The lines at practice are (Gross): Rick Nash, Derick Brassard, Mats Zuccarello Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan, Jesper Fast JT Miller, Oscar Lindberg, Kevin Hayes Tanner Glass, Dominic Moore, Viktor Stalberg The defensive pairs are Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi, Marc Staal and Dan Boyle, Keith Yandle and Kevin Klein. Emerson Etem and Dylan McIlrath are skating as a defensive pair. (Gross)
So potentially Etem and McIlrath out. I would sit Glass and Stalberg and go 7 dmen if it were my choice. And I liked mixing it up with Nash and Stepan together and Kreider with Brass and Zucc. Interesting...
Will be great to have Girardi back on the first pair. Where the hell is the sarcasm emoji??? I guess see you at easter Dylan
I don't know what AV is thinking here. Can't bench Boyle right now, I agree, but go 7 dmen and make some of these crappy forwards earn PT. Etem played okay the past couple of games and he potentially scratches him? Keeps Glass in? I also would have left Nash and Kreider where they were last game. I truly don't get it. Let's see how they perform before I truly get upset.
With all the negativity in here let's keep a little perspective. Montreal, who started faster than we did, has lost 6 straight and is 1-9 in their last 10. They have 43 points to our 44 points, and have played an extra game. Not saying that makes our slump any better, but over a long haul 82 game season teams have ups and downs. If the Leafs hold on against the Isles tonight...up 2-1 with 7:30 left...we are still in 2nd place...a point ahead of the Isles. 5 points ahead of the Devs. 7 points ahead of the Pens and Flyers. Even if not we are neck and neck with the Isles for 2nd. There are only 4 teams in the NHL with more than the 44 points we have right now...and 3 are in the Central division. So yeah we have struggled, but overall we are still in a pretty good spot assuming we start to right the ship now after the break. This will be an interesting 3 game road trip at Nashville, TB, and Florida...all teams sitting between 39 and 44 points...so same level as us.
Not really fair comparing us and Montreal when they lost Price who is a top goalie in the league. We struggled after injuries as well which is why I haven't been criticizing too much lately. As for the line combos, no shock to see Dylan scratched. AV is a fucking idiot with lines so Glass will be in the lineup unless he gets inured and AV would scratch everyone but him, and Dylan will be on the sidelines while this defense gets worse and worse now with no one clearing the crease. It's a god damn joke that we have a SOLID rookie dman and we're benching him. Hopefully it's only one game, so I won't go crazy, but if Dylan sits for 3 or more straight games, I'd kick AV in the fucking ass and tell him to play Dylan, bench Glass or find a new job. Seriously. His loyalty to vets and players with minimal skills is ludicrous. No need for Glass in a game unless you're concerned with cheap shots and having him in there SOLELY to fight and/or return the favor of cheap shots. Other than that, he's useless and serves zero purpose on ANY NHL roster.
I actually think it is totally fair when you consider the point is teams have ups and downs. And we have had injuries as well. And that was the minor fact as I said. The main fact is we are still in 2nd place. Still top 7 or so in the NHL (right this second we are tied for 4th in points in the NHL). Still all right in front of us. That's just reality and factual. At this point I think it is clear AV will play Glass. It is a mystery because none of us can figure it out. Glass always has the worst numbers. The team clearly plays worse when he is in the lineup. Just not sure why AV doesn't see it. I guess it isn't worth complaining about anymore though considering it has now reached beating a dead horse level. I get you can't scratch Boyle right now...he has been awesome on the PP recently. But I really don't know why you couldn't go with 7 dmen for a few games and see what happens. I also find it really odd that Etem will be scratched as well...I actually thought he played a couple of his best games as a Ranger recently. It is what it is I guess. If we win games I won't make a huge thing out of it. If it is a game for McIlrath and he is back in...no biggie. But on the surface the potential scratches don't make a ton of sense to me.
That lineup clearly shows we don't have a GM because if we did he would have released Glass or found a deal to package him. Team has turned into a freakin joke.
Hells Bells................stop comparing the Rangers to any other team. LMFAO....It's always 'let's wait and see', 'it is what it is', .............what it is...........is a f'king joke. This team, from a managerial point if view, has its hands tied up in ridiculous contracts and they are facing another draft without a # 1 pick. But let's use players who bring nothing...... and if we win.......it becomes 'no big deal'. This is a very short term outlook for a team that has been so close to a SC, but looks to be heading in the wrong direction. That window is just about shut! But, then again........it is what it is! LOL
You completely missed the point cage. The point is teams have ups and downs over an 82 game season. The point is we are still in 2nd place despite the whining on here. The point is we are still a top 5 team in the NHL based on points. So it is all right in front of us still...despite what gets said in here. From there we'll see how it goes. This will be a telling 3 games IMO. If we suck it up in these 3 games it could be a bad sign for the long run.
If they suck it up in these three games then they need to make moves swiftly and trade people promptly and try to turn it around or get picks and good prospects. No matter what I would LOVE to move Staal to any team. I don't even care the return. If we moved him I'd consider it a win. Regardless, if we suck these next 3 games, management NEEDS to make moves, and MUST take Glass away from AV!!!
I think we all agree on Staal. It is Staal or Yandle. It truly is that simple. And for this team give me Yandle. Some things are that simple. In order to resign Yandle Staal must be moved.
Not concerned about that mel McIlreider...I know you are...LOL. If you deal Staal you can keep Yandle. McIlrath will get his games as the long season wears on...I feel good about that. If they move Staal (or Yandle for that matter) they will find a way to get McIlrath in there. To me settling the Staal/Yandle thing to add a much needed forward is job # 1. Throw Hayes in there. He looks lost out there. Watching the Preds 2nd goal I saw the thing that angers me most about this team. Right before the Preds rush Zucc had a golden opportunity, but as many players on this team do, he decided to pass to a guy who was covered by a dman BUT if everything went perfectly may have had a shot to score. That pisses me off more than anything this team does.
I, for one, do not like how they are playing. You are giving the team the 3 upcoming games.........I'll go one better. I'll give them through January 2016 to turn this mess around.... Oh, BTW the team may be in 2nd place but everyone behind them is tightening up. You must admit, a 'losing phase' makes things so much more interesting. LOL
As of late, one goal down is too much for this team to come back........it is as if Hank is always playing short-handed!
