NFT: Rangers @ Isles, 7PM EST on MSG

I've been dying inside with each game he missed.

?

Than ovechkin has in his 12 year career (29 total)

Puempel in over Pirri may have more to do with being able to expose him in the expansion draft...

"In taking Pavel Buchnevich out of the equation, it's interesting to see the Rangers go with Matt Puempel over Brandon Pirri for this spot. Puempel is a young player and a former first round pick with potential, but he also is close to reaching the requirements to be exposed for the expansion draft. I think that getting Puempel to the requirements is a side part of this decision as the Rangers probably want all of the flexibility they can when it comes to the expansion draft."
Puempel over Pirri - ( New Window )

Which means he immediately sits. Meanwhile, so-so has been several levels above Girardi's play for three years and he never, ever sits.

And that's why I can't stand Alain Vigneault.

In comment 13362572 MetsAreBack said:

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?

He had a "so-so" game against CBJ per AV.

Could truly be a doghouse thing. Could just be a rest. Could just be trying to keep Peumpel locked in in the event that a forward gets dealt for D into the deadline. I'm not reading too much into it.

Thanks for posting. Interesting angle and makes a good bit of sense.

A very important distinction, you scrote.

You guys are hot, we're on the cooling end of a hot run but definitely a mixed bag of who-knows-what-the-fuckery as it relates to what we might expect tonight after getting thoroughly embarrassed by the Loafs. Can't dwell on that one, though; every team has a game like that in a season. Weight has "strongly suggested" to his charges that they treat this one tonight like a playoff game.

Let's have a good one, boys.

Acceptable angle I guess... Who knows what scheming is going on behind the scenes with Cap ramifications tied to player playing time & what not.

last night with PHI and TOR losing in regulation.

The TOR game was a bit of a disaster but it only counts as one game. Hopefully the Isles can keep playing aggressive and get lots of zone time against the Rangers D. Greiss needs to play better tonight.

Hamonic skated prior to the team skate this AM, first time on the ice since 1/7. Clutterbuck also skated and has stayed on for the team portion.

Isles forwards stay the same. Mayfield in for Pelech, deservedly so. He rocks Drakkar, Pelly doesn't.

The Drakkar Neckbeards coming off an embarrassing performance against TOR.

I already know how this one is going to go.

In comment 13362762 pganut said:

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Isles forwards stay the same. Mayfield in for Pelech, deservedly so. He rocks Drakkar, Pelly doesn't.

I like Pelech, but he deserves this. He was absolutely brutal against Toronto. We're also likely going to need someone who can drop the gloves if needed. Good decision by Weight.

While there's a lot of good to his game - for example, he takes the body well and has been noticeable in standing up some of the forwards that try and get around him, also shows good hustle getting into the offensive zone on rushes/carry-ins - there are still some warts. But I see those as very fixable...notably, his gap control (which he worked on after the first of the 2 recent TOR games) and his pass selection in zone exit attempts. He's thrown the puck to a spot, which is coaching and how the Isles want to break, but he has to be more observant if there's a breakdown in positioning and the intended teammate isn't at the designated spot. He'll be a quality defender and a reliable 2nd/3rd paring guy as his career progresses.

In comment 13362771 arcarsenal said:

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The Drakkar Neckbeards coming off an embarrassing performance against TOR. I already know how this one is going to go.

No idea if it's a good lineup change or not, but needing someone to drop the gloves would be a bad reason. The Isles would have to do something pretty bad to get anyone on the rangers to even consider it. Even then, Kreider or Klein is about as scary as we get...

That reply was to MILB, not you arc.

Awful.

In comment 13362668 Metnut said:

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last night with PHI and TOR losing in regulation.

Every bit helps but Toronto is still in great shape to capture the 3 seed in the Atlantic. Boston has played a ton of games and has some tough west coast trips coming up, including the California + Dallas trip next week. Im guessing you'll end up battling Boston, Tampa and Florida (FL is finally healthy and starting to look good) for that WC-2.

We're sharing a gamethread with the toilet plungers from long island? Who decided this?

In comment 13362813 MetsAreBack said:

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Every bit helps but Toronto is still in great shape to capture the 3 seed in the Atlantic. Boston has played a ton of games and has some tough west coast trips coming up, including the California + Dallas trip next week. Im guessing you'll end up battling Boston, Tampa and Florida (FL is finally healthy and starting to look good) for that WC-2.

I agree with you here, MAB. FLA is finally back at full strength and will be very much in the hunt. BOS will get the same bounce effect we did with a new coach, so we'll see how long that continues although they were playing good possession hockey despite a mediocre record YTD. I ultimately think TOR's defense and goaltending undoes them, but their Fs are fun as hell to watch.

This isn't a statement to begin an argument, but I don't see the Rangers or CBJ being markedly better teams than the Islanders. The Islanders sabotaged their season with the abysmal start and frankly deserve their fate if they miss the playoffs. After Sunday, we have our 9-game road monster, with the stops being DET-MTL-CBJ-DAL-CHI-CGY-EDM-VAN-STL. Some "should-wins" in there, but that grind is gonna be brutal heading out far west at the end of the trip...would have been better scheduling if they started there and worked back east.

In comment 13362575 Run with 81 said:

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Puempel in over Pirri may have more to do with being able to expose him in the expansion draft...

Eh. Supposedly there are a lot of AHL players who qualify as someone you can expose, and they can be acquired for a nominal asset (cash, right to swap #7s).

In comment 13362819 B in ALB said:

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We're sharing a gamethread with the toilet plungers from long island? Who decided this?

Don't you have a Sabres-Avs game to watch tonight, sunshine? What could you possibly have to complain about?

In comment 13362826 pganut said:

Quote:

In comment 13362819 B in ALB said: Quote: We're sharing a gamethread with the toilet plungers from long island? Who decided this? Don't you have a Sabres-Avs game to watch tonight, sunshine? What could you possibly have to complain about?

You sir, can tongue my sack. I have the Rangers game tonight - but with fucking shitstained Islanders announcers. I can't win.

...here we are. A very uncomfortable moment for me. I came off a pretty solid performance Monday. MiLB - you need not worry about having someone drop the gloves. The Rangers take the AV, Drewcon approach. Very nice. Ooops I bumped you I'm sorry. A lot of "Good Luck", "Hope you don't mind". MAB has a bit more "jam" in his game.

A Christmas gift from my brother in law has afforded me the opportunity to see the game live. I will be with my 9 year old so my Lady Byng nomination will be in play.

Plus, February 28 deadline is approaching and I need to approve all of the shrewd deals.

pga - these are the toughest days where we are on opposite sides of the faceoff circle!

In comment 13362806 bigbluehoya said:

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In comment 13362771 arcarsenal said: Quote: The Drakkar Neckbeards coming off an embarrassing performance against TOR. I already know how this one is going to go. No idea if it's a good lineup change or not, but needing someone to drop the gloves would be a bad reason. The Isles would have to do something pretty bad to get anyone on the rangers to even consider it. Even then, Kreider or Klein is about as scary as we get...

Haha understanding this is for me...

I just meant that as a small, supporting factor. The Islanders don't really have a guy who can change the momentum with a good scuffle anymore with Matt Martin gone. Mayfield is pretty good about that.

But I really just meant that as a secondary factor in my post. Pelech was beyond bad in the Toronto game (may have had our worst turnover resulting in a goal all year... and that says a lot). And while I think Pelech is more talented than Mayfield, I think it's an important message to send. Additionally, Mayfield, mediocre as he is, tends to play pretty well in these big games. Two years ago we were down to our 10th defenseman in Game 7 against the Capitals and he played admirably.

Your niblets are probably rashy and irritated from resting so often on The Ginger One's beard. But Goring is the one to tune out. Brendan Burke has done a really nice job and is definitely more aware of/complimentary of our opposition so you'll get a (mostly) balanced call from him tonight.

Drew, have fun at the game. I hope it'll teach your kid how to take a loss with dignity as I know his old man is a pretty alright individual ;-)

In comment 13362668 Metnut said:

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last night with PHI and TOR losing in regulation. The TOR game was a bit of a disaster but it only counts as one game. Hopefully the Isles can keep playing aggressive and get lots of zone time against the Rangers D. Greiss needs to play better tonight.

The Sharks almost gave us an assist, too. They trailed 5-3 with 3.5 minutes to go and scored two goals to force OT, but the Panthers won it in 3-on-3.

In comment 13362846 pganut said:

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Drew, have fun at the game. I hope it'll teach your kid how to take a loss with dignity as I know his old man is a pretty alright individual ;-)

We are Mets fans also so 2014-2015 was character building for DrewCon Jr

In comment 13362862 Drewcon40 said:

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Drew, have fun at the game. I hope it'll teach your kid how to take a loss with dignity as I know his old man is a pretty alright individual ;-) We are Mets fans also so 2014-2015 was character building for DrewCon Jr

I hear that; we're also Mets fans. As Isles/Mets fans, we've endured a lot (my kids are almost 12, but I've suffered for the better part of 47 years). Funnily enough, we came up to NY for a Mets game last year...had it all planned out. Picked a game against a team the Mets should have beat (D-backs), had Thor on the mound to boot...and promptly got destroyed, 9-0 with Thor only lasting 5 innings. The Giants have been the saving grace with 2 titles in my kids' lifetime so far. But they've built think skins being Mets and Isles fans, for sure.

.

i just shaved my swingers last night and they're glorious. No issues at all, my pet.

I'd like to take a stick to Goring's huge fuckin chicklets. I'm sure that feeling won't subside after tonight.

In comment 13362907 B in ALB said:

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i just shaved my swingers last night and they're glorious. No issues at all, my pet. I'd like to take a stick to Goring's huge fuckin chicklets. I'm sure that feeling won't subside after tonight.

There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum; it's breathtaking. I suggest you try it.

and Im not allowed to talk about politics here because it offends some people...

I think it's fair to be a little considered about Thomas Greiss right now (and that's coming from one of his biggest supporters.

In his last 5 games he's give up 5, 5, 1, 3, and 6, compiling a record of 2-3 and getting pulled in the most recent one. I also think the broadcasters really gave him a pass on one of those goals against Toronto. He lazily tried to stick the puck away with someone bearing right in on him. It was lucky for the goal-scorer sure, but Greiss made a bad play there. For some reason Butch and Burke kept focusing on it being lucky for Toronto.

And life isn't going to get any easier with Greiss as we have a ton of games coming up. He needs to get it together.

Sure, has he ever had a starter workload before? No. But at the same time, while a veteran, he has low miles on him and keeps himself conditioned well. He has plenty in the tank, IMO.

If you look at the goals given up, very few, if any are of the "softie" variety. I think the first recent TOR game, he made a mistake lifting a pad too early that Matthews converted, and the example you gave is questionable. He redirected a shot from the side boards and was deflecting it into the opposite corner as he should. However, Hickey did nothing to tie up the forward crashing the net (Nylander) and regardless of the angle Greiss was trying to deflect the puck to, Nylander was so on top of him it was redirected into his shin pad and in. If anything, Greiss's mistake was not gloving the puck to freeze it, but I'm sure in no way did he expect a forward in his face with a capable defender right there, albeit that he ultimately didn't help on the play. Anyway, Greiss continues to make great saves; super glove hand; sees well through traffic, and controls rebounds well. To me, the defense has failed him lately, not an erosion of his skills.

game threads. All this talk about the Connecticut Islanders is really fuckin boring.

on Buch being scratched. Don't think it's the worst thing to scratch a struggling rookie for a game or two. And Puempel, while not great, is certainly more talented than your typical 13th forward.
Link - ( New Window )

if he gets fed up with AV's "teaching style"

I dont really have a problem with benching him for a game, though i dont think he's gotten much opportunity to play to his strengths this month, but i do think guys like Vesey (monday's beautiful goal not withstanding) are going to need a breather down the stretch here too. Let's spread it around and get guys a breather now that we're like a 99.8% chance to make the playoffs.

Bottom line is we have a high-class problem of having too many forwards on this roster. Hopefully over the next 7-10 days we trade one or two of these guys for the much needed RHD help.

Decent article below.

Buchnevich blog - Fanragsports - ( New Window )

Buch would have to actually be sent down in order for that clause in his contract to kick in.

In comment 13363206 bigbluehoya said:

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Buch would have to actually be sent down in order for that clause in his contract to kick in.

Yes. The clause is activated if he's removed from the Rangers roster.

It's still a dumb move.

.

In comment 13363377 Mike in Long Beach said:

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.

What a pathetic fail of a query.

Who's meeting me before the game and outside the arena for beers?

as I am late to party....

Fuck this joint thread BS. I really need to read about every scrub discussed on the Rags? OMG who we gonna send down, who we gonna bring up. He is gonna be great, he flashed....suck it.

re: greiss
Color me concerned. He was better before the contract.

re: Mayfield
Definitely need the grit out there. We have none.

why don't you go meet Fekker down in Brooklyn so you guys can enjoy a glass of chablis then scissor each other?

In comment 13363406 Fish said:

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Fuck this joint thread BS. I really need to read about every scrub discussed on the Rags? OMG who we gonna send down, who we gonna bring up. He is gonna be great, he flashed....suck it.

What happened to the emerging Islander powerhouse you were slobbering about 3-4 years ago? 25-20-10....woooooooo!

In comment 13363425 B in ALB said:

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why don't you go meet Fekker down in Brooklyn so you guys can enjoy a glass of chablis then scissor each other?

Ridiculous and offensive.... I'd never drink chablis.

In comment 13363436 Greg from LI said:

Quote:

In comment 13363406 Fish said: Quote: Fuck this joint thread BS. I really need to read about every scrub discussed on the Rags? OMG who we gonna send down, who we gonna bring up. He is gonna be great, he flashed....suck it. What happened to the emerging Islander powerhouse you were slobbering about 3-4 years ago? 25-20-10....woooooooo!

Seriously. The Isles vaunted prospect pool turned out to be staggeringly unsuccessful, at least to date. Post Tavares draft, really underwhelming NHL production. And it's early, but Dal Colle and Ho-Sang should be doing a lot more in the AHL than they have been. And they gave up too soon on Nino (or misused him -- whatever, he's a decent player in Minnesota having a breakout season).

In comment 13363436 Greg from LI said:

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What happened to the emerging Islander powerhouse you were slobbering about 3-4 years ago? 25-20-10....woooooooo!

It sucks. But wouldn't it be good enough for 3rd place in the Atlantic Division? I can't remember this much of an imbalance. The Rangers would be sitting pretty with the 1 seed.

In comment 13363457 Deej said:

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Seriously. The Isles vaunted prospect pool turned out to be staggeringly unsuccessful, at least to date. Post Tavares draft, really underwhelming NHL production. And it's early, but Dal Colle and Ho-Sang should be doing a lot more in the AHL than they have been. And they gave up too soon on Nino (or misused him -- whatever, he's a decent player in Minnesota having a breakout season).

Not to mention dumping Grabner and essentially trading 28-yr old Okposo for 31-yr old Andrew Ladd when Okposo was an integral beast for those guys.

In comment 13363457 Deej said:

Quote:

In comment 13363436 Greg from LI said: Quote: In comment 13363406 Fish said: Quote: Fuck this joint thread BS. I really need to read about every scrub discussed on the Rags? OMG who we gonna send down, who we gonna bring up. He is gonna be great, he flashed....suck it. What happened to the emerging Islander powerhouse you were slobbering about 3-4 years ago? 25-20-10....woooooooo! Seriously. The Isles vaunted prospect pool turned out to be staggeringly unsuccessful, at least to date. Post Tavares draft, really underwhelming NHL production. And it's early, but Dal Colle and Ho-Sang should be doing a lot more in the AHL than they have been. And they gave up too soon on Nino (or misused him -- whatever, he's a decent player in Minnesota having a breakout season).

"Changing of the guard!"

-The 12th Man, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016

Still waiting.....

was not landing Hall in a deal headlined by Hamonic

In comment 13363471 arcarsenal said:

Quote:

In comment 13363457 Deej said: "Changing of the guard!" -The 12th Man, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 Still waiting.....

Well didn't it sort of change last year after the Islanders won a playoff round and the Rangers were ousted in the first?

While things havn't looked great for NYI this year, the season isn't over yet and it remains to be seen whether NYR can advance further than NYI in 2017.

In comment 13363483 Metnut said:

Quote:

In comment 13363471 arcarsenal said: Quote: In comment 13363457 Deej said: "Changing of the guard!" -The 12th Man, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 Still waiting..... Well didn't it sort of change last year after the Islanders won a playoff round and the Rangers were ousted in the first? While things havn't looked great for NYI this year, the season isn't over yet and it remains to be seen whether NYR can advance further than NYI in 2017.

Well the Rangers did finish higher in the standings and ended up getting crushed by the eventual Cup champions in a tough first round draw... Isles beat an overachieving, young Florida team and then got similarly crushed by a team that was beaten by Pittsburgh so....

hi-fives?

Agreed, lots of season to be played with Pittsburgh & Washington the overwhelming favorites in the East conference regardless.

that's all i got.

who has the sniffles (unfortunately was not traded)

I mean...feel better, Kev

is here to stay and eventually the right players will be around him. MDC, HoSang etc. Gone is Capuano who definitely hurt the development of players. Grabner will come nowhere close to these numbers next year. Okposo is a solid player but the Islanders didn't want him. Nino didn't want to be here , it happens. Hopefully new ownership continues to make this team better. Lock up JT and find the Islanders a home in Long Island or Queens.

-RE: Isles failure to take the next step - we just excised a big part of the problem. The lack of development is startling, but it seems that was/is/has been part of "the system" which was starting to flourish when they aggressively forechecked, were opportunistic, and played with speed. Interestingly, the change in that philosophy came after the Isles blew three 2-goal leads in a 6-5 loss to you in early 2015. Capuano also unnecessarily scapegoated youth which stunted, if not wrecked some players' growth and confidence (see: Strome, Nelson...and for God's sake, he actually sat Lee in the 2015 playoffs in favor of Colin McDonald, a grinder whose battle level he liked). Cappy went with "safe", low event hockey as a result that robbed the team of its identity, took players with different skill sets and forced them into a grinder mentality, and became the system that Brent Thompson also adopted in BPT. I'm hopeful they're shaking off that stink. MDC and Ho-Sang are being taught the 2-way game instead of just relying on offensive skill, so their numbers are poorer while their abilities to succeed at the NHL level are being worked on.

-Nino: that's only part of the story. He came in as a spoiled malcontent whose agent felt should have been starting on L1 out of the gate. There were impressions that Nino wasn't interested in working hard, and his agent publicly grandstanding that Isles were misusing him had Garth do what most GMs would: find a reasonable return for an unproven player. The stat sheet shows Nino has had the better of scoring, but Clutterbuck's importance in the room for the Isles and as an agitator on the ice is vastly understated.

- Grabner: obviously, he had gotten hurt. In his desire to rebound from a core muscle injury, he overdid it on the weight training and it robbed him of his speed, his one true asset. It also led to him getting hurt again afterwards. Isles weren't sure of his ability to get back to where he was and moved him to TOR for prospects. TOR also cut bait (as did FLA and VAN before us), so what we see is a healthy Grabner once again enjoying success and in the right role. Happy for him, great guy.

- Okposo: one of the most polarizing Isles in a long time. Had some great, beastmode moments. But overshadowed by intermittent, long streaks of being invisible on the ice. Maddeningly inconsistent player. Maybe had also gotten too comfortable in the room, and my read between the lines is that they wanted more vocal players to grab the reins when needed. KO was a guy who gave his all, but possibly seen as just happy to be along for the ride.

And while there is much contention if a Hall/Hamonic deal was ever discussed outright (there was never an offer made. Chiarelli asked Snow if Hamonic would be available in a potential Hall trade and was told no; that's as far as it went), I totally agree that as much as a mensch that Hamonic is and a pillar of the community, you trade him for Hall 100 times out of 100.

But...I know, TL;DR because it's Islanders stuff...

Anyhoo, catch you dinguses later. I have to get to a friend's wake and will be back in time for the 2nd half of the game.

Sorry about the loss of your friend.

Every single dman was a joke against Toronto top pair down. That said Pelech needed a seat and so does Beauvillier. I wouldn't be against rewarding a guy like Bracken Kearns who had performed well in the AHL for a few games.

hope its a family member of a friend PGA and not the friend him/herself. That sucks - hockey a distant second tonight. My condolensces.

And Fekker how are your white wine spritzers and scissors with Fish?

My condolences, brother. All the best.

Texas Holden!

.

Let's Go Rangers chant begins. If they didn't have that ridiculous truck in the stands, they could have packed even more Rangers fans in.

That was some pass by Miller

Really took that aspect of his game to the next level this year.

Nice pass by Bailey

Tie game

It took forever to go in

Lee!

In comment 13363657 JayBinQueens said:

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It took forever to go in

When he is switching to his forehand I gasped.

Staal

Ladd buries it!

!!

Rangers getting worked over now. Ouch.

In comment 13363667 JayBinQueens said:

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!!

Wow. I feel dumb.

16 not 18

Way to skate. Completely different team this period

beaters, #18 is the biggest liability on the backline. Everything he does is in super slo-mo, and I know Greg will appreciate this, he can never find the net from the point.

In comment 13363672 Stufftherun said:

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beaters, #18 is the biggest liability on the backline. Everything he does is in super slo-mo, and I know Greg will appreciate this, he can never find the net from the point.

I still think G is worse by a good margin. Doesn't make Staal good though.

Made a great save on the cross ice pass keeping his pads on the ice

In comment 13363673 bigbluehoya said:

Quote:

In comment 13363672 Stufftherun said: Quote: beaters, #18 is the biggest liability on the backline. Everything he does is in super slo-mo, and I know Greg will appreciate this, he can never find the net from the point. I still think G is worse by a good margin. Doesn't make Staal good though.

All Staal has is his reach and that ain't nearly enough in today's game in the fast lane especially when you've got cinderblocks for feet.

In comment 13363672 Stufftherun said:

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beaters, #18 is the biggest liability on the backline. Everything he does is in super slo-mo, and I know Greg will appreciate this, he can never find the net from the point.

G Spot Beaters. Fuckin bowling ball technique for the squirt.

But do the strings on the jersey by the neck actually do anything?

By Greiseball there. Too bad it didn't work.

Aaaaand the hockey gods take it away.

Terrible calls in a row. Good job refs

In comment 13363683 JayBinQueens said:

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But do the strings on the jersey by the neck actually do anything?

no

.

Come on bailey man

Might just win or lose the game.

but I think he loses too many pucks at the point.

I'd love to see Skjei have a turn at the PP

Appreciate your thoughts earlier. Sad scene as we lost a great person. A man you wish you could be like; never turned down helping anyone, gave so much of himself. A great husband and father, a connector, more grace than most of us could ever hope to have. Only 50 and had an unexpected heart attack and was in great shape.

Anyway, a barn burner here with the Isles having to start in a big hole to start the 3rd. You guys score, anything goes. We kill it, hopefully springboard off that momentum.

Wheels are gonna come off this thing now.

2 on 5 goal there!

....

Boychuk pushed nash

Is Doug Weight carrying on about?

It's about a full foot outside the crease and he got pushed.

But he definitely had his stick jammed into Greiss's gut before the push. Bad call.

Where you can interfere with a goalie (on replay not live I understand some calls get blown live by humans) outside of his crease. What's the point of a crease if it isn't enforced?

Even with a goal here what a disappointing 4 minute PP

The contact with the stick was anywhere near the crease

Terrible giveaway.

against the Isles. He's firing away from everywhere.

When was the last time the Rangers played a good game against this fuckin' team? 3 years ago? Good lord.

Poor showing.

Good win, fuckers.

pga - very sorry again about your buddy; that's awful.

Big win. We needed that one. No doubt you guys bring out the best in us.

Congrats fellas.


Rangers looked slow and uninspired in the last 40. Henrik kept them in the game.

In comment 13363739 bigbluehoya said:

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Poor showing. Good win, fuckers. pga - very sorry again about your buddy; that's awful.

thanks bigblue!

Was a good watch..nerve racking. I have Gamecenter which seems like a 20 minute lag, so I can never participate in game threads! Nothing worse than "goal!!" and you're watching the end of a commercial.

Needed it more and earned the 2 pts.

Rags are on easy street. No pressure even with the loss. They are in playoffs.

But ideally, I'd like to stay where we are and go through the Atlantic so I'm really not "mad" about losing this game. Not sure why we always have such a hard time with the Islanders but what can you do. I guess Barclays is the new Bell Centre.

In comment 13363744 Fish said:

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Needed it more and earned the 2 pts. Rags are on easy street. No pressure even with the loss. They are in playoffs.

I fucking hate losing to you guys, but I can live with this loss. Their only chance to go deep in the playoffs is 4th in the division.

and I went into tonight not feeling very confident. Oh well, onto the next one.

So sorry for your loss p. Sucks to hear that

First pg - my sincerest sympathies for your loss. Most important thing.

I was at BC with my bro in laws and son. Mike in Long Beach - I was looking for the Rick DiPietro stunt double (you posted a photo awhile ago)

By the way someone either sprayed the Barclay entrance with cologne or there are some string air freshners. It smelled very nice.

I saw Leddy tell the Ranger bench "f you" after the empty netter so that wasn't nice.

Fun night guys even though we lost again. Talked some good hockey. Someone had a sweet London Knights jersey. Rangers are 0 for Barclays.

BBH - stick tap for a great run.

Pg - sorry again bud.

(And Tim)

Hope you still had fun with junior; getting to games with your kid, win or lose, is never a bad time. And now your son has been drawn into the world of Drakkar, so he wins there, too.

I scrolled up to see if you posted about your friend and I'm crushed. Remember last week we had the "Are you where you want to be" thread? You had a great post and I bet this man was someone you described.


I will say a prayer tonight.

good game though from an unencumbered fan, obviously Rangers fans are disappointed with the outcome, but both these teams probably the 3rd - 5th best in the Metro would beat anyone in the Atlantic.

Small consolation if you're fighting for a WC, but should give you confidence if you get one.

Because I think they've got a better shot than anyone else, and a really good shot, to hang with and knock off the capitals. Penguins is a tougher matchup for you but over the years you've given ovechkin and co. fits

I'm with arc - not upset about this loss in particular (though we will have to up our game to secure wc-1 as the schedule is pretty brutal down the stretch).... But beyond sick and tired of how poorly we've played NYI ever since the Yankee stadium classic (and ensuing game at MSG) basically.

I know we all might not collectively like each other's team choices, but no doubt that the hockey fans are the best people on BBI.

MAB...what a coincidence! We want to see the Isles get WC2 as well. I actually agree with you; even in that spot (because again, we're the Islanders, so why make the road an easy one?) I think we can cause some turmoil. Just get in, the rest takes care of itself.

(1) Happy to see Ladd really coming on strong. He's scoring at a nice pace lately and he's not on a line with Tavares. That type of secondary scoring makes NYI tough to play against.

(2) Nice bounceback game by Greiss

(3) I thought the Vesey kid for NYR looked good, even aside from the goal. Annoying they basically got a free first rounder.

(4) It's a shame that Grabner got into Cappy's doghouse and got injured. Snow did a great scouting job to originally bring him to the Islander and Grabner and Cap just couldn't make it work.

(5) Tavares is a filthy man. Loved that short handed goal.

(6) Can't believe we havn't played the Devils yet this year. Isles have played a lot of games lately, but Devils played last night too. Would be great to get 4pts from them this weekend before the road trip.

(7) NYI's remaining schedule, while very road heavy, doesn't exactly feature a murderers row of teams. The constant games against contenders to start the season played into the poor start.

(8) Love how the Islanders have really handled the Rangers at Barclays. The season ticket holders have enough shit to deal with making the trip out there but at least they can not have to listen to gloating Ranger fans on the train ride home.

In comment 13364044 Metnut said:

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(8) Love how the Islanders have really handled the Rangers at Barclays. The season ticket holders have enough shit to deal with making the trip out there but at least they can not have to listen to gloating Ranger fans on the train ride home.

No self respecting Rangers fan lives on Longg Gisland

Schedule doesn't get easier for the blue shirts with Ovi coming to town on national Tv Sunday and a pissed off Canadiens team coming in Tuesday.

In comment 13364081 MetsAreBack said:

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In comment 13364044 Metnut said: Quote: (8) Love how the Islanders have really handled the Rangers at Barclays. The season ticket holders have enough shit to deal with making the trip out there but at least they can not have to listen to gloating Ranger fans on the train ride home. No self respecting Rangers fan lives on Longg Gisland Schedule doesn't get easier for the blue shirts with Ovi coming to town on national Tv Sunday and a pissed off Canadiens team coming in Tuesday.

Truth is there always were WAAAAY more Ranger fans on the Island. I grew up there. The Islanders had front runiing, obnoxious "fans" when they were dynastic. If they really had a fan base, they wouldn't have moved to Brooklyn.

In comment 13364044 Metnut said:

Quote:

(8) Love how the Islanders have really handled the Rangers at Barclays. The season ticket holders have enough shit to deal with making the trip out there but at least they can not have to listen to gloating Ranger fans on the train ride home.

MetNut - I totally respect your hockey knowledge and passion. We also share the Mets and Giants fans but Ranger fans are probably more humble than you give credit for. At least maybe I am just an old man. I sat in section 8 yesterday and the fans around me were cool as anything. We left after Ladd's empty netter and an Islander fan was letting me through (I am a big dude), I said "nah - finish celebrating" I said "good game" and it was cool.

I was in section 8 and one dude after the empty netter turned around and said GTFO and did the crybaby eyes. Someone said "who's crying?"

Anyway brother, just throwing some positivity out there. I grew up on Long Island and miss the games at the Coliseum. Let's go Mets!

#fail

In comment 13364166 Drewcon40 said:

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In comment 13364044 Metnut said: Quote: (8) Love how the Islanders have really handled the Rangers at Barclays. The season ticket holders have enough shit to deal with making the trip out there but at least they can not have to listen to gloating Ranger fans on the train ride home. MetNut - I totally respect your hockey knowledge and passion. We also share the Mets and Giants fans but Ranger fans are probably more humble than you give credit for. At least maybe I am just an old man. I sat in section 8 yesterday and the fans around me were cool as anything. We left after Ladd's empty netter and an Islander fan was letting me through (I am a big dude), I said "nah - finish celebrating" I said "good game" and it was cool. I was in section 8 and one dude after the empty netter turned around and said GTFO and did the crybaby eyes. Someone said "who's crying?" Anyway brother, just throwing some positivity out there. I grew up on Long Island and miss the games at the Coliseum. Let's go Mets!

Just to explain, I wasn't trying to rip on Rangers fans with #8. I'd have had no issue with Ranger fans gloating on the train ride home if they had won (and I'm sure Islanders did the same, especially considering how insecure the fanbase generally is with good reason).

My thought was just being happy that the Islander fans got the "happy" ride back given all of drama that's gone on this year. Would suck to be a season ticket holder, see 40% of the building full of NYR fans, and then have to sit on the long LIRR ride home after a loss. Glad the boys came through with a win for those fans.

Hope you at least had a good time at the game despite the outcome. The most fun NYI/NYR games to attend live are when people are cheering for both teams hard but people don't take it too far or get personal. It takes one guy or group looking for a fight to kill a fun vibe.

Cant' wait for the Mets this year. If they can get a little bit of health luck with the rotation they are a bona fide world series contender. At least it looks like we'll both have some interesting hockey to watch to tide us over.

The Rangers fans were going HEN-RIK, HEN-RIK. And I got my section responding NO-CUPS, NO-CUPS! :)

In comment 13364205 Mike in Long Beach said:

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The Rangers fans were going HEN-RIK, HEN-RIK. And I got my section responding NO-CUPS, NO-CUPS! :)

Metnut - Understood brother.

Mike - I chanted "19-40" after the 3-1 goal and just confused the F out of everyone.

OH and both fanbases have to appreciate this gem from my 9 year old. There were a few "POTVIN SUCKS" chants.

"Dad, what are they saying...."

"OK Andrew, well in 1979 there was a Swedish Left winger named Ulf Nillson....."

It actually made for a friendly environment - I pointed to Potvin's retired number and told him about the Islanders of the 80s.

I sympathize with you guys in the Barclays - where I was sitting, the Islander banners are blocked?

How would you characterize Staal's performance? So-so?

He directly allowed a goal by losing the puck to the great Stephen fucking Gionta chasing down a dump in where he had all fucking day to make a play.

Other than that, nothing terribly noteworthy. He still makes damn near zero contribution in generating controlled DZ exits.

I thought he made a few decent plays getting involved in the OZ but none of them lead to anything.

In comment 13364256 Drewcon40 said:

Quote:

In comment 13364205 Mike in Long Beach said: Quote: The Rangers fans were going HEN-RIK, HEN-RIK. And I got my section responding NO-CUPS, NO-CUPS! :) Metnut - Understood brother. Mike - I chanted "19-40" after the 3-1 goal and just confused the F out of everyone. OH and both fanbases have to appreciate this gem from my 9 year old. There were a few "POTVIN SUCKS" chants. "Dad, what are they saying...." "OK Andrew, well in 1979 there was a Swedish Left winger named Ulf Nillson....." It actually made for a friendly environment - I pointed to Potvin's retired number and told him about the Islanders of the 80s. I sympathize with you guys in the Barclays - where I was sitting, the Islander banners are blocked?

Nilsson was a center. It was Feb 25, 1979. And fuck the Icelanders
The Hit Heard 'Round New York - Denis Potvin on Ulf Nilsson February 25, 1979 Islanders at Rangers stevienics1991 stevienics1991 - ( New Window )

Messier hits Potvin!
Messier hits Potvin May 10, 1984 - ( New Window )

...home team wearing white.

In comment 13364205 Mike in Long Beach said:

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The Rangers fans were going HEN-RIK, HEN-RIK. And I got my section responding NO-CUPS, NO-CUPS! :)

Have smoothies, though.

might be better than McDavid.

Just throwing that out there.

huge size difference, and Laine is insanely skilled for his size. If he can avoid the concussions I wouldn't be shocked of Laine ends up better than McDavid.

With the same ol' shtick. Yeah, you guys have more fans. Congrats!

In comment 13364360 Dave M said:

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With the same ol' shtick. Yeah, you guys have more fans. Congrats!

Thanks. Means a lot.

In comment 13364323 pjcas18 said:

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might be better than McDavid. Just throwing that out there. huge size difference, and Laine is insanely skilled for his size. If he can avoid the concussions I wouldn't be shocked of Laine ends up better than McDavid.

I don't know if I can categorically disagree. That size is special...6'5", 205 at 18 and not completely filled out yet. The size and pure shot favor him. While its possible his straight line speed may (?) be less than McDavid, his game speed is on par. Only because McD has more of a track record in playmaking in the NHL can I give him the edge in distributing/assisting so far. As someone previously posted, this era of McDavid, Matthews and Laine may be one for the record books.

In comment 13364373 pganut said:

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In comment 13364323 pjcas18 said: Quote: might be better than McDavid. Just throwing that out there. huge size difference, and Laine is insanely skilled for his size. If he can avoid the concussions I wouldn't be shocked of Laine ends up better than McDavid. I don't know if I can categorically disagree. That size is special...6'5", 205 at 18 and not completely filled out yet. The size and pure shot favor him. While its possible his straight line speed may (?) be less than McDavid, his game speed is on par. Only because McD has more of a track record in playmaking in the NHL can I give him the edge in distributing/assisting so far. As someone previously posted, this era of McDavid, Matthews and Laine may be one for the record books.

Yeah, McDavid is faster. And I mean ZERO slight to McDavid. He's the 4th fastest in NHL history to 100 points, only Ovie, Crosby, Malkin were faster and I'm not sure any of them had as bad a supporting cast as McDavid.

When I watch Laine though it's like seeing a unicorn.

Athletes are not supposed to be that big, that fast, and that skilled.

He looks like what Lindros was supposed to be.

The 4 fastest to 100 points in NHL history are Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin, and McDavid??? Looking it up, the highest scoring rookie seasons are:

Gretzky, 137 in 79
Selanne, 132 in 84
Peter Stastny, 109 in 77
Ovechkin, 106 in 81

Now, those aren't specific to what game they notched 100 points in, but Gretzky and Selanne obviously are 1-2.

In comment 13364379 pjcas18 said:

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In comment 13364373 pganut said: He looks like what Lindros was supposed to be.

Concussions and all (too soon?)

In comment 13364481 Greg from LI said:

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The 4 fastest to 100 points in NHL history are Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin, and McDavid??? Looking it up, the highest scoring rookie seasons are: Gretzky, 137 in 79 Selanne, 132 in 84 Peter Stastny, 109 in 77 Ovechkin, 106 in 81 Now, those aren't specific to what game they notched 100 points in, but Gretzky and Selanne obviously are 1-2.

Sorry, 4th fastest "active" player to 100 points.

Incidentally, Sydnee was 7th on the list with 102 in 81 games and Malkin was 20th with 85 in 78. They're a bit higher if you exclude guys who played multiple seasons in the WHA like Steve Rogers, who actually had the 5th highest rookie point total, and Real Cloutier.

In comment 13364494 Greg from LI said:

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Incidentally, Sydnee was 7th on the list with 102 in 81 games and Malkin was 20th with 85 in 78. They're a bit higher if you exclude guys who played multiple seasons in the WHA like Steve Rogers, who actually had the 5th highest rookie point total, and Real Cloutier.

If you count WHA that was technically Gretzky's rookie year with the Indianapolis Racers then the Oilers - the NHL wouldn't allow players under 20 and then 17, Gretzky signed with the the Racers of the WHA who then folded and he joined the Oilers, still in the WHA for the rest of the season before they joined the NHL.

Greztky was still 19 in his first NHL season, as opposed to someone like Steve Rogers who was 25 and had played five years in the WHA.

On the Wolf Pack is a player. He's big, has tremendous skill and has a mean streak.

I hope the rangers trade him for a washed up rental. Shane Doan or something.

I wish Butchie would take off two games and they brought the captain back for a couple.

Westfall wasn't the best, but nostalgia is all the rage.

Based on advanced metrics, I thought this was an interesting read. It throws some water on the idea that Miller/Hayes/Grabner are an unstoppable force. Unsustainable shooting percentage is more likely if you believe the numbers.


Link - ( New Window )

for Isles prospects in the AHL last night. Dal Colle 1g 2a and Ho-Sang 1g 3a. Halak 26 saves on 28 shots. Bridgeport wins their 11th straight game.