I don't have too much of an issue with McDonagh right now, he's been pretty good defensively. It's true he should be more physical and his O has dried up, but it's tough to ask him to create offense while he's on the ice with Ovechkin all game. He needs to focus on 8, and he's done a decent (but not great) job on him. We'd all go apeshit if he went in for a chance and then Ovi took it and went the other way. Maybe an adjustment could be taking him off the top pair and replacing him with Staal against Ovi. Staal is bigger, more physical, and has played Ovi tough in this series and going back years. Putting McDonagh second pair with Klein will give him more time and space to create offensively. I trust Staal against Ovi. We can always put McDonagh back there to protect a lead, but we need to get a lead first for that to even matter. Just an idea. AV said after game 1 we need more contribution from the D, this could be a way to get it.
I will say this about McDonagh though, reading this angers me. Enough with these guys talking about shooting more. McD had a great chance to shoot on one play and passed to a covered guy: “I had a couple good looks to get a puck to the net and looked another direction,” defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. “It’s tough because you’re not going to get too many opportunities on the power play in the playoffs, most games. You have to find a way to get one by him [Caps goaltender Braden Holtby] there.” As for shooting the puck on the power play, McDonagh thinks they need to do more of it. “Sometimes you kind of over-think it,” the captain said. “[Holtby] has a clear lane, he’s going to stop it, but at the same time, he’s going to create a rebound. So instead of trying to find a guy off to the side a little bit closer to the net, you have to try to shoot for a rebound instead of trying to shoot to score when he’s got clear lines. Something we’ll look at and keep working.”
Let's look and keep working. 90 games wasn't enough to figure it out, so let's look some more and work it...LOL. It really puzzles me. And Stepan needs to stop the weak cross ice passes trying to go through two people on the PP. In the playoffs that pass has been deflected out of the zone MANY times. Stop doing it. Mixing up the D isn't a bad idea, but it could seem like a panic move since McD/G have played together for 3 years now. What if you went Yandle/Klein, McD/Boyle, Staal/G. On the one hand I like putting the big 4 together. On the flip side I hate the Yandle/Boyle pair. But truth is the D has played well overall, so I doubt AV goes drastic there. I get your point about switching Staal and McD so McD can get some more O, Staal has had chances and you rather have McD be the guy with those chances, but I just don't think AV breaks those two up.
I'll say this though. If we lose this series, and I still say we win it in 7, this will be my most frustrating playoff L since the start of this run in 2012. In 2012 we lost to the Devs. I think we were the better team, but we were 100% spent by that series. It was also the first time in 15 + years we had done a darn thing in the playoffs, so you learn from it and move forward. In 2013 we didn't have a great year. Did a great job to get by round 1. Bruins were the much better team. Move on. Last season it was a magical run to the SCF. Sure it was a huge downer to lose all those OT games, but if we are being fair it was totally unexpected we made it that far, and the Kings were the better team. This season though was our year. Best record in NHL. Playing some great hockey. Favs to win the cup. Struggle against the Pens, but win in 5. Now IMO we have been the better team in this series, outshot them in every game, out chanced them in every game, been the better team, but cannot finish. If we lose this series it will be a huge downer. We should be worst case up 2-1, but we cannot score. Real frustrating.
There's no doubt a second round loss here would be a complete failure. Largely because the Rangers are the better team and the Caps aren't exactly doing anything special. The problem though is that all eight playoff games so far have been a struggle. They have set the playoff record now for consecutive one goal games which is 10 dating back to the finals last year. This is simply because they don't score on their PP chances and overall they have a hard time finishing. It's frustrating to hear them talk about shooting more and then they don't do it. Or they come out and do it for a period or one game and then go right back to their over passing ways. If you have a good look take the damn shot and try to look for a rebound. Stop the passes behind the net or to the outside.
Right now they are getting nothing out of Zuccarello, Nash, Boyle and St. Louis. One is hurt, 3 have their head up their ass or are old. You can't have 1/5 of your roster who are major players do nothing and advance. Doesn't work.
If we lose to the Caps (not waving the flag, just saying) i'd look to see what type of return we could get for Nash. If things keep going the way they are so far he's not the key player that'll lead us to the promised land we thought he could/would be.
Here the bottom line through three games. Washington has scored five goals and the Rangers have scored five goals. Neither team is lighting it up so there's no reason the Rangers can't go into game four and get things done.
How are we being negative? I've watched enough ranger gamrd where I know they'll lose or won't score, like last night, after that first goal I just knew they were going to lose 1-0. And I have a feeling they will lose the series..That's not being negative. Some of you guys in here were trying to be nostrodamous and picking the Kings to win the cup before the finals even started
Depth is also a problem too... Miller and Fast are not top 6 players, St. Louis is old, Stepan is auditioning for The Invisible Man on Broadway, Nash can't score, and the 4th line is not as good as last year. Hayes has been good but he is young. The center core was much more productive last year
They don't have any depth issues. They have performance issues. If they were getting production out of their top players there would be no complaints.
Nash, Boyle and StLouis make 18M combined. I would take Brian Boyle instead of Nash for playoffs, probably Hunwick can play better than Dan Boyle. That leaves a lot of money to improve this team next year, but I think we should trade Nash in the offseason.
Really? Because one of the Pitt games you said we'd get shutout also and we won, so just stop. Point isn't to say you said one thing and another thing happened, that happens to EVERYONE me included, the point is you do lean negative man...just the way it is. And guess what...that's fine. Accept it and move on. I am not here to judge anyone. You and Step are negative fans ready to jump after any small thing that happens. Al and mel are positive fans, Rangers will win no matter what. ALL GOOD. What makes the world go round. What makes this board go round...good difference of opinion that can be discussed/debated in a positive fashion.
I think we're underestimating the roster of the Caps a bit here, they have as deep if not more a forward group and Dmen who provide as much if not more offensively than our corps does. It's pretty much a toss up series from the beginning so after a 1-0 hard fought game 3 with a deflection goal I don't think there should be any ledge jumping. They are getting out physicaled a bit right now but if they get back to simplifying the pp and getting some action around Holtby they should be ok.
I can tell you I'm not. I knew they were a good deep team. That is why I always thought this would be a long series. That is a very good team.
Ok Chuck you aren't here to judge anyone but by your standards me and step have to accept we are negative fans. You are referring to game 3 of the Pitt series when I said they looked looked like they wouldn't score the way they were playing. And Mess depth I do think depth is an issue this year because if there is one more injury than say hello to Ryan Bourque. If they had a guy like Pouliot who played on the 3rd line last year (at times considered the first) they could put MSL where he belong with Hags and Hayes. But they don't have a guy like that. Fast has played ok since being moved up but like the rest of the team he isn't consistent. I agree that if the top players scoring the top players were scoring there would be no complaints but it's not like the role players on this team are scoring either
Half of the posters here had the Kings winning the series before the puck dropped last year... But I'm Negative because I say it doesn't look like they're going to score
I'd have to think that if somebody goes down it's Lindberg who gets the call, not Bourque. Bourque is only here in case somebody gets hurt in pre-game warmups. Lindberg is still down in Hartford leading their playoff run but would be summoned right away for a significant injury. Speaking of Lindberg, 7 SOG and 3 assists in the Pack's series-clinching win. Good on him. Too bad there's no roster spot for him the way things are shaking out at C. Also speaking of the Pack, Haggerty was a healthy scratch for that win. I havent seen enough Pack games to give any insight into this, but that sucks. I was high on him and he seemed to have a real good camp.
Not going to argue with you strud. You are whatever type of fan you think you are. Let's focus on the game tomorrow night, all that matters. You be a fan however you want to be a fan. All about game 4. Win that game and we have home ice back and sit in a good position. Lose that game and we are in a very tough spot needing to win 3 straight games. Biggest game of the season so far no doubt.
