Swing and a miss Al. I am always one of the most positive fans in here, but I call it like it is. They have been very sloppy in the past 7 games and have won by playing strong 3rd periods. That is great, but as they get into the playoffs, and play better teams they need to play much better in their own zone and value the puck. That is just being honest. Talent is not the question with this team, playing a structured detail-oriented game in their own zone is. We'll see if they do it.
Respectfully, you guys are just making sh*t up now. They have not been on top of their game, that is real. They have allowed 3.66 GPG over the past 6 games, that is real. Kudos for playing strong 3rd periods and winning, I sincerely mean that it shows good battle and mental toughness, but if they want to beat the Canes/Bruins/Panthers in the playoffs they need to play a much more sound game in their own zone. Just being real. Again, they have the talent, but will they execute how you need to in order to beat good teams in the playoffs. And last I checked, I am the one who has been saying they are going to be the top seed in the East, so again not accurate. But I am being real and saying they need to play better in their own zone. That's the way it is.
Chuck is mostly positive, he's just bringing up the D since the playoffs are nearing and they do have some coverage issues, despite the great record. They are going to have to tighten that up in a few weeks, and maybe they will as they are sort of coasting now. We will see.
If the Rangers get 4 of a possible 8 points that would give them 114 points. The Bruins would need 8 of 8 points to finish ahead of us. The Canes max points are 113, so they would not be able to catch us. Root for the Canes to beat the Bruins in Boston Tuesday night, and the Rangers to get at least 4 of 8 possible points, and we are the top seed in the East. We'll play one of the Isles/Wings/Pens/Caps/Flyers. And with the way the Flyers and Caps have played, Caps only got 1 points against the Sens at home, those teams are not looking good to get in right now, but they are still right there if they can get some wins.
Exactly. It is not about being positive or negative, it is about bigger things and playing playoff hockey. We have not been good in our own zone for at least the past handful of games. That has to change, I hope it will. This coming from the guy who has been saying they'll be the top seed in the East for a couple of weeks now, yes Debbie downer.
Yeah, it will be real close. The Flyers and Caps look dead right now, 7 straight and 6 straight L's, with some terrible L's in the mix. The Isles and Pens are hot right now. The Wings are gritty and will claw to get points. I would think it will be between the Isles/Wings/Pens for 3rd in the Met to play the Canes (Isles or Pens), and the 2nd WC to play us, but who knows. I'll standby what I wrote yesterday regarding how I rank the teams we may play (most want to play to least): 1. Flyers - have the Torts grit, but not overly talented. 2. Caps - I think 2 and 3 are a very close coin flip. 3. Wings - very close coin flip with Caps. 4. Isles - I put them at 4 due to the rivalry. It is never easy dealing with the Isles. 5. Pens - Top heavy yes, but top heavy with high end talent, plus they would be on a roll.
Re-reading all of the messages after the final whistle. If you had not watched the game you'd be pretty surprised that the Rangers won the game judging by the tone. This whole tighten up in the d-zone, while having some merit, is something every playoff bound team needs to do. The Rangers aren't the only team giving up odd-man rushes when playing with the lead, guilty of bad turnovers, taking stupid penalties, getting out positioned or losing a man in front of the net. Literally every team does this, every game. Whatever happens or happened in the regular seasons means nothing when the playoffs start.
I agree with everything you wrote. The playoffs are a new season, and I am hopeful they will tighten up in their own zone, and play playoff hockey They can do it, and they also may play white collar run and gun hockey lacking structure as they have been recently, and did in the playoffs last season, and that will not work. Again, I am hopeful that once they get going, they will play the right way. The team has the talent, but do they have the will and discipline to play the right way. And BTW, can Mika please shoot the gosh darn puck, you saw it on his 2nd goal, the guy has a great shot, he just has to use it. He does that in the playoffs, and the Rangers will be much better for it. And double BTW, how awesome has Panarin been this season with his new dedication to being a shooter first, it has made a great player even more dangerous. Now the question is can he keep it going in the playoffs, I say yes, and he will continue his greatness. And he should get some MVP votes as well IMO.
Last time I checked the object of the game was to score more goals then you allow...while no one wants to give up 3 plus goals a game...if you score 4 or more then you still win right? Sure let's tighten the defense....maybe these guys need a break and regroup when the playoffs start..maybe it's igor every night and not quick.. But 8 and 2 in the last 10 games only Dallas at 9 and 1 has done better down three stretch. It's like you have to look for things to bitch about or worry about. The d will tighten up and then we will not score then the posting will be about how bad the offense is.. There never seems to be any fucking joyville when it comes. Tying team history for wins in a season...but the defense fucking blows and better this and that.. My lord
Wennberg is not a dud you dope. For starters, he's excellent carrying the puck through the neutral zone which some of our players are not great at. Second, he's excellent defensively. So are Kakko and Cuylle for young players. You want your third line to keep the puck out of your net first and chip in a little offensively second. Our third line does that. Last year they went for all the big offensive names and they couldn't play defense for jack shit.
They just keep rolling even when resting starters. Lav was hired to address the Rangers postseason flop, the underachievers told Drury last year that GG was to blame because he didn't coach them, no excuses this year. Drury has made some great moves to improve the Rangers depth should a starter get injured. This team is significantly better than GG's first year's roster. They have 3 solid lines, are more physical and most importantly to postseason play, the Rangers PP/PK are excellent.
I believe the playoffs start Saturday the 20th, so 12 or 13 days from today we'll start I'd guess. I want it to get going also, so ugh is right. Pens get a point in Toronto tonight, a good point for them I think. Isles - 77 games played, 85 points, 26 RW's - currently 3rd in the Met and would play the Canes. Wings - 77 GP, 84 points, 27 RW's - currently 2nd WC and would play us. Pens - 78 GP, 84 points, 31 RW's - behind the Wings because the Wings have a game in hand. Caps and Flyers both struggling, outside looking in each with 83 points, Caps have played 77 games, Flyers have played 78 games, both have 28 RW's. Still totally wide-open for the remaining two playoff spots in the East. We will play a big role in whether the Isles make it or not with 2 games left between the teams, and they also host the Pens last game of the season. The Pens also host the Wings on Thursday. They all play some tough games to finish the regular season. Seems more likely we'll play one of the Isles/Wings/Pens, but who knows.
