Post-Game Talk: Rangers @ Blackhawks

[The Lunatic Fridge]

People must have forgotten what snipe shots look like since our team has almost none. That was a VERY good, accurate, powerful shot. If people think that was a "weak" goal you need to get your head checked and pay more attention to how he responded after that and got the W.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Worst moment of the game:

When Doc Emrick said this: "Brassard just waiting there, geometrically down to Stralman"

What the hell is wrong with this guy? Also, I guess the Rangers and Blackhawks are fierce rivals.

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

I thought it was a hard shot that found the hole. Seeing eye puck. That puck hits Hank 999 out of 1000 times.

No it wasn't a seeing eye puck. The term seeing eye puck should only be used (and many use it improperly) when a puck is shot through a maze of people and hits nobody and goes it. Meaning it had eyes, it made its way thought a maze of bodies and only had eyes for the net.

In "proper" hockey lingo this shot would be considered a snipe. And it was, it was a great shot. That most goalies in the league will have difficulty with. I feel Hank was leaning pass, considering it was a 3 on 2 and go caught. Normally if he gets caught leaning pass in this situation, he still makes the save because 99 times out of a 100 the shot isn't as good as it was. I'm not excusing the goal, I still think he should've stopped it, I'm just providing some reasoning as to why he didn't stop it. No excuses here, just my thoughts on why he let it in.

Worst moment of the game:

When Doc Emrick said this: "Brassard just waiting there, geometrically down to Stralman"

What the hell is wrong with this guy? Also, I guess the Rangers and Blackhawks are fierce rivals.

Haha. Hey, I heard a rumor Doc switched to an online thesaurus and I guess his refresh button wasn't working so he had to go off of memory.

People must have forgotten what snipe shots look like since our team has almost none. That was a VERY good, accurate, powerful shot. If people think that was a "weak" goal you need to get your head checked and pay more attention to how he responded after that and got the W.

Yes, I agree to a point. It was a tremendous shot. However, I think 9 times out of 10 Hank stops that shot.

I do find it funny that 3 pages of this PGT are dedicated to this goal. As if Hank didn't bounce back, keep his confidence and shut the door down on one of the most talented offenses in the league. And they were pressing hard the last 10 minutes of the third. The way they controlled to puck and generated offense with the goalie pulled was masterful. Hank simply said NO and shut the door. But no, let's focus on the "weak" goal he allowed, which ultimately determined nothing. More negativity, jeez. Hank was great tonight. If he can play this well the rest of the season, we will be looking at our old usual Henrik.

 

[Blue Blooded]

Just caught the replay of the game, and coming from one of Callahan's biggest critics: what a game from him! Easily POTG for me, even over Lundqvist.

 

[Ola]

People must have forgotten what snipe shots look like since our team has almost none. That was a VERY good, accurate, powerful shot. If people think that was a "weak" goal you need to get your head checked and pay more attention to how he responded after that and got the W.

From my point of view, you can't look too much on individual goals.

Lets just realize it, a goalie face around 30 shots night in and night out, some will go in. Sometimes the 2 on 1 with a post to post pass is much easier to save than that soft but bouncing puck.

However, if you over 30 games let in 3+ goals night after night you are not playing well. Hank is probably the first to admit that himself.

Last night he let in 2 goals, that was nice to see. Its still however long between games where he shuts the door and saves 40+ shots for a SO. You should be able to expect those type of games too on more or less a regular basis from one of the best.

He still has some distance to go before he is back at the top of his game.

 

[Blue Blooded]

People must have forgotten what snipe shots look like since our team has almost none. That was a VERY good, accurate, powerful shot. If people think that was a "weak" goal you need to get your head checked and pay more attention to how he responded after that and got the W.

It was pretty much identical to Richards' goal, so "weak" goals were at worst 1-1 in the game.

Overall a strong showing by the Rangers IMO. Chicago carried the play for large stretches, but that is expected when you are playing with the lead as the Rangers did for most of this game. In fact, the Rangers outchanced Chicago when the game was tied.

Also, am I the only one who has started to appreciate the fluky goals (like Zucc's goal) more than the actual skill goals? We get so many bad breaks I can't help but appreciate when something breaks our way for once!

 

[JHS]

Worst moment of the game:

When Doc Emrick said this: "Brassard just waiting there, geometrically down to Stralman"

What the hell is wrong with this guy? Also, I guess the Rangers and Blackhawks are fierce rivals.

I'm beyond sick of Doc Emrick and his absurd attempts to find clever ways to describe the action. It's made all the more nauseating by Eddie O's chuckles in the back round. It is painful honestly. It makes me appreciate how great we all have it listening to Sam and Joe! It's actually a shame that Sam is not the national voice of hockey! He's so much more likeable and actually just sticks to calling the action in as clear a way as possible. I'd even take the Buffalo announcer, the guy who goes crazy when Buffalo scores over Doc.

More important that was a nice win by the Rangers. I think it is fair to say Hank outplayed Crawford and that is a big reason we won!

 

[Blue Blooded]

I'm beyond sick of Doc Emrick and his absurd attempts to find clever ways to describe the action. It's made all the more nauseating by Eddie O's chuckles in the back round. It is painful honestly. It makes me appreciate how great we all have it listening to Sam and Joe! It's actually a shame that Sam is not the national voice of hockey! He's so much more likeable and actually just sticks to calling the action in as clear a way as possible. I'd even take the Buffalo announcer, the guy who goes crazy when Buffalo scores over Doc.

More important that was a nice win by the Rangers. I think it is fair to say Hank outplayed Crawford and that is a big reason we won!

Wait, I thought Doc's lack of variation was the main gripe? Now he gets criticism for mixing it up?

I gotta say that I like his creative use of language, but with the caveat that he uses the same phrases too much so I liked the "passes it geometrically" line.

My biggest peeve with the NBC team (apart from that philistine Olczyk, but he seems to get successively marginalized in favor of Pierre) is that Pierre is supposed to be the expert but only speaks in narrative-driven clichés. I know Pierre has a good hockey mind, but he is just mailing it in at the moment and I expect more from him.

 

[Blue Blooded]

One thing that struck me as funny was that Hagelin and Callahan seemed to have switched bodies for this game.

Callahan looked like Hagelin at his best, driving the play and creating tons of chances.

Hagelin OTOH had a typical "Callahan" game where he constantly tried difficult passes that only resulted in turnovers, but scored an important goal with great poise around the net.

It's only one game, but if Callahan keeps this level of play up he will make the decision of whether to keep him a lot more difficult. He looked like 2010-11 Callahan out there.

 

[Levitate]

Maybe it's just one bad game, but I'm thinking back to the McDonagh thread where people were pimping Keith as the best defenseman in the league and holy good god he didn't look anything close to that last night.

Amazing skater, very good with the puck, but soft as hell on defense and several times out of position in the neutral zone, let players blow by him to the outside multiple times, etc. IN fact for as good of skater as he is I was surprised that he got beat easily to the outside with speed a few times.

Good stick defensively and uses his skating real well once he's setup in the defensive zone but McDonagh vastly outplayed him on the defensive end last night.

 

[LORENZO]

I see Carcillo is making the difference.

 

[Blueshirt Special]

Rangers vs Black Hawks. Biggest rivalry since Yankees vs Cubs.

 

[Blue Blooded]

I see Carcillo is making the difference.

Yeah, Carbomb needs to get right back into that press-box because he rob us of one of our biggest assets when he is in the lineup, a great 4th line.

Carcillo did nothing but be in the wrong place and flub pucks which meant AV couldn't trust the 4th line like he usually does. Miller needs to get back in ASAP.

 

[Leonardo87]

To those wondering why Zucc has been playing fewer and fewer minutes, It's because his line is behind the Richards and Stepan lines. Nash is getting time no matter what, and is picking his game up. Cally's been great since coming back, and has been getting a ton of defensive work done.

There's only so much time you can give a right winger on this team. Zucc's been able to produce in spite of it.

Just need some goals from him. Shocked he did not score last night, got robbed more than a couple of times from Crawford. Not happy he was taken off the PP, the first unit is looking lost out there. Might have to swap Stepan and put in Cally. Stepan has done crap on the PP, and his 5 on 5 has not been anything special either.

I think AV is liking Cally's 5 on 5, and he is one of our better PK'ers, almost got a shortie also last night. To put him on the PP as well would give him defense mins, way too much for a forward.

BTW, he is a +4 since coming back from knee surgery.

One thing that struck me as funny was that Hagelin and Callahan seemed to have switched bodies for this game.

Callahan looked like Hagelin at his best, driving the play and creating tons of chances.

Hagelin OTOH had a typical "Callahan" game where he constantly tried difficult passes that only resulted in turnovers, but scored an important goal with great poise around the net.

It's only one game, but if Callahan keeps this level of play up he will make the decision of whether to keep him a lot more difficult. He looked like 2010-11 Callahan out there.

Cally has been solid since coming back from his injury, he has 4 points in his last 3 games. Keeping Callahan is less of a risk than not keeping him.

I for one hope he keeps this up, so people can put their foots in their mouths, or head in their ***** when it comes to discussions about not keeping him.

 

[Blue Blooded]

Just need some goals from him. Shocked he did not score last night, got robbed more than a couple of times from Crawford. Not happy he was taken off the PP, the first unit is looking lost out there. Might have to swap Stepan and put in Cally. Stepan has done crap on the PP, and his 5 on 5 has not been anything special either.

I think AV is liking Cally's 5 on 5, and he is one of our better PK'ers, almost got a shortie also last night. To put him on the PP as well would give him defense mins, way too much for a forward.

BTW, he is a +4 since coming back from knee surgery.



Cally has been solid since coming back from his injury, he has 4 points in his last 3 games. Keeping Callahan is less of a risk than not keeping him.

I for one hope he keeps this up, so people can put their foots in their mouths, or head in their ***** when it comes to discussions about not keeping him.

Other way around, 3p in 4gp.

And I don't think points are a good way of evaluating a player in such a small sample. I think he was decent in the first three games, but fantastic in this one. Let's hope he can keep it up.

Putting Cally on the PP instead of Stepan isn't a good idea IMO. Cally is great on the PP and should definitely be on it, but his role is in front of the net - he isn't good at moving the puck around. He should either replace Kreider on the first unit or Pouliot on the second.

However, considering that we have PP goals in 8 of the past 11 I don't think we should mess with it much at the moment. Cally will have to wait a bit.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Rangers vs Black Hawks. Biggest rivalry since Yankees vs Cubs.

Well, it's not as big as the Coyotes - Canucks rivalry they had last season of course

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

For what it's worth, at the end of the day, I expect Henrik to have that one. I expect the team MVP, one of if not the best at his position in the league, to have that 2nd goal. I'm surprised there is so much of a defense of it to be honest. He made other great saves tonight. Not saying he was bad by any means. But I expect him to have that.

 

[Ail]

Hey what does everybody think of that second 'hawks goal?

 

[Levitate]

For what it's worth, at the end of the day, I expect Henrik to have that one. I expect the team MVP, one of if not the best at his position in the league, to have that 2nd goal. I'm surprised there is so much of a defense of it to be honest. He made other great saves tonight. Not saying he was bad by any means. But I expect him to have that.

I agree. I'm glad he bounced back and held down the fort but that goal was deflating at the time. It happens, but it's been happening to Lundqvist too often this year. That said, a strong overall game against the top team in the league will hopefully settle him down and start letting him get into a groove and back to his old form.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

3Good game. One of the best showings the Rangers have had all year.

I thought they got good performances from a lot of the forwards tonight and the defense played within themselves. Bent but didnt break at times. Really got the job done in front the last few minutes. This was a big one for Henrik and his confidence, to go on the road and beat the defending champs. Only 2 loses at home all season.

This was the best skating ive seen from Nash all year. He actually was exuding passion and fire out there, seeking out battles. Good to see. Im wondering if the Team Canada selection and the win against Columbus regenerated his confidence. This is two games in a row hes played well. The Rangers are going to need it if they want to make the playoffs. They are a much more dangerous team when hes on his game.

I feel like Richards has lost a step and is standing around a lot not moving his feet, but unlike last season his saavyness with the puck is opening up lanes for himself and his teammates.

And i have to mention one other thing, while I actually have a positive post going here for once. You have to be thrilled with what the Rangers are doing on the PP. 6th overall, 3rd on the road. Lightyears better then last season. They are a joy to watch on the PP (and who wouldve though that after the last few seasons) and ******* it if they had that going on last season they probably wouldve made the conference finals. Thats really that much of a difference maker if you go back and look at the chances they missed in the close games. I said it when it was happening, i blame Torts for not having a coach solely dedicated to it, and Sather for allowing him to continue it. But thats in the past. I am pleasantly socked at how well they are moving the puck. They are really building a special PP identity, showing tons of confidence and having fun doing it. Thats an enormous weapon come April.

 

[Ola]

Pts in 9 of the last 12. That is better.

If you count pre-season, we opened the season 4-12-0. The five days from Dec 7 to Dec 12 were god damn awful. The 3 follwing games wasn't pretty, despite us getting pts in 2 of 3.

We are getting better, but a lot is still missing. I think we really must be able to shut the door defensively to be able to recover if we are going to take a real step into maybe not the group of the prime contenders, top 4-6, but the group behind thoose teams.

 

[offdacrossbar]

good road win against a stacked team.

a few thoughts.

crawford was shaky. first 2 goals were very hank like.

from the get go, they seemed to all have their collective legs. passing was sharp and they applied sustained pressure. taking the play to the hawks at home isnt easy. the crowd was quiet most of the first period which is key on the road. perhaps the hawks took us lightly? cant say that i blame them really

callahan played great. no explanation other than maybe hes getting healthy ? whatever, he played a terrific 2 way game last night.

stepan and ck had some mojo flowing too. those guys are gonna be gold together once they really start to feel each others flow. kreider continues to wow me with his explosiveness. hes really freakishly fast. exciting pair to keep together long term.

zuke quietly earning his next contract. all good teams seem to have one guy that does little subtle things like he does to help win games or change momentum. hes just a gamer.

the pp is really developing. good to see and another reason why i DO NOT miss torts.

nash looked involved and had his wheels. after half a season of looking disinterested, he showed up last night with a 60 minute effort.

hank had his one wtf moment on that short side shot where he left the post. that one was pretty bad, other wise he battled hard. hes earned another start. beating the hawks at home will do that.

we are still lacking some size and hands up front. defensively, i would like that pmd who can go end to end or a heavy shot up top.

great win.

 

[Levitate]

Sometimes you could see the benefit of a more man to man defense in this game...a lot of times the Rangers didn't give the Hawks much time to make plays with the pucks, and in general they didn't get mixed up and out of position that often. It didn't always pan out but maybe it's a baby step in the right direction.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

Sometimes you could see the benefit of a more man to man defense in this game...a lot of times the Rangers didn't give the Hawks much time to make plays with the pucks, and in general they didn't get mixed up and out of position that often. It didn't always pan out but maybe it's a baby step in the right direction.

Was thinking the same thing. It seems like after 40-50 games the defensive system is gonna click in. They rotated and switched coverage a lot better last night. Lets see if it continues.

 

[Glennsoe]

Is this our biggest win so far this season?