Post-Game Talk: Rangers @ Kraken - 10/31/21

[duhmetreE]

So

1) upgrade centers
2) upgrade system understanding

it's not as much as an upgrade but changing the 'type' or 'styles' of centers we have.

I'm on repeat.... we need better 2way centers. We will NOT WIN without better 2way centers.

 

[mas0764]

it's not as much as an upgrade but changing the 'type' or 'styles' of centers we have. I'm on repeat.... we need better 2way centers. We will NOT WIN without better 2way centers.

Too late to trade for Lundell sadly.

 

[Fitzy]

This is a good point.

We spent the last few years cheating a bit in Quinn's system and having that stretch pass always be an option. Everything is shorter now and it's an adjustment. Sometimes the passing is off and sometimes the receiving is off [looks at Zibanejad].

Yep, and Chytil/Kakko/Laf have all been having some puck reception and transition issues as well.

I think morale would be a lot higher around here if our top two picks were having the breakout years we were hoping for. Chytil meanwhile is in a big offensive dry spell too.

 

[Machinehead]

I'm really, really tired of the kids not producing enough.

I mean, we all are, but at this point, the team as a unit isn't producing.

If you told me before the season started that Lafreniere would be 5th on the team in scoring I would have been like "wow awesome!" and here we are.

 

[duhmetreE]

Panarin's main issue is he stops skating. The passing lanes are not there and he's making himself easy to defend/contain. When he has a chance to shoot, he waits way too long at a stand still and allows everyone and their mother to square up to him

On the GWG he set it up by skating towards the blue line to create a lane to Fox. Just keep moving your feet and limit your shifts to under a minute. He does look sluggish compared to previous seasons though

 

[Peltz]

I don't know if you guys rme

The NYR right now have one of the biggest disconnects between W-L record and on ice play as I can remember seeing.

I do agree that the team's current struggles offensively are bigger than individual players.

But there’s no denying that there are a bunch of players that just need to get going.

I don't know if you guys remember, but last season during an early stretch, the Rangers were generating a ton of offensive chances, and opposing teams goalies seemed to play incredibly well against them and Rangers would somehow lose games that that they were dominating by failing to score.

We blamed it on hot goaltenders, as I'm sure the opposing teams are doing when they're facing Shesterkin after dominating the Rangers this year.

It's kind of amazing just how much Shesty is carrying this team. Don't get me wrong, I also think he's seeing shots better than last year because the defense is playing a simpler game too.

But the team is sort of a mystery in in the neutral and offensive zones this year so far. They're struggling to set up on the powerplay and the lines still don't gel quite right.

 

[Fitzy]

Last season this team scored around 3 goals per game and so far this year we're just above two.

I was fairly confident that we'd be a lower scoring, lower conceding team under Gallant, but I don't think this is the new normal. I'd expect to end the season at about 2.75 for per game, 2.45 against per game on average.

 

[TheBloodyNine]

The NYR right now have one of the biggest disconnects between W-L record and on ice play as I can remember seeing.

I do agree that the team's current struggles offensively are bigger than individual players.

But there’s no denying that there are a bunch of players that just need to get going. I thought Zibanejad played putrid, then checked the stats and he actually was one of our best offensive players. Trying to be patient with Lafreniere and Kakko, but it is getting frustrating for sure.

I'd say this is everyone minus Fox, Shesterkin and Kreider right now.

 

[Whoot Whoot]

Kreider is killing it so far

 

[Peltz]

Shesterkin, Fox and Kreider are the only reason this team wins games. The rest of the team is gonna have to come around soon or else November won't be pretty.

I don't know - there's a lot more to like than those three right now. I'm kind of positive about the team.

The positives:

• Shesty, Fox, Kreider are killing it, as you said.
• 
  
• Trouba has been much better this year. And Miller is making good plays on a nightly basis. That duo is really underrated right now.
• 
  
• Goodrow and Mika have been doing some great things in their own zone to close out games late in the stretch.
• 
  
• Nemeth blocked a bunch of shots last night.
• 
  
• Blais has been a pleasant surprise but I am not sure if we can expect much more upside than what we've already seen.
• 
  
• Lingren plays his heart out every night.
• 
  
• Kakko looks like a beast on more nights than not even though he hasn't been rewarded for it and wasn't quite as good last game.
• 
  
• Laf is putting himself in position to score and burying those chances.

The negatives:

• Chytil just doesn't look poised to be the 2nd line center and Strome is in a contract year. I doubt we'll afford him. We're not in good shape up the middle at all.
• 
  
• Mika isn't scoring goals. He hasn't been terrible, and he has 7 points this year, and is skating at a +6 right now, so it's hard to be too mad right now. But he's not looking like a game breaking talent who has scored 5 goals in a game, multiple hat tricks, and just signed a long term contract. I think we'll see that mika soon though.
• 
  
• We traded Buch away and Laf is just not ready to take over 1st line duties. And I think that is contributing to Mika's lack of production too. Goodrow is good but not a first liner. And Laf is still figuring out how to be effective in this league. Kreider can pass the puck but he's not elite in that category. It's an issue.
• 
  
• Panarin is off to a slow start and is suddenly a give-away machine. He never coughed up the puck in prior seasons like this and it's even more concerning than his low production so far. Again, however, I think he's slowly improving each game. Little by little, we're seeing the Bread rise.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

I still cant get over how hard Blais hits.

I mean every time he checks someone, he's trucking them to the ice off the boards.

Man, he is lethal out there

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

I'd like to see Gallant swap Kakko and Goodrow.

Kakko fills the Buchnevich role and Goodrow fills the Fast role.

At least give it a shot, it's not like any of the lines look particularly good.

 

[TominNC]

I'm not concerned. Reasonable people said there is always a transition period with a new coach. We're still in that transition period and yet we have a 6-2-1 record AND most of them are on the road. I see even better days ahead.

 

[egelband]

The Rangers had very little business winning that game, again.

Igor has really been locked in.

This team looked like it was still hungover from Panarins Bday/Halloween party.

I felt the 4th line had a nice game and quietly has been very effective. They will score a big goal for this team sooner rather than later. Even though not ideal, one of McKeggs better games as a Ranger as well.

A lot of standing around in the D zone and extended shifts. Second period becoming an issue with the long change. Second period and a majority of the third was atrocious.

You arent going to get away with it like this every game but in the post game the comment about the Rangers having the game breaking skill the Kraken didnt, was the difference. And it was. (in addition to Igor keeping it a winnable game with one shot)

The Fox goal was 160 ft, 10-second give and go.

Need more from Mika.

Good McKegg shout out. He has been good. He hounds the puck and doesn’t make mistakes. Which obviously is a tool a coach wants. As Chris Rock said, I understand.

 

[Rongomania]

I still cant get over how hard Blais hits.

I mean every time he checks someone, he's trucking them to the ice off the boards.

Man, he is lethal out there

So sad Kakko can't watch him crush Jack Hughes.

the hit that blasted his shoulder out of the socket looked like such a normal hit, I honestly couldn't believe he was that much weaker than I initially suspected. Huge LOL

 

[CLW]

Panarin was cherrypicking on that play. He slipped behind Seattle and was kind of waiting at their blue line for the pass from Fox. Mr. Norris Trophy hit him with a 75-foot stretch pass from deep in his own zone, nearly at the Rangers goal line.

That was one time Panarin wasn't cherrypicking I hope. Tampa uses that set play all the time, finding Point up high with a long outlet pass from their own goal line for a breakaway. Very effective in beating a heavy forecheck if it can be timed right.

 

[Brief Candle]

This is entirely in my head, but I get the legit feeling that some of the guys aren't buying into what Gallant is trying to accomplish. In a way, these games we've managed to pull out of our asses might be doing us a disservice. I could see them saying "Well we're winning games, right?". This is going to sound strange, but this team needs a good losing streak in order to really build around a systemic change and a change in mindset. I think they need Shesty to rip in to them HARD. Shame he doesn't seem the type to do something like that.

 

[Ola]

I'd like to see Gallant swap Kakko and Goodrow.

Kakko fills the Buchnevich role and Goodrow fills the Fast role.

At least give it a shot, it's not like any of the lines look particularly good.

I agree for sure, I don’t get the current division. For me Kakko and Ziba has always been a much more natural combo as well as Laf with Panarin.

 

[Peltz]

I'd like to see Gallant swap Kakko and Goodrow.

Kakko fills the Buchnevich role and Goodrow fills the Fast role.

At least give it a shot, it's not like any of the lines look particularly good.

Been saying this for a while now. Get Kakko on the Mika line. Been saying it since game 1 actually.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

Good McKegg shout out. He has been good. He hounds the puck and doesn’t make mistakes. Which obviously is a tool a coach wants. As Chris Rock said, I understand.

Strap Mckegg to a rocket and let it rip to the sun.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

So sad Kakko can't watch him crush Jack Hughes.

the hit that blasted his shoulder out of the socket looked like such a normal hit, I honestly couldn't believe he was that much weaker than I initially suspected. Huge LOL

I don’t know, he kinda was in an awkward position and all of his weight landed directly on his shoulder.

Getting into that position was the issue as he was completely out muscled by a bigger guy but not a giant of a man.

And yeah id love to see a regular Blais check take down not only Hughes but Subban as well.

 

[Rongomania]

I don’t know, he kinda was in an awkward position and all of his weight landed directly on his shoulder.

Getting into that position was the issue as he was completely out muscled by a bigger guy but not a giant of a man.

And yeah id love to see a regular Blais check take down not only Hughes but Subban as well.

I dunno, I'm just glad Kakko is built like a literal horse. Can you imagine this board if we had Hughes and that happened to him? The doom and gloom would be uproarious. Also, that injury, he's going to lose any muscle he had. He's going to be out for quite some time between the injury and getting back into NHL heavy hitting game shape.

 

[Cmox]

I dunno, I'm just glad Kakko is built like a literal horse. Can you imagine this board if we had Hughes and that happened to him? The doom and gloom would be uproarious. Also, that injury, he's going to lose any muscle he had. He's going to be out for quite some time between the injury and getting back into NHL heavy hitting game shape.

This is the reason I’d still draft Kakko over Hughes.

 

[Rongomania]

This is the reason I’d still draft Kakko over Hughes.

Yessir. You know devs were hesitant AF.

 

[romba]

That was one time Panarin wasn't cherrypicking I hope. Tampa uses that set play all the time, finding Point up high with a long outlet pass from their own goal line for a breakaway. Very effective in beating a heavy forecheck if it can be timed right.

Isles do it too, they wait for the right moment when the opposition smells a very good chance and the D press in and one small mistake whamo they have a breakaway just like that