PlamsUnlimited
Big Church Bells
Not looking like much of a team right now but I don't usually pull out the panic button till game 2 of the regular season.
I pull it game 1. The panic button that is.
Not looking like much of a team right now but I don't usually pull out the panic button till game 2 of the regular season.
Not looking like much of a team right now but I don't usually pull out the panic button till game 2 of the regular season.
I don't know many players who come into the NHL with a very small skillset, and are automatically handed the most preferable, least responsible role in hockey.
.And even then it's pretty ridiculous. When the finished 1st in the east two years ago, they went 3-3-3 in the first 9 and looked pretty bad. In 1994, they had a very similar record over the first 10 games. November is when I start worrying, at the earliest.
My reactions in order:
-> The Rangers main problems in this game were a) unfamiliarity with the system and b) HORRENDOUS center play. Their centers going into the regular season need to be:
Stepan
Brassard
Lindberg
D. Moore
Richards really should sit. If you are going to try to get him going, I GUESS he could play for Lindberg on the third line - but if there were no names on the backs of the sweaters, this would not be a player who's on the opening roster.
Boyle on the other hand, should make the opening roster, but he absolutely kills any offensive momentum for any line he centers. If he's on the 4th line LW, we're in good shape - if he's the 4th line center, it's a mistake. If, God forbid, he's the 3rd line center, it's a disaster.
-> Fast looked excellent once again. This is kid could play in the top 6 today. I wish he were a little bigger, but even so, he shows a great knack for shiftily avoiding the bigger players and/or using his smarts to defend them.
-> Bickel and Falk were not good.
-> Hrivik can play - he works the boards, plays good, heady D and has a little offense to his game as well. I'd like to see him with a competent center. In fact, I'd be curious to see Hrivik-Stepan-Nash.
-> Staal looks great. Very pleased to see that.
-> Kristo - another guy who can play, but he's having trouble doing the things he wants to do at this level. I'd like to see him get some time in HFD to get a little more under control.
-> Stralman - was pretty good, but nothing spectacular.
-> Pyatt and Powe - should be waived. Period.
-> Good stuff from Nash - he should have passed once or twice, but he made some vintage plays that we need to see from him.
-> Some good stuff from J. Moore as well. Not as good as his last game, but I'm still very encouraged.
-> DZ was pretty good on offense and in classic headless chicken mode on defense.
-> Kreider looked unengaged until late in the game - not his first shift after he was moved from BR's wing, but the second one thereafter. Still, as BBKers said, not very impressive at all - could be playing his way to HFD.
-> Lindberg didn't stand out as much as he did last game. Plays much better with Fast than Pyatt (shocking, I know!).
-> Hank was meh by his standards.
-> Asham was surprisingly okay. He may stick as one of the extras.
-> Mashinter was better than Powe or Pyatt, but he's going down too.
One of the discrepant of HFNYR tonight is on Asham.
I thought he had good speed when chasing down the puck a few times, had a few hits, carried the puck with poise a few times, had a crack at putting the puck toward the net, played an energy game.
The entire play of the team collectively looks like **** which makes energy guys look like **** because there was no energy in the game but individually, I thought Asham was above average.
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Wait till November? By God you have the patience of a saint.
One of the discrepant of HFNYR tonight is on Asham.
I thought he had good speed when chasing down the puck a few times, had a few hits, carried the puck with poise a few times, had a crack at putting the puck toward the net, played an energy game.
The entire play of the team collectively looks like **** which makes energy guys look like **** because there was no energy in the game but individually, I thought Asham was above average.
Is Stu Bickel Vigneault's new Aaron Rome? This guy should be nowhere near this team.
Regarding our D. Paradoxally Strålman and Moore have IMO been our most impressive defencemen so far in the pre-season. Girardi looked pretty bad vs the Flyers. McDonagh and Staal pretty invisible apart from Staal's goal. Del Zotto up and down.
Only pre-season though, not surprising that a more offensively inclined D like Strålman shines with the less talented lineups.
Wow we lost to a team that iced most of its NHLers we should just cut everyone on the team and fire the coaches and trade Lundqvist and bring back Leetch.
Jeez people it's preseason and we have a new coach implementing a new system. There will be some growing pains. Chill the **** out. We'll be fine.
Seriously though, Bickel should replace Redden as the eternal whipping boy. Staal looked like old Staal. Break up the Kreider-Richards-Nash line. It isn't working.
Kreider needs to be put into a spot where he can succeed. He's not an all around player, he's not a defensively good player. He's got his speed, size and shot. Put him in a simple role where he's basically a shooter, he'll succeed. If he doesn't have the talent around him to allow his skill set to be brought to the forefront, he's most likely going to be drifting around the ice aimlessly.
Ashrams job is to create energy where there is none through physical play and the forecheck. He didn't. Thats why I thought he had a poor game.