Post-Game Talk: lightnings @ RANGER

[egelband]

There are some posters that are just annoying people but actually come to participate in the discussion. I try to leave those.

Then there are some people that have like 3-4 things that they want to talk about exclusively in every thread whether it's relevant or not. Those people can f*** right off onto my ignore list. And no I don't feel like I miss anything, because you can pretty much tell exactly what's going on when they're causing shit in a thread.

Then there are people who you legitimately question whether they're intellectually impaired, and there's no loss there, either.

Also, sometimes I just go back through my ignore list and take a bunch of people off, and see if they're any better. I have several people that have spent a long time on my list who have come back off.

I’ve done this too. Done the ignore thing then done a jailbreak. And I haven’t gone back to ignoring anyone. Yet

 

[egelband]

Dude is a replaceable fourth liner. I know people like to cite that "he has only played XX games" but there's a reason for that, which is other than skating fast and giving a good effort he's not particularly good at anything. I know he has scored at the junior and AHL level, but the guy is f***ing incapable of scoring in the NHL (and he doesn't really generate for anyone else).

I think JG has a lot of Kreider in him. So if he can’t take it to the next level with Kreider on the same team, he probably never will. But I still have hope. He has at least made progress this year. He has to keep improving.

 

[egelband]

I have never thrown my hat ion the ice before. I would have thrown even one of my favorite hats today.

Was watching with my boy and he went and got his cap and tossed it on the kitchen floor. Good stuff. Aside from the petty review we had to wait out…

 

[egelband]

The Devils give Hughes PP time, top 6 minutes and all other toys to play with. Laf gets to play 12 minutes with guys like Chytil.

Jones and Lundkvist looked good together, they should be given more minutes. And as the second part of the season is starting, Zibanejad is traditionally starting to heat up. Good to see. This team needs him out there.

Jones-Lundkvist. Yes! I’ve been advocating this for a few weeks now. I think Nils is about ready to take off the training wheels and he plays smart enough to cover if Jones goes walkabout. If not right now, I think Zac-Nils could work soon.

 

[Whoot Whoot]

I think we keep Hajak in the lineup

 

[Ola]

Also -- loved -- seeing us sit back trapping in the 3rd and I agree 100% with Fox that this is something that is required from a team that aims for the top in this league.

Look at Tampa in the POs last season:
-They won three low-scoring games against Carolina to send them golfing (2-1, 2-1 and 2-0).
-They won G7 against NYI with 1-0, a pure trap fest.
-They clinched the Cup with a 1-0 win against MTL, a pure trap fest.

There are different ways to win hockey games in this league. But odds are that you will not do it regularly enough -- and with sufficient consistency to go through a full long and enduring POs -- to win a Cup if you cannot win games without having the foot on gas for 60 minutes all game. Colorado is a good example. Sooner or later you are bound to get into trouble.

It is of course a balance, and there will come games when we back down to early and it cost us. But its -- IMO -- definitely an element a team like ours should have. In a game like yesterdays', its probably the best way to create offense and score more goals. As we also saw, Tampa ran into a wall and we got plenty of chances.

 

[Ola]

Was watching with my boy and he went and got his cap and tossed it on the kitchen floor. Good stuff. Aside from the petty review we had to wait out…

Amazing!

 

[Ola]

I feel like Nils Lundkvist needs some props. He's been playing some very solid hockey for a while now. Seems like he's more used to the physicality and adjusting to the ice and playing with more confidence. I think he's looking really good.

I agree and I am 100% sure that he got quite much growth in him still. I don't for a second doubt that he will take another fairly big step. Just becoming more comfortable with the puck, carrying it more, being more involved offensively.

I doubt it will happen, but regarding Nils-Jones I also think that it is a pairing that would improve greatly the more miles it gets on the meter. Getting to know each other better while also learning how they can use their tools to get away from pressure, it would improve their transition game exponentially.

I believe that Gallant prefers the size on the blueline. But I wouldn't shoot down a notion that we would be better of long term with Nils and Jones, which I think @Irishguy42 has been alluding to for a while, i.e. that its not a must to have big Ds to clear the crease and so forth. Tampa and MTL for example both had big Ds and it really worked for them. But no matter if its the regular season or the POs, don't for a second doubt that it would be a real pain in the rear to play against a well synched tandem of two guys like Jones and Nils that constantly would slip away from the heavy forecheckers and get going in the other direction.

 

[Larrybiv]

just means you're old.

I take humbrage

 

[Larrybiv]

At 20 years old and just over one full season worth of games played? Give me a break dude. There’s reason to be underwhelmed about his progress so far but he’s not a bust.

And Jack Hughes looking good for New Jersey has literally nothing to do with Lafreniere. Idk why anyone cares about Hughes who we never had a chance of drafting. And all the crowing about how dynamic he looks his numbers are marginally better than Kakko’s with Hughes getting 1C usage and PP1 time. Lafreniere (and Kakko for that matter) have gotten historically low usage for picks of their caliber. Most players chosen first or second overall step onto bad teams where they get PP1 usage and top 6 minutes. Kakko and Laf have gotten 3rd line minutes and mop up PP minutes if anything at all.

Also, who would you like to go into a corner and retrieve the puck? Play Playoff defense? Backchecking?

 

[Peltz]

A couple of games back we were all gawking on that pass Zibad threaded to Krieds on the far post, through two defenders for an easy tap in. At the time I was saying how it was luck that pass got through, but still an excellent play. Cause even if the pass didn't get through, with where Zibad was positioned on the ice, there was a chance it might have deflected off of one of those defenders and go on net, and perhaps even go in.

Well, that is exactly what happened this game, as Zibad in the same spot as before, was looking to thread a pass to Kakko at the far post. But this time McDonagh got a stick on it, and it deflected in.

I don't like to say I told you guys so, but yeah ok, this time,.. I will enjoy saying it. LOL!

McD just wanted to score on our side again for old time's sake.

 

[Larrybiv]

Been a long time since I rocked and rolled, also been a long long time,since I've felt so happy about a home and home SWEEP against a very, very good team......let alone b2b Cup winners. We should be standing very proud right now.

Who can't beat a good team? We're still learning for crying out loud. Told you Panarin was a detriment. Jk

 

[Peltz]

Was watching with my boy and he went and got his cap and tossed it on the kitchen floor. Good stuff. Aside from the petty review we had to wait out…

If I'm not at the Garden (as I wasn't yesterday) I always run into whatever room my wife is in while the game is happening and throw a bunch of hats at her feet then run away.

She thinks I'm delightful

 

[Larrybiv]

The Devils give Hughes PP time, top 6 minutes and all other toys to play with. Laf gets to play 12 minutes with guys like Chytil.

Jones and Lundkvist looked good together, they should be given more minutes. And as the second part of the season is starting, Zibanejad is traditionally starting to heat up. Good to see. This team needs him out there.

Anyone and rightly so, can criticize Chytil, but Laff is far from a playmaker thus far, and equally to blame for little production. That whole line is out of sync, and as long as they're not giving up Kohl's goals oh, I suppose that's a good start. Give time, time.

 

[egelband]

Anyone and rightly so, can criticize Chytil, but Laff is far from a playmaker thus far, and equally to blame for little production. That whole line is out of sync, and as long as they're not giving up Kohl's goals oh, I suppose that's a good start. Give time, time.

Lafreniere needs to take that line by the horns, so to speak. Chytil is not a playmaker, unfortunately. And neither is JG. It’s up to Lafreniere to drive that line. I hope he can do it. Would be huge if that came together. I suppose Gallant is banking on that happening. I wonder how much patience he has.

 

[Mike in Houston]

I think we keep Hajak in the lineup

I think he has been fine. Totally serviceable. Had a gaffe with Igor yesterday but those are bound to happen to every defenseman in the league (see: Girardi, Dan). Of course when it happens to public enemy #1 on Rangers social media it is absurdly magnified.

 

[Kovalev27]

I think the ignore function defeats the purpose of a message board.

Echo chambers are boring.

yah I don’t ignore anyone.

 

[egelband]

I think he has been fine. Totally serviceable. Had a gaffe with Igor yesterday but those are bound to happen to every defenseman in the league (see: Girardi, Dan). Of course when it happens to public enemy #1 on Rangers social media it is absurdly magnified.

Yep. Hajek has been good. I don’t think his ceiling is all that exciting, but he has been quite good aside from the occasional lapses, which might just be rust.

 

[DuneGoon84]

Lafreniere needs to take that line by the horns, so to speak. Chytil is not a playmaker, unfortunately. And neither is JG. It’s up to Lafreniere to drive that line. I hope he can do it. Would be huge if that came together. I suppose Gallant is banking on that happening. I wonder how much patience he has.

I agree, he needs to start showing us the game is slowing down for him. He has talent but for whatever reason he isn't making the plays he is capable of.

 

[Beer League Sniper]

Is Gauthier the worst finisher in the NHL?

Gauthier has a very hard wrister that he can pick corners with when given a bit of time and space. His other best asset is his speed and ability to get close in chances by the net. Problem is, he has very poor "net hands," and he hasn't figured out how to get the time and space to release his wrister yet. Who knows if he ever will. But, it's like his two best skills are completely incompatible in the context of his game at the NHL level at this point. Dude probably becomes a Daniel Paille type, but his upside is probably Jason Chimera, if he can figure out how to cash on some of the chances he generates. Still a valuable player if he's able to accept reality and hone his craft with that role in mind.

 

[McRanger92]

Jones-Lundkvist. Yes! I’ve been advocating this for a few weeks now. I think Nils is about ready to take off the training wheels and he plays smart enough to cover if Jones goes walkabout. If not right now, I think Zac-Nils could work soon.

Lundkvist impresses me more every game. So solid on D positioning despite being a smaller guy, but he knows how to use leverage to push bigger guys off the puck. Now we just need him to start using that slapper more.

 

[AWall THE CLAW]

I can't believe that coach got that team playing that way.

Yea, Sirianni The Horticulturist is the reason we made a run into the playoffs. Him, the offensive line, and then the QB who's been really solid for a rookie. But I fear these off-topic escapades will bring forth the wrath of the mods... so I'll just say that Igor Shesterkin is the Eagles' Offensive Line of the Rangers and that Gerard Gallant could learn a lot from Nick Sirianni's botany metaphors.

 

[leetch99]

I think we wind up with one of Smith/Kessel, Giordano and a depth banger. Time will tell

Gio likely will be expensive . I am not sure of Seattle's cap ? and what their priority is here....they would likely aim to get the best asset in return I would guess with cap not an issue? I dunno if I would want to cough up a top 6 D prospect just yet . Those guys will be lifelines down the rd for us with so many big contracts already in the stable and those that are looming.....going to be hard to cover all our bases moving forward and at some point we may need to send a runner to steal home....LOL....could use many cliches here...

 

[romba]

A couple of games back we were all gawking on that pass Zibad threaded to Krieds on the far post, through two defenders for an easy tap in. At the time I was saying how it was luck that pass got through, but still an excellent play. Cause even if the pass didn't get through, with where Zibad was positioned on the ice, there was a chance it might have deflected off of one of those defenders and go on net, and perhaps even go in.

Well, that is exactly what happened this game, as Zibad in the same spot as before, was looking to thread a pass to Kakko at the far post. But this time McDonagh got a stick on it, and it deflected in.

I don't like to say I told you guys so, but yeah ok, this time,.. I will enjoy saying it. LOL!

As opposed to cross seam passes through 2 players but heading away from the net, which often end up in odd man rushes the other way

 

[leetch99]

Yea he is … right now he’s projecting as non 1st liner .

Needs 10 pounds of muscle and another half a step faster if that is possible and then he will be very good with a real Center and some PP quality time .