Here we go, boys. Back to the garden for a best of three. The 5-1 beat down was beautiful to watch but it's time to turn the page and take another fucking step towards finishing the job we didn't last year.
No let downs today...put more doubt in tampa's head and grab the series by the throat
Lets fucking go, boys. Fear the fucking Beard,
LETS GO RANGERS
LGR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DO IT!
LGFR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LGR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DO IT!
Looked it up. Winner of game 5 in a NHL series tied 2-2 went on to win the series .781 percent of the time in NHL history (275 teams went on to win the series versus 77 teams that lost). That's damn close to 80% of the time.
Tonight's game is HUGE! C'mon baby,
DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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We've put 10 past Bishop in the last 2 games now. This is a guy who has not been here before and might start to doubt himself a bit if we can get on him early again.
Hopefully the Rangers can turn on the jets here at the right time and find a way to make Game 6 an elimination game for TB.
I get the whole trying to jinx part, but I don't know how anyone can say this with a straight face. Clearly not someone paying attention to this Rangers group over the past decade - when has anything ever been easy for these guys?
Series is still a pick 'em. Two very talented, well coached teams -- adjustments and counter-adjustments, just like any other hard fought series. Hopefully we get a little puck luck and end up on top tonight, but you know they'll respond with their best effort. That's what good teams like them have done time and again this postseason after tough losses (game 2 Detroit, game 6 Detroit, game 5 Montreal and game 6 Montreal)
Take it to them early and get in Bishop's head. Can't afford to let that guy regain his confidence - though look at the tape of the Rangers 4th goal the other night... he didn't even move from his post well after Brassard had fed MSL. Maybe he was totally screened ? But it was an odd complete lack of awareness -- bury this fuck tonight.
Some of that may be true but people have an odd definition of "much better"
I don't really give a shit what Cooper or Torts think - we're way too thirsty for a Cup at this point to care even a little about style points -- bottom line game 4 was probably a mirror image of game 2 from a sense of team carrying play lost.... but this series tied 2-2 right now is probably exactly where this team should be.
Not too worried about who carried play Friday - they dominated about 11 minutes Friday, in part due to some NYR penalties... but the other 49 minutes I thought we played an excellent Road game
Tonight is huge - the way they carried play in both their home games, they seem to get the matchups they want down there... not feeling great about winning there again. Have to have this one tonight. As baadbill said, 80% of the time the winner tonight takes the Series.
They've won 3 times in the Garden this year so this isn't the Caps coming in here with a long history of losing - need to bring our "A" game tonight.
Any fan comfortable in a particular outcome right now is full of it. Momentum is as good as your last shift.
They're also a smaller team. Toews and Kane are elite forwards and will cause problems for anyone but it's not like there's any real dropoff between those two and Getzlaf/Perry.
Anaheim is a bigger, more physical team with a deeper, more balanced defense corps. I think they would give the Rangers a really hard time.
I just don't think Chicago can make it through the SCF on the winning side with their blue line as thin as it is. Keith, Hjalmarsson and Seabrook are all excellent players but they're just logging so many minutes and they're in a really physical series with ANA right now and I just think it's going to start to show on the ice. Hopefully not until they win the series, though.
Really hoping the Hawks pull past.
Obviously it means nothing if the Rangers can't beat Tampa two more times but we're fans, not players.. doesn't really matter if we look ahead.
and all that
first 12 minutes of period 2 was certainly rough - can't have that happen again but it might - give the opponent credit, they are excellent.
Hank is going to have to steal us one of these final 3 games to advance
Last game was just about the best case scenario. Not only winning but doing it with a bunch of slumping players contributing. If Nash gets hot, we're in fantastic shape.
They're also a smaller team. Toews and Kane are elite forwards and will cause problems for anyone but it's not like there's any real dropoff between those two and Getzlaf/Perry.
Anaheim is a bigger, more physical team with a deeper, more balanced defense corps. I think they would give the Rangers a really hard time.
I just don't think Chicago can make it through the SCF on the winning side with their blue line as thin as it is. Keith, Hjalmarsson and Seabrook are all excellent players but they're just logging so many minutes and they're in a really physical series with ANA right now and I just think it's going to start to show on the ice. Hopefully not until they win the series, though.
Really hoping the Hawks pull past.
Obviously it means nothing if the Rangers can't beat Tampa two more times but we're fans, not players.. doesn't really matter if we look ahead.
I tend to agree. Anaheim scared me. We get stuck in our own end a lot against bigger teams. Although Chicago has Stanley Cup experience out the ass.
they are a worthy Final opponent and it's never easy this time of year regardless - but it doesn't get easier than the road they've had to get here
they can't hold last year's Kings jock. we get by Tampa and we're in great shape.
Lightning are our biggest test of this run - been saying that since march. caps series never should have been that close - over and done with hopefully that experience made us a better team but it never should have gotten to that.
they are a worthy Final opponent and it's never easy this time of year regardless - but it doesn't get easier than the road they've had to get here
they can't hold last year's Kings jock. we get by Tampa and we're in great shape.
Lightning are our biggest test of this run - been saying that since march. caps series never should have been that close - over and done with hopefully that experience made us a better team but it never should have gotten to that.
Also because the Rangers waxed Anaheim 4-1 and 7-2 in the regular season
If that continues that will help, but I still think the series is in the D's hands - if they have reversed their inconsistent play then I like our chances.
!!LGR!!
"Lightning are our biggest test of this run - been saying that since march. caps series never should have been that close - over and done with hopefully that experience made us a better team but it never should have gotten to that."
Seems to me in the SC Playoffs so far, of course it's playoff hockey, but the Rangers have not been playing their game as well as they did during the season and/or other teams have upped their games, so Penguins, Caps, now Lightning...may it never should have gotten to that, but that's the way we've been playing. So the differentials we had vs. Anaheim during the season means squat, if we get that far. (If we do, it's Kings' physical game redux.)
Hard to get a read on Game 4, with some here saying Lightning outplayed Blueshirts for 50 minutes; that doesn't sound so pretty.
Here's hoping they put together a solid 60, and another, and then a bunch more.
Beard the faith. LGR
''Tonight's probably the night he's going to score,'' said Cooper. It's no secret that Callahan hasn't been productive this postseason. The 30-year-old has no points in his last nine games and he has just three assists in 16 postseason games in 2015.
LET'S GO RANGERS!!!
Nash for the trick tonight.
Rangers Goal Song - ( New Window )
LGR!
DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great to see MSG invited him back!
Like McDonagh.
Hard to sit here and say "McDonaugh sucks" or that the D isn't doing its jobs when our forwards I'm guessing could be a little more selective in their pinching (?)
Careless giveaways, bad reads. Nothing to do with the forwards.
They seem to be picking on the vulnerable D with the forecheck - only sending in one or two when the top pairing is out there.
The net would have to be 100 feet wide for Staal to hit it
He should have thrown it at the net. He skated a long way only to pass it back to the point.
Yandle took years off my life. That's his game - we need to see more of that offense we paid up so much for because his defense scares the fuck out of me
Amen
Henrik got caught deep in his crease again.
What game are you watching? We probably have controlled possession, but the three best shots on goal have come from them.
it was a save that he could of made saw it no screen or deflection
Tanner Glass.
Oops ... 13-12
He has been beaten like a drum every time he has sat in his crease this series from that spot. They don't miss when they have upper corner to shoot at
Big Kill coming up now... this one may get away from us in a hurry.
Is what it is. We're on the brink now.
When our power play looks like shit he's always out there.
He's the worst player on the ice, by far, between the two teams. He was the other night too, but woopty fuckin doo he hit a wide open net with no one anyone near him
Yeah, it would make a difference. The guy single handedly cost us game 2 and has 1 goal 17 playoff games. Fuck him.
Then Stamkos buries one out of nowhere. And then Rangers give up a PP goal (while they went 0-4 on their own).
Tough sledding moving forward. But a two goal lead is a very difficult lead to protect in hockey. All it takes is one goal and suddenly it's a game again and momentum shifts radically. Gotta keep faith.
LGR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
People talk about Johnson... we haven't had an answer for Stamkos the entire series.
Then Stamkos buries one out of nowhere. And then Rangers give up a PP goal (while they went 0-4 on their own).
Tough sledding moving forward. But a two goal lead is a very difficult lead to protect in hockey. All it takes is one goal and suddenly it's a game again and momentum shifts radically. Gotta keep faith.
LGR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Besides Kreider's shot that missed the net, we have had zero quality chances. Yeah they didn't have a lot of shots but their quality of shots even before the goal was better than ours.
I still would love to know what tanner glass was doing.
Quote:
TB to 8 SOG and virtually no real scoring opportunities since the giveaway early in the 1st period ... they were totally controlling the flow of the game ...
Then Stamkos buries one out of nowhere. And then Rangers give up a PP goal (while they went 0-4 on their own).
Tough sledding moving forward. But a two goal lead is a very difficult lead to protect in hockey. All it takes is one goal and suddenly it's a game again and momentum shifts radically. Gotta keep faith.
LGR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Besides Kreider's shot that missed the net, we have had zero quality chances. Yeah they didn't have a lot of shots but their quality of shots even before the goal was better than ours.
I still would love to know what tanner glass was doing.
That may be true. But it is also true that the Rangers were carrying the play up until the goal. In any event, it doesn't matter. They're down 2 and need this game. Big uphill climb from here.
It was basically both teams playing in a shell and not giving up anything, then tanner glass gambled for no reason.
Look is what it is - by now it should be clear to everyone that they are a little better. And their core is under 25.
We need a quick goal to get back in this thing. Their two weaknesses are a perhaps injured Bishop (I'm not sure about that), and their youth. Put some pressure on them and see how they respond. It's our only shot at this point - their talent is clearly superior, we need to win on structure, coaching and experience.
Look is what it is - by now it should be clear to everyone that they are a little better. And their core is under 25.
We need a quick goal to get back in this thing. Their two weaknesses are a perhaps injured Bishop (I'm not sure about that), and their youth. Put some pressure on them and see how they respond. It's our only shot at this point - their talent is clearly superior, we need to win on structure, coaching and experience.
they were winning time of possession but neither team was getting lots of chances
Who cares if you lose 4-0 or 2-0. Take some fucking chances
Guys just didn't show up tonight. You'd think with all this experience in the locker room you wouldn't see so many guys choking on a dick tonight.
Infuriating. They keep playing with fire and eventually they're going to get burned.
Look, I am not going to defend signing Boyle and letting Stralman go, but everybody last year was saying we needed a qb for the PP. maybe we made the wrong choice in Boyle, but the fact remains we needed a better pp. anyway, this team was much better this year and played much differently than last year's squad.
They never gave him a chance
Maybe not.
We just don't have the consistency offensively that is needed to win a Cup. After one nice game I didn't notice 61 all night. You sure as fuck noticed Stamkos.
When you're down 2-0 in a playoff game in the 3rd period and the other team doesn't have any odd man rushes in the 3rd period, something is wrong. That means you're playing too damn conservatively. Take some fucking chances
I judge this team by playoff performance. Not by their ability to beat Carolina in December.
Down 1-3 to the Caps?
In comment 12299596 MookGiants said:
When you're down 2-0 in a playoff game in the 3rd period and the other team doesn't have any odd man rushes in the 3rd period, something is wrong. That means you're playing too damn conservatively. Take some fucking chances
I don't blame the players on this one. The other team is better. Is what it is.
We can blame Sather I guess or AV if he was involved too - reality is we made the final 4 for the 3rd time in 4 years, but barring a miracle, yet again it won't be enough. It's near impossible to win without a star offensive player or your GM batting damn near 1.000 if he doesn't have those lottery picks to build around.
Sather did ok but you cant fuck up as much as he did this offseason. Can't happen - cant have the Stralman downgrade, can't bet the entire fucking farm on a marginal player like Yandle, can't trade Brian Boyle for Tanner Glass... even Chris Hayes, as great a year as he's had and a great signing LT, he's overmatched in this postseason as a 3rd line C which is what so many of us feared... 4 points now in 17 games. He's a kid, I'm not mad at him... he's just overmatched.
I know you love Tampa, but they looked very average against both Detroit and Montreal.
Oddly enough Tampa was down 2-1 to Detroit, won game 4. Then laid an egg at home, and came back to dominate game 6 and get outplayed but win game 7
Things look a lot better when you hit the net and finish. Rangers got outshot two nights ago and Tampa was all over the ice. Didn't matter Rangers were lethally accurate with their shots. Tonight Nash has a point blank opportunity from 20 ft out and he missed the net. Few minutes later Tampa scored and this shit was over. Mab nailed it we aren't consistent enough offensively. Rangers are a damn good team every team has lapses but they need to score a lot of goals in game 6. Simple as that.
How exactly would it be a miracle to win the next 2 games?
Difficult? Yes. Miracle? Absolutely not.
Get used to this Tampa team winning Championships. Hedman is a young Chara with more offensive skill.
Babcock can say whatever he wants, Tampa wasn't very good that series and they weren't very good against Montreal either.
You do this all th etime. Throw dirt on the Rangers when it's not over. It would not take anything close to a miracle to win this series.
Amazing how we can play the Caps so well in this building over the years but we can't get to a Tampa team with pretty much all of its stars under 25 yrs old.
Obviously they can win the next two, but the odds are that for all practical purposes the most magical season in my 62 years ended tonight.
But this team has been there and done that, they aren't going to panic being down in this spot.
I'm not saying they are going to get it doen, but you would think after getting it done so many times that MAB wouldn't throw dirt on them every single time.
But this team has been there and done that, they aren't going to panic being down in this spot.
I'm not saying they are going to get it doen, but you would think after getting it done so many times that MAB wouldn't throw dirt on them every single time.
I agree they won't panic. And they have been incredibly resilient this year. But they've really dug themselves a hole now. And have to figure out how to get a puck on net. I mean it's really pretty amazing how few shots they got on net and how few truly tough shots got through to Bishop.
I remember when Sidney Crosby won his first, everyone assumed it would lead to multiple. He hasn't sniffed one since.
He acts like this is the greatest young roster ever put together in the history of the sport.
Talent wins in this league. Not sure we had quite enough of it 100% healthy anyway, but we're certainly not as talented without Zuccarello out of the lineup for a month now either. Not when MSL is a walking corpse out there. Just a brutal break that was so fucking preventable with 21st century equipment.
Everyone talks about the triplets, Stamkos is on another planet right now.
I remember when Sidney Crosby won his first, everyone assumed it would lead to multiple. He hasn't sniffed one since.
He acts like this is the greatest young roster ever put together in the history of the sport.
My wife reminded me this morning that early in the year when the Rangers first lost to Tampa Bay, that I told her I believed TB was my pick to win the Cup this year. Of course I told her she was a jackass for reminding me of that today.
Good job getting us Game 4, beard.
I gotta clean up the mess again. I got us.
This act is getting tired. Really.
Easy money, on a team that took 7 games against probably the worst team in the east, and still hasn't even made the stanley cup finals.
Funny. You've shoveled dirt on the Rangers chances every chance you could over the last couple years, wouldn't expect any different now.
Can't get much closer. I suppose it could be 0-3. In fact, thinking of it that way, 2-3 sounds absolutely fantastic!
Klein was awful.
If the Rangers lose this series, McDonagh's play in game three will be running through my head all off-season. I'd give both Mook's balls for last year's McDonagh.
Exactly. See 2012 NY Rangers playoffs as evidence
Funny. You've shoveled dirt on the Rangers chances every chance you could over the last couple years, wouldn't expect any different now.
Hyperbole. And your act when your team loses is to attack other posters on here for whatever reason though. And of course curse a lot too.
If anyone is likely to come back, its the Rangers!
We were outclassed against the Penguins last year and had to win 2 games on the road to come back down 3-1.
It's not going to be easy by any stretch, but this team can do it.
As Mook and I have been saying for a while, Marty is done and I don't why people were expecting him to turn it around after he scored. The guy scored on an empty net and was set up by a beautiful pass by Yandle and Brassard. That's why he scored. Tanner Glass would've scored on the same play.
I don't blame Marty. I just think that he's done. He looks ready to retire and probably should. I would be very pissed if we brought him back, even at the vet. min. It sucks that he had to play his worst hockey at a time where we needed him the most, but he's done.
Break up the fucking defensive pairings. Put Girardi with Yandle, McDonagh with Klein and Staal with Boyle. This team needs balance. The McDonagh/Girardi pair has been awful for most of the season and the playoffs and while they may be the best defensemen on the roster, it doesn't mean they should be paired together. Pairings are all about chemistry. That's why you put a superstar like Hedman with a big goof like Andrej Sustr and it seems to work.
We need Zuccarello back badly. BADLY. Any chance at all that he plays tomorrow night?
My dad's been on Klein's case all playoff. Thinks he's been quietly awful - he certainly was last night. Agreed with Anak on the D pairings.
TB didn't play particularly well last night, either. Just get it to seven.
Good question. I mean Boyle has played well on the PP as of late, but St. Louis has sucked balls. I would replace St. Louis with Yandle and put Yandle and Boyle at the points.
Hedman was the 2nd overall pick in the draft, just 24 years old and already the best defensman on the ice in this ECF. funny but there was an article just this morning that compared him to chara and kronwall. but hey your eye test knows better than the experts
look I'll gladly eat crow if we come back. trust me - gladly. give me extra helpings please
but.... a sobering stat: this core group is now 38-36 in the postseason over the past 4 years. what was supposed to be a golden age... just way too many disappointing clusterfucks like last night with lack of flow offensively, guys missing the net by 5-10 feet, etc. WTF
I just don't them having the stamina to do better next year; please find a way.
I just don't them having the stamina to do better next year; please find a way.
Is this written in code?
Of all playoff dmen who have played at least 150 minutes, Dan Boyle has allowed the few shot attempts against per 60 minutes.
he's not playing total bad games like some guys, but he's had some serious WTF moments.
I will say his offensive game has surprised me and he's come up big this series at times. I always thought he's be a top 4 stay at home D-man, but little two-way to his game.
he's better than I thought, though not this series.
good luck
He actually looked alright last night other than an early turnover.
agree Brett, last comment from me. McDonagh's transition game is incredible, he has great vision and that surprised me a little, which makes the defensive mental lapses disappointing.
good luck
Let's hope you're not too late to "catch" the drift.
I don't give a shit if they do, but with my team eliminated I don't care who wins, zero shits given.
I merely posted my opinion.
if that bothers you, I make no apologies.
pj is just giving his opinion. He's not being a douche or trying to "jinx" the Rangers (seriously, stop with this shit).
There's really no reason to keep getting on the guys case. Give it up. If you don't care what he has to say, ignore it. I have no issue with the perception of a fan of another team. Stop being so goddamn sensitive.
RIGHT, B? :)
And if you live in the NYC area, you absolutely hate the Rangers and want them losing tonight. If you live in the Montreal area you probably don't care...but again I wasn't singling out one specific person.
I don't trust Habs fans at all...I assume the worst. Go eat a fucking croisannt...
I just convinced myself that me cursing out a Habs or Isles fan on the web will help the Rangers win tonight. Can't blame me...
(or Bruins or Caps - fuck you, Tony - or Flyers or hudson fan either)
Why apologize and even more importantly, why do you feel like you need an excuse to curse those cocksuckers out today?? I certainly dont need one.
Fuck them. See you on the links tomorrow boys.
My point was I was not saying I wanted the Rangers to win.
I said I thought they would.
It wasn't about jinxing anyone or anything superstitious or reverse psychology. My father and brother (who posts on here sometimes) are both diehard Rangers and Yankees fans, yet I still don't give a shit if the Rangers win.
I said "there's no way this doesn't go 7 and when it does game 7 is about as good a bet in sports right now the way Hank and the Rangers play game 7's." or something like that.
if the Rangers lose, I'm wrong and I don't care.
that's what I think will happen if that offends anyone as I said I make no apologies and Brett is right I'll keep posting, I love hockey and nothing like a game 7.
I said "there's no way this doesn't go 7 and when it does game 7 is about as good a bet in sports right now the way Hank and the Rangers play game 7's." or something like that.
? You said Rangers in 5 - said the series was over if the Rangers won game 2.
Anyway, thanks for your support. I know a couple of cool Habs fans -- too bad they're overshadowed by all the others.
I just checked my schedule - sorry Fish and FEKker, turns out my tee time is Saturday not today. Have fun out there!