Rick Nash Part II

[Thirty One]

I've been a Nash supporter but I'm getting a little tired of the moral victories being attributed to his play.

If you want to call it moral victories, fine. He's playing well. That's a good thing.

Goals are a very variable stat. We've seen many players with history of thriving in the playoffs go through long stretches of few goals (Crosby, Toews, Gaborik, Krejci et al.).

If you insist on evaluating everything in such a black and white manner, knock yourself out.

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

If you want to call it moral victories, fine. He's playing well. That's a good thing.

Goals are a very variable stat. We've seen many players with history of thriving in the playoffs go through long stretches of few goals (Crosby, Toews, Gaborik, Krejci et al.).

If you insist on evaluating everything in such a black and white manner, knock yourself out.

Nash this year has been better than Toews was last year, IMO.

 

[offdacrossbar]

if we are winning games with nash playing a supporting role, then fine. let him support and let us win.

if we are losing 2 zip in the scf, and nash hasnt scored a goal yet, then not so fine.

the spotlight is shining directly on rick nash tonight. hes got a huge contract given to elite players. we are down 2 zip and playing game 3 at home.

having rick nash play like dom moore and having rick nash show up and play like rick nash are different. we need the better rick nash tonight.

sadly, i would take the dom moore rick nash at this point.

 

[Inferno]

Nash this year has been better than Toews was last year, IMO.

yep, i totally agree.

 

[Inferno]

if we are winning games with nash playing a supporting role, then fine. let him support and let us win.

if we are losing 2 zip in the scf, and nash hasnt scored a goal yet, then not so fine.

the spotlight is shining directly on rick nash tonight. hes got a huge contract given to elite players. we are down 2 zip and playing game 3 at home.

having rick nash play like dom moore and having rick nash show up and play like rick nash are different. we need the better rick nash tonight.

sadly, i would take the dom moore rick nash at this point.

other guys who havent scored a goal....Brad Richards, Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider (both of Nashs linemates), The entire 4th line. Every defenseman not named McDonagh.

 

[Swept In Seven]

Nash has been playing great all around hockey since the MTL series. With that said, this ***** needs to put some ****ing pucks in the net. We need him to be the old Rick Nash, we need him to be a difference maker. Pls Rick, be our savior

 

[offdacrossbar]

other guys who havent scored a goal....Brad Richards, Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider (both of Nashs linemates), The entire 4th line. Every defenseman not named McDonagh.

fair enough. we are down 2 games.

however, this a specific discussion of rick nash and his play. like i said prior, hes been visible and hes played an effective role. its not nearly enough form a guy who is so big, so fast and such a tough matchup.

my point is simply his role needs to expand from effective to dominant. he needs to score goals for us to win this series.

we are so damn close, weve come so far. a goal scoring no show from nash would be unacceptable and unforgiveable. imo.

btw, brad richards looks done. hes done nothing so far against the kings.

 

[Inferno]

fair enough. we are down 2 games.

however, this a specific discussion of rick nash and his play. like i said prior, hes been visible and hes played an effective role. its not nearly enough form a guy who is so big, so fast and such a tough matchup.

my point is simply his role needs to expand from effective to dominant. he needs to score goals for us to win this series.

we are so damn close, weve come so far. a goal scoring no show from nash would be unacceptable and unforgiveable. imo.

btw, brad richards looks done. hes done nothing so far against the kings.

If kreider doesnt hit the post, Nash assists on the game winning goal. If Kreider can finish his point blank rebound, Nash assists on a game winning goal after a beautiful single handed drive to the net with a player draped all over him.

If stepan ever learned to shoot the puck Nash could probably get a rebound opportunity...or 2....or 50.

its a lot easier to say...he hasnt scored, he sucks...than it is to say, hes played really well but hasnt gotten the bounces.

Right now you could make the argument that Nash has been our MVP in the SCF if not for some really bad shooting by his linemates.

but hey, if hating makes you feel better, by all means.

 

[offdacrossbar]

If kreider doesnt hit the post, Nash assists on the game winning goal. If Kreider can finish his point blank rebound, Nash assists on a game winning goal after a beautiful single handed drive to the net with a player draped all over him.

If stepan ever learned to shoot the puck Nash could probably get a rebound opportunity...or 2....or 50.

its a lot easier to say...he hasnt scored, he sucks...than it is to say, hes played really well but hasnt gotten the bounces.

Right now you could make the argument that Nash has been our MVP in the SCF if not for some really bad shooting by his linemates.

but hey, if hating makes you feel better, by all means.

wait. come on.... so if you base his play on his scoring results that makes you a hater ? his game is goal soring. thats what hes paid to do.

his intangibles have been solid. his pk work pretty strong. hes a vet guy who needs to lead by example and by all accounts, he has. were still down 2 zip.

if i make a few more putts or dont miss the fairway, i shoulda woulda shot 71 instead of 75. doesnt work in golf doesnt work in hockey. you are judged by the number you post or by, in ricks case, the goals you score.

nash hasnt played terrible. hes been effective in the role hes played. problem is, hes not paid to play THAT role.

for us to hoist the cup, we need our best players to play well. when you are rick nash, you must score. period.

 

[Inferno]

wait. come on.... so if you base his play on his scoring results that makes you a hater ? his game is goal soring. thats what hes paid to do.

his intangibles have been solid. his pk work pretty strong. hes a vet guy who needs to lead by example and by all accounts, he has. were still down 2 zip.

if i make a few more putts or dont miss the fairway, i shoulda woulda shot 71 instead of 75. doesnt work in golf doesnt work in hockey. you are judged by the number you post or by, in ricks case, the goals you score.

nash hasnt played terrible. hes been effective in the role hes played. problem is, hes not paid to play THAT role.

for us to hoist the cup, we need our best players to play well. when you are rick nash, you must score. period.

his game, like every other hockey players game, is to be effective when they are on the ice. control the play, dont be a detriment, and help your team win.

Nash is doing everything you could ask for, pucks arent going in. partly his fault, partly his linemates fault, partly the goalies fault.

Nash has been terrific. Better than Gabby has been this series...but Gabby will get all the glory for scoring that goal on, essentially, and empty net thanks to a horrendous turnover by McD.

 

[ReolverHF]

Kind of tired of hearing about Nash playing well but not scoring...doing other things but not scoring. He is being paid $7+ million to score goals...if we needed another grinder or pk, we have plenty of $1-2 million guys to do it. You win the game by outscoring the other team, not how fancy you can be with the puck. The guy constantly stick handles too much and falls down constantly. I feel like he is marek malik reincarnated with banana peals for skates. I sure miss Gabby...torts stifled him and he still scored 40 goals twice

 

[RiceCooker]

Kind of tired of hearing about Nash playing well but not scoring...doing other things but not scoring. He is being paid $7+ million to score goals...if we needed another grinder or pk, we have plenty of $1-2 million guys to do it. You win the game by outscoring the other team, not how fancy you can be with the puck. The guy constantly stick handles too much and falls down constantly. I feel like he is marek malik reincarnated with banana peals for skates. I sure miss Gabby...torts stifled him and he still scored 40 goals twice

Exactly, he is paid Big bucks to score Goals(something we could have desperately used in the 2 OT losses)....3 goals in 22 playoff games this year doesn't cut it. Gabby has 13 !!

 

[CJCNYR]

The Rick Nash is here "to score goals" is getting old. Rick Nash was brought here to WIN games and the Rangers have been doing that. He has been playing great and just hasn't scored. If you want a one-dimensional goal scorer go cheer for OVI. If you want an all-around player who has done everything but score to help this team win then cheer for Nash.

 

[CJCNYR]

Exactly, he is paid Big bucks to score Goals(something we could have desperately used in the 2 OT losses)....3 goals in 22 playoff games this year doesn't cut it. Gabby has 13 !!

6 goals in 2 games. We desperately need scoring? How about we play better Defense. If you told me we would get 3 goals a game this series I would expect a finals victory.


BTW that gabby with 13 goals is the same player all you guys wanted out of here and likely bashed in the playoffs when he played here.

 

[Beer League Sniper]

Kind of tired of hearing about Nash playing well but not scoring

Tell me about it. Nash has more to give than he's showing right now. Anyone with Nash's size, skating, and reach is going to be a decent defensive player unless they refuse to put in the effort. Nash is paid, and paid a ton, to score. I don't care what the circumstances are, he needs to put the puck in the net.

The most frustrating thing is that I know Nash is capable of it. Somewhere, buried deep inside, Rick Nash is capable of bending the game to his will. I keep going back to that CBJ game late in the season. The one where he mixed it up with Bobrovsky and fought Calvert. He didn't score in that game (through sheer bad luck), but he took it over nonetheless. Why can't Rick Nash play pissed off a little more often? I will honestly never know.

 

[CJCNYR]

Tell me about it. Nash has more to give than he's showing right now. Anyone with Nash's size, skating, and reach is going to be a decent defensive player unless they refuse to put in the effort. Nash is paid, and paid a ton, to score. I don't care what the circumstances are, he needs to put the puck in the net.

The most frustrating thing is that I know Nash is capable of it. Somewhere, buried deep inside, Rick Nash is capable of bending the game to his will. I keep going back to that CBJ game late in the season. The one where he mixed it up with Bobrovsky and fought Calvert. He didn't score in that game (through sheer bad luck), but he took it over nonetheless. Why can't Rick Nash play pissed off a little more often? I will honestly never know.

"Bad game, he didn't score; he is paid to score" - every hater

 

[Beer League Sniper]

"Bad game, he didn't score; he is paid to score" - every hater

So every fan who levels criticism at a player is a hater? Give me a break.

4 goals in 34 playoff games as a Ranger doesn't cut it. He's the highest paid player on the team. Are you really suggesting that his performance has been satisfactory?

 

[haveandare]

Exactly, he is paid Big bucks to score Goals(something we could have desperately used in the 2 OT losses)....3 goals in 22 playoff games this year doesn't cut it. Gabby has 13 !!

Gabby has done literally nothing yet this series except score on a completely gimme. Nash has, in every way but scoring a very, very easy goal, outplayed Gaborik.

 

[RiceCooker]

Gabby has done literally nothing yet this series except score on a completely gimme. Nash has, in every way but scoring a very, very easy goal, outplayed Gaborik.

...except the Rangers lost that game by 1 goal. If Nash scores we win.

 

[Thirty One]

...except the Rangers lost that game by 1 goal. If Nash scores we win.

Nash, or any other player.

 

[Beer League Sniper]

Gabby has done literally nothing yet this series except score on a completely gimme. Nash has, in every way but scoring a very, very easy goal, outplayed Gaborik.

Gaborik was a ghost for us in the playoffs. I don't know why people are pining for him to be back on the team. The only reason Gaborik has as many goals as he does is because he has a world class center feeding him and taking attention away from him. Gabby is a lethal finisher that needs space to operate. If he doesn't have the linemates to give him that space, he's useless, as we saw during his time here.

 

[offdacrossbar]

giving up 2 2-0 leads and a 4-2 lead in the 3rd period is to blame for where we are. period.

not rick nash.

like i said, if we were heading home up 2-0 there would be less pressure on nash and his lack of goal scoring. if we are up 2-0 with rick nash playing the way he has. fine.

however, we are in a huge hole and rick nash hasnt scored and so he hasnt done what this team needs him to do and what hes paid to do.

hes an offensive player paid to score points/goals.

i dont expect kreider to carry us. or stepan. or zuke or poo or even mcd. young players and secondary role guys arent expected to be that clutch.

i do expect hank, richards, msl and nash to do their part. play their roles and lead us to the cup.

 

[CJCNYR]

So every fan who levels criticism at a player is a hater? Give me a break.

4 goals in 34 playoff games as a Ranger doesn't cut it. He's the highest paid player on the team. Are you really suggesting that his performance has been satisfactory?

I am talking about every person that just blindly points out goals and says how horrible he is playing.

Perfect example, you praise his play against CBJ yet he didn't score but will point out his goals instantly. Players go through goal scoring funks all the time, but he is still playing well. Would I like him to get more goals absolutely who wouldn't but to just say he is playing poorly because he isn't scoring is a legit joke. Plus it isn't like he his line mates are play makers making it easier for him either.

 

[Fletch]

that "gimme" by Gaborik was a game-changing goal; a goal during a game that the Kings ultimately won. But at this point, who cares about Gaborik?

and yes, if Nash or someone else scores a goal for the Rangers in OT they win. Him not scoring doesn't absolve other players, but at the same time if you are to evaluate Nash and say 3 goals in 22 games and he's getting paid $x, you have a legitimate gripe to say wtf. That he's "playing well" doesn't really cut it - it's really a hope that because he's playing well he will catch fire and start scoring those goals. I hope that's the case. Personally, I'm seeing a guy around the puck not getting his nose dirty and fighting for the quality shot. I see him going through motions too often. Maybe I'm missing something because a 7 year old likes to talk during the game, but that's what I see.

Having said all that, let's hope we see a goal from him. Let's hope it's a big goal.

 

[Beer League Sniper]

I am talking about every person that just blindly points out goals and says how horrible he is playing.

Perfect example, you praise his play against CBJ yet he didn't score but will point out his goals instantly. Players go through goal scoring funks all the time, but he is still playing well. Would I like him to get more goals absolutely who wouldn't but to just say he is playing poorly because he isn't scoring is a legit joke. Plus it isn't like he his line mates are play makers making it easier for him either.

What you fail to see is that this is more than a goal scoring funk. 34 games is a large sample size. 4 goals during that span is atrocious, especially for a perennial 30 goal scorer. If Nash played every game like that CBJ game, there's no way he would be kept off the board for long. Having a 10 game goal drought? Ok. 4 in 34? You're not earning your paycheck.

Rick Nash scores goals in the regular season at a rate of .43GPG. In the playoffs, that drops to .14GPG. I would expect the number to go down, with tighter checking and stiffer competition, but Nash's numbers drop off a cliff. That's unacceptable.