Game Thread Game 5 Rangers Look to take charge...

From what I see Tampa is a little better. One reason is because Zucc isn't in the lineup. Two, they don't have any major liabilities playing for them. Rangers have one in St. Louis who is dreadful. Yandle isn't what this team needs. He's a turnover machine. He doesn't have a big shot and he's not great at getting it thru to the net. Boyle hasn't played bad but he's too old. Skjei needs to take that spot.

After watching that game, St. Louis can't be brought back. Boyle has to be asked waive his NMC or he will be cut. Yandle has to be dealt. That's on top of dumping Nash. Team needs to make some changes. That is for sure.

 

Yeah, I agree. After making the SCF last season and the ECF this season clearly this team needs a major overhaul and is VERY far away.

TB is also very deep with no liabilites. So what if 5 or 6 players have scored pretty much all their goals, and their 3rd pair of D is terrible, they are no doubt deep and have no liabilities.

Awesome post dump...

 

Let's hope they prove you wrong again 2009. You think they are done every time they lose a game.

Funny thing is I want the Rangers to win because I am a fan of course, but I equally want them to win because of many of our "fans" on this board as well...LOL.

 

Chuck, use your brain. The rest of the teams in the conference are young, will all get better and stronger. Tampa is one of them. So it Ottawa. So are the Islanders. Pitt should really have some interesting defenseman on that team next year that are young and talented.

What the Rangers did this year and last means absolutely nothing. You can go from a contender to a pretender in a matter of one off-season with some FA losses and some guys getting too old. The Rangers need an injection of youth on that defense core. They need to build a 4th line with some offense. They need to dump a 7 million player who doesn't score in the playoffs because they have no cap room. Nash will have great value to a lot of teams looking to make the playoffs.

Your comment was moronic. Chicago proved that because after they won their first cup, they completely tore it down, re-did their cap situation, built it up and won the cup the following year.

 

You can't seem to grasp it in your head this team has showed a lot of flaws this playoffs. Basically, they were flat out lucky to beat Washington. They should have lost that series. You can make the argument if Pitt wasn't so banged up, they might have lost that series. They have not impressed for pretty much the entire post season. If you can't see that, you have your homer glasses on.

The one thing I'll say about last year was that they had a lot of impressive games and many impressive periods. Heck, they outplayed the Kings the majority of the finals. I can't think of more than 2 games where the team has looked great these playoffs. In fact, they have been outplayed most periods in these playoffs.

 

Now the Rangers aren't young? If you count Fast we have 8 forwards 27 and under, and Nash is only 31 next month. We have 4 dmen 28 and under, and Girardi is only 31. Our oldest core player is Hank at 33. The rest of the team is young, and when Buch and Skjei come up for MSL and Boyle we will be even younger.

TB is the least deep team in history...LOL. All their scoring comes from two lines, but those two lines are crazy good. They have way more liabilities in their lineup than we do.

 

What I can grasp is the Rangers have not played well in these playoffs. Got by Pitt due to being a much better team, but grinded everything which was concerning. Got by the Caps because they are a choking team, and we knew how to win when the chips were on the line and they didn't. We'll see about TB, but again we willed a way to two victories because they were flat game 1, and Hank kind of stole game 4 despite the final score.

So I know we haven't played well in the playoffs, but I also know we are not far off. A couple of tweaks need to be made. Another year of growth for Miller and Hayes is needed. MSL must be gone. I'd love to find a way to get a better player on the 4th line than Glass to go with Fast and Moore, which should be the base of the 4th line.

So yeah we have not played well at all really in these playoffs, but no I do not think we need major changes. We need some tweaks on the 4th line, getting rid of MSL, some growth for Miller and Hayes, and maybe a youth infusion on D battling for the 6th/7th spot.

I'll worry about this stuff AFTER the season is over officially though. We'll have plenty of time for that discussion.

 

Last year they had a line that was good all year long in the Pouliot line. They don't have that this year. They had a 4th line that could contribute offense. They don't have that this year. They had a defenseman playing on an all world level. They don't have that this year. Who knows where McDonagh went. Last year they had a defense that didn't turn the puck over constantly. They didn't have that this year. I've been a big Girardi and Staal supporter for years. However, it's time at least one of them took a major step back with their ice time and a kid took their place.

That's a lot stuff to fix chuck. You don't tweak a team and suddenly create a consistent scoring line, a 4th line that can score, a defense that isn't turnover prone. There is a lot of work to be done to keep this team on a high level. Other teams have caught up.

 

Those players are still here dump. Even if I entertained your thoughts on the D for a minute, I think McD can get back to that level.

Upfront that have some youth ready to get meshed in with Miller and Hayes becoming bigger players next season. Brass took a big step this season. Kreider hopefully can take another step next season.

So I am not concerned about what we have in the top 9 or on D. I do think we need a better 4th line, and it starts with upgrading from Glass back there. I think that should be a focus. And replacing MSL with a bigger grinder. That's what I would do. I don't think we have much else to fix/change.

The Rangers do have work to do, I agree, but I also don't see this team as needing major changes. Upgrade MSL with a bigger body. Get Glass off the 4th line. Let a kid be in the 3rd pair mix on D. And hope Miller/Hayes/Kreider grow some more.

My biggest concern about next season will be can we do it AGAIN after another long drawn out season. At some point in time that wears on you. That concerns me more than the actual talent we'll have on the team. The talent is top notch still, and young IMO.

 

I'm not worried about McD going forward. I think he'll be fine. What I'm saying is that you can't be afraid to tear the team down a good amount, build it differently and take another run. If they don't win it this year, that will be two years in a row they didn't achieve their goal with the best goalie in the world. There has to be some major changes. That starts with Boyle and Yandle, the 4th line and Nash. Yandle is a good player. He's not a fit here. He's just not. Especially with Tampa the next few years. To me, the Rangers need to build a more physical defense and team. Honestly, I think Washington would have given Tampa a much harder time. They would have run over their talented forwards. I'm sick and tired of AV not developing McIlrath. I want him as the 6th defenseman next year. Period. He brings what this pansy defense lacks. Intimidation.

 

I just don't see it at all. Boyle maybe. Yandle unlikely. Nash I don't see going anywhere.

Just my opinion.

 

There has to be some major changes. Problem with AV is he wants to play a style like Tampa but the Rangers don't draft like that. They draft hard nosed, two way players. While I like his style to a point, it leads our dumb forwards into thinking they can pass for fancy goals. This is a garbage goal team. Game 4, they were basically all garbage goals. Last night, they think they are skilled Europeans. AV needs to adjust his style and who he plays to be a more physical team. A team that tries to create offense but not with passing and skill as opposed to driving to the net and getting rebounds.

 

Dump, McIlrath isn't making this team. To AV he hasn't made a good enough impression and isn't a good enough skater. While I agree he's got tools this defense could use, he's not gonna be up here next year. And if that's the case, they should look to trade him and Talbot for a really good return in a strong, young winger or a solid center with great faceoff ability.

 

Agree with Mess. You have got to give TB full credit, it isn't fair to them not to. They were clearly the better team after the 1st period last night and deserved the win. But we played with nothing IMO. We never went hard to the net. Never created any traffic in front. Never just fired pucks at the net instead of being fancy. That's the reality of it. We didn't play at all like we did in games 3 & 4. Now some credit for that goes to TB for sure, but a big part of it was also our "effort" as well.

We do NOT need major changes here. By definition upgrading the 4th line and maybe 3rd D pair cannot equal major changes. We need some tweaks in those spots if we lose tomorrow night.

As for McIlrath, I know no one accepts this, but maybe he isn't good enough to be a solid NHL dman. I know that is crazy for me to say, but he isn't doing much in Hartford. He isn't a good skater. So why is it on AV that he isn't here? In the NHL today you need to be a good skater to be a good dman OR be just so darn imposing that it doesn't matter if you aren't a good skater. Maybe McIlrath isn't that guy. Could simply be reality.

 

whatever we as ranger fans want to come up with to ease the pain, the rangers only have to win 1 game... get it to game 7 and let it roll

 

I didn't feel Washington was better. They were just playing better. Tampa is better. AV is to blame. He never made any attempt to build a 4th line that could chip in on offense. He stuck with f'n Glass all year. Sather shares in the blame. He should have traded him or cut him. They also should have not signed Boyle. That turned out to be a disaster.