Post-Game Talk: Feline

[80shockeywasbuns]

Gauthier with 2 goals in 18 seconds, an assist, and +4 tonight. Also leads NYI in point rate with a 3.07 p/60, next highest is 2.5. He literally scored as many goals in 18 seconds as goodrow/bonino have all season

 

[PuckLuck3043]

They probably do. They're one of the best 5v5 teams in the NHL like they were last year.

They have a legit cheat code on their roster and we don't. I'm not sure what we can do about that besides hope we avoid them.

If we're going to lose to them, I'd rather lose a fun series to them than get shutout 9 times in 7 games like we did last year.

They aren't that good and their defense and goaltending suck. It will be their downfall.

 

[DialUp]

They probably do. They're one of the best 5v5 teams in the NHL like they were last year.

They have a legit cheat code on their roster and we don't. I'm not sure what we can do about that besides hope we avoid them.

If we're going to lose to them, I'd rather lose a fun series to them than get shutout 9 times in 7 games like we did last year.

Fair enough - and agreed

 

[Machinehead]

This is also a pure rush team, so they have to play this style to generate their chances.

When we play tight is when this board starts talking about being boring.

Sometimes we're boring and sometimes it's pond hockey. That's just the way it is. You play a lot of games in this league.

I don't want to be a team that has to do one because they can't do the other, like Trotz's Islanders. Those teams have a ceiling on them after a couple of rounds, like Trotz's Islanders.

This team can be good defensively when they really try hard at it, and they're not far away from doing it without having to try really hard at it. However, to do that, they'd have to just play Trouba less. I don't know if that's realistic enough to even discuss or worry about it.

 

[PuckLuck3043]

Gauthier with 2 goals in 18 seconds, an assist, and +4 tonight. Also leads NYI in point rate with a 3.07 p/60, next highest is 2.5. He literally scored more goals in 18 seconds than goodrow/bonino have all season

He had a good game, big deal. He's still(and always has been) a decent 4th liner at best.

 

[Machinehead]

The Panthers had 2.25 xG at even strength. Seems low based on what I saw. I think xG undershoots sometimes for whatever reason. It's not perfect, but I digress.

Any way you look at it, half of those came with Trouba on the ice.

We have a guy playing a lot of minutes who sucks ass at defense. He's sucked ass at defensive since he came out of the womb. Was literally never good at it.

He's a tank on skates. He's an underrated offensive driver and extremely physical, but he has no concept whatsoever of the position.

As long as he's playing big minutes, that opening is there, and we probably just have to deal with it.

 

[huerter]

good loss

 

[PuckLuck3043]

The Panthers had 2.25 xG at even strength. Seems low based on what I saw. I think xG undershoots sometimes for whatever reason. It's not perfect, but I digress.

Any way you look at it, half of those came with Trouba on the ice.

We have a guy playing a lot of minutes who sucks ass at defense. He's sucked ass at defensive since he came out of the womb. Was literally never good at it.

He's a tank on skates. He's an underrated offensive driver and extremely physical, but he has no concept whatsoever of the position.

As long as he's playing big minutes, that opening is there, and we probably just have to deal with it.

They should explore trading him this off season if that is possible.

 

[huerter]

They probably do. They're one of the best 5v5 teams in the NHL like they were last year.

They have a legit cheat code on their roster and we don't. I'm not sure what we can do about that besides hope we avoid them.

If we're going to lose to them, I'd rather lose a fun series to them than get shutout 9 times in 7 games like we did last year.

When the second best PP percentage wise (with a second unit that just goes out there for S's and giggles) in the last 40+ years isn't a cheat code....

 

[Clark Kellogg]

 

[Machinehead]

They should explore trading him this off season if that is possible.

That's the thing, they probably never would.

The one thing I dislike about this team is their attachment to the same old shit. They love Trouba.

When the second best PP percentage wise (with a second unit that just goes out there for S's and giggles) in the last 40+ years isn't a cheat code....

I'm talking about somebody on the roster.

A great powerplay is a great weapon, and otherwise pedestrian teams have ridden one to the Cup. That being said, even good ones go cold, so it's a roll of the dice that it runs hot at the right time.

Jack Hughes is not a roll of the dice. He's pretty much a guarantee that your team is going to carry play because the team is going to utterly dominate the 20, some-odd minutes he plays. It's the same reason the mid ass Oilers lead the league in xGF% - a 60% possession player plays half the game.

The Oilers have problems. I'm not sure yet if the Devils have those same problems.

 

[FIRE DRURY]

Drury will find a 2/3C replacement for Chytil and it’ll help solidify the top-9. We’re playing very good hockey despite some key injuries.

We’ll be fine. On to Tampa! Rawr!

 

[FIRE DRURY]

View attachment 792383

Very, very happy with that. The Panthers are one of the best teams in the league.

That should have been at least a point. They won on a complete fluke goal.

When a pessimist mofo like MH is happy with the way the team played despite the L, be happy. Sucks we couldn’t at least push this to OT but I’d rather lose a close 1 goal game we could/should have won, than get our teeth kicked in and embarrassed.

How many games have we lost this year by more than a goal…?

 

[Fitzy]

Also- Will Cuylle might be a 20 goal scorer if he was playing with offensively abled linemates.

 

[PuckLuck3043]

When a pessimist mofo like MH is happy with the way the team played despite the L, be happy. Sucks we couldn’t at least push this to OT but I’d rather lose a close 1 goal game we could/should have won, than get our teeth kicked in and embarrassed.

How many games have we lost this year by more than a goal…?

6

 

[80s Kid]

I was at the game and despite the loss, it was entertaining. A few thoughts:

-Rangers didn't bring their A game but didn't play like crap either. They generated chances as I believe MH pointed out.

-Florida is a good team and it would not shock me if they had another deep playoff run. They're tough and don't give up a lot of space despite having an aggressive forecheck.

-PP was garbage but Florida was really aggressive on their PK. I actually hope they didn't create a blueprint on how to beat our PP because better teams may be able to emulate what FL did.

-Quick seemed fine and I doubt Igor would have changed the result. That save he had with his leg in the air early on was incredible.

-Fox, Truba and Wheeler stuck out as having subpar games. I'm not a "Wheeler-hater" but he looked like he did not want to be there.

-Laffy, Panerin and Cuylle looked good. Miller was noticeable, good and bad.

-Too many times where we got caught in our own zone and their forecheck forced a turnover or a sloppy defensive zone exit.

-Lots of Rangers fans in South Florida at the game. It's kind of weird going to a hockey game with palm trees around but it beats the bitter cold.

 

[ReddestRum]

That's the thing, they probably never would.

The one thing I dislike about this team is their attachment to the same old shit. They love Trouba.

Every time Trouba lays a highlight hit, that's another contract extension by a year.

 

[egelband]

That game pissed me off.

Next.

I was there. It was a snorer for the first 20 then, as you say, very aggravating. Florida is a good counter-attacking team. They got some nice bounces, but good teams make that happen.

-Lots of Rangers fans in South Florida at the game. It's kind of weird going to a hockey game with palm trees around but it beats the bitter cold.

I thought it was minimum 40% rangers fans.

 

[egelband]

It was almost as if the gods granted breakaways to our worst breakaway people

That Kreider breakaway was about the worst thing I’ve ever seen.

 

[egelband]

You have to play all 60 minutes.
Quick largely sensational.
CK and Trouba need to start finishing checks again.
Some questionable calls against us.
Brilliant play from Panarin (as usual).

I thought after the rangers got the first pp the refs let the panthers get away with a mugging on Panarin behind the net which nixed a scoring chance. And then called cheapie one on us. That’s shit. Typical game management. The call on Laf was borderline though I can understand protecting heads. But of course last game Trouba got an elbow to the head and no pp…

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Idk, in 7 games against the Devils we had like 2 expected goals the whole series and I hated that.

Generation was a bigger problem under Gallant than suppression was.

I like that we can generate. We never had games like this last year where we were staying in it because we can get chances. If we had breakdowns we would just get our asses kicked.

I generally like your posts but you literally said when we were giving up a ton of goals a few weeks back that the Rangers do better when they keep games low event.

 

[Machinehead]

I generally like your posts but you literally said when we were giving up a ton of goals a few weeks back that the Rangers do better when they keep games low event.

Yes, and we certainly started out that way, but we've been playing more high-event games recently and doing ok.

If I had a choice, lower is probably better because the more chances are in the game, the more is left up to randomness, but at the end of the day, if it's pond hockey, and we end up with more chances, that's good. If it's low-event, and we end up with less, like the NJ series, that's bad.

I want to outplay the opponent, or at the very least, be competitive. I don't care how. I'm not going to complain about a sloppy game where we were the better team.

We weren't competitive in the playoffs. It was low-event and they had most of it. That's the worst kind.

 

[Machinehead]

That Kreider breakaway was about the worst thing I’ve ever seen.

Kreider is a weirdo lol.

He has the best hands in the league when the puck is flying through the air, but when he actually has control of it, they turn to stone.

 

[egelband]

Kreider is a weirdo lol.

He has the best hands in the league when the puck is flying through the air, but when he actually has control of it, they turn to stone.

It’s like he uses an old timey 30 pound flat blade stick.

 

[mandiblesofdoom]

-Too many times where we got caught in our own zone and their forecheck forced a turnover or a sloppy defensive zone exit.

Yeah, this.