Post-Game Talk: Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers |Game 3| 5/5/2014

[Dr. Ogrodnick]

Was that on consecutive nights? I had a sneaking suspicion NHL Network was wrong.

Yes. May 12th and 13th I believe.

 

[Hi ImHFNYR]

What do Devil's fans know about offense?

McD is clearly playing injured. We watched him be a Norris level player all season. Thanks or your great input though.



Diaz should have been in from the start of the first series.



Yes, because the fan base controls anything with this team. Laughable that anyone wouldn't think such a thing.

If you are going to be wrong about half your post don't compound it by having an attitude

 

[nikonsniper*]

As a team of grinders of Dubinsky/Callahan/Prust/Boyle/Drury/etc, and our downfall was not being able to score goals.

As a team of scorers of Nash/Richards/MSL/Stepan/MZA/etc, and our downfall is not being able to score goals???

I dont get it.

Different personnel, different coach, different gameplan... same results.

 

[ReggieDunlop68]

Everybody ****ing relax. The Rangers dominated the game and played well apart from a few crucial mistakes.

This fanbase.

I agree!

To hell with "these fans" demands!

What do they want? A power play goal? A goal in general? Hope?

Some people have ludicrous expectations.

 

[Bullseyes]

Everybody ****ing relax. The Rangers dominated the game and played well apart from a few crucial mistakes.

This fanbase.

... they dominated the game? Were we watching different games?

Expecting them to score more than zero goals in two games isn't that high of expectations.

 

[ReggieDunlop68]

I didn't expect the Rangers to win this series, and they are proving my belief.
Hank has been fine. But, we ate up a huge amount of the cap with his new contract. Is he worth it? Not when you look at some of the goalies that have won Cups lately. Teams win with average goalies who get hot in the playoffs. We could use some of that Hank money to sign a true center.

We have a core of guys to build around, but we need a true 1C and some big, aggressive wingers who aren't afraid to go to the net. We need to keep D. Moore, Boyle, Poo, Kreider, Mac, Girardi, Staal, Klein.

Nash and MSL are going to be here, like it or not.

Here, IMO, are guys that are expendable.
-Hagelin, Stepan, Stralman, John Moore, Zucc, Brassard.
Yes, there are some good players there, but last I checked, other teams aren't giving away their players for free. Zucc is a tough one, but he brings good value in a trade.


The MSL deal is proving to be a bad one. MSL for Cally and a second would have been acceptable, but to give away a first and, what now looks like a second, was asinine.

Frankly, its maddening watching our team possess the puck around the perimeter with nobody in the middle to finish.

I could provide a lengthy counterpoint to the bolded statement. I will instead point out the obvious answer to it:

 

[haohmaru]

The Rangers were the better team last night, no question.

That being said, they made a few serious errors and paid for them. I still think they have a shot in this series but they need to get the first goal (a goal at all would help) and play with the lead.

 

[Crazed Beaver]

I think zuccs line has been a blessing. There is an occasional lapse but considering their roles/salaries combined with their style of play, they should get more praise then they do. They consistently out work and out chance our other top lines.

I think it's obvious that management feels we are in win now mode. However, I really enjoy the idea that we are on the right track towards a championship. Admittedly, This is pure lunacy But we aren't winning the cup this yr, no way in hell. Hank could stand on his head but it can't make up for our limitations. Point is that not giving up a first this yr for msl might be better than being embarrassed by Boston. I really enjoy regular season and reading about prospects. I don't want anymore future mortaged. Pouliot is playing better than Nash or stepan, this is the ugly truth.

Av discourages physical play. Any sign of aggression earns carcillo or dorsett the bench. This isn't the main issue with our team but girardi and staal are only d who have been effective taking body. This might fly for a corps that produce offensively but that hasn't been the case. I like the up tempo play and don't want to get into tuffness bs, but we need guys who are harder on the puck and willing to get their hands dirty.

Nash has been skating but he's paid to produce. Stepan has been disgusting, he is by far the weak link. Hagelin hasn't been very good either, he's a third liner mismatched with Richards. I have supported Moore but his play hasn't been great so I'm fine with Diaz. I think the rest of the team has been solid.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

A lot of folks are going to look at the shot totals from last night and push a narrative that the Rangers dominated the game, but thats not really true. The Penguins didn't push the offense in the last half of the game because, well, they didnt have to. Call it the Jacques Martin effect, but they did a pretty good job of limiting prime scoring chances as the game went on. The breakaway goals from Crosby and Jokinen (and Kunitz earlier in the game) were, by far, the best scoring chances in the game. The Rangers hit a couple of posts, but think about it, did Fleury have to work hard for another shutout? Most of the Ranger shots came from poor angles with little traffic in front. They've managed to take a basket case goaltender and make him look comfortable.

The reason is simple. The book is out on this Ranger team. Stack the blue line, clog the slot, and they will have a difficult time producing goals. The goals the Rangers have produced this playoff season, for the most part, have come from pretty cross-ice passes or a player darting through the slot. The Penguins are taking that away, and the Rangers have no answers. Other than the Brassard line, who had a really good night at even strength, there seems to be little willingness to fight through the adversity. After all, a shot from 30 feet out at a steep angle is easier than winning a board battle or dealing with the Penguins in front of the net.

Thats a more strategic look at it. The play of the Rangers big name players and their power play have been a travesty and a disgrace as well.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

As a team of grinders of Dubinsky/Callahan/Prust/Boyle/Drury/etc, and our downfall was not being able to score goals.

As a team of scorers of Nash/Richards/MSL/Stepan/MZA/etc, and our downfall is not being able to score goals???

I dont get it.

Different personnel, different coach, different gameplan... same results.

In typical Sather fashion, the pendulum swung too drastically in both directions.

 

[PlamsUnlimited]

Devils fan here, not coming to be a thorn.

Just watching some of the offensive struggles and yes, guys like Nash and MSL need to productive for you guys to be successful duh...but what I don't see is enough transition coming from the back end. Is the weak link right now the Rangers D, in terms of skating/passing ability.

McD is relied on so much for his offensive instincts, getting that first pass off, etc - but if he's injured (and he's at the least banged up) and he has zero points in 10 games - this is the crux of the issue.

Yeah Girardi is useful in that sense, can get off some passes but McD is the engine back there and he's sputtering a little bit.

They can't do anything right. Then problem is they rely on McD for Everything. Way to go team

 

[AHB*]

If fans stopped attending and the team started losing money, changes would be made. Its laughable to think otherwise.

The majority of people aren't even "fans."

They're just rich people. There were suits at the game watching basketball last night instead of the actual on-ice play.

That's what it's become. Like it or not if WE stop going to games, it's not going to do anything.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

I didn't expect the Rangers to win this series, and they are proving my belief.
Hank has been fine. But, we ate up a huge amount of the cap with his new contract. Is he worth it? Not when you look at some of the goalies that have won Cups lately. Teams win with average goalies who get hot in the playoffs. We could use some of that Hank money to sign a true center.

Oh totally.

In fact, maybe the team can take $20M in cap space and get Richards, Nash, and St. Louis! That'll put'em over the top!

 

[HellOnIce]

They can't do anything right. Then problem is they rely on McD for Everything. Way to go team

Yes and no. You'd love to have multiple McDs....but aside from Chicago it really doesn't exist in the Cap world. You need your best players to be your best players, and with that comes health. It is so ****ing hard to win the Cup, you need the talent, the right seed/match ups, a lot of luck and health.

McD is a little under 100%, it's a huge deal.

I did pick the Rangers to win this series and it's certainly still doable. Where it gets concerning for the Rangers is long term, if you pull this series out - let's say it goes 7 - then that's 14 games in 2 series, then if you play Boston, the physical abuse/talent you're probably looking at another 6 games there....I mean the task to the Cup is daunting as it is - they didn't do themselves favors taking Philly to 7 - should never have gotten that far.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

The majority of people aren't even "fans."

They're just rich people. There were suits at the game watching basketball last night instead of the actual on-ice play.

That's what it's become. Like it or not if WE stop going to games, it's not going to do anything.

The Garden was a dead zone last night, but the team didn't give them much to cheer about.

Pierre Maguire was talking about NHL air travel in the late 1980's with 3 minutes left to go in a playoff game. Infuriating.

 

[Dr. Ogrodnick]

The Garden was a dead zone last night, but the team didn't give them much to cheer about.

Pierre Maguire was talking about NHL air travel in the late 1980's with 3 minutes left to go in a playoff game. Infuriating.

That's because everybody in the building including the Rangers knew that they weren't coming back. Every other playoff team would have fought, just not our boys.

 

[HellOnIce]

That's because everybody in the building including the Rangers knew that they weren't coming back. Every other playoff team would have fought, just not our boys.

They were out of gas. They let it all out in the first two periods.

There were a bunch of out-of-gas plays they made, and it's not a physical thing, it's mental. It's being 'perfect' in a playoff setting shift after shift. It's hard.

The Girardi just missing the puck at the EN at the end of game 2...that's a guy who's gassed.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

They were out of gas. They let it all out in the first two periods.

There were a bunch of out-of-gas plays they made, and it's not a physical thing, it's mental. It's being 'perfect' in a playoff setting shift after shift. It's hard.

The Girardi just missing the puck at the EN at the end of game 2...that's a guy who's gassed.

People love to make excuses for this team. They avoid contact like the plague, so how exactly are they out of gas? Oh, right, those evil schedule makers.

The schedule has become a convenient excuse to explain how a team that was pegged as fresher and more prepared for sustainable success is now so tired and unable to score a single goal.

 

[johnmd20*]

Everybody ****ing relax. The Rangers dominated the game and played well apart from a few crucial mistakes.

This fanbase.

Ok. You're talking to a fanbase who hasn't seen the Rangers play for a Stanley Cup since 1994. Furthermore, you're talking to a fanbase that has seen the team make a total of 2 conference finals since 1994. The team is 3-8 in those two Conference Finals.

It isn't just this year. It's been two decades of false starts or absolute horrendousness. So you can excuse people for being reactionary after the Corpse that is MAF get two consecutive shut outs.

 

[HellOnIce]

People love to make excuses for this team. They avoid contact like the plague, so how exactly are they out of gas? Oh, right, those evil schedule makers.

The schedule has become a convenient excuse to explain how a team that was pegged as fresher and more prepared for sustainable success is now so tired and unable to score a single goal.

It's not the schedule makers completely. Brooks has it right, if they beat Philly in Philly it's a moot point. Also, MSG for some reason booked too many dates this week.

Excuses are excuses, no one in the room is making those excuses. AV said it and the media is saying it. AV tried to take the pressure off. MSL has it right, you come up for air and you go back to work tomorrow. It's all they can do, but they tried hard last night...look at possesion/shot numbers. But when you're tired, the passes aren't so crisp, the shots are a little bit off...again it's not a physical thing, it's a mental thing.

 

[PlamsUnlimited]

Mental toughness or I use resilience. We have none.

 

[johnmd20*]

The Garden was a dead zone last night, but the team didn't give them much to cheer about.

Pierre Maguire was talking about NHL air travel in the late 1980's with 3 minutes left to go in a playoff game. Infuriating.

I was at the game. There was a reason why the Garden was dead. 4 minute PP of failure. Seconds after that ends, the dreaded Sidney Crosby scores. The air went out of the building and it never came back. After the second goal, you could have easily fallen asleep if not for the loudest scoreboard in the history of sports.

The energy and buzz of the crowd between the first and second period was awesome. There was no energy an buzz in the crowd between the second and third. Because the hearts were broken.

It was a miserable experience going to the game last night. FML

 

[toastbag]

The scheduling of this round really pisses me off. It's really crap how the Rangers end up playing 5 games in 7 days (and 6 in 9). And how is it that this series played 3 games in 4 days while the Bruins/Canadiens play 2 games in 5 days? Just doesn't seem fair. I hate using that as an excuse but it defiinitely has impacted these players big time.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

It's not the schedule makers completely. Brooks has it right, if they beat Philly in Philly it's a moot point. Also, MSG for some reason booked too many dates this week.

Excuses are excuses, no one in the room is making those excuses. AV said it and the media is saying it. AV tried to take the pressure off. MSL has it right, you come up for air and you go back to work tomorrow. It's all they can do, but they tried hard last night...look at possesion/shot numbers. But when you're tired, the passes aren't so crisp, the shots are a little bit off...again it's not a physical thing, it's a mental thing.

Yea, look at them. Possessing the puck and taking shots from poor angles with little traffic in front isn't really something to be proud of.

Thats been the mantra all season -- look at those possession #'s! They're unlucky and going to get better! This must be the unluckiest team in the history of the league.

 

[HellOnIce]

Mental toughness or I use resilience. We have none.

I don't buy that. These guys are professionals. It's matchups. It's easy to say one team doesn't care or whatever, but these guys do.

What did San Jose have no mental toughness? No, LA just was better...Vlasic went down, and they couldn't recover - that's the series.