Post-Game Talk: Rangers vs. Islanders: It's Miller Time

[Kreider Typical]

I think it's been said before but I'd like to see Boyle in over Asham next game. I know he's been pretty bad these past few games but he at least can PK. I don't really see the value in having Asham on the ice. If things continue to go poorly for Boyle maybe we see Mash get a shot?

Anyways, JT looked great for his second game. Hope he keeps it up.

we have to have one of bickel/asham against division rivals. that's a given. if things get out of hand you need somebody that can deal with them, and w/ neither one we don't have that and they will walk all over us.

 

[Tawnos]

I thought that the Rangers didn't play particularly well. A win's a win, but count me unimpressed.

 

[MTrangers]

Gilroy played nearly 12 minutes. When Girardi comes back, isn't that EXACTLY what we are looking for from a 6th? Stralman continues to prove he is at least a 5 and can play top 4 NHL minutes. Very underrated. I would almost readjust some of the D pairings now.

McDonagh-Stralman
Del Zotto-Girardi
Staal-Gilroy

You can move Staal around in the 3rd when Gilroy will get less icetime. Eminger is the extra. Bickel can go **** off somewhere.

Hats off to JT Miller. Fantastic game. Kreider looked good at times. He's just getting back from his ankle, so not worried. Cally came back strong. Pyatt, Halpern, Powe (sans dumb hold), and Gabby had strong performances. Hagelin continues to work hard all over the ice. Nash was off tonight. Richards was better than he has been, but still not what he should be. Stepan has a strong defensive game, not much on the other end.

Hank was the Hank we expect. Strong and poised. No breakdowns, no bad rebounds.

Good team win and bounce back vs the Fishies. Tampa lost to the same score to NJ tonight. Think they are frauds getting exposed now that they are playing tougher defensive teams. Can get another W on Sunday with a similar effort. Boston and the Fishies again after. 2 out of 3 is necessary.

No way Stralman plays two pairs ahead of staal.

 

[charlie460]

I thought that the Rangers didn't play particularly well. A win's a win, but count me unimpressed.

Tortorella agrees. He said in his presser that Rangers actually played better 5-on-5 vs the Devils than tonight.

But yeah, obviously, extremely happy with the win, and what an awesome night for Miller. Hank still looks pretty shaky to me, even when he makes the saves.

Richards still looks like crap.

 

[Blazephr]

What did Torts mean by this about Miller?

" “I know a lot of things went on before he came to us, he’s got some bite to him and I’d rather have a guy that you need to tame a little bit as he’s learning to be a pro then to get someone to play with some spunk like that."

 

[Cmox]

What did Torts mean by this about Miller?

" “I know a lot of things went on before he came to us, he’s got some bite to him and I’d rather have a guy that you need to tame a little bit as he’s learning to be a pro then to get someone to play with some spunk like that."

Rather have Miller who plays like that without being benched or scratched to light a fire under his ass? That's my take.

 

[aemoreira1981]

we have to have one of bickel/asham against division rivals. that's a given. if things get out of hand you need somebody that can deal with them, and w/ neither one we don't have that and they will walk all over us.

I'd rather Arron Asham any day---he can actually provide minutes and occasionally kill penalties.

I hate to be the person who brings up how much it sucks to lose a player and how nice he would be on this team........

BUT how nice would Brandon Prust be right now for that 4th line? A line of Prust-Halpern-Powe? That's what a 4th line should look like. And then everytime they score we can say "You down with HPP. Yeah you know me!".

That's me in my perfect world scenario.

It would improve the PK, that is for sure; Prust was one of the main PKers when he was here. As for fighting, that is probably why the Rangers went out and got Darroll Powe---he can fight and play PK.

 

[NY Lito]

Tortorella agrees. He said in his presser that Rangers actually played better 5-on-5 vs the Devils than tonight.

But yeah, obviously, extremely happy with the win, and what an awesome night for Miller. Hank still looks pretty shaky to me, even when he makes the saves.

Richards still looks like crap.

He just looks rusty. I think come March he'll be back on his game. I'm not buying the whole "declining" player thing yet. Richards was never a player whose game was predicated on athleticism. Obviously it's been frustrating but I think he'll be fine.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Highlight of my night:

Walking into MSG and hearing Boyle was a healthy scratch.

PS. Go Miller!

Yeah. It's awesome to have our best PKer as a healthy scratch.

Do some of you guys just not understand how good of a player Boyle is?

 

[haveandare]

Yeah. It's awesome to have our best PKer as a healthy scratch.

Do some of you guys just not understand how good of a player Boyle is?

It would appear from some other threads that a TON of people that post here don't understand how good of a player Boyle is.

 

[Callagraves]

What did Torts mean by this about Miller?

" “I know a lot of things went on before he came to us, he’s got some bite to him and I’d rather have a guy that you need to tame a little bit as he’s learning to be a pro then to get someone to play with some spunk like that."

Maybe Miller's got a bit of a temper?

 

[NY Lito]

It would appear from some other threads that a TON of people that post here don't understand how good of a player Boyle is.

Sad but true. Seeing so many posters **** on Boyle, Stepan, and MDZ can be embarassing, honestly.

A lot of people here think Boyle sucks, but there are plenty of teams that would be chomping at the bit to add him.

 

[Glennsoe]

Stralman continues to impress me...solid game...

 

[Unpredictable1]

we have to have one of bickel/asham against division rivals. that's a given. if things get out of hand you need somebody that can deal with them, and w/ neither one we don't have that and they will walk all over us.

Don't you come in here all talkin common hockey sense.


*those that want the tea party reservations - hope you get the next scapegoat/Malik next game!

 

[Pizza]

Yeah. It's awesome to have our best PKer as a healthy scratch.

Do some of you guys just not understand how good of a player Boyle is?

Answer: Many.

 

[trilobyte]

He just looks rusty. I think come March he'll be back on his game. I'm not buying the whole "declining" player thing yet. Richards was never a player whose game was predicated on athleticism. Obviously it's been frustrating but I think he'll be fine.

Let's not throw Richards on the scrap heap just yet. He did a good job last season, and he is close to a PPG now.

 

[Pizza]

Sad but true. Seeing so many posters **** on Boyle, Stepan, and MDZ can be embarassing, honestly.

A lot of people here think Boyle sucks, but there are plenty of teams that would be chomping at the bit to add him.

It's true and it's frustrating to see. Still, if Miller can keep this up Sather will be taking more calls on Boyle.

 

[KingWantsCup]

Miller's first goal was highly skilled. And man does this kid have wheels. I hope to god he keeps it up because he's just what the doctor ordered.

 

[dmjt4160]

this team is good, lol at teh haterz

 

[Callagraves]

Richards hasn't looked outstanding, and has 9 points in 10 games regardless.

That's pretty ****ing cool.

 

[NYRSchrute217]

I really like what Pyatt and Powe bring to the ice. Guys you want to have around. Miller looks like this year's Hagelin. Opportunistic sparkplug.

And having Miller around will help Hagelin and Kreider grow up faster. Remind them they're not rookies anymore. Lead by example.

I was thinking the same thing. I love Taylor Pyatt, and he's an extremely easy guy to root for. Powe is a solid 4th line sparkplug, as well.

Kreider, Miller, Hagelin and Stepan. All first, second or third year players maturing and growing together. That's the future of the New York Rangers. Looks pretty bright.

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

Yeah. It's awesome to have our best PKer as a healthy scratch.

Do some of you guys just not understand how good of a player Boyle is?

You know I'm a huge Boyle guy Jon.

That said, I do agree with the choice to scratch Boyle for tonight's game. Not the general idea of hating on Boyle, but if there was anyone to send a message to through benching, it was him. He needs the kick in the ass. When he's hitting, moving his feet, and using his size, Boyle is an extremely effective player. He hasn't been doing that as of late, though, and just because he's still been a PK asset doesn't mean he should get a pass for his sub par even strength play. He even seems to have admitted himself that he's gotten a bit complacent, and complacency is one of the worst traitx you can have in a professional sport, IMO.

Get him in there over Asham next game. If he plays with the fire he's played with the past two years, he'll stay in the lineup. Hopefully, he comes out on fire and stays in the lineup. This team with Boyle on his game will have the perfect bottom-6 with the additions of Miller and Kreier to the lineup.

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

I thought that the Rangers didn't play particularly well. A win's a win, but count me unimpressed.

I thought they played the type of game they needed to play tonight. For the most part, they shutdown the Isles offense (aside from Tavares, but not many can shut him down), and they got several good offensive chances. They capitalized on their PP, went 5 for 5 on the PK, and they actually got some clutch goaltending out of Lundqvist for the first time this year. He looked excellent tonight, most comfortable he's looked in net all season, IMO.

They didn't play as well as they did in Tampa. I think they played with a lot more fire than they did against New Jersey. The team wasn't horrible in that game, but they were playing very uninspired hockey. Tonight, they looked like they had a lot more spring in their step and a whole lot more fire. Getting Callahan back in the lineup was huge.

****

Miller was fantastic tonight. He's a lot more skilled than I thought, the Kesler/Richards comparisons seem to fit with the way he played tonight. Let's just hope he keeps it up for more than a game, because if he does, this kid is going to be a SERIOUS gamer.

 

[RothmanHockey]

Here's my story for Inside Hockey:

NEW YORK – Rangers coach John Tortorella does not make empty threats.

When he tells the media – and you can be sure the same message was delivered to the team – that he’s going to start benching underperforming players, they listen. No one wants a seat in the press box, even for one game.

Consider the message delivered. The Rangers (5-5-0) came out with better energy and more intensity in a 4-1 win over the suddenly-slumping Islanders (4-5-1) Thursday evening at MSG.

http://insidehockey.com/tortorellas-message-gets-through

 

[gravey9]

Happy with the W. That said, the players on this squad don't seem to be playing the same system.

And sure, the team had less offense last year, but at least everyone skated north/south and played tight d. Still a very disjointed bunch out there.

They need some depth on the blue line. Most teams would have torched that D.

Positives: Powe is a very nice upgrade. Pyatt's a good player to have around, but Cally when Healthy needs to move up. Speaking of which. Cally looks good, but I don't think we'll see him take a slapshot any time soon in a game. Miller was by far our best forward. And I'm not overly impressed by Nash trying to stickhandle through people like Alexei Kovalev instead of bull rushing ahead more often. He's also gets flat footed out there way too often. Needs to simplify his game. If we bring boyle back into the lineup, does Asham, Kreider or Halpern sit? My vote would be Asham.

Next move needs to be for a true PP QB on the backend. Or a guy who's shot is so heavy people are afraid to block it.