NFT: Game 5: Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Rangers gamethread

what Kreider is doing tonight. Not even looking where he's throwing hte puck because he wants to hit someone.

playing this period like it's 0-0.

Who cares if you lose 4-0 or 2-0. Take some fucking chances

even broken a sweat yet?

This will be our third blown game 5 in an ECF at home when the series was tied 2-2. Devils 94 and 12. When you are this close to the cup you can't piss away such a vital game.

... need to force Bishop to handle the puck ... he was giving up rebounds like candy in game 4 yet in game 5 the Rangers can't get the puck on net

and Stepan misses the net by 5 feet.

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.

spits out another rebound and no one is htere

Which is sad

has been the best player on the ice for Tampa tonight, which is just infuriating

Moore

but when everyone in this fucking room knew what a dumb as fuck decision it was to let Stralman walk to sign a 39 year old.... I mean I'm still a year later fucking speechless. And he's gets paid?

wouldn't be in this round without Stralman.

not a lot of time now

of ECF last year, except we're the Canadiens. I feel like we have no chance to score

interference?

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and pulled it off. Here's hoping for similar results this go round.

in a huge game that's not a game 7 at home in the ECF.

Infuriating. They keep playing with fire and eventually they're going to get burned.

In comment 12299579 MetsAreBack said:

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but when everyone in this fucking room knew what a dumb as fuck decision it was to let Stralman walk to sign a 39 year old.... I mean I'm still a year later fucking speechless. And he's gets paid?

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.

Can't believe how little urgency there is out there. Just mind boggling.

is good enough to be a QB on their powerplay, and theirs is much better than ours.

They never gave him a chance

on the 18 year anniversary to the day the Devils and Marty Brodeur put us away in OT game 6.

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.

this entire 3rd period like it was 0-0.

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

In comment 12299590 Essex said:

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anyway, this team was much better this year and played much differently than last year's squad.

I judge this team by playoff performance. Not by their ability to beat Carolina in December.

They played like it was a mid December game. Disgusting.

Very disappointing

has earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to having their backs against the wall, but you can't keep doing this time and time again. Eventually you're not going to be able to get it done

and a mostly shitty bunch of defensemen. Jeez.

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..

has a grand total of 2 good defensemen and shut us out. A bunch of ham 'n eggers otherwise and a goalie who is the definition of mediocre. Pathetic. At no point did I ever feel like we were going to score tonight. And it had nothing to do with their goaltender, he didn't have to make one difficult save the entire night.

In comment 12299606 CGiants07 said:

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Down 1-3 to the Caps?

As well. AV let this team come out flat and play with 0 purpose or urgency.

Very similar to game 7 a few years ago against Washington when they had 1 shot on goal in the entire 3rd period

In comment 12299596 MookGiants said:

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this entire 3rd period like it was 0-0. 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 see something like game 4 and think what a shame this team has the ability.

is unlike Ottawa, Washington (3x), Philly, even Pittsburgh last year.... we're playing a more talented team on the other side this time around.

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.

last year was more talented than us, come on. That team was really good.

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

Difference is two nights ago they finished.

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.

at "barring a miracle"

How exactly would it be a miracle to win the next 2 games?

Difficult? Yes. Miracle? Absolutely not.

its the hardest round to win in the Stanley Cup. Detroit played them well but after the series was over even Babcock admitted that series never should have been so close.

Get used to this Tampa team winning Championships. Hedman is a young Chara with more offensive skill.

outplayed them in 5 of the 7 games in that series. Dominated game 7 but couldn't bury anything.

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.

1-4 against this fucking team at MSG this year now, Bishop moves to 11-2 against us now.

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.

at MSG is head scratching, considering they were basically a .500 road team.

historical odds are overwhelming against them winning the series ... tonight was their "momentum game" after their game 4 win, and to get shut out is inexcusable and certainly takes any emotional momentum away

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.

My god man....Tampa is not the 1985 Oilers or the 1976 Canadiens. And Victor Hedman is not Zeno...... cmon

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of game 5 winners in 2-2 go on to win the series.

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.

In comment 12299630 MookGiants said:

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of game 5 winners in 2-2 go on to win the series. 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.

must be the leader of the Lightning fan club. LOL at predicting a bunch of titles for them.

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.

Eventually someone's going to make you pay in an elimination game. That's just reality. Doesn't mean they can't pull this out - if they win game 6 I feel very confident they take the series - but you can't leave yourself on the brink of losing over and over indefinitely.