GDT: ECF: Game 1 - New York Rangers vs Florida Panthers, 8pm ET, ESPN

[Baby Duck Homme]

These playoffs are so odd as a Ranger fan. I am used to losing guys not players coming back off IL. Instead of next man up it’s like the others guys are fighting to get back. No game 7s.

I’m getting ready to hate the Panthers. We got options and different looks to throw at a team instead of scraping the barrel.

If you are a fairly new Rangers fan, this is not normal. Enjoy this!

 

[MrAlmost]

Yeah of all the Rempe scenarios, I don't know if 3C is the winning formula.

Sometimes you gotta take a chance.

 

[TheWrongWay]

They don't chant Panarin's name. Give me a break. What I'm saying is true, but I'm wrong? LOL!

Hey. You said you weren't gonna do that with him and then ya both kept doing it.

You're both grounded. Go to your room.

 

[ohbaby]

I do think the crowd gets hyped for Rempe but it's also like...if we need to get the crowd hyped up then other things have gone wrong first. If the Rangers run into issues where Rempe might provide a spark, then sure, whatever. Shorten the bench and throw him out there...... but that's like, if things are dire.

This is implausible. Rempe would never be part of a shortened bench. If we were chasing he would get no ice time. If it was garbage time, being blown out, then sure. It has to be a close game or we are leading.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Don LaGreca is calling the game on the radio tonight so something is definitely up with Sam , listening to Don Lagreca's podcast and EJ Hradek mentioned he hopes Sam is alright.

 

[ohbaby]

Hey. You said you weren't gonna do that with him and then ya both kept doing it.

You're both grounded. Go to your room.

Can I still watch the game?

 

[tlk]

I think it's 50-50 now that I read Chytil skated with the extras this morning. Being we get last call with match ups makes Rempe a real threat.

We'll see. Will be surprised if it's Rempe.
But a ready and chomping at the bit Fil has got to play it's just a no contest. Hopefully at C but I get it if they want to ease him in at the wing.

 

[n8]

These playoffs are so odd as a Ranger fan. I am used to losing guys not players coming back off IL. Instead of next man up it’s like the others guys are fighting to get back. No game 7s.

I’m getting ready to hate the Panthers. We got options and different looks to throw at a team instead of scrapping the barrel.

If you are a fairly new Rangers fan, this is not normal. Enjoy this!

Every year, the outcome of any series can depend on a lot of these luck factors. Part of it is finishing off early opponents quickly so you have more time to heal your wounds. The longest any team has ever gone to win the cup is sadly the 2014 Kings who played 26 games (3 seven game series). We played 25 games that year (we had 2 seven game series and a 6 game series vs MTL).

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Don LaGreca is calling the game on the radio tonight so something is definitely up with Sam , listening to Don Lagreca's podcast and EJ Hradek mentioned he hopes Sam is alright.

Yeah I've learned to not disregard these reddit rumors automatically.

The Zucc speech issues, Kreider blood clot, Igor/Buch car crash and other things have popped up there initially and ended up being true.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

Counter points:
Chytil is a center. AND has always played much better at center. We will be adding a better player if he's at C.

We need scoring from the 3rd line. Wennberg does/can not. Adding Chytil to Wennberg keeps the one guy on the line that has zero finishing skills. It kills offensive flow. Cuylle Chytil Kakko probably will score. Certainly will score more than the 3rd has been doing. Despite Wennberg reading the play well, and staying high in the O zone, he remains unable to finish opportunities he's set up for, and does not set up many himself. This is just reality, not "shitting" on anybody.

Chytil isn't great defensively but Kakko and Cuylle still are more than servicable. It's called balance. Getting more (any) offense from line 3 while remaining defensibly able is a big win.

A 4th line of Goodrow Wennberg Vesey is a shutdown line. can start them any D zone draw we have and there is even a backup center on it for the draws.

Thats debatable. Depends on how you view the importance of the position and what needs to be done. Its obviously not how the coaching staff feels and neither do I.

A agree Wennberg is a black hole in creating chances, but his play up the middle does lead to more possession and reduces chances again. Thats a good thing. Its a much bigger issue defensively than offensively when talking about what you need from a center, in tight playoff games.

Sometimes keeping the other team even instead of scoring 3 and letting up 4 of 5 is the better route. I see what you are saying but I actually think thats a more balanced 200 ft line than going Cuylle Chytil Kakko. 3rd line will also likely be getting more minutes even strength.

I like that 4th line, I do - but not at the expense of Chytil JUST coming back in as a C the the conf finals. For the reasons i pointed out, probably the most important is managing Chytils skating/recovery/health and not giving him too many things to think about. We saw what it did to Mikas game trying to match up against Hughes last year. And I doubt Chytil would even be that concerned about things defensively, and thats part of the problem.

 

[LOFIN]

To be fair, that's a bad example LMAO

I imagine a lot of screaming over that scenario

Screams of terror or excitement?

 

[AirGut]

Yeah I've learned to not disregard these reddit rumors automatically.

The Zucc speech issues, Kreider blood clot, Igor/Buch car crash and other things have popped up there initially and ended up being true.

the person on reddit said that he collapsed at a baseball game and was hospitalized? Really hope everything is okay and that it was just heat exhaustion.

 

[Machinehead]

Screams of terror or excitement?

Depends on your prefernce, I suppose.

 

[TheWrongWay]

Can I still watch the game?

Yes. It's 2024, not 1974. Sending a kid to the room now is like rewarding them. I mildly punished my 6-year-old recently and told her to go outside... without her tablet

 

[Alluckks]

I wish they would leave Cuylle where he is and put useless ass Wennberg on the 4th line.

They clearly don’t want Chytil playing center at this time

 

[MyLoveIsBlue]

If they didn't think he could play, they wouldn't try it. If it was his head, he wouldn't be back.

He was just sick.

Yeah, he just had a bad case of the Barry Trotz.

 

[ohbaby]

Yes. It's 2024, not 1974. Sending a kid to the room now is like rewarding them. I mildly punished my 6-year-old recently and told her to go outside... without her tablet

In 1994, I had to go to the bars to watch the Cup run. And I can't hold my liquor.

 

[gravey9]

Series is going to come down to this:

1 - Can the Rangers limit the Panthers zone time and high danger shots?

2 - Can the Rangers surmount the Panthers at even strength if and when the officials swallow their whistles as usually happens somewhere in the Conference Finals for the remainder of the playoffs.

3 - Can the Rangers win the injury/attrition battle?

Going to be a very very hard series. I am hopeful we will find a way through. I'm hopeful that the Panthers might run into their own injury issues given they went to the finals last year and are now in a second long run in a row. But the Panthers are legit. We're going to need a lot more than Igor to win this series.

 

[duhmetreE]

These playoffs are so odd as a Ranger fan. I am used to losing guys not players coming back off IL. Instead of next man up it’s like the others guys are fighting to get back. No game 7s.

I’m getting ready to hate the Panthers. We got options and different looks to throw at a team instead of scrapping the barrel.

If you are a fairly new Rangers fan, this is not normal. Enjoy this!

Also not used to so many days off

 

[NYR Viper]

They clearly don’t want Chytil playing center at this time

One could argue that allowing Chytil to create offense and concentrate on that is more beneficial than having him try to play center and cover 200' based on the depth on the team. Wennberg, for all the shit he gets, is good defensively and at transporting the puck.

 

[ohbaby]

Series is going to come down to this:

1 - Can the Rangers limit the Panthers zone time and high danger shots?

2 - Can the Rangers surmount the Panthers at even strength if and when the officials swallow their whistles as usually happens somewhere in the Conference Finals for the remainder of the playoffs.

3 - Can the Rangers win the injury/attrition battle?

Going to be a very very hard series. I am hopeful we will find a way through. I'm hopeful that the Panthers might run into their own injury issues given they went to the finals last year and are now in a second long run in a row. But the Panthers are legit. We're going to need a lot more than Igor to win this series.

What I'm hoping for, is using our speed, to push the pace, and avoid their forecheck. We do that, we'll be ok. They are the best forechecking team in the league. We need clean fast breakouts.

 

[duhmetreE]

Series is going to come down to this:

1 - Can the Rangers limit the Panthers zone time and high danger shots?

2 - Can the Rangers surmount the Panthers at even strength if and when the officials swallow their whistles as usually happens somewhere in the Conference Finals for the remainder of the playoffs.

3 - Can the Rangers win the injury/attrition battle?

Going to be a very very hard series. I am hopeful we will find a way through. I'm hopeful that the Panthers might run into their own injury issues given they went to the finals last year and are now in a second long run in a row. But the Panthers are legit. We're going to need a lot more than Igor to win this series.

Please do not let Reinhart alone in the slot. Don’t give Verhaeghe space either. These are the types that kill us imo

I hope the top 9 takes it to another level. Panarin line should produce. Hopefully Chytil helps the finishing issues on the 3rd.

Panthers have to deal with the same issue. Can they hold up in a long series the way they play? They fell apart last run even with making quick work of the semis and ECF.

 

[Kakko]

I'd like Trouba to let guys run into him, actually separate them from the puck, lay them out, and send it the other way (or more likely, get jumped in response).

I'm concerned I'll see him throw multiple flying nothings at center ice, giving up odd man rushes or breakaways.

 

[TheWrongWay]

8 pm start time is More waiting with time slowly hobbling along. May need to go turtle wax my spaceship to kill some time

 

[SA16]

Thats debatable. Depends on how you view the importance of the position and what needs to be done. Its obviously not how the coaching staff feels and neither do I.

A agree Wennberg is a black hole in creating chances, but his play up the middle does lead to more possession and reduces chances again. Thats a good thing. Its a much bigger issue defensively than offensively when talking about what you need from a center, in tight playoff games.

Sometimes keeping the other team even instead of scoring 3 and letting up 4 of 5 is the better route. I see what you are saying but I actually think thats a more balanced 200 ft line than going Cuylle Chytil Kakko. 3rd line will also likely be getting more minutes even strength.

I like that 4th line, I do - but not at the expense of Chytil JUST coming back in as a C the the conf finals. For the reasons i pointed out, probably the most important is managing Chytils skating/recovery/health and not giving him too many things to think about. We saw what it did to Mikas game trying to match up against Hughes last year. And I doubt Chytil would even be that concerned about things defensively, and thats part of the problem.

I think Chytil would have more things to think about coming in as a wing, a position he has very rarely played in the NHL, than playing the position he's played for 300+ games.