Post-Game Talk: Cat in the Hat

[RangerLifer]

I'm strangely not pissed at all after this game.

Thought we were the better team in the second and third. Fix the slow start at we got this.

Exactly!

 

[ReddestRum]

Two observations.
Other than the fourth line, the forwards refused to dump and chase until there was 3 minutes left in the third. Seemed odd that they wouldn’t want to take that road, especially against a smaller non-physical team.
2nd:
Something is not right with Kreider. He refuses to engage physically. In the past he use to throw opposing players around like rag dolls and his mental game is off as well. Holding the puck along the end board in the offensive zone at the end of the 2nd period with less than 10 seconds remaining is just bad decisions making.

Actually, I thought the whole game for us was the gatdamn dump in chase where we rarely ever recover the puck on the dump. I wish I could see some statistics of how many times we dump at the red and blue line, actually recover, and then maintain possession. Wasn't much!

 

[TriFF51]

Hopefully it comes as a "you cannot play this way against a hungry team" lesson because it felt like our lunch was stolen

We should have been just as hungry as them. Not enough desperation.

 

[RangerLifer]

We should have been just as hungry as them. Not enough desperation.

I believe they are pacing themselves, saving it for the playoffs.

 

[PlamsUnlimited]

We should have been just as hungry as them. Not enough desperation.

Hope we make these points up tomorrow.

 

[Machinehead]

Even if we're healthy, I'm a tad bit concerned about their speed up against our poor transition game from the D, but getting Harpur's ECHL ass out would be a huge difference.

He's like the worst things about Staal, Girardi, and Pionk had a wretched spawn.

 

[TriFF51]

Hope we make these points up tomorrow.

Hope so too.

 

[17futurecap]

I'm strangely not pissed at all after this game.


Exactly!

If the first 20 were the whole game, I could see being pissed, but the last 40 was fine. Basically shrugged my shoulders at the final horn.

It’s on management though with one injury on d in the playoffs, and Ben Harpur is in.

 

[The New Russian Five]

Honestly probably the best outcome. The team needed to learn that they can't beat this team on skill alone. It will be a valuable lesson for when we meet in the playoffs. If they just simplify their game a little bit they will beat them.

 

[Machinehead]

It’s coming.

Just from this short clip, you can see how much slower the game was. Holy shit.

It's like watching caterpillars play.

 

[bhamill]

Well the good news is they didn’t play anywhere near their best and it was close.
The bad new is they didn’t play their best in a game where they SHOULD have so they lost.
The longer a series goes with these guys the more it favors the NYR. Devils can’t match the physicality, they don’t have more firepower than us, and we have better goaltending. We will wear them down. Devs were starting to pull up in the 2nd to avoid hits and then we inexplicably took our foot off the gas as far as hitting for most of the third. Also worst game for the kids in probably ten, I dont expect that as the norm in the post season. With Lindgren in and Harpur out I REALLY like our chances.

 

[Game suspension]

Thought Panarin was not himself tonight giving away the puck endlessly but their line was just not on. Gotta wonder what Gallant was thinking. Does he change lines in the middle of the game or is he the deer staring at the headlights ? Kane was in give me the frigging puck mode. This team has to learn to give him the puck more often than they do.

 

[17futurecap]

Just from this short clip, you can see how much slower the game was. Holy shit.

It's like watching caterpillars play.

Rachunek/Mara out there in double ot.

 

[Clark Kellogg]

Actually, I thought the whole game for us was the gatdamn dump in chase where we rarely ever recover the puck on the dump. I wish I could see some statistics of how many times we dump at the red and blue line, actually recover, and then maintain possession. Wasn't much!

I did not see that other than from the 4th line. What I watched was all other three lines trying to bring the puck through the neutral zone and then attempting East-west passes to gain the offensive zone. It didn’t work.

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

Have been saying for a while but the cold reality is the NJD is a nightmare matchup for the NYR.

A slow team that loves to give a puck away vs a team that plays a lightning fast counterattack style.

The positive takeaway would be that they got better as the game went on and Shesty kept them in it.

 

[Richard Banger]

I think it’s funny that people think it’s the rangers that need to learn. They’ve learned plenty from that Tampa series alone. They aren’t the ones who need to prove themselves in the playoffs. Boston Tampa and the Rangers are the big 3 in the east for the playoffs until proven otherwise.

 

[NCRanger]

I was thinking this, at least up til the third. So many groovy bounces for them, especially on defense. That said, they were outplaying us for much of that time and usually puck luck is with the better team.

The Devils first goal was a lost faceoff after a bull**** icing call.

The second, a power play. It happens, although Schneider got beaten repeatedly.

Thought the Rangers got better as the game went on, but the weird bounces just didn’t go the Rangers way, except on Kreider’s goal.

 

[Richard Banger]

Have been saying for a while but the cold reality is the NJD is a nightmare matchup for the NYR.

A slow team that loves to give a puck away vs a team that plays a lightning fast counterattack style.

The positive takeaway would be that they got better as the game went on and Shesty kept them in it.

I wouldn’t say nightmare matchup. I’ll save my judgment for when the playoffs actually start. Again the devils have proven nothing in the playoffs. They could be like the rangers last year. They could also be the leafs 2.0

 

[Boris Zubov]

Have been saying for a while but the cold reality is the NJD is a nightmare matchup for the NYR.

A slow team that loves to give a puck away vs a team that plays a lightning fast counterattack style.

The positive takeaway would be that they got better as the game went on and Shesty kept them in it.

Our cross ice turnovers are going to end our season if we continue to force them.

 

[LeetchisGod]

How did that work out for Carolina last year?

This Devils team is more talented than Carolina.

 

[Machinehead]

I think it’s funny that people think it’s the rangers that need to learn. They’ve learned plenty from that Tampa series alone. They aren’t the ones who need to prove themselves in the playoffs. Boston Tampa and the Rangers are the big 3 in the east for the playoffs until proven otherwise.

We got down against the Penguins because we spaffed it up the wall and were dead on our feet 9 minutes in every game.

I think that's why we're managing our starts a bit more and not playing into the hungry bullshit in the regular season.

 

[PANARIN BREAD FAN]

we played like shit and still didn't get destroyed. the game against buffalo and tampa are the ones that have the most immediate interest for me. buffalo because i'm curious if we can play tight and light up after a game we didn't really show up for. and tampa because well... because they're who what most think that they are. the best test to gauge where' we're at other than boston.

 

[Holocene]

also thought igor, kane, trochek, fox, mikkola, and miller all had really good games. fox looked like himself tonight so that's great to see. also gonna echo what ive seen elsewhere that they should put lindgren with schneider and keep mikkola with fox for a bit. worth a look.

 

[kinger8998]

Yeah, I try to be optimistic and positive about this team, but we are in trouble if we don't play ALOT better than we did the 1st half of this game. Devils dominated their half, we got by in the 2nd half. Devils had 10-12 chances where I thought it was a goal, we had maybe 4 or 5. Could be generous.

That game was a very infuriating game to watch as a Rangers fan. Devils dominated all 3 zones.

 

[romba]

Our first periods continue to suck. Good teams will capitalize on them like the Devils. Hopefully the playoff energy will negate our lackluster starts.