Post-Game Talk: Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers |Game 4| 5/7/2014

[Dr. Ogrodnick]

The carelessness that this team displayed with the puck last night made me ashamed to be a fan.

In a game that was as must win as any I can remember and just as must win as game 5, to give the puck away as often as they did with arrogant behind the back passes and BS attempts at tic-tac-toe dipsy doodle crap is beyond understanding for me.

We are NOT that talented that we can or should be trying that.

Last night showed me, not sure about you, that a significant overhaul needs to happen to some very important positions.

Aside from the obvious guys like Nash, Richards and I am starting to feel like MSL is in that group as well.

Stepan has to go.

I can see the justification to letting Stralman walk.

I would scour the league to gauge interest in Staal. More because moving a significant asset like Staal would get back a key asset. He's not THE problem, but if we are looking to make significant changes, then sometimes important assets have to be shipped out.

I would consider moving Hags as well.

The Rangers have no on ice leadership. NONE. They have no player capable of carrying AV's message on the ice. They have no presense.

Individually, some of them have talent. Most of them have less talent that the FO believes they have.

They are not a fast team.

They are quite predictable as Pitt seems to have taken away everything they do well.

The forward group as a whole is soft. They have a few guys that try, but are completely negated due to their smaller size. Pitt's physicality has negated any attempt by our smaller forwards.

The defence is slow. SO SLOW. Even McD is looking less than ordinary.

And to top it all off. I don't think that Pitt is firing on all cylinders. I have seen them play alot better. In fact the last 2 games against Columbus were better efforts from Pitt than any thing they put forth in 4 games this series.

For the most part, Pitt has just had to show up, watch the Rangers shoot themselves repeatedly in the foot, and collect the wins. I have not been very impressed by Pitt, and the people that are trumping up the Pitt play are just in denial about how poor the Rangers effort has been.

 

[Un Prophete]

Guys, I understand the natural reaction after such a display is to voice your displeasure, but a lot of this is bordering on vitriol, and it is not only misguided but counter-productive as well. What is more likely, that the team all of a sudden decided to stop caring, after playing their heart out against the Flyers (the emotion from which spilled over into game 1 of this series), or that the schedule we have all been talking about finally caught up with them?

Some might see this as an excuse, but the fact is you cannot push the human body past a certain point. Adrenaline can carry you only so far. 6 professional hockey games in 9 nights is an absolute joke, and performances like these last 3 games are how the fatigue manifests itself. Silly mental mistakes and generally listless play. This team was gassed. There is a reason why Chris Kreider, despite his obvious rust, was one of the better players on the ice.

Instead we should vent our anger at a league that would put its players at risk like this, and also lessen the product on the ice for the fans at the most important time of the year. (and before anyone mentions it, yes we should have dispatched the Flyers in less than 7 games, and then this wouldn't be an issue -- but the point remains)

 

[darko]

Oh well.

 

[Dr. Ogrodnick]

Guys, I understand the natural reaction after such a display is to voice your displeasure, but a lot of this is bordering on vitriol, and it is not only misguided but counter-productive as well. What is more likely, that the team all of a sudden decided to stop caring, after playing their heart out against the Flyers (the emotion from which spilled over into game 1 of this series), or that the schedule we have all been talking about finally caught up with them?

Some might see this as an excuse, but the fact is you cannot push the human body past a certain point. Adrenaline can carry you only so far. 6 professional hockey games in 9 nights is an absolute joke, and performances like these last 3 games are how the fatigue manifests itself. Silly mental mistakes and generally listless play. This team was gassed. There is a reason why Chris Kreider, despite his obvious rust, was one of the better players on the ice.

Instead we should vent our anger at a league that would put its players at risk like this, and also lessen the product on the ice for the fans at the most important time of the year. (and before anyone mentions it, yes we should have dispatched the Flyers in less than 7 games, and then this wouldn't be an issue -- but the point remains)

Rick Nash wasn't scoring before the schedule got compressed. St. Louis has disappeared since early in the flyer series. They didn't play very well against the flyers when they were getting 2 days off between games. Scapegoating the league entirely lets the players get away with what was never a good enough effort. Even against the flyers they showed up for 4 out of 7.

 

[DuaneHewitt]

Almost stopped reading after he called Staal a headhunter. lmfao.

More Skidney love and white knighting.

I work nights so I can only listen to the games. They didn't mention this on the radio. Was there a flying elbow? Headshots? I saw Nash hit Crosby. That didn't look like he was headhunting though.

This team needs to avoid playing the penguins in the playoffs. They could never beat lemieux and jagr, they will never beat Crosby and malkin. You can't play puck possession and speed when the team you are playing against is better than you at the exact same game.

 

[Ail]

I work nights so I can only listen to the games. They didn't mention this on the radio. Was there a flying elbow? Headshots? I saw Nash hit Crosby. That didn't look like he was headhunting though.

This team needs to avoid playing the penguins in the playoffs. They could never beat lemieux and jagr, they will never beat Crosby and malkin. You can't play puck possession and speed when the team you are playing against is better than you at the exact same game.

I think it was a reference to the cross-check from the previous game.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

I work nights so I can only listen to the games. They didn't mention this on the radio. Was there a flying elbow? Headshots? I saw Nash hit Crosby. That didn't look like he was headhunting though.

This team needs to avoid playing the penguins in the playoffs. They could never beat lemieux and jagr, they will never beat Crosby and malkin. You can't play puck possession and speed when the team you are playing against is better than you at the exact same game.

This is the story of the series, really.

When I watch this Ranger team, I don't know if they're purposely not adjusting, or they just refuse to adjust.

Both things are infuriating.

 

[TeamStewie]

The carelessness that this team displayed with the puck last night made me ashamed to be a fan.

In a game that was as must win as any I can remember and just as must win as game 5, to give the puck away as often as they did with arrogant behind the back passes and BS attempts at tic-tac-toe dipsy doodle crap is beyond understanding for me.

We are NOT that talented that we can or should be trying that.

Last night showed me, not sure about you, that a significant overhaul needs to happen to some very important positions.

Aside from the obvious guys like Nash, Richards and I am starting to feel like MSL is in that group as well.

Stepan has to go.

OK stop right there. You want us to get rid of Richards AND Stepan? Who then, pray tell is going to play center for us? Stepan may not be a #1 center but he is forced by default to be one on this team because we don't have anything else that remotely resembles one. So are we going to get rid of these two and get Stasny instead? Sorry but he's not a #1 center either and he sure as hell won't be playing with a Landeskog or McKinnon on this team. Centers don't grow on trees and no one is going to be giving away one that is even as good as Stepan, never mind what anyone here would think qualifies as a #1 C.

 

[Un Prophete]

Rick Nash wasn't scoring before the schedule got compressed. St. Louis has disappeared since early in the flyer series. They didn't play very well against the flyers when they were getting 2 days off between games. Scapegoating the league entirely lets the players get away with what was never a good enough effort. Even against the flyers they showed up for 4 out of 7.

No Nash wasn't scoring, but he was still one of our better players against the Flyers, and so was MSL. I disagree that the team only showed up for the 4 wins in the series, I think we were the better team in games 2 and 4 as well. Yes game 6 was quite bad, but they still didn't look THIS listless.

 

[Cliffy1814]

This is the story of the series, really.

When I watch this Ranger team, I don't know if they're purposely not adjusting, or they just refuse to adjust.

Both things are infuriating.

The sad part is the Penguins have not dominated other than Game 2.
Bylsma watched Girardi and McD struggle and correctly decided to load up the top line and take advantage.
I don't know that there is much to adjust to. Girardi has been medicore and McDonough has been awful so we are ill equipped to stop a line that contains two of the best players in the world.

 

[TheTakedown]

Nash is "clearly" a $5M player? Based on what? How are you clearly determining that is his worth in the current state of NHL finances?

people here call him elite. He also scores 30 goals a year and 25 assists per year... I wouldn't want that on my team fro more than 5.5-6M

 

[nevesis]

And give me a break on it being unfair to boo players because it will hurt their confidence.

I want the type of players that get pissed off when they get booed. That use the fire inside of them to fight harder. Not a bunch of cupcakes who can't handle the truth (that they've been bad) and can't handle adversity.

Great post.

 

[RangerBoy]

Hopefully Pittsburgh takes the Rangers out of their misery on Friday so they can go to on vacation next week. Why delay the inevitable?

 

[OverTheCap]

Meh, I read what he said differently.

He basically said that the entire put its foot in its mouth (ie... sucked) and he felt bad that those two guys were getting singled out by the fans when it's on the team.

Kinda what a leader should say.

That wasn't even the quote that bothered me, it was this:

“It’s a great opportunity to win a game on the road, where we’ve played well this year, to play just a stupid, simple road game where we don’t have to try to impress anybody,†Richards said, alluding again to the home fans.

How dare the fans at Garden with their extremely high standards and demand to be impressed. Clearly a consistent work ethic and barely competent PP that doesn't give up shorthanded goals is too much to ask for. Sorry Brad, but the fans aren't preventing you from a playing "a stupid, simple... game" at home, that's a total cop-out.

So far as his concerns about his buddies being singled out, he needn't worry, there were many loud boos directed towards the team collectively throughout the game. Surprised he didn't hear those.

 

[RangerBoy]

Pierre McGuire just realized McDonagh is hurt. The guy hasn't been right since he returned from the shoulder injury. It's more than rust. Ryan went from playing the best hockey of his career to looking like Roman Hamrlik. He got beat wide by Voracek in game 2 against Philly and that never happens. That was the first sign something wasn't right. He is playing with one arm.

 

[BarbaraAlphanse]

Teams have trailed 3-1 in a best-of-seven series a total of 229 times and have come back to win the series on 20 occasions or 8.7% of the time.

Our last (and only i think) occurance of this is back in 2009, when we were up 3 - 1 against the Caps, and they won 4 - 3.

Weren't we down' 3-1 to the Senators 2 years ago and came back to win it in 7?

 

[BarbaraAlphanse]

Hopefully Pittsburgh takes the Rangers out of their misery on Friday so they can go to on vacation next week. Why delay the inevitable?

Just wondering what your plan would be over the offseason, RB?

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

The sad part is the Penguins have not dominated other than Game 2.
Bylsma watched Girardi and McD struggle and correctly decided to load up the top line and take advantage.
I don't know that there is much to adjust to. Girardi has been medicore and McDonough has been awful so we are ill equipped to stop a line that contains two of the best players in the world.

They need to adjust their zone entries. The only line that did was the Brassard line and they've been moderately successful.

The 1 on 1 ******** from the so-called top 6 forwards may work on a January night in Buffalo, but doesn't work in the playoffs.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

That wasn't even the quote that bothered me, it was this:



How dare the fans at Garden with their extremely high standards and demand to be impressed. Clearly a consistent work ethic and barely competent PP that doesn't give up shorthanded goals is too much to ask for. Sorry Brad, but the fans aren't preventing you from a playing "a stupid, simple... game" at home, that's a total cop-out.

So far as his concerns about his buddies being singled out, he needn't worry, there were many loud boos directed towards the team collectively throughout the game. Surprised he didn't hear those.

Ha, I feel like hes talking to Snowblind or something.

Because watching these stiffs fumble their way through the neutral zone is really entertaining and impressive -- as compared to a team that stays competitive and battles for every inch of ice.

 

[chosen]

I guess Torts wasn't the problem with the PP or with the team in general. Until the players got annoyed with him, he seems to have had a better game plan than AV.

In the end, it's not about the coach.

The stench once again points at Teflon Glen. What will he do next to divert our attention?

Now we read that the Rangers are rated dead last in prospects.

And the band played on.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

I guess Torts wasn't the problem with the PP or with the team in general. Until the players got annoyed with him, he seems to have had a better game plan than AV.

In the end, it's not about the coach.

The stench once again points at Teflon Glen. What will he do next to divert our attention?

Now we read that the Rangers are rated dead last in prospects.

And the band played on.

The lack of outrage about the PP compared to the Torts years is comical, especially considering it is worse than it ever was.

Its literally leading directly to goals for the opposition, not to mentions its historical futility since game 2 vs. Philly.

 

[OverTheCap]

Ha, I feel like hes talking to Snowblind or something.

Because watching these stiffs fumble their way through the neutral zone is really entertaining and impressive -- as compared to a team that stays competitive and battles for every inch of ice.

It's kind of frightening when some players on the team feel compelled to cater to the fans who value style and flash over putting in the hard work necessary to win games (or "stupid, simple" stuff as Richards would say).

What's even worse is that these players know what needs to be done but they refuse to do it. All that big talk about getting more traffic in front of Fleury and they didn't really go through with it.

 

[SingnBluesOnBroadway]

The lack of outrage about the PP compared to the Torts years is comical, especially considering it is worse than it ever was.

Especially with allegedly better personnel.

Its literally leading directly to goals for the opposition, not to mentions its historical futility since game 2 vs. Philly.

Aren't they a - on the PP?

 

[qwertyaas]

Rangers should just suck for a few years, not be in the playoffs and think young from here on now.

Make some good drafts the next few years and come back strong. Just like Pens did.

Actually having those draft picks would help.

 

[johnmd20*]

The lack of outrage about the PP compared to the Torts years is comical, especially considering it is worse than it ever was.

Its literally leading directly to goals for the opposition, not to mentions its historical futility since game 2 vs. Philly.

There has been plenty of outrage. It's comical at this point, but people are angry, including me. The powerplay has literally cost the team the last two games due to goals against.

So it is not only not helping, it's actively hurting. It's abominable.