How Brassard fanned on that shot is beyond me. Anyway, the Rangers can clinch before Tuesday with a New Jersey regulation loss or OT/SO loss on Monday.
You guys who drop little hints that you rather not have home ice make me laugh. YES we have played better on the road, but guess what...we are 0-2 in Philly. Philly is VERY good at home. And that has a long 7 game series written all over it...you really want to play game 7 in Philly rather than MSG...really?
Just one of those games, in which the Rangers seem to have to many of. For whatever reason, nothing worked and they let this one get away.
I hear you about clinching Mess, but to be perfectly honest that means very little to me. We have been locked into the playoffs for weeks now. We all knew that. I am thinking bigger long term picture.
So far St.Louis to give a baseball analogy looks like ed whitson. He looks like maybe the lights are too bright for him here which is hard to believe but he is playing about as soft as wet toilet paper.
I agree mel. He is just off, and I don't think it is about getting used to a new system, he just seems really soft to me. Again, if I could say one thing to him it would be MAN THE FU*K UP DUDE!!!
St Louis will pick it up, when the entire team picks it up. He is not going to carry this team on his shoulders, but he will be a big part of there success.
Chuck, Can't blame Staal for that. Both refs somehow missed blatant dirty cheap shot elbow to our best defenseman out there. Staal jumped in after neal went after zucc and I wish Staal would have accidentally butt ended him in the teeth. Somehow the 2 blind refs also missed neal with both gloves off while everyone else had theirs on which should have been at worst a double minor or fighting. And worst the 2 blind dumbs refs somehow decide after everything that happened that the rangers should be shorthanded. I'm concerned in last couple of games cheap shot artists have taken out Mcdonagh and targeted Staal tonight who with his concussion history will not need a big head shot to finish him for the season. This is why Big Mac needs to be up here now and this nonsense stops. I know some of us are worried about losing a defenseman for 5 minutes on a fighting major but better that than 2 have our best players run and no one to deal out retribution for them. The upcoming philly series imo is just going to be more of the same unless we can get our gillies type enforcer up here to answer to the current day schultzes.
I am not going to rip Staal, but we need to show composure there. To be honest I am more angry at MZA. I think his penalty was because of that stick poke and he came back at him. Just need to be smarter IMO. That is what Ottawa was trying to do IMO...and it worked. Anyway, is what it is. We didn't show up early and it cost us. Win the next two home games against out of it teams, and we should get home ice unless Philly goes 9 for 10 points wise.
When they dumped the puck in with 1:30 left they shouldve pulled him. If Ottawa shoots it the length of the ice then kudos to them. But you cant wait until under a minute because as usual they dont get control in time.
Not going to go crazy there. I certainly can't rip into AV for that. We never should have been shorthanded in the first place if we maintain our composure. The points were WAY bigger than trying to prove a point at that time. Looking at the schedules, the Flyers do have a shot. They'll win their next two hands down IMO. Home Sabres and at the Panthers. Then they are at TB, which is an interesting game, but it is possible Montreal is in a very solid position to get home ice at that point, so it may not mean much to TB. Then at Pitt in a game that means literally zero to the Pens. Then home against the Canes the last day of the season when we are done already, which is a game the Flyers win easy if a win gets them home ice over us. So 4 of 5 games I give to the Flyers hands down if they need the Cane game. So reallly it is about TB I think. They have 3 easy wins (if they need the Cane game), and Pitt which means zero to the Pens and they own the Pens anyway. So they can go 10 for 10...it isn't nuts. And if they do we need to go 6 for 6 with all wins in reg or OT. If we do that we get home ice for sure since we'd have 97 points (the Flyers max) and we'd own the TB since we'd have 42 ROW's and they can only get 41 ROW's max. Two things we may have going for us is that last game may mean nothing for Montreal if they clinch home ice against TB already. And if it does mean something for the Habs that would mean that Flyer game would mean something for TB, so they will play hard that night at home. And the Flyer/TB game is Thursday night, while our game at Montreal is Saturday night, so that is advantage us that the TB/Flyer game is first. So two things are clear to me after tonight. The battle for home ice in the Flyer series is not locked up (although we still have an edge because the Flyers need I'd say 9 points out of 10 to have a shot). And two...we must win these next two home games in reg or OT for sure or else I think we finish 3rd...I really do when you look at Philly's schedule, and the fact that they have two games in hand on us. Tonight really could cost us, and if it does I will be very angry. I really hope it doesn't come down to us needing a win in Montreal next Saturday night to lock down home ice...no one wants that IMO.
Chuck, it's very easy for you to sit in your armchair and chastise Staal for losing his cool after a guy like Neil who has no business even being in the NHL cheap shots him away from the puck. What about Brassard and Zuccarello? they were penalized as well. Naturally there was no penalty called on Neil's hit and I think that's why Staal lost it, if the ref made the correct call I highly doubt anything escalates because the Rangers needed a PP to tie things up and Staal is a smart enough player to know that. Neil was just coming off a suspension for a cross check and has earned a reputation as one of the dirtier players in the NHL so he should receive Avery-type scrutiny from the officials. If Staal was wearing a Pens jersey Neil definitely gets 2 minutes. Speaking of the Pens there is never a game that means nothing between the Flyers and Pens, they hate each other. Sather needs to get bigger guys who play with an edge plain and simple. I would have been a lot less bothered by Brassard again choking under pressure if he had earned the third man in penalty.
only saw parts of 1st period, surprised no one mentioned how our 6'3 highly paid 235pounder, nash, once again on a breakaway couldn't muscle it pass an avg. goalie... this team has had way too many opps to score this year, too many chances to win easy games, easy???? hah the rangers??? i don't think so, lets take it to the montreal game, get a pt to slip in, go up 3 games to 1 vs whoever only to lose 3 in row, sound familiar?
Actually if you read what I said, I said I am not really going to rip Staal, I am more "bothered" by what MZA did. He got his penalty because the Ottawa player stick poked him and then MZA went back at him. That was clearly an attempt to get our best player last night off the ice for the rest of the game pretty much. You have to maintain composure there IMO. Getting points is way more important at that point late in the game than trying to prove something IMO. Anyway, it is over. We got what we deserved really. The last 2:45 was a very small minor part of that. We came out flat and didn't play well for the frst 30 minutes or so, and the Sens took advantage of that. Good for them. I am sure this will re-focus us for the next two games, games that I believe we 100% need to win in reg or OT if we want home ice. We'll see.
And BTW...yes I believe Neil should have gotten a penalty for what he did, but you are proving my point. That is what Neil does. He is trying to get the other team off their game. TRUST ME when I tell you he left that arena last night saying I WON after what happened late in the game. He got EXACTLY what he wanted. The time to attack back was not late in a game where we needed a goal to tie...it just wasn't. NEIL WON.
One thing I have noticed with this team the past few weeks, which is NOT the way we were playing earlier, is the fancy BS is back. Every breakaway Nash tries to make 7 moves...SHOOT THE PUCK. I think the past couple of weeks, MSL especially, we are back to trying to be pretty and fancy instead of firing away and getting the puck on goal. Our two goals were shots from the point just getting them on goal. Maybe people disagree with that, and if so then maybe I am wrong, but it is something I noticed the past few weeks. We did get a lot of shots last night, but I think we also could of had more if we just had the mindset of no fancy stuff, just let it rip.
