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Pre-Game Talk: Series discussion: NYR vs MTL

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alotlikehomer said:
I think the teams match up pretty closely. It may come down to making Subban let up as many goals as he scores. We don't have anything like him when it comes to putting up points on D, but he does have plenty of defensive lapses. A couple of mistakes by him could negate his offensive output. Maybe Boyle can even capitalize on one and have another moment.
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This would be true about Subban for a little stretch this year and years prior but he has improved his Defensive side and has made slim to none errors in the playoffs so far. Good luck guys! Obviously I want to win but it wouldn't be as heartbreaking because it is hard to cheer against guys like StLouis and Moore.
 
If I wasn't a fan of either team, I honestly wouldn't know who to pick for this series. I think the Rangers depth ultimately wins out, though. If the Rangers can shut down the Maxpac-Vanek line, and stay out of the penalty box, then I think they stand a VERY GOOD chance to win this series in 6, maybe even 5 (wishful thinking, though).

On one hand, the Rangers and Lundqvist have generally struggled at the Bell Centre, and Montreal also has the loudest fans of any other hockey arena. However, this is the playoffs, and those don't always mean anything in the end. Lundqvist didn't have the best career numbers at Pittsburgh, and that didn't bother him last round.
 
So many superstitious people around here. Stop talking about Hank and his demons in the Bell Centre, nonsense.

And we actually have a victory there this season, 1-0 back in November, if it helps...

Yeah, if there's something called a boring playoff game...only these two teams can accomplish that :D
 
Mint said:
What comments will we see when Lunqvist (inevitably) allows the first goal?

Soft?

Overpaid?

Choker?

Start Talbot?
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If it's a soft goal, I'll be sure to point it out :thumbu:

And if there's multiple soft goals, the calls to start Talbot will come, for good reason
 
Wolfy said:
So many superstitious people around here. Stop talking about Hank and his demons in the Bell Centre, nonsense.

And we actually have a victory there this season, 1-0 back in November, if it helps...

Yeah, if there's something called a boring playoff game...only these two teams can accomplish that :D
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With Cam in net ;)
 
Kreider said:
If it's a soft goal, I'll be sure to point it out :thumbu:

And if there's multiple soft goals, the calls to start Talbot will come, for good reason
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If Kreider takes a stupid penalty, will you be pointing it out?

Just wondering.
 
Mike8 said:
Bruins are much faster than they used to be. They're not a slow club by any stretch of the imagination.



I'd expect that the Rangers want that match-up, but I wouldn't expect it to happen in Montreal. I'd anticipate Montreal throwing the Eller line up against the Stepan/Nash line.

Also find it difficult to consider NYR's defense miles ahead of MTL's. Better, sure.



MTL has pretty decent size. The problem is that they have a number of very small, Zuccarello-sized players too. But the size is still there: Vanek, Pacioretty, Bourque, Weise, Eller. Here's a breakdown:

Eller - 6'2 217
Bourque - 6'2 217
Pacioretty - 6'2 217
Vanek - 6'0 217
Weise - 6'2 210
Moen - 6'2 210 (will not necessarily play)
Galchenyuk - 6'1 203
Bournival - 5'11 200
Plekanec - 5'11 196
Prust - 6'0 194
Briere - 5'9 180
Gallagher - 5'9 180
Gionta - 5'7 175
Desharnais - 5'7 170


Emelin - 6'2 224
Subban - 6'0 217
Beaulieu - 6'2 200
Gorges - 6'1 200
Markov - 6'0 200
Weaver - 5'10 183


Boyle - 6'7 244
Kreider - 6'3 226
Nash - 6'4 213
Miller - 6'1 205
Brassard - 6'1 202
Pouliot - 6'3 197
Stepan - 6'0 196
Richards - 6'0 196
Moore - 6'1 192
Dorsett - 6'0 192
Hagelin - 5'11 186
St.Louis - 5'8 185
Zuccarello - 5'7 179

McDonagh - 6'1 213
Staal - 6'4 207
Girardi - 6'1 203
Moore - 6'3 202
Klein - 6'1 200
Stralman - 5'11 190

As you can see: MTL has 5-6 fwds that are 210lbs+, compared to 3 for NYR. The Ds are pretty similarly sized, with the two biggest being in MTL and the smallest also being in MTL.

Overall, I don't see any size advantage here.
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Tale of the tape?

I don't know about how you feel about the Canadiens website but I have serious doubts about a lot of the size information on the Rangers website. Just for a couple examples I think both Nash and Staal are a bit heavier than the figures there. Nash is probably somewhere between 225 and 230. Staal between 215 and 220. Girardi's got to be at least 210. He's definitely got some size on Klein. McDonagh may be more than they list him as well. Brassard strikes me maybe as a little lighter than the 202 and Pouliot heavier than the 197. Just don't think Brassard weighs more than Pouliot. Dorsett ain't 6'0--maybe with skates on.
 
Predict The Outcome Of The Montreal Series

Since it wasn't made part of the series discussion thread, I'd like to put up a poll to see what outcome Rangers fans are predicting.
 
Getting Krieder back was key. I'm hoping he does damage this round. the guy is like a heat seeking missile in the offensive zone. I'll take a few penalties with the game that he brings..
 
NYR1966 said:
Media talking about how Pitt lost series and how Montreal will win the series.
Not one word about that team from New York.
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The talk in Boston has basically been: "We missed a great opportunity. New York would've be an easy 5 game series. They would've been in the Finals had they won."

They are being really underrated. This is a much closer series that people are acting like.
 
Bullseyes said:
The talk in Boston has basically been: "We missed a great opportunity. New York would've be an easy 5 game series. They would've been in the Finals had they won."

They are being really underrated. This is a much closer series that people are acting like.
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The Rangers lost in 5 to Boston last year. It wasn't close. We were lucky to win the one game. Depth was a big problem. Richards **** the bed and we really didn't have much of a 4th line. Our bottom pairing wasn't very good. Torts hated Kreider for some reason. Stralman got hurt by a Lucic hit. Boston basically forechecked the **** out of us--killed us on the pwp--and their 4th line scored some big goals. Torts doesn't roll lines when his team is losing--he shortens his bench. In a series like that that didn't help but he didn't really have that many options other than put some faith into kids like Kreider and Miller and he wasn't going to do that.

The Rangers are deeper this year. Two really fine defense pairs and the bottom pairing is good. Flipping DZ for Klein brought a lot of stability to the back line. Rangers have a really good 4th line that can hurt you offensively if you take them for granted. The other 3 lines aren't offensive juggernauts but they're all capable of doing damage on any given night. The guys that aren't playing are pretty decent as well. Last year we were looking to the likes of Kris Newbury and Micheal Haley.

I can't say how we would have done if we played Boston instead of the Penguins. Quite honestly I didn't think Boston was going to get knocked out by any team in the East. To me if the Bruins had a weakness this year it was their defense corps--missing McQuaid and especially Seidenberg and replaced by a bunch of first and second year d-men. Chara didn't even look that good. To me the Rangers are a lot better team than last year--a lot deeper and with no major injury concerns--their players pretty much all on the same page. I could easily see them making a series with the Bruins this year a lot more competitive than last year.

I have to laugh at a lot of people griping that the Rangers are an average team. The Rangers don't have a lot of top end offensive talent but they have good players pretty much from top to bottom. The Rangers IMO are a very good team and deserve to be where they are. Whether they can advance again we'll have to see. I think pretty much the same about Montreal. Not a great team but a very good team with depth and players who fit into and accept their particular roles.
 
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