Al, I love you and I love the kind of fan you are, always rosy always great, I truly think it is awesome. But if you cannot admit the Rangers have not been at their best the past 10 games or so I am not sure what to say. Keep it in context, they are still a very good team, but they have not been at their best. They got rolled last game by the team playing the worst in the whole NHL at the time. Again, context in that they are a very good team, but they need to step their game back up once the playoffs start. I hope they do.
They played fairly well today. Not great but good enough. Don't need to blow their load these last two games. At least Ottawa has nothing to play for. Rest some guys and can still win.
In fairness this all starts with the premise that no other teams ever go through a tough stretch or have any issues. One point and they finish as the top team in the league. That doesn’t just happen because. It also means others teams took their loses or had bad stretches as well.
In regular season you can get away with being talented team than others and amount a lot of wins. You can say the rangers had less bad stretches than the other teams and also have more talent than the rest of the met except the devils and Carolina. The playoffs is a completely different animal.
there is not one team that is perfect... 15 game stretch... come on... its an 82 game season..there are going to be times when the team scores bunches of goals...there will be times they give up bunches of goals... this goes back to my original statement... you have really gone over the top...this team is playing horrible... they lose two games in a row and they are the worst team ever..this guy can play defense..the coach blows..we need to have x player with y player... MOST WINS IN A SEASON and you come on this board and you think they have a 10 game losing streak 7-3 in the last 10 games 14-6 in the last 20 21-9 in the last 30..what a horrible team... they are going to get bounced in the first round...might as well start looking at tee times
Al. You're just looking at the bigger picture and their record overall and you see a lot of wins. In the regular season you can get away with being more talented and having an elite goaltending, not so much in the playoffs. You have to play a more of complete game overall in the playoffs.
It’s idiotic he gets 5 minutes though. He is more reliable than Brodzinski. He back checks. He forechecks. His physicality out there makes other teams aware he’s coming in for a hit and makes them move the puck quicker than they would if they see someone else coming at them which leads to turnovers. Rempe also keeps other teams in check. Just because we only give him 5 minutes doesn’t mean he shouldn’t get more. Do I want him out there at crucial times? Hell no. But I also wouldn’t want Brodzinski anywhere near the ice in crucial times either….or regular times.
I know i look at things half full.. but again if you were just dropped out of space and had not seen any part of the season you would think this team was battling for a playoff spot and not first overall.
100% spot on. Didn't say a peep when they played .500 hockey for a 2-month stretch in the middle of the season. This is the time now to be peaking, not struggling down the stretch heading into the playoffs. And Al is to the extreme with his thoughts on this. Saying the Rangers haven't been at their best/on their game the past 10 games or so means I am saying they are horrible and all is lost. That is Al's version of it, and respectfully that is nonsense. I have been saying for weeks the Rangers will get the top seed in the East (Debbie downer?), but I also have been saying for the past couple of weeks I don't like how they are playing. That does not equal they are horrible, shut it down. We need some context. I am talking about the Rangers from the POV of a legit SC contender, not a whatever team on the level of the Hawks or Habs. When I say they have not been on their game the past 10 games or so, it is through that SC contender prism. At the end of the day, if they handle their business against the lowly Sens they are # 1 in the NHL going into the playoffs, and most likely will play the Pens (could be the Wings or Caps if the Pens struggle). The time for talk and speculation is almost done. And it is 2 points needed. If they only get 1 point the Canes can still tie them and they would win the TB. The Rangers magic # for tops in the NHL is 2 over the Canes, and 1 over the Stars and Bruins.
I hope they play in the playoffs like they did vs. Carolina last game. Chytil would be a huge bonus. He can score at even strength.
Anything can happen. Hopefully they remember New Jersey last year and fed off that. It’s a new season and MSG will be rocking as usual.
For the record, I am rooting for the Bruins tonight now that the Rangers won today and control their own destiny with 2 points against the Sens. In a perfect world I would prefer to play the Wings or Caps, go Caps beat TB, but of course would be okay if it is the Pens. As for the Isles, if they beat NJ that means the Pens would need to go 6 for 6 to finish ahead of them, including winning at the Isles in the last game. I will be interested to see what the Isles do against the Canes. That seems like two similar teams matching up, with the Canes having more talent of course.
Legit teams find ways to win Legit teams crawl back into games and win the third periods There is a thing called paralysis of over analyzing things..and that's what you are doing Every game it's the same..yet they find ways to win... Yeah is it ugly..sure...but in the past they would lose tight games or never get back into a game Can they improve on things..sure..every team can
I would tend to agree, the Canes should beat the Isles in 5, maybe if the Isles play really well it could go 6. I think that has more to do with the Canes being very good than it does with the Isles being average. I do think the Isles struggle against the Canes because they play similar grind styles, but the Canes are a more talented team that does it better. Caps win, Wings we'll see, Pens we'll see. I'd love for the Wings to beat the Leafs as they have two games against Montreal left and would have a decent shot at the last spot if they get 2 points tonight, especially if the Pens lose.
It turned out to be a good day for us. Pens lose, Caps and Wings win. Isles - 80 GP, 90 points, 27 RW's - need 2 points to lock in the # 3 spot in the Met, and they should get it - at NJ, home Pens Caps - 80 GP, 87 points, 30 RW's - control their own destiny for the 2nd WC, but tough remaining schedule - home Bruins, at Flyers Wings - 80 GP, 87 points, 27 RW's - don't control their own destiny due to the Caps having the tiebreaker, but they have the best remaining schedule of the teams in contention - home Habs, at Habs Pens - 80 GP, 86 points, 31 RW's - tough L and tough day for the Pens as they lost in regulation, and every other team won. Down to 12% to make the playoffs, trailing and with a tough remaining schedule - home Nashville, at Isles First and foremost, we need to take care of business at home Monday night and beat the Sens, no letdown. If we do that, I think it is still TBD regarding who we'll play as you see how close it is, but I would give a lean to the Wings as I think they have a decent shot to get 4 points against the Habs, which would eliminate the Pens, and I don't see the Caps going 4 for 4, which would give the Wings the 2nd WC spot, and we'd play them. In the Atlantic, Boston has the edge over the Panthers, which means they should play TB who is locked into the 1st WC. Florida would play Toronto who is locked into 3rd in the Atlantic.
Rempe needs to be in the lineup because Tkachuk is already mad his team sucks and he's not making the playoffs. Then, the Rangers should take a huge run for Tkachuk in the off season. If that means you offer Kakko, Othmann, a Laba provided the morons sign him and a couple of first rounders, do it. As long as the Sens eat 25% of his salary. That family has a history of wanting out when it doesn't go well. Tkachuk to me would be the missing piece. He's built for the playoffs. He's 25.
Nice comeback win puts Lav's Rangers pretty much where I would have expected them to finish when he was hired. #2PP/#3PK has me confident in this team, could care less about the Rangers opponent, every series is tough but Lav was hired to get us to the Cup, not do what GG already accomplished. The Rangers have beaten every top opponent in the league, I fear no one. Brodzinski has one career postseason game under his belt, yet another reason to dress Rempe over Jonny.
