Post-Game Talk: Montreal Canadiens at New York Rangers 10/8/17

[Nickmo82]

Good for Skjei getting a goal. But what is up with his ice time? That's not helping my fantasy team much! I know, you couldn't care less. But really, this is a guy who a number of Ranger fans laughed at trading for Trouba and he's not getting PP time and the overall time he's getting is #6 tonight. So what's going on here? thanks in advance for the replies!

Can wait to see a Ranger game in a couple weeks!

Etc.

Post of the year!

 

[Revel]

Only thing that really bothers me about that is AV going back to his guys who struggled mightily last season

Smith and the young guys struggled some in the first two games. Trying to do too much. Skjei is a bit all over like he's trying to be overconfident and do it all. McDonagh has gone through some years doing that as well at the start of a season.

If AV sits them for his vets indefinitely it'll be an issue in the long run.

I think AV is only human...and though we were only 2 games into the season going into this game, he felt the heat. He wanted to turn this around ASAP. 12 Goals in 2 games is fugly. If we had played the same line-up and lost yet another game, this board would have exploded.

I understand your concern about not letting the young guys grow, but AV did make it crystal clear before the game that ADA has a future here. He's on his side. I'm not worried about AV and his willingness to allow DeAngelo to develop. He'll work with him. JT Miller received similar "tough love".

Regarding Smith: He's no rookie and getting paid a lot of money. He sucked a lot more than DeAngelo. He has been atrocious to start, and wasn't great in the pre-season, either. I am firmly in AV's corner on sitting Smith.

 

[aufheben]

Habs are really bad. The Rangers were pretty much a dead solid lock tonight.
I liked Kampfer’s game. I’d eventually have him and Staal rotating in-and-out, maybe.
Kampfer seemed to me to do everything nicely. Hit, made quick decisions with the puck, was noticeable.
I did not like how Weber targeted Buchnevich, skated all the way across the ice, and delivered a massive cross-check to the back of an unsuspecting Buchnevich. And with a ref watching.
Horse ****.

That's his game. And big slapshots. Where's my Shea Weber flow chart...

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

I live in Stockholm though.


TravellingJagrSTHLM?

It's a shame Sauer retired otherwise "Swede & Sauer" would have been hilarious

 

[Placid]

You mean things have changed now after tonight's shutout win? We aren't so horrible afterall after 3 games of a 82 game season?

Not until the next loss

 

[Maximus]

Not until the next loss

I know, its funny...it really is.

79 games left in what very very likely will be another invitation to the playofff dance like it's always been for over a decade and peeps in here are panicking over a skittish and uneven first two games.

Seriously, you can't make shit like this up. And yes I do know there is negativity as it goes on with pretty much every fan base except probably Vegas's...lol.

In here tho, "panic mode" takes on a special meaning especially when our brothers start panicking after 2 games of an 82 game season. What's really amusing, it's typically the same exact peeps who say year after year after year that this is the season we don't make the playoffs....Hank is done....AV blows chunks....Gorton doesn't know what he's doing...yada yada yada. And every year these same peeps end up being wrong....

Thank the good lord that the majority in here are mostly level headed and go with the flow and realize that as much as disappointing as it might be, the Rangers are going to lose at least 25 times pretty much every season withought fail and it's not worth stepping off the ledge each and every time the boys lose even in the fashion they did last night vs the Leafs which was pretty embarassing other than the combeback down 5-1...whatever. This is going to be a fun season that I have no doubt about.

 

[Revel]

I know, its funny...it really is.

79 games left in what very very likely will be another invitation to the playofff dance like it's always been for over a decade and peeps in here are panicking over a skittish and uneven first two games.

Seriously, you can't make **** like this up. And yes I do know there is negativity as it goes on with pretty much every fan base except probably Vegas's...lol.

In here tho, "panic mode" takes on a special meaning especially when our brothers start panicking after 2 games of an 82 game season. What's really amusing, it's typically the same exact peeps who say year after year after year that this is the season we don't make the playoffs....Hank is done....AV blows chunks....Gorton doesn't know what he's doing...yada yada yada. And every year these same peeps end up being wrong....

Thank the good lord that the majority in here are mostly level headed and go with the flow and realize that as much as disappointing as it might be, the Rangers are going to lose at least 25 times pretty much every season withought fail and it's not worth stepping off the ledge each and every time the boys lose even in the fashion they did last night vs the Leafs which was pretty embarassing other than the combeback down 5-1...whatever. This is going to be a fun season that I have no doubt about.

Max, you do realize you're criticizing people for getting upset after two bad losses....while you have just declared us Playoff eligible after one (our only) win...right? I appreciate you're optimism, but you're also jumping to rash conclusions based on an infinitesimal sample size.....and throwing board members under the bus while doing it.

 

[Machinehead]

Funny thing is, regarding the sudden positivity: This was easily the worst game of the three.

 

[Maximus]

Max, you do realize you're criticizing people for getting upset after two bad losses....while you have just declared us Playoff eligible after one (our only) win...right? I appreciate you're optimism, but you're also jumping to rash conclusions based on an infinitesimal sample size.....and throwing board members under the bus while doing it.

I respectfully disagree with you Rev. I don't think I'm throwing anyone under the bus. If the shoe fits and one is a typically a Negative Nancy...well than the shoe fits. Nothing I'm saying is novel or anything. This has nothing to do with being an optimist or a pessimist.

IMO from my pretty vast experience over the years watching tons of hockey that includes not just watching Ranger games, doing fantasy hockey for over 20 years which I need to evaluate talent effectively if I want to compete favorably in my big $$ league and win titles which I have done on multiple occasions, I can tell if a team is talented enough to be a playoff team or not or whether or not a goalie is good enough to not have to retire...etc.

This team of ours is very talented and is no doubt in my mind a playoff team. Hank even at 35 is still a top 15 goalie at the very very worst and if my suspicions about him and other experts of goalies are correct, has upside to be a Top 10 and maybe better this season.

So when peeps say he needs to retire after two games and this team of ours is going to be competing for a high draft pick, I'm going to pipe up and say it's ridiculous. That's not throwing anyone under the bus. That's speaking truth.

And just so you know Rev before last night's win and before season, I said publicly that I think this team presently constructed and not even counting the fact that Gorton likely will make a move for a center come trade deadline or even sooner, is talented enough to make it to the ECF and if planets align, maybe even a Cup finals appearance. I think it comes down to my thoughts that Hank will be very very good this year.

I base my thoughts on the body of work of this team over the years, the core we have, the additions we made and the fact our HOF goalie has a chip on his shoulder and wants to prove his detractors, many of whom are in this room, are going to be wrong about him.

 

[Revel]

I respectfully disagree with you Rev. I don't think I'm throwing anyone under the bus. If the shoe fits and one is a typically a Negative Nancy...well than the shoe fits. Nothing I'm saying is novel or anything. This has nothing to do with being an optimist or a pessimist.

IMO from my pretty vast experience over the years watching tons of hockey that includes not just watching Ranger games, doing fantasy hockey for over 20 years which I need to evaluate talent effectively if I want to compete favorably in my big $$ league and win titles which I have done on multiple occasions, I can tell if a team is talented enough to be a playoff team or not or whether or not a goalie is good enough to not have to retire...etc.

This team of ours is very talented and is no doubt in my mind a playoff team. Hank even at 35 is still a top 15 goalie at the very very worst and if my suspicions about him and other experts of goalies are correct, has upside to be a Top 10 and maybe better this season.

So when peeps say he needs to retire after two games and this team of ours is going to be competing for a high draft pick, I'm going to pipe up and say it's ridiculous. That's not throwing anyone under the bus. That's speaking truth.

Okie Doke. I'm not on board with your self-ascribed clairvoyance, but will leave it be. Of course, I do hope you're assumptions hold true.

 

[Placid]

I know, its funny...it really is.

In sort of a morbid way, yes

What i mean is that the emotional rollercoaster can be extreme. One game, player X is a hero, the best ever, did you see all the clever and smart moves he did, etc.. the very next, he is below AHL level, total waste of space, needs to be traded for a bag of pucks and so on.

This early in the season, fluctuations are natural, its their first games together as a team (though they've practiced, that doesn't equal actual competitive experience). They need time to gel, the team needs time to find its identity, and for some reason i dont think even Hank can explain, he has a tendency to be a slow starter (although he was really at the top of his game today).

People need to give it 10 or so games to "settle", and in the meantime, just enjoy that hockey is back

 

[Revel]

In sort of a morbid way, yes

What i mean is that the emotional rollercoaster can be extreme. One game, player X is a hero, the best ever, did you see all the clever and smart moves he did, etc.. the very next, he is below AHL level, total waste of space, needs to be traded for a bag of pucks and so on.

This early in the season, fluctuations are natural, its their first games together as a team (though they've practiced, that doesn't equal actual competitive experience). They need time to gel, the team needs time to find its identity, and for some reason i dont think even Hank can explain, he has a tendency to be a slow starter (although he was really at the top of his game today).

People need to give it 10 or so games to "settle", and in the meantime, just enjoy that hockey is back

One thing that bothers me about this is that some people seem to think that because he was a slow starter that picked up his game in the past, he will pick up his game in the present. Two elephants in the room are being ignored when this assumption is made:

#1 - His lack of consistency and numerous poor showings over the last 2 seasons.
#2 - His age.

Basically, his reflexes are declining and he doesn't see the puck as well as he used to. He's not quite the same Hank. This needs to be acknowledged. It hurts us because he is not Brodeur playing behind a trap. He's a reflex goalie that plays deep in the net. With his physical gifts on the decline, the team is starting to suffer.

 

[Placid]

One thing that bothers me about this is that some people seem to think that because he was a slow starter that picked up his game in the past, he will pick up his game in the present.

I just used it as an example (its been true for at the very least the last 4-5 years), it was not made with the assumption of "Hank is always shaky before Christmas, and a Superman after"

 

[BBKers]

One thing that bothers me about this is that some people seem to think that because he was a slow starter that picked up his game in the past, he will pick up his game in the present. Two elephants in the room are being ignored when this assumption is made:

#1 - His lack of consistency and numerous poor showings over the last 2 seasons.
#2 - His age.

Basically, his reflexes are declining and he doesn't see the puck as well as he used to. He's not quite the same Hank. This needs to be acknowledged. It hurts us because he is not Brodeur playing behind a trap. He's a reflex goalie that plays deep in the net. With his physical gifts on the decline, the team is starting to suffer.

Seen this and have been bringing it up here for discussion for over a year. His style does not mesh well with aging and inevitable slowed reflexes. The decline can get really brutal here (and elsewhere) amongst the fan base considering he is signed for 4 years at 8.5 M. You can stash a fwd or a d on Lower lines/pairings, but the only place you can put a goalie is on the bench. A 8,5 M backup for 2-3 years will hurt the team a lot. And lead to some downright morbid discussions. Which have already started and they do have some supportive grounds IMO. Others have been going on for years from certain posters - with an obvious agenda not based on actual play - and they somehow now must feel vilified. Believe me. We need Shesty here next season to start the transition. For sure. He is ready. But like Red said in Platoon " I got a bad feeling about this one".

 

[Ola]

BBKers- I agree for sure, but if it came to that -- don't you think Hank would put the shovel on the shelf?

 

[Ola]

I hope more players follow the lead of Zibanejad and don't have a pre-season.

 

[BBKers]

BBKers- I agree for sure, but if it came to that -- don't you think Hank would put the shovel on the shelf?

Would you say no to 8,5 to 17 million dollars? If it is one or two years that we are talking about. Very few people would. An interesting tidbit. Hank has played a tad over 2 games with a GAA of 3,43 yet with a shutout already earned, sometimes stats are really deceiving.

 

[BBKers]

I hope more players follow the lead of Zibanejad and don't have a pre-season.

We certainly need a lot more from Rick Nash. He needs to put up a lot of points to optimize his next contract. Get going Rick!

 

[Idlerlee]

Outside of KZB and the powerplay, this team has no legitimate scoring lines if we go by what AV showed yesterday. Hayes and Vesey is going to completely halter Zucc's 5v5 production with their current form. Miller needs to center the 2nd line.

Our depth this season is horrendous with Fast out. If this team takes a injury in our C lineup, we are in so much trouble it's not even funny.

 

[CommaSynapse]

Outside of KZB and the powerplay, this team has no legitimate scoring lines if we go by what AV showed yesterday. Hayes and Vesey is going to completely halter Zucc's 5v5 production with their current form. Miller needs to center the 2nd line.

Our depth this season is horrendous with Fast out. If this team takes a injury in our C lineup, we are in so much trouble it's not even funny.

With the grind of a full season, that's typically a question of when and not if.

Zib - Miller - Hayes - DD is our center depth. If an injury happens, everyone just gets bumped up with a guy like Carey or Nieves taking 4C.

If Chytil gets going, then we're looking a bit better, but he'll probably be going back after game 9.

KZB as a line works well. There just needs to be more chemistry amidst the other lines. We have a lot of top-9 guys who like to carry the puck, and we really don't have an ideal 4th-line player like we've had previously in Boyle, Moore, or even Dorsett. Fixable problems, but it will take some time.

They tried to see what they had and took their time in preseason, but it's costing us now as we're figuring who plays nice with who.

 

[Avery16]

I think we don’t even get to think about Hank’s 8.5 before we first address Nash’s 7.8 + Staal’s 5.7

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

If Chytil gets going, then we're looking a bit better, but he'll probably be going back after game 9.

Even if he gets going, it isn't worth it. Unless he contributes to our top-6, burning a year off his ELC and an RFA year is just silly. For a bottom-6 role, I would prefer to use one of the other guys we have whose contract won't slide.

A.) Chytil cost-controlled until 2025 and Nieves/Lettieri in the line-up

or

B.) Chytil cost-controlled until 2024 just to have him play a bottom-6 role

I will go with option A

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

I think we don’t even get to think about Hank’s 8.5 before we first address Nash’s 7.8 + Staal’s 5.7

The problem with Lundqvist is that he isn't worth 8.5m. In fact, no goalie is worth that. The proof is all over HFNYR where people say the defense leaves him out to dry. If he can't be the difference, it's just bad management to have him on the team at a 8.5m AAV.

The impact of a goalie is not as big as the impact of a 1st line center or winger, or 1st pair D-man. There is only so much he can do (literally a quote from someone here defending Lundqvist every game) so why waste cap space on a goalie?

 

[ManUtdTobbe]

I didn't watch the game, just seen highlights and looking at the numbers now.
Game was pretty even in xGF% but we were completely hammered in shots.
I'm guessing our D system looked much improved, our transitions were crap and our O was decent? Is that close to the truth?

 

[Machinehead]

First coincidental Yankees and Rangers shutouts I can remember in awhile.

The Rangers only scored twice and still outscored the Habs, Indians, and Yankees put together.