Post-Game Talk: Rangers @ Sabres -- 4/1/21

[kovazub94]

Exactly; no one is really mad because he’s trying to win. No one is arguing for tanking anymore.

It’s that he needs to figure out how to do it while not having Lafreniere performing like one of the worst scoring first overall picks ever.

Who cares what Lafreniere scoring rate is in his first NHL season in his D+1 year impacted by Covid?
Look at Kakko’s development this year and take a breath.

 

[eco's bones]

To me it’s a little strange when trying to win games is used as an indictment against a coach. Beyond that we can see the growth in Kakko’s game this year and last night he ended with 6 shots on goal. As well team defense this year has vastly improved which tells me that players understand they have to be defensively responsible.

On the question of overtime ice time from last night’s game. It’s become a tactic in the league to control the puck long enough that the opposition is caught on the ice for an extended time through multiple line changes. The Rangers have not been very good at this. Last night we started with Mika, Artemi and Fox who controlled the puck well enough but didn’t change soon enough to make it a real advantage and the next group out that included Trouba and Buch lost possession and were the ones caught out for too long and the reason why Blackwell takes a face-off is he’s actually pretty good at it unlike a lot of our other centers. So why put Mika, Artemi and Fox back out? Well they’re our best and they had enough time resting while the last group had gone well over a minute.

 

[romba]

this. Common sense says faceoffs matter. This wasn’t the first time.

Good face off guys still lose a good chunk of them. You can’t look at one play and say ‘that’s the play where a good face off guy would seal the win’, it’s more over the course of a season you see the difference

 

[Guyute]

That Trouba and Blackwell shift in overtime was some classic David Quinn buffoonery.

The guy was the Les Miles of college hockey coaches and it really shows with some of his decision making

 

[RGY]

What last one? We dominated the last period. He played well, but that first goal sucked and giving up these late third period goals is getting old. Though that's a teamwide thing I'll say.

The last game we just played before the Sabres against the Capitals...

Buffalo had 12 shots in the 1st period. The 1st goal was an absolute mess of a goal and youre blaming him for that one? He kept this team in the game in the 1st when Buffalo had their biggest push and energy and more chances.

And the 3rd goal he was screened. How about the team doesnt ice the puck. Or how about they bury an empty net goal. Or Buch connects on ONES cross ice pass last night. He attempted at least 4 that were knocked down, redirected, behind a teammate, etc. He was bad last night. Before Kreider’s shot was blocked, Buch tried yet another cross ice pass to Zibanejad, which was not only behind him but it slowed the breakout allowing BUF to get back with a chance to block it.

Blaming Igor is some reach

 

[kovazub94]

Not to mention not playing Kakko in OT. I don't think anyone can explain that line of thinking to me. This isn't last year's Kakko. This kid is improving more and more and he would tear it up with all that space.

How about a fact that Quinn does have a plan for OT? Don’t you all complain that he doesn’t prepare / have a plan?

The team actually won in OT!!! How this is not important (specifically addressing about OT) is beyond me with these complaints.

 

[eco's bones]

Making the playoffs should be a goal, but secondary to developing Kakko and Lafreniere and the rest of the kids including Kravtsov.

And to that end he could give them pp time, trust them to take an OT shift, or at least give them more than 8 minutes a night or one third period shift.

By making the playoffs you help to develop your young players so I’m really not sure what you’re on about. The sooner they see what playoff hockey is like the better and potentially giving away two points to a bottom feeder like Buffalo isn’t going to help anyone’s confidence and if that had happened those griping about Chytil’s and Lafreniere’s ice time would be griping about that instead. Really almost everyone here wanted to see a blowout last night but the Sabres as bad as they may be played pretty well and Tokarski was really good as well as lucky a few times. We should respect all opponents. But a win is a win whether by 5 goals or by 1.

 

[LORDE]

Haven't been a Quinn hater. Disagreed with him about things? Oh yeah.

But NOT playing Kakko in OT last night is more than head scratching and borders on insanity.

I think my dog & fiancée would've played him on the very 1st shift or AT WORST the 2nd

 

[SnowblindNYR]

The last game we just played before the Sabres against the Capitals...

Buffalo had 12 shots in the 1st period. The 1st goal was an absolute mess of a goal and youre blaming him for that one? He kept this team in the game in the 1st when Buffalo had their biggest push and energy and more chances.

And the 3rd goal he was screened. How about the team doesnt ice the puck. Or how about they bury an empty net goal. Or Buch connects on ONES cross ice pass last night. He attempted at least 4 that were knocked down, redirected, behind a teammate, etc. He was bad last night. Before Kreider’s shot was blocked, Buch tried yet another cross ice pass to Zibanejad, which was not only behind him but it slowed the breakout allowing BUF to get back with a chance to block it.

Blaming Igor is some reach

I'm not blaming him completely but when game in and game out your goalie gives up late goals your goalie is one of the players that needs to do better.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

I know advanced stats say faceoffs “don’t matter” but the game doesn’t go to overtime if the Rangers have a reliable faceoff man.

They went 58% on face offs last night.

 

[TheDirtyH]

This is a bit over the top. You're not really suggesting Chytil, Kakko, and Lafreniere will end up being a Jesper Fast,... are you? I can understand somewhat the impatience not to play these top prospects on the 1st or 2nd line. But when you have a Zibanejad, Kreider, Buch, Panarin, and Strome, playing close to their absolute best in their careers, asking for additional minutes for our top prospects is almost an impossibility. 3rd line minutes is all they'll get, and I know,... any coach in the NHL would do the same. The youngsters had limited opportunities to move up in the line up, with players being out. They had a few chances to earn top minutes. They are just not ready to replace guys playing their career best. Kakko has improved and has now moved up. So there is no great conspiracy to hold back the kids or that the coaches don't have a clue. It's only how NHL works.

At some point you’ve got to enjoy the here and now. I’m pessimistic by nature but this post says to my pessimism “hold my beer.” Sure not all these prospects will pan out but most are looking better and a core is developing that looks really good. We can project the worst into everything but that’s not true and rarely is accurate.

I agree Quinn is a mess and needs to go. I agree that teams have windows and I’ve made the point that this team had 2 windows that I can see, one is in the next few seasons and one is right after they decide which players are keepers. But the Rangers future is much brighter than a lot of the NHL especially those other teams who seem to be stuck in perpetual rebuild.

I'm not proposing a conspiracy theory; I'm not of the belief that Kakko and Lafreniere are being and will be 'ruined' by our coach; and I'm not really that pessimistic. I'm a fan, so I'm emotional about the team--but I'm also just a spectator and at the end of the day, I just watch and wait and see what happens.

What I was posting was more in response to posters trying to dunk on people for being upset or concerned (the poster I quoted, btw, definitely wasn't doing that). It's sports. It's a thread that's live during and right after a game played by our favorite team (and let's face it , if you're a member of this board, you're a fanatic, of the 1% of most over-the-top invested fans of the team in the world probably). In that respect, I just think you have to let people express their feelings, even if those feelings are bad after a win, even if they say something that sounds extreme. And really, my whole point is that it's not really unreasonable to be concerned.

If you're just happy to see the Rangers win, then great, a great night to watch. If you trust 'the process' and feel confident that our young players are or will be making strides, great. But if you're looking ahead and you're worried, if you're skeptical of the results thus far--well, that's OK too, because frankly, there's plenty of reason to feel either way.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

By making the playoffs you help to develop your young players so I’m really not sure what you’re on about. The sooner they see what playoff hockey is like the better and potentially giving away two points to a bottom feeder like Buffalo isn’t going to help anyone’s confidence and if that had happened those griping about Chytil’s and Lafreniere’s ice time would be griping about that instead. Really almost everyone here wanted to see a blowout last night but the Sabres as bad as they may be played pretty well and Tokarski was really good as well as lucky a few times. We should respect all opponents. But a win is a win whether by 5 goals or by 1.

To develop they need to actually play.

If yesterday was about winning to push to make it in, then Kreider should have sat.

 

[TGWL]

During the game I don't think Laf did anything to justify being given ice time during overtime, but Kakko should have been given an opportunity. He's been defensively responsible and much better with puck protection.

Kreider's empty net attempt looked like he let up on the shot.

I'm not even going to comment on the power play. I'll just pretend they had none.

 

[eco's bones]

To develop they need to actually play.

If yesterday was about winning to push to make it in, then Kreider should have sat.

they won’t play in the playoffs if the Rangers don’t make it and playoff hockey is a real learning experience for anyone who hasn’t done it before. Beyond that I think Kakko is going to play quite a lot from now until when our season ends.

on your previous post on face-offs there were 45 last night and Mika took 24 or more than half of them and he had a really good night winning 17. That said like all of our centers he’s on the wrong side of the 50/50 divide for the season having won 311 and lost 366.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

During the game I don't think Laf did anything to justify being given ice time during overtime, but Kakko should have been given an opportunity. He's been defensively responsible and much better with puck protection.

Kreider's empty net attempt looked like he let up on the shot.

I'm not even going to comment on the power play. I'll just pretend they had none.

I don't doubt Kakko and Fil was next up in ot until the blackwell trio got stuck out there for too long and at that point you jump to your best three fox zib and panarin because you might not get a chance to get them out there again.

 

[duhmetreE]

To develop they need to actually play.

If yesterday was about winning to push to make it in, then Kreider should have sat.

He never rides the hot hand. He is clueless in that instance..... unless it's Blackwell.

He doesn't put the kids in position to succeed. No other coach would limit Lafrenieres time, the way Quinn has, on the PP. It is truly asinine.

I don't believe anything that comes out of his mouth. 'Can't trust them defensively'.... Kakko has been your best defensive forward all year, how are you that ignorant? "There's not enough ice time to go around" YOUR PP SUCKS. PUT THE #1 and #2 PICKS ON THE PP. CHANGE YOUR GAMEPLAN YOU DONKEY.

I can't wait for the Quinnettes to be out of here. 0 adjustments. Playoffs? We will get embarrassed, like the covid-play-in.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

Ive read " they won't learn if they dont play" a lot here regarding the kids. You learn at practice and you execute in games. If you don't execute in games then you don't play. Its a fairly simple equation as to how to get more ice time, Kakko figured it out, Lindgren figured it out, chytil figured it out before his injury and covid and was being rewarded. Lafreniere will get it, he's a smart player and I'm not getting the impression that he's not happy there at all.
Making the playoffs and getting introduced to it will be a good experience for the kids so do what you can to win and get in even if its a sweep its a learning lesson for them all.

 

[duhmetreE]

Ive read " they won't learn if they dont play" a lot here regarding the kids. You learn at practice and you execute in games. If you don't execute in games then you don't play. Its a fairly simple equation as to how to get more ice time, Kakko figured it out, Lindgren figured it out, chytil figured it out before his injury and covid and was being rewarded. Lafreniere will get it, he's a smart player and I'm not getting the impression that he's not happy there at all.
Making the playoffs and getting introduced to it will be a good experience for the kids so do what you can to win and get in even if its a sweep its a learning lesson for them all.

stop. Learning comes from experience and guidance. Playing with other inexperienced/green players and watching from the bench is not the best way to learn.

 

[Ruggs225]

Quinn really needs to shake up the KZB line... its doing nothing.

switch laff and Kreider. See if that works and it spreads out talent.

also will give kreider the kick in the ass he needs every 5 games. So he can start a tear again.

 

[TGWL]

I don't doubt Kakko and Fil was next up in ot until the blackwell trio got stuck out there for too long and at that point you jump to your best three fox zib and panarin because you might not get a chance to get them out there again.

I don't think Quinn was going to use another unit. That's a big rotation for 3 on 3 where most of the shift isn't physical.

 

[CupSeeker]

What about our #1 pick? he doesnt matter?

Kakko played great. Glad to see him benched for Rooney late and get no OT time. much deserved

edit - and Kakko didn't lead forwards.

Why are you glad to see KK benched when he may be our best defensive forward at this point? where is the LOL?

 

[CupSeeker]

Lol I'm not a "Quinn guy" just because I question the ridiculous knee jerk finger pointing that goes on by a group of people on here 24/7.

Laf could maybe earn some ice time by moving his feet and staying involved. If scrubs like Rooney and Blackwell are more noticeable shift to shift than the guy draft first overall, maybe it's their own responsibility.

Chytil's line played well in their chances, that includes Laf. Coach is an idiot.

 

[CupSeeker]

I guess you haven't been watching much lately if you're that upset that blackwell got an OT shift over Kakko. Again I would have liked to see him get a shift, but at the end of the day they won. You guys can bitch and moan about DQ's decisions all you want but he's coaching this team for the rest of the season and they won a game they needed to win.

Are you suggesting that Blackwell is playing better than Kakko? That Blackwell is more reliable in all zones than KK?

 

[CupSeeker]

Getting into the playoffs and playing even at least one round could help the kids' development ironically be more effective next year. They would experience playoff pace, playoff intensity, what it takes to have to go all out every single shift.

Not if they play 8 minutes a night in the playoffs. They can watch on TV to learn about the intensity. If we are fortunate enough to make the playoffs we will get hammered in the first round by whoever we play. Develop the kids; most important thing.

 

[CupSeeker]

This team has a 23-year-old defenseman who played over 28 minutes tonight and is a front runner for a f***ing Norris trophy.

Get off of this daycare shit already.

wow, this is dopey. So, because Fox is played a ton when the other choices are also kids somehow justifies stunting the development of our young forwards in a year when we cannot win anything? Nah. Poorly thought out post.