JFC missed most of the game and come back from the grocery store to see us down 7-2. What the fucking fuck. Can't take any positives out of a pummeling like that.
I think that's the right call. Game is at MSG. He will bounce back. Im more concerned with the dipshits playing in front of him.
Imagine if this team got this type of goaltending in the regular season they would be nowhere near the playoffs. Like I said they need to fire Gord Murphy. Gallant has no defensive system in place. Some of these defensive lapses were covered up by Igor being amazing in the regular season.
The D played much better the final 40% or so of the season. It was not all Igor, even when he struggled. They have played in this series like that did the first 60% of the season. I for one did not expect that. The Pens are missing their Lindgren in Dumoulin. They are missing two goalies. Zucker missed games 1 & 2. Rakell is out. Both teams have injuries, so I don't want to hear it. I would agree injuries could impact a young team more, but that is no excuse for how putrid this team played in games 3 & 4. Outside of one period they played like trash with very little interest in Pittsburgh. As for Miller, the kid has been their best dman IMO. He is not a physical dman, and asking him to be is asking him to be who he isn't. Does every dman need the same profile? Since mid-season Miller has been very good I think. He has a bright future ahead of him. He is good with his stick, and he did play a more physical game starting mid-season. That is fine to me. He is never going to be a guy who crushes people, he is a balanced guy. He is one of the least of my worries out of this series.
My take is the game 1 L took a little out of them, and was a very tough L for a young team. They did have a good bounce back in game 2, but that game was closer than the final score. And It was very clear if they played D in games 3 & 4 like they did in games 1 & 2 they would get run out of Pitt. And guess what happened...and tonight was no D and a total no show in the game. A double joke.
I'm not saying he has to be Larry Robinson or Chris Pronger but he looks like he's avoiding contact on many plays. Bright future for sure and not way down on him, but he needs to play with a little more snarl/grit at times imo.
It's just typical of this fan base to blame the goalie for the incompetent, fucking stupidity of the team. The defenseman have been bumbling idiots in front of him. The vets leading the way. Panarin and Zibanejad are stubborn jackasses who refuse to play playoff hockey. We saw that in that 3 game bullshit playoff series vs. the Canes during the covid deal. Basically both the guys have a NMC clause for their entire contract. I guess they could still deal Zibanejad before it kicks in. Yet, he's one of the only asswipes on this team that can win a faceoff. However, the team is still very young. As I said before this started. It's highly unusual that a team goes on a playoff run with a young team. Crosby's first year they missed the playoffs. Second year then lost in 5. Then they went on two long runs. Then they had a run of 6 years where they missed the playoffs once and didn't get past the second round. These last 3 years the Peguins have not made it past the first round. The playoffs are what they are. It's really hard to win series. The Rangers simply are too young and lack the production from the top scoring vets to overcome the losses of Lindgren, Goodrow, Blais and Motte. Maybe if those guys were playing the last 2 games would have been more competitive. They aren't here and this team looks like pretenders not contenders.
I don't blame the goalie. The team has been a joke in their own end in this series. Back to the first 60% of the season. It has been a total embarrassment. This is not on Igor big picture/overall. With that said, Igor was terrible in games 3 & 4. That is also reality. He has made almost no big saves, and allowed a few soft goals. But is it his fault overall we were destroyed in Pitt and no showed last night, absolutely not. The big name guys should be the ones looking in the mirror. Z, Panarin, and Kreider all bad. Strome terrible, but the plus with him is no shot I can see them re-signing him now, and thank god. Where we will disagree is I don't want to hear about injuries. The Pens are littered with injuries, yet somehow they have B slapped us. Imagine if we had Kincaid in goal. Yes a young team has a tougher time overcoming, but injuries are a wash, and we have not shown up in games 3 & 4 outside of one period. I also get on Drury. For all the positives, the fact that he signed Nemeth last off-season, which was a terrible move and clearly we needed a better LD added, and then doubled down at the trade DL by not upgrading the LD spot, is a joke. He owns that one 100%, and he needs to correct it this summer. Nemeth has been a joke all season and is an 8th dman at best. And for the love of god, can we PLEASE add a guy who can win some FO's. For years we have stunk at FO's, and it really hurts us. I don't care if it is via moving Chtyil in a trade for a # 2 C who can win FO's, or if Chytil is ready to be the # 2 C we add a 4th line C who is a FO specialist. One way or another we need to add a FO guy. Lastly - Chytil cannot be the 3rd line C. He is not a 3rd line player with his skill finesse game. Either he is ready to be the # 2 C, or we have to deal him I think.
It's very simple. After their hard hitting start in game one the team has played soft. Particularly in games three and four where the Pens crowd energized the home team. The Rangers got run out of the building as Pittsburgh became the faster attacking team and the Rangers had no answers. Igor is shell shocked at this point and the Pittsburgh crowd seems to have gotten to him.
Most of the goals against Shesterkin have all been deflections, point blank tap in goals, bounces right out in front that have gone the Penguins way. That's because they are playing smart north-sout hockey and the Rangers defenseman are letting them stand behind them which is mind boggling. Rangers have played dumb. Yes, after the two home games, the Rangers have barely thrown a hit. Where the fuck is Trouba hitting? He's played like a pussy.
Trouba has not had a good series, and has not been physical at all the past two games. And I agree there have been deflections, but Igor is allowed to stop some also. A few have gone right through him. We will disagree if you want to give him a pass. He has not played well the past two games, not for a guy who was a stud this year, and will win the Vezina. Not the reason we have imploded, or lost games 3 & 4, but he has not gotten it done to his level with timely big saves.
The Ranges fan base has been fucking stupid with goalies for over 15 years. They are delusional where they think the team can play like shit in front of their goalie and he will always bail them out. It doesn't work that way. Tampa pretty much never plays a game like the Rangers have played at least 3 times in this series. With the Islanders runs they gave up almost no quality chances game to game. Washington has given the best offensive team in hockey with the Av's almost nothing offensively the entire series. The Rangers have given up high quality scoring chances almost all season. Diffence is most were east-west where Shesterkin could see it coming. Now they are screens, deflections and point blank tap in chances. Expecting Shesterkin to stop those is retarded. It doesn't work that way.
Agreed, the Rangers have not played well. I disagree if you feel Igor has played even okay and is blameless. He has not played like the goalie he was all season. Not the reason they lost, they have been terrible in their own zone and have not played with any structure, but that doesn't mean Igor has been on his game - he has not been IMO. I think we are directionally saying the same thing. It is on the team and their awful play, not Igor. But Igor has not played his A or B or even C game the past two games.
They've fallen apart and if your top players are going to disappear just forget it. Like I said where has the hitting and aggressive play gone? Pittsburgh is throwing hits out there and the Rangers want to just stick check everyone.
Reminds me of Lundqvist years all over again. Most disappointing team ever (besides 2014) was when they got slapped around against the Pens when Shanny, Jagr, Drury, Gomez, Straka were on the team
Agree with all of that. The maybe positive is young team with room to grow. Just hope guys like Z and Panarin can turn their playoff fortunes.
With the teams that were down 3-1 in 2014 and 2015 and came back, you legitimately felt like it was possible but it's harder to see it with these guys. The defense is just too porous, even if the offense starts to come around.
