Now.......on to a new winning streak. Playing a good road game. Update: Teams tied in the 2nd period.....1-1.
Boyle takes late 2nd period penalty....caught out of position, Panthers tie game 2-2 at the end of 2. It is anybody's game.
Don't even want to think where Rangers would be without "The Little Giant Ranger".......all 5'7" of him.
Too many penalties tonight. They need to stop that and draw more. Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk
OT PP means nothing!.......unless Rangers score. Nash gets Hat Trick! in a game that they should have won in regulation. Too many penalties. But it's a W! and I'll take it.
Ranger opponents are the least penalized. Rangers have the lowest PP opportunities in the NHL. Hmmmmmmmmm. 8 PPG on 45 attempts.
Eventhough Hank gave up 4 goals, 2 were PPGs........ he was outstanding. Rangers checking game was somewhere other than Miami.
Boyle was atrocious again. What else is new. I think Hank's post game interview could be taken as this. Really? The team is paying the defenseman on this squad that to leave people open all day in my crease? Play McIlrath AV you dumbass. Your defense is soft and the entire league knows it. I'll tell ya. Calgary is off to a miserable start. If I could convince Staa to go to the Flames in a swap I'd do it. Calgary isn't signing him. He's a UFA next year. If they can't do that. Perhaps a Yandle trade. The defense needs changes. If you look at year, they have let tons of high quality scoring chances up. It's ridiculous.
That was clearly one of the worst 2 or 3 games the Rangers have played this season, BUT they still won...and that's the important part. Not going to flip out or say trade all the dmen after a bad low effort game. After a performance like that I would fully expect the Rangers to come out and play really well against the Preds at MSG Monday night. We all need to remember it's a LONG season in the NHL...82 LONG games. Efforts like last night happen, and yet we still won. So take the 2 points and move on...I am sure that is what the Rangers are doing, and the coaches will be able to teach and motivate out of this game for sure.
As for the overall picture, and project down the road to the playoffs, I am still more concerned about the O than the D (which quite frankly I am really not concerned about too much). Zucc has been great, and I expect him to continue this play on some level all season. He won't score 40 goals and 85 points, but I do expect 25 goals and 65 points. He is very good and I think will be our best forward this year and in the playoffs as well. Love his grit. But as I watch Brass pass into traffic and the Rangers get no shot on a 3 on 1 it hit me like a punch in the face why the Rangers don't score in the playoffs. The Rangers play a fancy game on O. We all know that, but in the regular season that pretty stuff works enough of the time so the Rangers score goals and win games. They were top 5 in goals per game last season, and sit at # 5 right now this season. Issue is what they do to score in the regular season doesn't work in the playoffs, and either no one sees it, including the coaches, or the players don't listen and do it anyway. I guess what I am saying is we develop AWFUL habits in the regular season and don't understand or want to accept we need to change them in the playoffs. In the playoffs you won't score enough pretty bang bang perfect play goals to win a series. You need to get pucks on net and score gritty goals. 98% of the players on this team pass on a 2 on 1. 98% of the players on this team look to pass before shooting/look for the pretty play. Until that changes I think the Rangers will struggle to score in the playoffs. To help it change, when a play like that Brass play happens last night AV and the staff should be getting on Brass SHOOT THE PUCK...the dman 100% took the pass away because he knew Brass still wouldn't shoot. To me it has to start now. Can't be pretty all regular season and let those habits develop and then flip a switch come playoff time. We need to be more selfish NOW. We need to play gritty NOW. We need to crash the net NOW. We need to score dirty goals NOW. Otherwise we will be sitting here in the playoffs unable to score and having to grind out 2-1 games every night, and playing 7 in round 1, 2, 3 and so on thus leaving us drained by the ECF/SCF. I really believe this is the issue for us scoring wise in the playoffs, even if I am simplifying it a touch.
What did i say last week that you scoffed at? MZ and Lindberg are the only ones who seem to know how to make a play right now. Stepan made a great pass last night but he's been pretty quiet overall. They need a Ladd type up front for not only some punch around the net but the leadership he provides.
And I disagree with that. Your comment has literally nothing to do with my comment. We need to stop playing this fancy pass first soft game. Not sure what that has to do with MZ and Lindberg being the only guys, in your opinion, making plays in the regular season. Adding a Ladd type is also a totally different question. Sure we could use a Ladd type, many teams could, but not sure how we could get him or afford him, and I am not the guy who will sit here and make up 50 fantasy trades that will never ever happen, I will leave that to some of you other guys...LOL.
