I don’t want to get into details," said Lundqvist, who has previously visited tournaments such as the U.S. Open and Wimbledon to watch Federer in action.

Earlier this year, Federer told The New York Post via email that he "marvels" at the Rangers legend for his competitive nature and drive to succeed. “I don’t think I have too much advice as he’s already so good at what he does. I do think he subscribes to the same things I do in the sense that he also believes there is no substitute for hard work. You can tell he loves hockey and loves his job. That mentality is especially helpful when you’re playing during a long season.

“I always marvel at how intense and competitive he is, which is definitely needed at this high level of pro sports. There are definitely similarities between the two of us but I think by virtue of the [fact] that he plays a team sport and I play an individual sport there are also differences. I do think we’re similar in the sense that we both are very focused internally on what we need to do in order to succeed," Federer said about Lundqvist.

A Stanley Cup championship still eludes Henrik Lundqvist, who has accomplished pretty much everything else in his storied career. He remains the only goaltender in NHL history to record 30 wins in each of first seven seasons. At the international stage, Lundqvist holds the Winter Olympics record for consecutive minutes without allowing a goal: 172 minutes and 34 seconds (2006 to 2010). He was also the Ranger's MVP for seven consecutive seasons (2007-2013). The 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs continue tomorrow as the Rangers host the Senators in Game 3 of their best-of-seven series.