Post-Game Talk: Rangers vs. Lightning, Game 4

[Leonardo87]

Part of their struggles down there has been that Cooper has been matching their checking line against the Zibanajed line. GG needs to find a way to get away from that matchup and has an easier opportunity to do so in NY. Hopefully that will open up the offense a bit.



Agree but they are a young team. Cant' expect them to have the killer instinct of a championship team yet.

These playoffs are making home ice look like a really big deal. If this trend continues, Rangers could win this in 7 but will struggle in the SCF.

 

[Boris Zubov]

damn, the next step in my plan to hit on you was inviting you to a TGI Fridays in the Tri-State area.

You'll have to step it up to an Outback now.

 

[McRanger92]

I think it was always going to. It's not an excuse, but we've suddenly put a lot of games into a lot of relatively young bodies. We just played out 100th game this season, after 2 interrupted years

Fox: 125 games prior to this season/96 this season
KK: 114 games prior to this season/61 this season with injuries
Laf: 56 games prior to this season/98 this season
Lindgren: 116 games prior to this season/92 this season and really banged up
KAM: 53 games before this season/100 games this season

That's a lot to absorb, and while the flip side is that TBL have played a lot over the same stretch, their roster is at at the point where they're hardened and used to it.
the question now is whether those young guys have another level, or are the totally spent?

Agreed. I dont even consider fatigue an excuse, at this point its just a fact. Even the veteran players are playing in more games than they have in many years. And now guys are getting hurt on top of it. Tough situation.

 

[Machinehead]

No killer instinct, ever. A pathetic display every single time.

The team pulls out their two-foot johnson to beat a gaggle of Hall of Famers, a heavily favored top seed, and break a three year streak established by the best team in the NHL.

One loss and we go right back to this garbage.

That's the pathetic display.

 

[Psycho for Perreault]

The team pulls out their two-foot johnson to beat a gaggle of Hall of Famers, a heavily favored top seed, and break a three year streak established by the best team in the NHL.

One loss and we go right back to this garbage.

That's the pathetic display.

Yeah. We can be disappointed, but the fan reaction is insane. Best of 3. 2 games in MSG.

If we play the people who are giving maximum effort, or if the quiet stars up their game, we will be tough to beat.

 

[Machinehead]

I wonder if this was them "resting" so they can come out hard games 5 and 6.

In their last 19 playoff games at Amalie, the Lightning are 15-4 including 12-1 in their last 13. That's probably it.

 

[HANK30]

These playoffs are making home ice look like a really big deal. If this trend continues, Rangers could win this in 7 but will struggle in the SCF.

At least we won't have to face Vaselevsky (and possibly Kadri) in the SCF...

Good news on the injury front...

 

[rangersfansince08]

These playoffs are making home ice look like a really big deal. If this trend continues, Rangers could win this in 7 but will struggle in the SCF.

I doubt we even get to game 7 honestly.

 

[savebyrichter94]

As much as the last two have sucked I picked them to win this in 6 and I’m just gonna keep digesting losses and believing they’ll find a way to bounce back

 

[Machinehead]

At least we won't have to face Vaselevsky (and possibly Kadri) in the SCF...

Good news on the injury front...

Yeah he also said Strome was fine.

 

[Tomas Sandstrom 28]

Rangers looked tired and like they were without 2 of their top 3 centers. They have lived and died by the power play all year long and did not draw any last night until it was too late. need to play with energy and establish forecheck to draw those penalties.

 

[Leonardo87]

I doubt we even get to game 7 honestly.

Again, happy we made it this far, but because it’s Tampa, doing the league a favor eliminating these cheaters. Lol. They have become so arrogant, fans and players alike. Just tired of seeing them win. Rangers need to get their F’ing shit together and win this series!

 

[H00fHearted]

At least we won't have to face Vaselevsky (and possibly Kadri) in the SCF...

Good news on the injury front...

I feel that after reading what Gallant said I somehow know less than I knew before.

 

[ohbaby]

What a difference a coach makes. I mentioned before the game the contrast in Coaches between the teams. Gallant brimming with confidence and Coop looking very concerned and troubled.

And that has never been more evident than after this loss in Turk's postgame presser. Turk is smiling and laughing all throughout the interview. Could you imagine Tortorella doing this after a loss? He'd be screaming and throwing a temper tantrum over being asked dumb questions.



The way Turk is carrying on, you can see he has the utmost confidence his team will bounce back in Game 5.

 

[LORDE]

The team pulls out their two-foot johnson to beat a gaggle of Hall of Famers, a heavily favored top seed, and break a three year streak established by the best team in the NHL.

One loss and we go right back to this garbage.

That's the pathetic display.

While I understand the overall statement... did you watch that game?

It's also not "one loss"

They've looked bad at times all playoffs... BUT they managed to somehow look EVEN WORSE last night and THAT IS REALLY saying something with some of the performance they put up against the teams you mentioned.

That was a GUTLESS, no pushback whatsoever, sad and PATHETIC performance against the 2-time def champs.

They were NEVER in that game. NEVER.

It was sickening and embarrassing to be in the building.

 

[Machinehead]

I think some folks just want this to be easy. "I'm tired of having to make comebacks!" "We never seize control!"

Bubba, you're in the wrong line of work. I gave up on that years ago. Embrace the struggle or don't bother.

Liverpool played 64 games this year. We went 50-4-10. And soccer has TWO major championships. We still didn't win either of them. Came within a goal each of winning both. Sports is f***ing hard.

The Yankees have posted a winning record every year from 2001-2021 and have won the World Series once. Sports is f***ing hard.

The Knicks. Sports is f***ing hard.

What we're trying to do hasn't been done before. Nobody has beaten this Lightning team. Somebody will eventually but nobody has and there's a reason for that. The Hurricanes never lost a game 7. We came back from 3-1, that's still historic in the grand scheme of things. That still hasn't happened a whole lot of times in the history of hockey. This would be an impossible run to the Cup if we finished it off.

And before somebody says "but Machinehead the Avs are 12-2!" first of all, they had a cupcake ass route to the Final. The Blues are the only good team they played and aren't as good as Carolina for my money, and sure as hell not Tampa. Second, the Avalanche have been a contender for four years now and easily the best team in the West for three. This is their first SCF. Kinda proves my point, don't it?

While I understand the overall statement... did you watch that game?

It's also not "one loss"

They've looked bad at times all playoffs... BUT they managed to somehow look EVEN WORSE last night and THAT IS REALLY saying something with some of the performance they put up against the teams you mentioned.

That was a GUTLESS, no pushback whatsoever, sad and PATHETIC performance against the 2-time def champs.

They were NEVER in that game. NEVER.

It was sickening and embarrassing to be in the building.

Did you watch game 4 in Pittsburgh or game 5 in Carolina?

I've heard the "but did you watch that game?" argument in two series we've won.

 

[Overcast]

I f***ing believe. I don't give a shit about last night at this point. It sucked, they sucked, but it's over and done. Like others have said, 2-2 against the b2b Cup champs with home ice advantage going into a best-of-3..I'll take it. It's a series and this series isn't over until Dancin' Larry sings, and I hear he doesn't like to sing.

Thursday is a new day. Let's f***ing go boys

 

[rangersfansince08]

I think some folks just want this to be easy. "I'm tired of having to make comebacks!" "We never seize control!"

Bubba, you're in the wrong line of work. I gave up on that years ago. Embrace the struggle or don't bother.

Liverpool played 64 games this year. We went 50-4-10. And soccer has TWO major championships. We still didn't win either of them. Came within a goal each of winning both. Sports is f***ing hard.

The Yankees have posted a winning record every year from 2001-2021 and have won the World Series once. Sports is f***ing hard.

The Knicks. Sports is f***ing hard.

What we're trying to do hasn't been done before. Nobody has beaten this Lightning team. Somebody will eventually but nobody has and there's a reason for that. The Hurricanes never lost a game 7. We came back from 3-1, that's still historic in the grand scheme of things. That still hasn't happened a whole lot of times in the history of hockey. This would be an impossible run to the Cup if we finished it off.

And before somebody says "but Machinehead the Avs are 12-2!" first of all, they had a cupcake ass route to the Final. The Blues are the only good team they played and aren't as good as Carolina for my money, and sure as hell not Tampa. Second, the Avalanche have been a contender for four years now and easily the best team in the West for three. This is their first SCF. Kinda proves my point, don't it?


Did you watch game 4 in Pittsburgh or game 5 in Carolina?

I've heard the "but did you watch that game?" argument in two series we've won.

Good points.

I doubt any team has ever won a SC without having made the playoffs the previous year and I doubt many (Other than VGK) even made it to the CF. You need to contend for a couple of years before you win it seems. Like you said Avs finally made it. This is actually the first year they made it out of the second round.

Do you think we will be an Avs like juggernaut sometime in the next 5 years?

 

[Machinehead]

Good points.

I doubt any team has ever won a SC without having made the playoffs the previous year and I doubt many (Other than VGK) even made it to the CF. You need to contend for a couple of years before you win it seems. Like you said Avs finally made it. This is actually the first year they made it out of the second round.

Do you think we will be an Avs like juggernaut sometime in the next 5 years?

The Rangers missed the playoffs in '93

But that was a fluke so your point stands.

I think we could be. I think their are valid critiques of this roster and we'll have work to do in the next couple of offseasons but how we've gotten through these playoffs is massive. It's been on the backs of Zibanejad, Fox, Miller, and the Kid Line. Igor has been great, don't get me wrong, but if we had gotten here just because he was winning a bunch of 2-1 games, I would have very little interest in it. Not to mention the compete level and the badass things we've done. The playoffs has been a good sign for the future.

 

[LORDE]

I think some folks just want this to be easy. "I'm tired of having to make comebacks!" "We never seize control!"

Bubba, you're in the wrong line of work. I gave up on that years ago. Embrace the struggle or don't bother.

Liverpool played 64 games this year. We went 50-4-10. And soccer has TWO major championships. We still didn't win either of them. Came within a goal each of winning both. Sports is f***ing hard.

The Yankees have posted a winning record every year from 2001-2021 and have won the World Series once. Sports is f***ing hard.

The Knicks. Sports is f***ing hard.

What we're trying to do hasn't been done before. Nobody has beaten this Lightning team. Somebody will eventually but nobody has and there's a reason for that. The Hurricanes never lost a game 7. We came back from 3-1, that's still historic in the grand scheme of things. That still hasn't happened a whole lot of times in the history of hockey. This would be an impossible run to the Cup if we finished it off.

And before somebody says "but Machinehead the Avs are 12-2!" first of all, they had a cupcake ass route to the Final. The Blues are the only good team they played and aren't as good as Carolina for my money, and sure as hell not Tampa. Second, the Avalanche have been a contender for four years now and easily the best team in the West for three. This is their first SCF. Kinda proves my point, don't it?


Did you watch game 4 in Pittsburgh or game 5 in Carolina?

I've heard the "but did you watch that game?" argument in two series we've won.

I did watch those games and even mentioned (indirectly in my post) them. Last night was listless and we didn't beat ourselves... we didn't even show up.

As for easy... I think I specifically posted yesterday that this was not going to be easy... hasn't been... isn't meant to be and won't be.

Some posters on here were chatting about the Avalanche after we won game 1...

It's INSANE and now people see why.

I agree wholeheartedly with you... sports aren't easy... my BP can prove it.

 

[Machinehead]

Another thing I've heard is "this team looks tired" and like, yeah they are.

A bunch of our guys didn't play a full 82 game season before this one. Last night was our 100th game.

I don't think it's an accident that it comes off the rails in these games that they're never in. Sometimes you're beat and look towards tomorrow. The Lightning packed up game 1 as soon as Chytil scored.

 

[nevesis]

While I understand the overall statement... did you watch that game?

It's also not "one loss"

They've looked bad at times all playoffs... BUT they managed to somehow look EVEN WORSE last night and THAT IS REALLY saying something with some of the performance they put up against the teams you mentioned.

That was a GUTLESS, no pushback whatsoever, sad and PATHETIC performance against the 2-time def champs.

They were NEVER in that game. NEVER.

It was sickening and embarrassing to be in the building.

Exactly. Looked absolutely horrendous in consecutive games in round 1, gutless in Game 5 in Carolina, and last night specifically.

They are 8-0 at home since the Triple OT loss in Game 1 against the Pens, and 2-7 when on the road. The only two wins were the must win game's on the road.

Just not good enough when it needs to be. The teams that are championship caliber are the ones that win in all situations, not just when their backs are up against the wall. Can we once take a 3-0 lead when up 2-0? How about a 3-1 lead when we're up 2-1? Too much to ask I guess. This speaks volumes about how their compete level drops a bit and the opponent raises their compete level in these types of situations.

We know the natural tendency and the adrenaline of playing in front of your home crowd, but you need to be able to channel that on the road, and when it's not a must win situation. This team hasn't shown that in this playoffs, and in YEARS.

When has it ever been easy for the Rangers or us as fans? Answer? It never f***ing has been.

 

[Machinehead]

I did watch those games and even mentioned (indirectly in my post) them. Last night was listless and we didn't beat ourselves... we didn't even show up.

As for easy... I think I specifically posted yesterday that this was not going to be easy... hasn't been... isn't meant to be and won't be.

Some posters on here were chatting about the Avalanche after we won game 1...

It's INSANE and now people see why.

I agree wholeheartedly with you... sports aren't easy... my BP can prove it.

No, I understand. It's disappointing.

When you get this far, people dream. That's fine. That's what it's all about.

I mentioned this before - I didn't wanna say anything beforehand but I didn't really give us a chance in hell last night. They had the momentum after game 3. The change of scenery will change momentum and then it's a best of three.

After a certain point, I think they knew it wasn't there. We certainly all did. You reign it in, even if it's subconscious.

We're tired and had terrible injury luck the last 2-3 weeks with guys getting hurt in garbage time games. A number of guys are playing hurt. There was no use breaking our backs last night after probably the Kucherov goal.

 

[NCRanger]

The Rangers did not play well at all. Not going to argue that point.

But can we confirm:

1. The goal horn went off for absolutely no reason, yet the Lightning were given an offensive zone draw even though it was their building that created the delay of game?

2. A replay of the Reaves penalty in the first period was never shown?

3. A Lightning goal was scored directly off a botched icing call?

4. The Rangers first power play, with about 9 minutes left in the game was only called because Reaves basically got boarded and then slashed before he did anything, and then was called for a minor for basically just being the target?

5. Rangers were constantly going down to the ice next to a Tampa player behind the play all night long?

I am not saying this for an excuse. I am suggesting that the momentum of the game was tilted early and then continually tilted in favor of the home team. There may be a reason why home teams in the East, especially those series that have been on Disney are almost unbeatable.

 

[Machinehead]

Exactly. Looked absolutely horrendous in consecutive games in round 1, gutless in Game 5 in Carolina, and last night specifically.

They are 8-0 at home since the Triple OT loss in Game 1 against the Pens, and 2-7 when on the road. The only two wins were the must win game's on the road.

Just not good enough when it needs to be. The teams that are championship caliber are the ones that win in all situations, not just when their backs are up against the wall. Can we once take a 3-0 lead when up 2-0? How about a 3-1 lead when we're up 2-1? Too much to ask I guess. This speaks volumes about how their compete level drops a bit and the opponent raises their compete level in these types of situations.

We know the natural tendency and the adrenaline of playing in front of your home crowd, but you need to be able to channel that on the road, and when it's not a must win situation. This team hasn't shown that in this playoffs, and in YEARS.

When has it ever been easy for the Rangers or us as fans? Answer? It never f***ing has been.

It's not easy for anybody.

The Lightning had to go to game 7 and game 6 double OT to win this series the last two years. Against an Islanders team that's honestly pretty f***ing trash.