Pre-Game Talk: Stanley Cup Final: New York Rangers vs. Los Angeles Kings
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Raspewtin
Stay at home defenseman hater
- May 30, 2013
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Some thoughts to consider.
As the series' have gone on, Sutter has given less and less ice time to Kyle Clifford and Trevor Lewis. They didn't even play 5 minutes last game. Lewis used to be one of their top PK'ers.
Watch the pairing of Martinez-Greene. They're very solid for a bottom pairing. Though I'd comfortably put Klein ahead of both of them. Martinez has had an excellent post season.
Watch for Tanner Pearson. Toffoli and Carter are bigger and definitely more skilled, but Pearson is very quick and sneaky. He's got a Zach Parise kind of motor and he's a HUGE compliment to that line and part of what makes it successful.
Practice the art of tying up your faceoff man to death. We wont be winning many faceoffs this series. Each of LA's 4 centers are over 50%.
Toews did a good job on Kopitar, but Gaborik and Williams still broke free with relative ease. They need to be shutdown by committee. Like what this team did to Crosby's line.
The Kings are a new beast for this team. They don't have that one player that drives the team on his own. Montreal had Subban, Pitts had Crosby, Philly had Giroux. Smothering Doughty isn't going to have the same effect smothering Subban did, as the Kings have multiple threats throughout their lineup. Which is how they got here in the first place.
Optimism aside, this will be a very ****ing hard series. Not one player can suck this series. Especially Staal and Girardi, who both looked flat out overwhelmed against Montreal. Hank needs to stay in god mode. Staal needs to get back to the demi-god he was against Pittsburgh and Philly. Girardi just needs to play tough. Expect Klein to be an unsung hero of this series, he thrives in slow and nasty games like these. I expect Klein to get a bump in minutes by the end of the series.
Let's go.
As the series' have gone on, Sutter has given less and less ice time to Kyle Clifford and Trevor Lewis. They didn't even play 5 minutes last game. Lewis used to be one of their top PK'ers.
Watch the pairing of Martinez-Greene. They're very solid for a bottom pairing. Though I'd comfortably put Klein ahead of both of them. Martinez has had an excellent post season.
Watch for Tanner Pearson. Toffoli and Carter are bigger and definitely more skilled, but Pearson is very quick and sneaky. He's got a Zach Parise kind of motor and he's a HUGE compliment to that line and part of what makes it successful.
Practice the art of tying up your faceoff man to death. We wont be winning many faceoffs this series. Each of LA's 4 centers are over 50%.
Toews did a good job on Kopitar, but Gaborik and Williams still broke free with relative ease. They need to be shutdown by committee. Like what this team did to Crosby's line.
The Kings are a new beast for this team. They don't have that one player that drives the team on his own. Montreal had Subban, Pitts had Crosby, Philly had Giroux. Smothering Doughty isn't going to have the same effect smothering Subban did, as the Kings have multiple threats throughout their lineup. Which is how they got here in the first place.
Optimism aside, this will be a very ****ing hard series. Not one player can suck this series. Especially Staal and Girardi, who both looked flat out overwhelmed against Montreal. Hank needs to stay in god mode. Staal needs to get back to the demi-god he was against Pittsburgh and Philly. Girardi just needs to play tough. Expect Klein to be an unsung hero of this series, he thrives in slow and nasty games like these. I expect Klein to get a bump in minutes by the end of the series.
Let's go.
The Kings are a much tougher matchup than the Hawks but that's all water under the bridge. I just hope we can take it to at least 6. I can see them wearing us down with their size. To me, they are like the Bs. We don't match up well against them. Sorry but that's what I realistically think.
Clown Fiesta
Registered User
Miamipuck
Al Swearengen
Ok I hate the circumstances of his absence but thank the lord, Doc ****ing sucks. He is awful, I am tired of that poindexter announcing games. Half the time I have to turn the sound off. There's got to be better tandems than Doc/Eddie.
I really miss the days of JD, if he was CC it didn't matter if Gilbert Gottfried was doing play by play.
BroadwayBlues
KK24
aufheben
#Norris4Fox
Fitzy
Very Stable Genius
- Jan 29, 2009
- 36,367
- 24,173
If he hadn't lost all his shooting accuracy after his concussion and eye injury he'd probably be considered better than Girardi.
Kakko
Formerly Chytil
Staal was really good against Philly. He wasn't bad against Pittsburgh. Maybe Montréal and their speed gave him a hard time. He wasn't terrible against the Habs. LA is probably a better match up for Staal playing against the bigger forwards like Philly with Simmonds and Hartnell.
aufheben
#Norris4Fox
I would take Martinez over Klein. McD and Doughty are a wash. We have no forward comparable to Kopitar, in my opinion.
I know I'm in the minority, but I think Doc is the best in the game.
JD was a horror show his last few years here. He was too close to the players and some he would never criticize, especially Messier. Mess once made a backpassto no one that led to a breakaway goal. JD had nothing to say.
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aufheben
#Norris4Fox
gary laser eyes
Registered User
- Apr 6, 2007
- 4,174
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Kopitar, Carter, Gaborik, Williams, Doughty, Toffoli, Brown, Pearson, Muzzin 
Rangers are up against it for sure. We really have to hope Lundqvist is on his A++ game or that the Kings go through one of their offensive funks.
Rangers are up against it for sure. We really have to hope Lundqvist is on his A++ game or that the Kings go through one of their offensive funks.
Miamipuck
Al Swearengen
Staal was not very good at all against Montreal. It's a shame because he was so damn good the first 2 series.
The key to this series is how the Rangers defense will break down the forecheck of LA. I mentioned this last week, the Rangers were so efficient at getting the puck out and not letting the opposition cycle and get going.
Game 6 was a clinic not only in preventing a forecheck but even preventing entry into the zone. Now is that going to happen against a team such as LA, probably not, ok definitely not. Kopitar and Carter are much better possessing the puck than anyone on Montreal. However, if the Rangers can get a counter attack going before LA starts their cycle, the Rangers speed will really create problems for LA.
Which leads me to saying the Rangers need to convert their chances at a much higher, more efficient rate. They have a way of making all goalies look otherworldly for long stretches, no matter how pedestrian the keeper is.
I am sorry, lets call a spade a spade, Quick has not been far north of mediocre these playoffs and the Rangers need to make their opportunities count.
The key to this series is how the Rangers defense will break down the forecheck of LA. I mentioned this last week, the Rangers were so efficient at getting the puck out and not letting the opposition cycle and get going.
Game 6 was a clinic not only in preventing a forecheck but even preventing entry into the zone. Now is that going to happen against a team such as LA, probably not, ok definitely not. Kopitar and Carter are much better possessing the puck than anyone on Montreal. However, if the Rangers can get a counter attack going before LA starts their cycle, the Rangers speed will really create problems for LA.
Which leads me to saying the Rangers need to convert their chances at a much higher, more efficient rate. They have a way of making all goalies look otherworldly for long stretches, no matter how pedestrian the keeper is.
I am sorry, lets call a spade a spade, Quick has not been far north of mediocre these playoffs and the Rangers need to make their opportunities count.
Most of the damage was done early in the series. They had two goals in game 7. The Rangers defend better than Chicago. Every team playing at this point in every year has one line playing well. Time and space. The Rangers will do a better job on the PK than the Hawks did.
Agree and this was the was the same reasoning I had in my Pick Your Poison post: "I prefer LA. Feels imperative both our top two D pairs are on their game. But Staal looked meh against MTL when their east-west game was going in our zone, and Chicago is better at that than MTL. LA is more north-south, where Staal seems to play better. I dunno, just a weird feeling that our top two D pairs will better match against LA's top two lines. I also think our forward speed gives LA's D more problems than Chicago's. Not to mention, LA has also had two games less rest than Chicago and Quick has been good, but not great. I would love Chicago to win tonight and LA to win game 7. Three straight 7 game series for LA, and they'd be hitting game one on only a couple days rest."
I still feel we match up better against LA.
1. The Rangers are the fastest team in hockey. Get no credit for it. Apparently, they will be hurt by other teams speed which hasn't come close to happening yet in the playoffs.
2. Quick has been below average all playoffs.
3. The Kings have been below average defensively almost all playoffs.
4. Lundqvist has shut down basically all the top offensive players he's face in the playoffs so far.
5. Defense wins championships.
That's your argument for the Rangers winning.
Don't know what happened to the Kings defense which was great in the regular season. It's gone. There offense is way up. Rangers simply don't let any team score a lot on them a lot when they are on their game. So, it becomes a question of LA be willing to win 2-1 games instead of these shootouts. They have not faced a goalie close to Lundqvist in these playoffs. I don't care what anybody says. Crawford stinks.
2. Quick has been below average all playoffs.
3. The Kings have been below average defensively almost all playoffs.
4. Lundqvist has shut down basically all the top offensive players he's face in the playoffs so far.
5. Defense wins championships.
That's your argument for the Rangers winning.
Don't know what happened to the Kings defense which was great in the regular season. It's gone. There offense is way up. Rangers simply don't let any team score a lot on them a lot when they are on their game. So, it becomes a question of LA be willing to win 2-1 games instead of these shootouts. They have not faced a goalie close to Lundqvist in these playoffs. I don't care what anybody says. Crawford stinks.
Miamipuck
Al Swearengen
I think the one often overlooked fact that was mentioned above and is probably more ominous for the Rangers than any other one I can find is faceoffs. The Rangers must be better than they have ever been in this area or they're going to have a very difficult time against LA.
I don't know whether the centers will have to step up or the wingers to pick up their man or both but it needs to be cracker jack this series or the puck will be in their end consistently too much.
I don't know whether the centers will have to step up or the wingers to pick up their man or both but it needs to be cracker jack this series or the puck will be in their end consistently too much.
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