Post-Game Talk: Sens @ Rangers: The misadventures of the Hobbit and the Lorax

[AHB*]

People said Gaborik's game should be sneaky so him being invisible was expected. Ok, fine. But Nash's game should be bulling his way to the net.

If Nash's game last night was invisible, you're blind.

 

[Fataldogg]

Rick Nash was our best player last night. Better then Zucc.

Nash has played decent hockey recently. I even think he has been giving a better effort.

I do think for large portions this season he has been "lazy" but I do not think he has been that way recently.

I think people get on him for his inconsistent efforts this withn, that even when he does play hard and does not produce, he gets called out on it.

Which is fair, to some degree, because as a top paid forward in the league production has to be at the top of your game. At the same time, don't call him a lazy player if he is actually trying and just could not find a way to finish.

I have no problem with his effort or play recently. I'm just hoping he puts a few more pucks in the net. This playoff will be crunch time for him. If he has another playoffs with one goal in ten games... he is going to be really tarnishing his NHL career as the opposite of a "big game" player.

 

[AHB*]

Nash has played decent hockey recently. I even think he has been giving a better effort.

I do think for large portions this season he has been "lazy" but I do not think he has been that way recently.

I think people get on him for his inconsistent efforts this season, that even when he does play hard and does not produce, he gets called out on it.

Which is fair, to some degree, because as a top paid forward in the league production has to be at the forefrunt of your game. At the same time, don't call him a lazy player if he is actually trying and just could not find a way to finish.

He has been our best player down the stretch outside of McD. He's been leaving it out there offensively, controlling the play, and has been better then I ever expected defensively. Specifically on the PK.

He wasn't lazy one iota last year. I'll chalk this up to the concussion thing at the beginning of the year. He basically started his season mid-year and had a major adjustment getting back in the flow. It was a tough year for him.

You always want more from your best player, but get on him when he deserves it. The last 15 games, he hasn't. And especially not last night.

Zucc was good, but he was also on-ice for every goal against and made a god-awful play on the third goal which allowed a 4 on 2.

 

[GFiP*]

Rangers read their press clippings again, what else is new.

You can never expect this team to win, because when you do, they WILL lose.

 

[BarbaraAlphanse]

Am I missing something other than the dramatic and fatalistic comments in the last 9 pages of the thread or nah?

 

[True Blue]

I hope people see what this lack of retaliation is gonna do to our team. The hit on Staal had to come. Neil took runs at both Zucc and Staal earlier in the game without any response from Rangers. I knew that was gonna evolve to another hit

Unfortunately, the Rangers a very poorly constructed team. The Burrows hit did not provoke a response. And let's face it. The Rangers have absolutely no answer for Neil. And this is not stating that a response had to be directly to Neil. Let Karlson or Spezza feel it. But the Rangers, much like AV's former Van team, do not respond well to being physically challenged.

This is not a cry for the entire team to drop gloves, but if other teams know that there is ZERO in the way of a response, it does embolden them.

Stall should not have been the one jumping in. Someone else should have done it. Just like someone should have taken umbrage with Smith squaring off with Zucc. Or with the Burrows hit. Sometimes, skill is not the answer to everything.


That aside, there is also absolutely no excuse for not coming prepared to play.

 

[NoMoreRusselCrowin4u]

I looked but couldn't find it either. It'll probably show up soon.

Truth is that it wasn't much of a fight. Neil hits Staal, a shoving match begins, and then Staal stakes into Neil and they immediately fall over with Neil on top, punching him, and two officials on them as well. While that goes on, Zucc and a few Senators grab/shove each other.

It's definitely a fun sequence to watch, but each event within is nano-seconds long, and is shoving/hugging instead of really fighting.

So, people probably aren't thinking to put it up if they have it.

 

[KingP]

I dont understand why people get all dramatic after a loss

No hockey team can win every single game

 

[TheTakedown]

Yeah. This is pretty much every single loss. The same people with the same hyperbole.

Team's missing a top 6 LW and one of the best d-man in the game. They just barely lost. It sucks. They should/could have won. Such is hockey.

Having said that, I do have some specific criticisms based on what we saw tonight.

1. JT Miller or Fast need a call up. Playing good 4th liners on the line with Richards and a struggling MSL is pretty much throwing away an entire scoring line in addition to ruining a good 4th line. I guess Richards is done with his patch of decent play for the year. MSL has more in him than he's shown IMO, he needs better line mates. A lot of his mistakes are on him, but you come to a new team and you get stuck with a buyout candidate and Carcillo/Dom Moore/Boyle as one of the league's top scorers. That's misusing an asset IMO.

2. Richards on the PP still puzzles me. When was the last time he was effective playing the point?

3. The d-pairs are puzzling as well. Staal - Girardi, Moore - Stralman, Diaz - Klein should be the lineup IMO, especially against teams that don't have a ton of depth.

4. That "fight" was so weird. Drop the gloves and start punching, or just let it go. All the "I don't like you" talking and hugging is silly. If you want to prove something, prove it. If you don't, move on.

I absolutely agree with the defensive pairings... I said in the beginning of the game day thread that now everything on the defensive side is too balanced to the point where it is diluted. You can't put john Moore on your first defensive pairing, and were seeing that Pairing get eaten alive the last 2 games.

 

[PromNite]

Zuc has a huge heart he is a pit bull no doubt..but the Sens were laughing at him

And he was laughing right back with 2 goals. I hope teams laugh at him. He plays even better with a chip on his shoulder.

 

[Doctyl]

I hope people see what this lack of retaliation is gonna do to our team. The hit on Staal had to come. Neil took runs at both Zucc and Staal earlier in the game without any response from Rangers. I knew that was gonna evolve to another hit.

Retaliation is not always the answer. Last night the rangers retaliated to Neil running Staal and ended the game with the penalties taken. Whether you agree with the calls or not is a different story.

 

[eco's bones]

I looked but couldn't find it either. It'll probably show up soon.

Truth is that it wasn't much of a fight. Neil hits Staal, a shoving match begins, and then Staal stakes into Neil and they immediately fall over with Neil on top, punching him, and two officials on them as well. While that goes on, Zucc and a few Senators grab/shove each other.

It's definitely a fun sequence to watch, but each event within is nano-seconds long, and is shoving/hugging instead of really fighting.

So, people probably aren't thinking to put it up if they have it.

Neil ran Staal. Then Zuccarello kind of ran Neil. Zack Smith got in the middle. Neil pops up. Staal headlocks him and wrestles him down almost like a steer. Neil winds up on top and punches Staal a couple times.

A kind of borderline hit. It probably should have been a minor on Neil. Considering he's the only one who threw any punches--getting off with just a minor penalty for roughing compared to Staal's 4 minutes for roughing--Ottawa did very well on that exchange.

Not a fight IMO. Staal might have been killed if he got in a real throw down with Neil.

 

[PromNite]

Rick Nash was our best player last night. Better then Zucc.

Not a chance. If anyone on the team could finish, Zucc would've had 5 points last night.

 

[Nosferatos]

Any1 got a gif or video of Zuccs rocket hit?

 

[Hire Sather]

We go behind in the next game and the season is in jeopardy

 

[AHB*]

I disagree. Outside of those two goals, Zucc was the one that made the pass to Brass who had that open net. Plus, there was one hit where Zuccs drilled a player into the boards.

Outside of taking shots on goals, there were more than a handful of stupid passes that Nash made.

Did you also miss that terrible play Zucc made on the GWG?

How about the fact that he was on ice for all three goals against?

Look, he had a good game, but as much as he helped us last night, he also hurt us. Nash controlled play all game long. He was active defensively and offensively.

I call a spade a spade when I see it. Zucc's offense didn't offset his awful defense last night.

 

[AHB*]

We go behind in the next game and the season is in jeopardy

Lol wut? If we lose out, we will make the playoffs. Classic overreaction.

Also, for everyone whining about home ice advantage, we are significantly better on the road. So I'd actually prefer we don't have it.

 

[Hire Sather]

Lol wut? If we lose out, we will make the playoffs. Classic overreaction.

Also, for everyone whining about home ice advantage, we are significantly better on the road. So I'd actually prefer we don't have it.

Things snowball in sports. We lose one more. The Devils win one more. All of sudden its a little more likely. Devils win again, Rangers lose again. All of sudden...

Thats just the nightmare scenario. We now need to win out if we want home ice without the Flyers losing.

 

[AHB*]

Things snowball in sports. We lose one more. The Devils win one more. All of sudden its a little more likely. Devils win again, Rangers lose again. All of sudden...

Thats just the nightmare scenario. We now need to win out if we want home ice without the Flyers losing.

Who cares about home ice? We suck at home, no? I'd prefer we don't have home ice.

There's no way in hell the Rangers and Devils both go 7 games without one dropping a point or the Rangers not gaining a point.

You would think some would get off the cliff with how this team has played lately, apparently not.

 

[Hire Sather]

Who cares about home ice? We suck at home, no? I'd prefer we don't have home ice.

There's no way in hell the Rangers and Devils both go 7 games without one dropping a point or the Rangers not gaining a point.

You would think some would get off the cliff with how this team has played lately, apparently not.

I'll take my chances hoping for playoff hockey at home.

I will never "get off the cliff" I watched the Mets blow a 7 game lead over 17 games in 2007, and in a more comparable happening in 2006.. the Rangers lost their final 5 games while the Devils won.. 10? 11? in a row to catch us for the division.

We don't have that point until we get it. We didn't get it last night. I have a bad bad feeling about these last 3 games.

 

[Blue777]

Even if the Rangers lose all 3 games left in the season the teams below us need to go like this or better for us to miss the playoffs:

DET 4/8 points
PHI 5/10 points
CJB 7/10 points
NJD 8/8 points

Not very likely.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

I know that I came off as a hater last night, it just breaks my heart. I feel like the father of a son that's throwing away his potential. This is the type of team I've wanted my entire life now I get it and they can't score. Almost 20 percent of the games they have 40+ shots, I can't name more than 3 that they won of those. It's gut wrenching. They didn't even play poorly the last 2 games without McD. But small breakdowns and lack of scoring. My stream broke off yesterday and it came back on right as Joe was showing Brassard's empty net miss, I wish it came on after that. I'm emotionally exhausted this season.

 

[Idlerlee]

Did you also miss that terrible play Zucc made on the GWG?

How about the fact that he was on ice for all three goals against?

That play would have happened no matter how you spin it. The Ottawa forward was already heading up the ice up towards our blueline, the other forward is facing Zucc who's facing towards the play (along with the rest of the rangers team skating backwards). Zuccs primary crime here is that he's the only forward in position on the Ottawa rush, so he can be blamed if something goes past him

There is no way anyone is stopping the player along the boards because of the speed, so the only way to stop the play, is to stop the puck on the pass and create a breakaway. If Zucc had made chase, he'd have to turn around, and he'd still be beaten to the pass across the ice (as would any player not attached at a rocket)

Its a real far stretch blaming all 3 goals on zucc (Which you kinda are by implication "he was on the ice"). Nash still scored 0 goals. Despite having a good game

 

[Hire Sather]

This will be the worst 2 days off of the season

 

[AHB*]

I'll take my chances hoping for playoff hockey at home.

I will never "get off the cliff" I watched the Mets blow a 7 game lead over 17 games in 2007, and in a more comparable happening in 2006.. the Rangers lost their final 5 games while the Devils won.. 10? 11? in a row to catch us for the division.

We don't have that point until we get it. We didn't get it last night. I have a bad bad feeling about these last 3 games.

I don't care that fans want to see home playoff games. I have season tickets, I'd prefer we get what gives us the best chance to win and judging from their record and the statements made by numerous players over the course of the year, I'll take away games over home ones this season.

Also, you realize how many things have to go wrong for the Rangers not to make it? The odds of us making teh playoffs are like 99.97 or something crazy