Game Thread Rangers at Florida

[cagedlion]

Now.......on to a new winning streak.

Playing a good road game.

Update: Teams tied in the 2nd period.....1-1.

 

[cagedlion]

Nash nets 2nd goal of the game......Nash 2 Fla 1

 

[cagedlion]

Boyle takes late 2nd period penalty....caught out of
position, Panthers tie game 2-2 at the end of 2.
It is anybody's game.

 

[SaveLundy]

The Zuc juke.

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[cagedlion]

Don't even want to think where Rangers would be
without "The Little Giant Ranger".......all 5'7" of him.

 

[SaveLundy]

Too many penalties tonight. They need to stop that and draw more.

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[Messiah717]

This is what happens when you take a stupid late penalty with a 4-2 lead.

 

[cagedlion]

Un-f'king-believable! 4-4 and Rangers barely hanging on!

Another late collapse.

 

[SaveLundy]

Very lethargic on the defensive end tonight.

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[Messiah717]

Very simply too many penalties tonight. Just lazy.

 

[cagedlion]

OT PP means nothing!.......unless Rangers score.

Nash gets Hat Trick! in a game that they should have won
in regulation. Too many penalties. But it's a W! and I'll take it.

 

[Messiah717]

Hat Trick!!!!!! winner.

 

[Messiah717]

Overtime is 3 on 3 but goes to 4 on 3 if there's a penalty. Makes no sense.

 

[cagedlion]

Ranger opponents are the least penalized. Rangers have
the lowest PP opportunities in the NHL. Hmmmmmmmmm.

8 PPG on 45 attempts.

 

[cagedlion]

Eventhough Hank gave up 4 goals, 2 were PPGs........
he was outstanding. Rangers checking game was
somewhere other than Miami.

 

[kreidertime]

Boyle was atrocious again. What else is new. I think Hank's post game interview could be taken as this. Really? The team is paying the defenseman on this squad that to leave people open all day in my crease? Play McIlrath AV you dumbass. Your defense is soft and the entire league knows it. I'll tell ya. Calgary is off to a miserable start. If I could convince Staa to go to the Flames in a swap I'd do it. Calgary isn't signing him. He's a UFA next year. If they can't do that. Perhaps a Yandle trade. The defense needs changes. If you look at year, they have let tons of high quality scoring chances up. It's ridiculous.

 

[chuckd3534]

That was clearly one of the worst 2 or 3 games the Rangers have played this season, BUT they still won...and that's the important part. Not going to flip out or say trade all the dmen after a bad low effort game.

After a performance like that I would fully expect the Rangers to come out and play really well against the Preds at MSG Monday night.

We all need to remember it's a LONG season in the NHL...82 LONG games. Efforts like last night happen, and yet we still won. So take the 2 points and move on...I am sure that is what the Rangers are doing, and the coaches will be able to teach and motivate out of this game for sure.

 

[chuckd3534]

As for the overall picture, and project down the road to the playoffs, I am still more concerned about the O than the D (which quite frankly I am really not concerned about too much).

Zucc has been great, and I expect him to continue this play on some level all season. He won't score 40 goals and 85 points, but I do expect 25 goals and 65 points. He is very good and I think will be our best forward this year and in the playoffs as well. Love his grit.

But as I watch Brass pass into traffic and the Rangers get no shot on a 3 on 1 it hit me like a punch in the face why the Rangers don't score in the playoffs. The Rangers play a fancy game on O. We all know that, but in the regular season that pretty stuff works enough of the time so the Rangers score goals and win games. They were top 5 in goals per game last season, and sit at # 5 right now this season. Issue is what they do to score in the regular season doesn't work in the playoffs, and either no one sees it, including the coaches, or the players don't listen and do it anyway.

I guess what I am saying is we develop AWFUL habits in the regular season and don't understand or want to accept we need to change them in the playoffs. In the playoffs you won't score enough pretty bang bang perfect play goals to win a series. You need to get pucks on net and score gritty goals. 98% of the players on this team pass on a 2 on 1. 98% of the players on this team look to pass before shooting/look for the pretty play. Until that changes I think the Rangers will struggle to score in the playoffs. To help it change, when a play like that Brass play happens last night AV and the staff should be getting on Brass SHOOT THE PUCK...the dman 100% took the pass away because he knew Brass still wouldn't shoot.

To me it has to start now. Can't be pretty all regular season and let those habits develop and then flip a switch come playoff time. We need to be more selfish NOW. We need to play gritty NOW. We need to crash the net NOW. We need to score dirty goals NOW. Otherwise we will be sitting here in the playoffs unable to score and having to grind out 2-1 games every night, and playing 7 in round 1, 2, 3 and so on thus leaving us drained by the ECF/SCF.

I really believe this is the issue for us scoring wise in the playoffs, even if I am simplifying it a touch.

 

[Ranger71]

What did i say last week that you scoffed at? MZ and Lindberg are the only ones who seem to know how to make a play right now. Stepan made a great pass last night but he's been pretty quiet overall. They need a Ladd type up front for not only some punch around the net but the leadership he provides.

 

[chuckd3534]

And I disagree with that. Your comment has literally nothing to do with my comment. We need to stop playing this fancy pass first soft game. Not sure what that has to do with MZ and Lindberg being the only guys, in your opinion, making plays in the regular season.

Adding a Ladd type is also a totally different question. Sure we could use a Ladd type, many teams could, but not sure how we could get him or afford him, and I am not the guy who will sit here and make up 50 fantasy trades that will never ever happen, I will leave that to some of you other guys...LOL.

 

[Messiah717]

I'd like to see this board of the team was 3-15-2 instead. Everyone sucks, the coach is a moron and nobody can make a play.

 

[chuckd3534]

I have made my peace with that now Mess...we know that is a losing battle...LOL.

To me this regular season is what it is for a team that has been to at least the ECF for 3 of the past 4 seasons. The regular season just doesn't mean much to me. You will have your ups and downs per the norm over an 82 game marathon.

This team will finish 1-3 in the Met, most likely 1 or 2 with the Caps as the other team. Then the real season starts. That is really all I am focused on with this team. It is cup or bust now, no other way to look at it IMO. And with that being the focus I think for us to take that last step we need to be dirtier and score more gritty goals I believe. That is why we struggle to score in the playoffs.

That is a long way off, but I was thinking that as I watched us try and be pretty and watched Brass pass to a guy who was covered by a dman who didn't think for a second Brass was going to shoot, and that is an issue that we need to correct if we want to actually score goals in the playoffs.

Until we get that we'll be in a bunch of 2-1 grinding games in the playoffs and win some and lose some, and be drained come the ECF or SCF.

 

[panzerporter]

A nice recovery for the win, the best start in team history but I guess not quite perfection. Nash played his best game of the season, hopefully more of the same is coming. I agree with the overpassing on the odd man rushes, Zucc has 10 goals on 40 shots, turn it loose Hobbit! He's been a huge upgrade on the 1st line over MSL.

 

[chuckd3534]

Good stat panzer. Zucc, Brass, Step, Yandle, Hayes all always looking to pass and very reluctant to shoot almost as a last resort, and even Nash gets into that mindset sometimes as well.

If we look to shoot more, Nash decides to go strong to the net all the time, and Kreider gets his net front game going this team has as good of a shot to win the cup as any team...which at this point is the ONLY goal I believe.

 

[kreidertime]

The Rangers have given up 30 or more shots this season 12 times. Washington has let up 30 or more 3 times. A big reason why if this coach and GM don't change up this defense and take Stepan off draws permanently, they will lose against that team in the playoffs. Tampa has let up 30 or more quite a few but that team has a crap load of injuries. That won't continue.

 

[Rangers94]

Just watched the recording. Awful defensive effort again. Awesome second goal by Nash, that's how he needs to play. Go to the net. Refs were abysmal last night. Rangers sneezed on the ice and had a penalty called but the Panters were getting away with interference a ton. Is what it is. Great way to find a win. Defense needs to figure it out still. 40+ shots to a bad Panthers team is horrendous. As chuck said, offensively we need to shoot on those odd man rushes but I'm not too concerned about offense really. We play too cute and it's been an issue for a few years. No one wants to take the shot. They just pass it off. Defense has been our strong point and right now it's our weak spot. Dmen need to take away space and forwards need to back check better. Right now it looks like forwards are just itching to jump out of the zone and get an odd man rush. Have to commit to defense first AND THEN transition to offense.

 

[kreidertime]

The Rangers for the most part have been an awful defensive team this year. A tribute to Hank and his greatness. They should be in the bottom third for GA's. Hank has bailed this team out time and time again this year.

 

[chuckd3534]

Bad effort last night 94, but that happens from time to time over LONG 82 game seasons. The refs were fine, but our D had a rough night.

Overall our D is very good we all know, we can sit and quibble over the 6th dman but I don't get too caught up in that.

My take is we acknowledge that over a long 82 game season down games happen and low effort games happen. We accept that last night, also accept that we still won, and we move on and expect a better effort Monday night against the Preds.

 

[mrmel29]

Watching this and most of our other games I see the problem as more than just the 6th d man. Our other 5 d-men have been lacking big time. They constantly give up great scoring opportunities and yesterday was no exception. McD for all his prowess gives the puck away via careless passes a lot as do the others. As dump said if not for the magic of both hank and ranta with the stunning saves they consistently make to bail them out our defensive numbers would look a lot worse and our defense's rep would be taking a big hit. I'm amazed at some of his postgame press conferences AV isn't screaming our forwards need to shoot the GD puck and stop looking for the picture perfect goal. Saw nash taking some cheap shots last night that either doesn't happen or immediately gets answered if Dylan is out there. Neither girardi, klein or boyle's play merit them playing every game at this point. AV needs to dylan in there more as the others sure look like they could use a rest.

 

[kreidertime]

Honestly, I wish they could move Staal. Mostly because of his salary. Boyle cause he just sucks now. I really don't see how the team would be worse by the end of the year with Skjei and McIlrath in there.