Post-Game Talk: Stained toilet seat @ RANGERS

[Blais to Win]

I think face-offs in particular are the biggest problem with Strome's game when things will inevitably get tight in the playoffs.

I'd agree that he's not good at them. But then why not just say that and move on? We need a better face-off guy. Ok, that makes sense.

Rooney is good at them, Chytil seems like he may be better than last year. Maybe Barron comes up and helps out.

Are we contenders now?

 

[Peltz]

I'd agree that he's not good at them. But then why not just say that and move on? We need a better face-off guy. Ok, that makes sense.

Rooney is good at them, Chytil seems like he may be better than last year. Maybe Barron comes up and helps out.

Are we contenders now?

It’s hard to say honestly. I think we’ll make the playoffs at least. I think we need to see how Laf progresses, how Chytil’s playing, and what happens at RW on the first line to really know for sure. Those are big question marks on this team. Nils is also a concern as a green rookie, but I think we have enough depth on D to get by.

 

[duhmetreE]

Which 2C's are better than Strome? Like - how many exist in the league? 10? 20? I'm curious. Strome and Zibanejad scored more than every TB player last season, so what's the secret sauce you're looking for?

The secret sauce is having Strome play the way he has the past 3 games. Relentless, aggressive and diving in on the forecheck. IF he can sustain how he's been playing, he's good enough.

Tampa had Point, Cirelli and Gourde. That's their defining play style. We need our centers to be dictating the pace. We need Zibs to get on board

 

[Blais to Win]

The secret sauce is having Strome play the way he has the past 3 games. Relentless, aggressive and diving in on the forecheck. IF he can sustain how he's been playing, he's good enough.

Tampa had Point, Cirelli and Gourde. That's their defining play style. We need our centers to be dictating the pace.

Well. It's not just Strome. It's the whole team. You see this everywhere in all sports. When everyday players buy in is when the magic happens. I bet they keep this up and as they fine-tune their play the excitement increases.

 

[duhmetreE]

Already a top line and we're just getting started.

 

[Raspewtin]

And Kyte was no daisy himself, but he was on the wrong end of it that day. Even if you rewatch that today, it's still shocks you. Joey's right hand was a sledgehammer.

legit shocked Kocur never killed anyone with his right hand.

 

[Kodiak]

I can understand getting on Zibanejad.

I can't understand getting on him after last night. That was probably the most complete game hes played this year.

I agree. I’m pretty critical of Zibanejad, and he’s still not on the level he needs to be at, but he was much more engaged last night than he has been in earlier games. He’s going to build momentum and then explode.

 

[Kodiak]

just noticed there are 2 Kakkos in the poll

 

[bhamill]

And Kyte was no daisy himself, but he was on the wrong end of it that day. Even if you rewatch that today, it's still shocks you. Joey's right hand was a sledgehammer.

Yeah, Kyte was 6'5" and heavy when it was uncommon, and a good fighter. Kocur cracked helmets.

 

[chosen]

Panarin also bitched about Panarin.

Popeye bitched about Olive Oyl.

 

[Daves a mess]

And Kyte was no daisy himself, but he was on the wrong end of it that day. Even if you rewatch that today, it's still shocks you. Joey's right hand was a sledgehammer.

Haha yup. I used to collect Hockey fight tapes back in the late 80s early 90s. Had a pretty decent collection. Loved the enforcers from that era

 

[Baby Duck Homme]

So they fined Gallagher.

players just don’t get suspended for egregious shit they do to us. We are dead to the department of player discipline after Dolans statement last year.

probably before that too…. Lol

 

[mas0764]

Which 2C's are better than Strome? Like - how many exist in the league? 10? 20? I'm curious. Strome and Zibanejad scored more than every TB player last season, so what's the secret sauce you're looking for?

I haven't itemized them but even if the answer is "three," that is why those are the three teams with real shots to win a Cup and why everyone else has no real shot.

And of course my analysis of Strome has been based on "what Strome has been in the past," and not what he theoretically might morph into down the stretch, which is always a possibility of course with any player, just of differing degrees of realism. Because at age 28 he likely is what he was last year and any marked improvements are likely hot streaks, not radical transformations of his playing ability.

The fact is that the teams who win most of the Cups conform to traditional talent templates that we, as of yet, do not conform with.

Being a one-off like the Blues is possible, but it's foolish to say "We are all done with talent acquisition because we COULD become the Blues and win one Cup."

Meanwhile four teams have won 77% of the Cups the past 13 years. That's the category we have to get into.

What we should be asking ourselves is how to look more like the Penguins, Blackhawks, Kings, or Lightning of the past 13 years, at the time they were young and started competing. Hint: We need more elite talent. Specifically, one more top center and one more top winger. Depending on how good, how fast Lafreniere catches up, it may just be one more "top 6" winger and not one more top line winger. Center is pretty much a desperate need though.

 

[will1066]

A shame @Loki Dog 74 hasn't liked

 

[Lion Hound]

legit shocked Kocur never killed anyone with his right hand.

Heaviest handed fighter of all time...And he did it during a time where the league employed the meanest SOB's ever. Every club had like 2 or 3 players.

 

[Lion Hound]

Happy Kakko

I hope this injects some confidence that Reaves has his back out there. That's the most emotion we've seen from #24.

 

[NYR94]

Gallagher got fined lol

 

[mas0764]

A thought I just had is that we are now at the point in history where someone named Cayden is old enough to play professional sports. It is only going to get worse from here on out.

Oh god, you had to point that out.

 

[mas0764]

It’s hard to say honestly. I think we’ll make the playoffs at least. I think we need to see how Laf progresses, how Chytil’s playing, and what happens at RW on the first line to really know for sure. Those are big question marks on this team. Nils is also a concern as a green rookie, but I think we have enough depth on D to get by.

To answer Bob Santos' question, no that does not make us contenders.

Yes we are absolutely going to make the playoffs and probably we are capable of beating any individual team in a seven game series because we have a goalie capable of getting super hot and some stars that could scorch their way through a series or two.

And again in theory it is an outside possibility that we remain hot and become one-offs like the Blues.

But we shouldn't be counting on that; we should be trying to get into the category of elite teams that win 77% of the Cups, not the category of non-elite teams that win 23% of them (and I'll argue actually that a one-time winner like Boston or Washington in that time frame actually possessed all the key pieces to win more than one time, just didn't.... which is evidence of exactly how flippin' hard it is to win even one even with way more talent than we currently have. With this analysis it would mean teams that are one-offs talent-wise have won just 1 of the last 13 Cups, or 7%).

 

[NYROrtsFan]

tell me they dont walk around with a different swagger now.

Reaves is a support buff. +100 ball size to all

This is really the best way to put it. The dude raises everyone's toughness level. Everyone knows that they have the toughest guy in the league on their side. And he's not totally awful on the ice either.

 

[egelband]

His name has been officially changed to Slewban.

Still waiting for the “ban” part though

 

[egelband]

f*** it. I'm on the Gauthier bandwagon

Welcome aboard. I consider myself a Gauthier bandwagon marshal

 

[egelband]

What a win at the Garden last night. Ive been to 3 games this year already and for all the crap the Rangers crowd gets, its been extremely loud and engaged, and it seems like the players feed off it.

Anyway, this was a big boy pants game for the whole team. Montreal has no talent but most of the team was playing in the Cup Final last year and they work hard. Primeau was also great, easily couldve been a 6-2 win.

The most impressive thing to me was how galvanized the young players looked, specifically Kakko/Chytil/Gauthier. All were flying around the ice turning good defense into offense. The sky is the limit for this team if some of these guys pop off.

Reaves fight was great, and Trouba is a man amongst boys out there. Huge hits all night and he smoked an experienced fighter in Anderson at the buzzer. He and Kreider are playing at a different level right now.

Mika is getting closer to where he needs to be too, the pass to Kreider on that goal was absurd and he was very engaged in the D zone using his body to separate the puck carrier. I also give Strome a lot of shit, but he impressed me in this game, that whole line with Panarin & Kakko are showing great chemistry. Gallant is looking very smart sticking with them.

Im loving what im seeing since the Florida game, it seems like the practice time last week got them where they needed to be. Lets keep it rolling. LGR.

Yeah. The score wasn’t really indicative but the Rangers looked like men versus kids. I think it’s more a comment on how messed up the Habs are. But it’s nice that we’re clearly not a mess.

 

[egelband]

I’m getting a little sick of this Zibanejad hate. He’s got 14 points in 16 games, and set up Kreider with an elite-level no look cross ice pass for an easy tap-in last night.

I understand we all want 5-points-a-game Zibanejad to emerge out of the woodwork. But it’s not like he’s not producing. And he’s doing so without a real 1st line right wing.

Zib always gets better and more dominant as the season goes along. His play is improving with every game.

I said the same thing of Panarin just a few games back, and look at how he’s playing now. That line is cooking. But it’s, in large part, because they’re finally gelling with Kakko.

I’m sure Mika will improve as well. But he’s not going to be as much of a threat as he was in the past without someone properly filling in Buchnevich’s role on the right side.

Goodrow is a good contributor on the team, especially to close out games. But he’s too easy to defend in 5v5 when facing the opposing teams’s best defense pairing . Rangers really need to give Mika a second weapon on the first line besides Kreider if they want to consistently beat the best defensive teams in the league when goals become much harder to come by and the power play opportunities become scarce.

No hate. I for one just expect more from him. He has been avoiding contact. We saw the same from Panarin for the first ten games or so. He’s clearly more engaged lately. Mika has been better the last couple of games too. And we’re seeing results. I think most of the people criticizing Mika would agree. It’s not hate. Just want Mika to be the best Mika, which we have seen before.

 

[egelband]

I voted for Kakko, Trouba, Gauthier. But pretty much everyone gets an honorable mention. Strong team effort against a highly motivated opponent.