? He skated with the team in their sort of practice skate this AM. Wednesday is 6 weeks. I think he will practice tomorrow. Now considering we are up 2-1 they may give him a couple of extra days and wait until game 5 to practice and play, but he is real close.
I'm all for the refs letting them play hockey and can see them letting Cindy's hold and tackle on Fast before the Pens goal go but the Kunitz slash has to be called as do Cindy's elbows and high sticks. Ignoring these plays just emboldens the Pens to play dirtier and when you have a guy like Staal with a concussion history one head shot can end his playoffs and likely sinks the Rangers Cup hopes. The interference call on Staal was absurd with all the nonsense that went on during the game as was the offsetting call on Boyle for being held in a headlock for 5 seconds. The NHL has been emphasizing player safety the last few years except when a Ranger is involved. Whether or not the Rangers capitalize on the PP is irrelevant to how a game should be called, the refs have to put Cindy in the box when he elbows Staal's head or high sticks. The Rangers are 8-1 in their last 9 series in which they've won game 3, I'm with you caged we win game 4. News flash for those who want Tanner Glass to drop the gloves - there's not a guy on the Pens with the balls to go with him. If you don't believe me check Hockey Fights or Youtube - the guy doesn't lose and usually puts a beatdown on anyone stupid enough to go with him.
Pens are basically trapping and trying to win 2-1 games because they have to. Rangers spent a decade doing that with the moron coaches they had. So, they are pretty good at doing that if forced to.
Game 4 will be very interesting to me. The Rangers dominated for 48 or so minutes last night. The Pens totally controlled the game for the last 10-12 minutes last night. Was that due to our 2 goal lead? Was it due to the Pens being desperate and us playing the prevent? Did they figure something out they can use in game 4? Not sure what to expect in game 4. I know the Rangers are the better team. I believe if we come out strong and take it to them early they could wilt, and if we get a lead it could be game over. BUT I also know the Rangers simply do not win this game in the playoffs. Haven't done it for 3 years outside of the Montreal series. So again I am not sure what to expect in game 4. I can see it going either way. I want to believe we will play well and take a strangle hold on the series, but I just don't know if we will do it. Flip a coin on game 4 IMO, and I think the first 7-10 minutes could tell us a lot with regards to which way the game will go.
Since the 2012 playoffs six times the Rangers have won game 1 and then lost game 2. Four times the Rangers have then won game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead, and then lost game 4 (this series TBD tomorrow night). They have to break these trends. Let's hope they do it tomorrow night and this isn't # five.
Yes, and that is the part that makes me unsure about tomorrow night. We won, and that is ALL that matters in the playoffs, but it certainly wasn't easy, and we were all sweating the last 10 minutes or so. All we can ask for is we come out and play hard, which we did not do in game 2. If we do that, let the chips fall where they may in game 4.
Why should playoff games be easy? Did you expect playing a team with 2 top 5 players in the world to be easy? We only dominated 48 minutes? My god when will it ever be good enough? I hate being the guy with rosey glasses but geese wiz can't we just say yes we won a pivotal game three on the road. You read some comments and it's like don't bother watching game 3...dont bother watching the third period of game 2. Yes I get it the rangers are not a team that sweeps.... Yes I get it that it's win one lose one.... Yes I get the last time blah blah Montreal... But.... These aren't all the same players. Live in the moment for those who dwell in the past relive it in the present. We will win game 4! The forecheck was great last night and that key adjustment of cross corner dump ins will start paying off. Keep our heads in the game, no stupid retaliatory penalties and we will push the puttsburgh crybaby to the brink of breaking up malkin Crosby era
Al I wish I could like that post 10 times. They let up what, 6 shots thru 2 periods? Against a team with Crosby and Malkin? Yet the best some people can muster is "it was only 2-0" or "it was a solid road game." Laugh out loud funny. That was a great team effort. Yandle and Girardi with huge games. Hayes much better. I expect a big win tomorrow and a series close at home on Friday.
9 out of 10 times aren't. Playoffs are never easy. Style points inthe playoffs don't mean much to me. Just win and move on...ALL that matters. We play hard and with the passion we showed last night and there is no reason we cannot win game 4. Now where I disagree with you Al is this team has issues winning when our backs aren't against the wall. Look at the game 2 effort to see that, we didn't even show. And all those L's in game 2's and game 4's with the lead happened with a lot of these same players. So I disagree with you if you try to act as if those all don't matter or don't show some type of pattern, they clearly do IMO. But again tomorrow night is a new game and if we show up and play hard and with passion we'll be right there.
And BTW...who is knocking anyone? I think it is fair to say I have been THE most positive poster in here all season, so this isn't a knock AT ALL. Win and move on...ALL that matters in the playoffs. I do flatout disagree with you though if you want to act as if there isn't a clear pattern by this team in the playoffs with a series lead. There CLEARLY is Al. You don't want to accept it, that is cool bro and I respect that, but it doesn't mean it isn't there. Also doesn't mean we will not or cannot win tomorrow night, just means we have to play with the same effort and desire and want to with a lead as we do when we are tied or behind. That's how I view it.
Al's point is that there was also a pattern that they couldn't win in Montreal and then Hank went in there and dropped gems right in their face. Teams change and evolve. This isn't last year's team so lets not just assume last year's patterns will hold true this year.
Of course we do not know what the future holds, so really no one knows how tomorrow night will go right now. We also didn't know how game 2 would go, BUT that one followed the exact same game 2 pattern that we have seen for 3 years now. "Different team"...same result. Doesn't mean game 4 will play out like that, but in order for it not to this team will need to break the pattern, one this exact team continued in game 2. That is my point. I truly don't see how anyone can act as if this pattern does not clearly exist with the Rangers...it clearly does IMO. Let's hope they break it in game 4...but understand to me if they win game 4 they will need to break that pattern.
the pattern ..ok..in 2013 rangers lose first two win the next 2 lose game 5 and win 6 and 7 against the caps last year...win 3 in a row against Pitt...so the pattern is based off of the win one lose one is soley against the Flyers... Anything before this is just reaching for stats..because it was with a different coach and a different team. You will point to the 2012 season...and if you look closer...the Ottawa series that could have been a 4 game sweep with 2 overtimes before playing the win lose game with Washington, perhaps the reason is that the teams were pretty evenily matched. So yes I understand where you are coming from, I just am not a big believer in something that happened years ago being relevant with today's team Is it something that is good for the team, know let's not be silly they need to close series out as soon as possible.
But I hear you Al. I think we are on the same page. Bottom line to me is show some f'ing killer instinct tomorrow night and win game 4 and not go 7 with the Pens, a team we are clearly better than.
