Post-Game Talk: octopuss

[tomobson]

I really don't think Sather has much to do about anything these days. Dolan gave him a free paycheck for life so he makes sure he still shows his face every once in a while. I don't think there is anything more to it but what the hell do any of us really know.

I forget who says it here but all that's going on is that most of the veteran core players are too happy to go around sniffing their own farts. The best thing this team can do is get Panarin and Mika on one line and forget Strome even exists at the end of the season. Let Mika and Panarin go around sniffing their own farts because that duo can actually be good enough to still do hockey against the better teams. Let the rest of the lines be real hockey lines. Get centers that can actually do center things and this team will look for real next season. They don't have to be amazing centers because Laf or Kakko or maybe both should be amazing wingers. Just get real centers. Real centers will make everyone's lives easier. It will be also nice if these new centers could skate. Kakko looks night and day different offensively compared to last season when he was playing with a center that could actually cycle and supported the puck carrier. As soon as an actual top 6 player got on the left wing that line took off last season. He's pretty much given up playing like that anymore this season because no one helps him ever when he tries to do real hockey things. The top six currently shuts down if a rink wide pass isn't made first. It's like the first line in their program is a conditional statement and the rest of program just never happens unless rink wide pass is made. Teams covet centers for a reason and our top two centers are not real centers. Mika used to be one but he mostly floats around after the rush these days. Luckily, Panarin is good with floaters...unluckily our top two centers are both floaters and there is only one Panarin.

 

[Unpredictable1]

I have a growing crush on Gingras.

It was instant for me.

lol

not joking...

 

[SnowblindNYR]

It was instant for me.

lol

not joking...

She grew on me. I originally liked her more with the mask.

 

[bbny]

Reaves starting to look every bit of 35 ...he's a Shane Churla end of career beatdown from being NON factor - I don't for a second believe he's anywhere near the deterrent he was 3-4 years ago.
He's actually a liability on some shifts and is a month away form rationing his Games played.
We need another henchman

Reaves was so, so good in that Toronto game. I don't know what happened since, but I agree. He's someone you don't play every game. Keep him fresh. Keep him against the teams where you need a little size/toughness. Love the personality, and I'm sure the guys like him a lot off the ice, but not sure forking over that 1.75M extension so early was a great idea.

 

[IronBloodedLion]

Forget just the Vezina, Igor should be up for the Hart this year. He’s the reason they’re going to make the playoffs.

That was a pitiful effort against a bad hockey team. I’m really afraid of what Florida is going to do to them next game.

The break is coming at the right time. They need to get healthy, get Kakko and Fox back, and they need to make a couple of moves.

 

[wafflepadsave]

Lias was a bust, but he wasn't a 'good looking' player, he was touted and ranked for playing a solid game and having a tenacity for winning. Conversely, Krav was drafted based on high end skill, not the ability to play old school north american hockey.

While our drafting is pretty average overall, I don't think you could point to a trend that matches what you wrote above, especially in the early rounds.

Look at them. Wasn’t implying everyone is a model. They rarely go after the winners. Although that might be changing a bit. Othman looks aggressive and getting after it. I would throw Schneider in as well.

 

[Peltz]

Team misses Kakko and Fox so bad. I think people underestimated what Kakko brought to the top 6.

They’re just not able to get any consistent offensive zone pressure during these last few games. At least the powerplay is still lethal.

 

[wafflepadsave]

Lias was a bust, but he wasn't a 'good looking' player, he was touted and ranked for playing a solid game and having a tenacity for winning. Conversely, Krav was drafted based on high end skill, not the ability to play old school north american hockey.

While our drafting is pretty average overall, I don't think you could point to a trend that matches what you wrote above, especially in the early rounds.

Never picked up on lias having any of those attributes. Stupidity is the only thing I saw. Anybody who flings a 6-8 oz piece a silver into the crowd is alarming and the first red flag.

 

[kovazub94]

He's never around anymore and I can't say that I blame him.

Hopefully you don’t blame yourself either.

 

[leetch99]

I'll take the stolen 2pts... but we're so easy to play against.

we're easy to defend. Perimeter game, no one even thinks about going to the middle.

we're easy to transition and counter. We get caught way too often and are too slow to react

we concede all the ice up to our dots

We can't get through the Neutral Zone with speed or possession

We are out of shape as well. Everything is crumbling before the break. There needs to be adjustments.

Lets hope it's 'fatigue' and we look much better after the break.

Biggest problem I see with the roster is that we have too many guys that prefer to finish second in puck chases/retrieval both on offense and defense . Maybe it is because of size and or lack of speed ? Fox and Panarin get somewhat of a pass and that is fine and understandable .

 

[Machinehead]

Hopefully you don’t blame yourself either.

Couldn't be me. I gave this team leash most of the season. I'm just telling the truth.

 

[kovazub94]

Couldn't be me. I gave this team leash most of the season. I'm just telling the truth.

Everyone does

 

[duhmetreE]

Couldn't be me. I gave this team leash most of the season. I'm just telling the truth.

or maybe it's the team that's the issue? It's not entertaining to watch.

 

[leetch99]

Gallant is one of us

He has a Russian enigma as his top paid locked down guy to deal with as a first year coach . How do you expect him to handle that ? Rangers patted him on the back last season when he walked away from the club for 3 weeks ....then watched him enter training camp out of shape. Gallant is hog tied on this[and I think we all know it is really eating at him] and we certainly do not have a leadership crew on the team to deal with this via kangaroo court style in the room . This is now a Drury problem...and it has to be looked at at the deadline ....he has to go !!! MOVE Panarin even if only getting cap back. This is not working .

 

[leetch99]

Something to keep in mind about Seattle—they don’t have star power or top line players and that’s going to hurt them on the power play—-just scoring goals.

What they do have is 4 lines and 3 pairings of NHL tested players who can play. They can roll those lines and pairings and anybody expecting to roll over them is not going to have a good night. It’s a team that can really grind and I’d take anyone of the d-men they dressed today over Nemeth or Hajek.

Plus they work hard without passengers.....everybody is playing for a new team /future and another contract . For some....this is the last stop before Europe and or a job as a town firefighter . Does anybody think this is on Panarin's mind when he takes the ice ?

 

[jay from jersey]

Jones reminds me a lot of Yandle minus the wheels.

Uncanny ability to hold pucks in at the blue line. He and Schneider should be a thing even when everyone is healthy.

Agreed. Use the time they’ve had together in Hartford. He’s a better option then Hajek or nemeth.
I know a rookie 3rd pair isn’t ideal, but somethings gotta give...
Zibby has ramped it up another gear as well. Kudos to him/shesty/Schneider and a few others for competing while we’re in this valley of the season

 

[McRanger92]

I think they'd look different, i dont think our bottom two lines would be carbon copies of each other. You're mistaking this for a cup team. Adding one or two pieces isnt going to make us better than Carolina, Florida, Vegas, etc etc.

Im not saying a few moves is making this a Cup team, but it will sure as hell help their 5v5 numbers to get a few more NHL caliber players in the lineup no? The team's issue to me is that the veterans have to do everything because the young players have not performed and the depth nobodies like Hunt/McKegg/Gauthier/etc. have had to play major roles.

They owe it to Igor to give themselves the best shot possible in the playoffs.

 

[Machinehead]

or maybe it's the team that's the issue? It's not entertaining to watch.

Right

 

[chosen]

I'll take the stolen 2pts... but we're so easy to play against.

we're easy to defend. Perimeter game, no one even thinks about going to the middle.

we're easy to transition and counter. We get caught way too often and are too slow to react

we concede all the ice up to our dots

We can't get through the Neutral Zone with speed or possession

We are out of shape as well. Everything is crumbling before the break. There needs to be adjustments.

Lets hope it's 'fatigue' and we look much better after the break.

Which players are out of shape and what is the evidence?

 

[chosen]

So ugly. We're back to winning through some high-end brilliance rather than team work, which works fora while but tends to become harder when all the teams yo play have a similar level of high-end skill.
Shesty was really good despite both goals being a bit 'meh'. Still really liking Schneider's game. Mika was good and it was good to see Laf get a point.
Panarin, while still showing moments of brilliance, looks very disengaged for the most part

9 Panarins in a lineup and a team might go undefeated for a season.

 

[chosen]

and use practice for 5v5 drills

Practice hasn't helped, yet. Need a few better players, which shouldn't shock anyone.

 

[chosen]

It's no wonder he's not quite fitting in here. He's a real hockey player.

Real hockey players manage to pick up a goal every 10 games when playing in the top 6.

 

[UnSandvich]

I'm theoretically okay with them buying at the deadline, but it's all conditional on what they'd be giving up. This isn't a team that should be big-game hunting at the deadline. They're one Shesterkin injury from being a first round bye for their opponent. Most i'd be willing to give up is like a 2nd for Reilly Smith, unless somehow whoever we're getting is coming in at a massive discount. Quite honestly, this team Isn't Ready.

Never picked up on lias having any of those attributes. Stupidity is the only thing I saw. Anybody who flings a 6-8 oz piece a silver into the crowd is alarming and the first red flag.

...You do realize he lightly tossed it over the glass to a fan, right? He didn't hurl it like a hand grenade

 

[jay from jersey]

I don't buy the idea that we're struggling because we don't have PMD's. Nemeth sucks but that's about it.

Miller and Lindgren are proficient, Trouba is a plus, and Fox is the best PMD in the league.

Could we use another one, particularly to replace Nemeth? Absolutely. But to say that's the reason we look like this? There's no way.

The more I see it, the more I think it's by design. The only way an NHL team is this bad at 5v5 this consistently (with a roster that has holes but isn't bad by any stretch!) is if it's a blind spot in their gameplan.

Yes, we've changed coaches and changed execs but sports franchises have cultures. Ever since Lundqvist debuted, this team dies at the alter of "keep it to the outside" and it's gotten to the point where if they don't have an odd-man rush, they literally just let the other team have the puck because heaven forbid the opponent ever got behind us.

Why you wouldn't want to be more aggressive with the league's best goalteding and go balls out to keep the puck is another question.

It takes time to change a culture, and more than anything, it takes admitting there's a problem. That's why, while you call it moping, I'm very annoyed that this team is being carried by their goalie. The longer that happens, the longer they're ok with it.

Adding a responsible center or 2 would go a long way to fixing thiS problem....
Zibby and strome aren’t great 2-way players...
Zibby gets a pass because he’s signed and he scores goals... his overall play has picked up, but there’s not a lot of players that are scared of facing a hard defensive match up from him. Going on about 3-4 years now...
Strome is an opportunist... he’ll ride Panarins coattails to a new contract, but I’m praying it’s not here. Replacing him with a Larkin/Cirelli type would go a long way.
I’m hoping Barron could be one in house.. he has the tools, Size, and steady responsible play to hold down a 3C position with say Goodrow/Lehkonen on his left and right.... but it’s apparent gallant rather not find this out this season....
I personally have seen enough of chytil at center on NYR, especially in a bottom 6 role.
If they want to keep the wing experiment going, fine by me. But I wouldn’t put him back as a bottom 6 center.
Rooney is fine with Hunt/Reaves and even McKegg sprinkled in....

a large part of our 5v5 breakdowns originate from our center ice positions being weak on the defensive side, and like dominos, it leads to other breakdowns and things going haywire

 

[chosen]

Rooney and Reaves were 10 times worse than Brodzinski and McKegg honestly.

Reaves, hits, smiles a lot and can cause his team to be pinned in their own end for 45 second clips.