Rangers v Islanders (only 9 games left!)

[Greyvtrayn]

So excited for the end of the regular season. Ready for the playoffs to start. Let's jut hope they avoid injuries over the final 3 weeks.

 

[Messiah717]

Season goes so fast.

 

[Ranger71]

Hopefully Las Vegas has a brain freeze and fails to take Raanta.

 

[Messiah717]

Yikes terrible rebound by Raanta.

 

[Stepupstepan]

This coach is an idiot with his lineup again. Why Vesey plays over buch? Vesey has sucked for pretty much the whole second half.

 

[Ranger71]

They really shouldn't be sitting Buchnevich for any reason other than injury. He's our most skilled player. I wouldn't sit Vesey but Fast who is slow and has little offense should probably be the one.

 

[Messiah717]

It amazes me how many chances this team misses right in front of the net. Grabner earlier in the game has the entire half of the net open so he puts it in the center of the goalie's chest. Hayes has the entire ocean to shoot it into and of course it ends up on the beach. Zibanejad with a glorious opportunity and breaks his stick on the shot.

 

[Ranger71]

Dumb penalties, poor pk, inaccurate shooters and moronic job pulling Raanta too late. Gave the Isles that one.

 

[Rangers94]

Scott Arneil fellas. Keep him employed AV. Great idea. Also a great idea to keep playing Fast who is worthless in his one "role" which is on the PK which has allowed a PPG in 8 straight games and 9 in the last 8 games. This team has NO SHOT at beating Montreal with all the BS penalties we know get called in favor of Montreal at home. This team is just a total joke, yet many of you defend AV while this team regresses because of "how good" they are in the regular season. Just stop it. AV's system is flawed and he refuses to adapt. He has to go after this season because if he gets to be behind the bench next season, this team will start off good as usual so everyone will be saying how great we are, and then they'll collapse at the end of the year as they have the past two years and we will have this exact same conversation next year.

 

[Ranger71]

I like AV but man the guy just does not pull the goalie quick enough. And i have not been all that impressed with Smith so far, as he's not physical and turns the puck over quite a bit.

 

[Rangers94]

Of the 8 games left, I can only see this team winning 2-3. Anaheim, San Jose and maybe Philadelphia or Ottawa (not both). This team is limping into the playoffs with its tail tucked firmly between its legs.

 

[Rangers94]

I like AV but man the guy just does not pull the goalie quick enough. And i have not been all that impressed with Smith so far, as he's not physical and turns the puck over quite a bit.

He wanted Raanta at about the 130-145 mark, but Raanta was hesistant because he didn't know if we had control of the puck or not. I'm more concerned with the fact that we continue to employ Arneil with how dreadful the specialty teams are.

 

[theProdigy223]

Smith isnt physical???????????????

The hysterics in here are one thing but now it looks like people are just making stuff up.

 

[Ranger71]

I haven't seen it from Smith, as he seems to still be tenative adjusting to the system or something.

 

[theProdigy223]

Man 94 I really wish you were as passionate after impressive wins, like when they went into Minn. and beat the second best team in the west Saturday, as you are after losses. This forum needs someone with your kind of passion but on the positive side. It's getting exhausting seeing this team relentlessly shit on by its own fans. Takes the fun out of coming here.

 

[Stepupstepan]

Of course they have been great on the road this season but have sucked at home. Kinda evens it out.

 

[Rangers94]

Man 94 I really wish you were as passionate after impressive wins, like when they went into Minn. and beat the second best team in the west Saturday, as you are after losses. This forum needs someone with your kind of passion but on the positive side. It's getting exhausting seeing this team relentlessly shit on by its own fans. Takes the fun out of coming here.

I might be bad luck for them because I only seem to catch the shit efforts lol. I call it like I see it. If they suck I'll call it out, if they look good, I'll say that as well. This team though just seems to lack the ability to sustain a killer/winner instinct for a full 60 minutes. They should have won the game tonight and last night as they outplayed both teams but the lack of finishing, lack of an average PK and a good PP and the lack of being defensively responsible is dragging them down. They're thinking far too much out there in the offensive zone and over passing. They need to K.I.S.S. They are seriously their own worse enemy out there on the ice. They have the potential to easily make it to the ECF, yet have the mentality of a first round sweep.

 

[Stepupstepan]

I don't have problem with Fast playing strictly on the fourth line but this neanderthal plays him in the top 9 while his most skilled player is in the stands.

 

[Messiah717]

They completely outplayed the Islanders 5 on 5 and when you out shoot a team like that at home you should win. It's incredible what's going on at home with this team. The blown scoring chances kill this team more than anything else.

 

[Ranger71]

I know the Rangers don't care much about it but that could've really put a crimp in the Isles chances.

 

[Stepupstepan]

If it was the other way around, this stupid isles organization would do anything to screw the Rangers over.

 

[kreidertime]

This team sucks at home because the garden ice has always been total crap. This is s speed team. Not hard to figure out.

 

[RangersFan]

Here are my takes:

1. I don't think I have ever seen a team miss more chances than this team does. Last nights pile of missed opportunities were pointed out in an earlier post. From Hayes, to Grabner, to Ziban. It truly is crazy. And that is why this team simply does not score enough in tight spots late in the season, or in the playoffs. They do not finish.

2. They overpass like crazy. You would think a team that has # 1 as an issue would get pucks on net, not this team. If they have a good scoring chance they will pass for the 10% chance they could turn it into a very good scoring chance. It is ridiculous really. You would think at some point they would say enough is enough, but it has been going on for years.

3. I am fed up with Stepan. Guy has 1 goal in 700 games. Gets a decent amount of chances, and simply does not finish (theme on this team later in the season/in the playoffs). I am so tired of hearing he is snake bitten. When you score once on 78998086 chances you are not snake bitten, the issue lies squarely on Stepan's shoulders to FINISH please.

4. Barring a total epic collapse we will open at Montreal, which is the correct bracket, but right this second it is darn hard to see this team beating the Habs. We'll score 1 or 2 goals a game against Price max. With how god awful the PK is for this team, it is darn hard not to see the Habs scoring 2 or 3 a game. Right now I'd say Habs in 6.

5. My lord how atrocious is the PK on this team. I mean it is embarrassing now. Guys are all alone in front. Move the puck quickly and you'll get a wide open slam dunk goal. And the PP sucks also. You really do have to think the special teams issues are coaching.

6. Fast needs to be a 4th line player...PERIOD. It is kind of ridiculous that Buch sits and Vesey plays on the 4th line when Fast is in the top 9. Tired of hearing how versatile Fast is. HE IS A 4th LINE PLAYER. Now I happen to think he is good in that 4th line role, but that's who he is and where he belongs. AV needs to stop the BS of putting Fast in the top 9 when we are healthy upfront...PLEASE.

7. The structure on this team in their own zone is alarming. They chase pucks all over the place, and leave the crease and weak side wide open way too often. I don't get it. They lack so much discipline when they constantly do that. Again makes me question the coaching when I see it over and over and over again. Where is the discipline and attention to detail. AV and staff should be harping on that constantly. Stop chasing the puck and being the 3rd or 4th man into corners...PLEASE.

8. I happen to like Smith. I think he has played pretty well here, and been a good addition to this team. Playing a good deal of minutes also. I think I'd bump Holden down to play with Skjei when Girardi returns. Play Smith and Girardi together. And Staal and McD.

9. The team does not win at home. I think that shows how real 1 and 2 are. At home especially they live 1 and 2 game after game. Instead of playing a simple North/South game like they do way more often on the road, at home they try to be fancy and get so tight and miss tons of chances. Very frustrating, and not good heading into a series against Montreal.

10. The past 15 games or so this team has not played well...period. No sugar coating it...that's the way it is. I am sure some part of that is not having as much to play for as the teams they have been playing, being virtually locked into the perfect playoff slot. With that said, that's an easy convenient excuse for how poorly the team has played the past 4-6 weeks or so. I can't fully buy that they have struggled for 15 games +/- because they are virtually locked into the top WC slot. It is very concerning, and has most thinking another 1st round exit is likely.

11. Not much we can do now except watch, root, and hope. Hope the awful PK improves. Hope their attention to structure and detail in their own zone improves. Hope they cut the fancy BS out and get pucks on net. Hope AV plays the right guys in the right slots. And hope they finish the glorious chances they seem to miss way too often as the season progresses and the games get tighter, the calling card of the Rangers in the playoffs the past couple of seasons.

It all doesn't look good right now, and it is difficult to see us beating Montreal right this second, but the playoffs don't start for a couple of weeks, so we have time to right the ship again. Hopefully they can do it.

 

[Greyvtrayn]

I can't imagine anyone is going to read the 11-point Chuck's-take post. Feel free to skip to the next post as I have nothing else to say.

 

[RangersFan]

Once again, no clue who Chuck is, but appreciate your thoughts Grey. Added a lot to the discussion for sure.

 

[Messiah717]

The problem is I don't see the speed game like we saw earlier in the season. They haven't been out skating teams for a while now. Also, too many of their forwards hit these sustained scoring droughts. Right now the best forwards look to be Nash and Zucc. If it was me I would without a doubt shuffle up the lines on this team. Wake up calls are needed.

 

[Messiah717]

What bothered me most about last night is that the Islanders are a desperate team and did not play a good hockey game. They played poorly, were outplayed five on five and still managed to come out with a victory. Toronto for example played Columbus like a desperate team should and came away with a big win. The Islanders didn't do that and while Greiss made some nice saves the Rangers bailed him out with missed chance after missed chance.

 

[Ranger71]

I think Smith is giving the effort and hasn't been awful, but just dosen't seem comfortable out there, even after 10g or whatever. Maybe i'm just expecting a little more from him. Not a huge deal.

 

[kreidertime]

Yep, skipped right over that long winded, Chuck post.

 

[RangersFan]

Once again, no clue who Chuck is, but thank you for contributing to a good discussion on the board. That post added some good info, so thanks.