Post-Game Talk: Capitals @ Rangers 3/24/13

[TriFF51]

Also I don't get how "punishing" Richards and Gaborik by not putting them in the top 3 for the shootout is going to motivate them. These guys are in their 30's, not in high school for Christ's sake.

Well they shouldn't be in the top 3 in the shootout anyway...they're both trash on free breakaways. It's gotta be a great feeling for an opposing goalie seeing either of those guys hop off the bench for the shootout.

 

[Zamboner]

So Torts changed the lines because he wanted Kreider to "chase down pucks" for Richards and Nash. So Kreider, the scorer, shooter and power forward is reduced to a Carl Hagelin clone in Torts' mind? What a clown.

He's the ****ing worse.

 

[Rangers ftw]

POTG: MDZ

Good: D-fence! Callahan, Boyle,
Bad: Nash (his bar is set high), Richards

 

[Vickers8]

Good: Steps, Cally, Boyle, Newbury, Asham, Kreids, Eminger, MDZ, Nash, hank
Bad: Off night for Girardi and McD...McD should create more offense
Ugly beyond belief: Richards, Gabby they both offer nothing, Torts, playing Newbury on the PP?

 

[chosen]

Torts may have possibly lost the team, but I doubt it. More likely, players have been mediocre this year.

Those of you who believe that you could be doing a better job are delusional, though.

 

[Pugs35]

I hope you guys who want Richards out of the shoot-out rotation were on board with losing our playoff spot w/ Olli Jokinen a few years ago. Just saying.

 

[silverfish]

Good: Steps, Cally, Boyle, Newbury, Asham, Kreids, Eminger, MDZ, Nash, hank
Bad: Off night for Girardi and McD...McD should create more offense
Ugly beyond belief: Richards, Gabby they both offer nothing, Torts, playing Newbury on the PP?

Gabby? What game were you watching?

 

[Kreider Typical]

Gabby? What game were you watching?

fo sho, gabby was hot last night. couldn't believe that gaborik wasn't used in the shootout after he got robbed on the breakaway.

 

[Gardner McKay]

First, any one who criticizes Lundqvist on this game...

Second, I have been one of Torts' biggest supporters but its clear he doesn't have a clue at this point. Putting Bucky in during the shoot out was the final straw for me.

 

[Vinny]

THIS. If I were GM I'd do this in a heartbeat.

Same here.

Also that annoying, looking so irritated on the boyle, girardi pk, simply cannot be done. A coach needs to stay supporting and motivate, be a pro, and never show the world your irritation towards your team.

1. Stepan
2. Asham
3. Newbury. (Showed he wants to be here)

 

[Tawnos]

You guys realize that Richards was awesome in the shootout as recently as last season and went into this year over 40% success. I know he has had a hard time with it this season, but the guy has a track record.

 

[KreiMeARiver*]

I was lucky enough to sit in section 113 (a girl took me to the game on our first date), so I had a great view of that 5-3 kill.

MDZ was all over the place. He looked awesome all game.

I also found myself focusing on Boyle's shifts... and he looked great, also.

Richards is terrible...really, really terrible.

 

[Bluenote13]

You guys realize that Richards was awesome in the shootout as recently as last season and went into this year over 40% success. I know he has had a hard time with it this season, but the guy has a track record.

"He did such and such last year, and throughout his career..."

Said about every FA we have brought in, ever.

 

[BB58]

He's the ****ing worse.

second this.

 

[toastbag]

Makes me incredibly pissed off that the Rangers had 4 guys go in the shootout and Gaborik was not one of them yet Richards was. IMO Nash, Gaborik, and Stepan should have been the first three and then Cally. Gaborik has finally been showing life lately so what does Tortorella do? He moves him to the third line and keeps him out of the shootout. I normally don't complain about Tortorella, but I honestly think at this point he might be hurting this team more than he's helping them.

 

[The Gloaming]

Richards is playing like Boyle was before he was scratched. When is Torts gonna put his ego aside and scratch his boy, Brad?

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Torts may have possibly lost the team, but I doubt it. More likely, players have been mediocre this year.

Those of you who believe that you could be doing a better job are delusional, though.

This. Times infinity. This stuff is making me post here less and less. It's become unbearable.

 

[16 To Stanley*]

This. Times infinity. This stuff is making me post here less and less. It's become unbearable.

I'm sure as hell no professional, but when he continuously parades Brad Richards out there (and i don't mean the shootout) then one really has to question what the **** he is thinking.

While I don't think i could do a better job, i'm certainly thinking that there may be a coach available that can.

Kreider, arguably our best offensive forward in the game, doesn't see a shift in OT.

Eminger, arguably our worst D-Man last night, constant turnovers in his own zone, is on the ice for the last shift of the game and the 1st shift of overtime.

Richards, terrible game, offensive black hole, gets shift after shift and has no accountability.

4th line essentially saves the game from being a blow out with two great, back to back shifts, including a goal at 5 on 5 (which is basically impossible for this team) and then doesn't see the ice for most of the 2nd and 3rd period.

Gaborik looking good for most of the game and last game in my opinion, gets bumped down to the Boyle and Pyatt line where offense never occurs.

While I may be wrong on some of these things and feel free to disagree, there are just to many glaring concerns with how this team is coached to go on acting like we should trust them.

I've watched hockey my whole life. I've watched the Rangers my whole life. I've seen teams do well and teams do poorly and how coaches have handled it. I don't get paid to coach a team or play. And i don't believe I'd be successful in doing so because I don't know enough about the inner workings of the sport. But for someone who has studied and followed it so closely for their whole life, something is so off about how this team is coached.

So many changes need to be made, yet Torts makes the wrong ones. He preached accountability when he came here, why is Richards let off the hook. Literally every center on the team was more effective than him last night.

I don't want to hear about how he keeps getting assists, because you know what, he's out there for 20 plus minutes a night and for is killing the offense. Rick Nash has died playing with him. But Torts keeps trotting him out there and wasting our best and highest paid player.

 

[The Gloaming]

I'm sure as hell no professional, but when he continuously parades Brad Richards out there (and i don't mean the shootout) then one really has to question what the **** he is thinking.

While I don't think i could do a better job, i'm certainly thinking that there may be a coach available that can.

Kreider, arguably our best offensive forward in the game, doesn't see a shift in OT.

Eminger, arguably our worst D-Man last night, constant turnovers in his own zone, is on the ice for the last shift of the game and the 1st shift of overtime.

Richards, terrible game, offensive black hole, gets shift after shift and has no accountability.

4th line essentially saves the game from being a blow out with two great, back to back shifts, including a goal at 5 on 5 (which is basically impossible for this team) and then doesn't see the ice for most of the 2nd and 3rd period.

Gaborik looking good for most of the game and last game in my opinion, gets bumped down to the Boyle and Pyatt line where offense never occurs.

While I may be wrong on some of these things and feel free to disagree, there are just to many glaring concerns with how this team is coached to go on acting like we should trust them.

I've watched hockey my whole life. I've watched the Rangers my whole life. I've seen teams do well and teams do poorly and how coaches have handled it. I don't get paid to coach a team or play. And i don't believe I'd be successful in doing so because I don't know enough about the inner workings of the sport. But for someone who has studied and followed it so closely for their whole life, something is so off about how this team is coached.

So many changes need to be made, yet Torts makes the wrong ones. He preached accountability when he came here, why is Richards let off the hook. Literally every center on the team was more effective than him last night.

I don't want to hear about how he keeps getting assists, because you know what, he's out there for 20 plus minutes a night and for is killing the offense. Rick Nash has died playing with him. But Torts keeps trotting him out there and wasting our best and highest paid player.

Preach.

Completely agree with every point. Torts makes some really stupid decisions. He's a motivator, not a tactician. When has he outcoached anyone?

 

[16 To Stanley*]

Preach.

Completely agree with every point. Torts makes some really stupid decisions. He's a motivator, not a tactician. When has he outcoached anyone?

I also want to point out, that post is referring to what happened in one game, my questions regarding him this season could go on for pages.

Moving Gaborik to LW is possibly the dumbest thing I've ever seen done by a Rangers coach.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Who else is actually going to play better than Brad Richards right now in the spots that he gets? The fact of the matter is this team hinged it's secondary scoring on Kreider. So far, that has not worked out well for us. Has Richards been a disappointment? Absolutely. But who are we benching him for? You really want to see more of Boyle?

 

[messierjagrlundqvist]

Richards is playing like Boyle was before he was scratched. When is Torts gonna put his ego aside and scratch his boy, Brad?

Richards having Torterella's back is insurance for the coach. It's a boss with one of his star employees, someone vital to an organization, who will vouch for him and go down with him. Torterella scratching Richards risks bruising Brad's ego and if Brad turns on Torts that's gonna be bad news. Torts is tough but he's not stupid enough to risk his job. Richards may be slumping but it's my feeling that he holds a lot of power in this organization and Torts isn't going to commit professional suicide. It's political but that's the reality of it.

 

[16 To Stanley*]

Who else is actually going to play better than Brad Richards right now in the spots that he gets? The fact of the matter is this team hinged it's secondary scoring on Kreider. So far, that has not worked out well for us. Has Richards been a disappointment? Absolutely. But who are we benching him for? You really want to see more of Boyle?

Every center played better than Richards last night.

I'd like to see him benched to kick him in the ass. Show him that everyone is accountable for being better. No matter how much you're paid. No matter how much you're needed. You play like **** you sit. What's the worst that happens, we lose a game?

 

[Trxjw]

Gotta love the irony in people essentially complaining that Boyle didn't take Richards' ice-time last night.

 

[The Gloaming]

I also want to point out, that post is referring to what happened in one game, my questions regarding him this season could go on for pages.

Moving Gaborik to LW is possibly the dumbest thing I've ever seen done by a Rangers coach.

Completely agreed, again. He is just not a good coach. He rode a Vezina season from Hank to the 1st seed on the East, and then this team proceeded to score even less goals in the playoffs. I think they scored more than 3 goals only once, and that was in Game 1 vs. Ottawa. Motivation will only get you so far. Tactics will always win. And after that, it will just be harder to motivate your players again.