October was a turdburger, let's hope November will be better. That being said, TB is the #1 team in the East currently, and beating them in Tampa is a tall order. Rumor is that Brendan Smith will be benched, meaning that at least one of the useless Kampfer/Holden combo will be playing. Prepare for pain!
Keep it rolling.
Zibanejad is playing some nice hockey.
Big win not only because it extends their streak to 4 ... but they demonstrated to themselves they've turned the corner. They'll be playing competitive hockey here on out.
Of course with the way this team blows leads late, it's a valuable skill set to have here to have a guy with the speed to bust one in a 5 on 6 situation. But it's still not as valuable as a guy that can score 25 the old fashioned way.
With the brass being up in Ottawa last week for who we can only assume was Turris it seems pretty clear the FO knows we need to be stronger up the middle.
Just hope Gorton doesn’t do anything Sather-like and mortgage the future
Seems like we finally have a good PP. First time since when? The Jagr years? The Gretzky years? Sheesh, Shattenkirk is as good as advertised in that regard. He's great at getting his shot through traffic.
Zibanejad, Buchnevich, and JT all either at a point per game, or approaching it. All age 24 or younger. Pretty cool
1) No Ranger game day threads? Just re-using the Tampa thread for the third game in a row? And STILL less than 100 comments?
2) WTF is with the Rangers NOT selling out games all of the sudden? They have sold out for years, now all it takes is a bad October and the empties start?
Link - ( New Window )
He's been much better than I expected.
Rangers problem is defense though, not C IMO. Smith is not as good as some of you think.
If Desharnais at 3C is your biggest problem at F, it's not a big problem, as much as I dislike him and his stupid name, 3C (or 4C if you have that luxury) is where he belongs. He's a high motor guy with some skill, can give you quality minutes, I just hate his size, he gets pushed around too much, but everything else screams 3C.
And if it became a huge problem I'd put Miller back at C, but he seems to be flying right now, so I'd hate to mess with that, but I think Miller can be a C.
I think he underrates Turris' value and overrates the gap between Duchene and Stepan. Then again, I think Stepan's pretty perpetually underrated, and that might be league wide.
I also think evaluating the success of draft picks included in a trade is a poor way of looking at things - the Rangers didn't win the Nash trade because they used the third acquired to pick Buchnevich, as an extreme example.
Big.
Duchene is a legit 2C but with good players can be a 1C.
Turris is more like a borderline 2/3C.
I think both teams got what they needed from the trade, and COL has to hope prospects/picks work out, but they maybe did too.
Smith has looked terrible but he's played 10 games into a 4 year deal and lots of NHLers show up to camp out of shape. The organization made a commitment to him and its way too early to call him the next Redden.
I also think AVs systems put tremendous stress on G and D and maybe over glorify the forwards a bit. As a result we rangers fans think all our forwards are terrific and the defense stinks. The risk/reward seems to play out fine in regular season but come playoff time AV still hasn't proven his system can be effective against the leagues best.
1) No Ranger game day threads? Just re-using the Tampa thread for the third game in a row? And STILL less than 100 comments?
2) WTF is with the Rangers NOT selling out games all of the sudden? They have sold out for years, now all it takes is a bad October and the empties start?
You don't fuck with a 4 game win streak.
That situation with sort itself
That situation with sort itself
I never really thought he was a solid defenseman throughout his career. I thought he was very inconsistent. I thought he made mental mistakes in his own zone and took dumb penalties habitually and was a healthy scratch late in his career far too often to be called a player who "has been a solid defenseman" throughout his career.
You can do worse, no doubt about it and the price to get him wasn't that high, but I feel like he had a good end to the season last year for whatever reason, maybe he was motivated by the proverbial change of scenery, but he has far too many defensive zone lapses for a top 4 D (even top 6 D really) who is close to a zero offensively.
Rangers fans overrate him IMO.
So I see an argument that he isn't going to be what he was for NYR last year, but I don't see him as a 7th dman.
I'm thoroughly lost. Fans thought he played well last postseason particularly in the Montreal series - which is factually true. But it's not like there was some grass roots campaign or even a Vesey watch to retain him. If you feel anyone is overrating him... look to the GM who just gave him 2nd pair money for a pretty good duration.
I think there's a difference in being disappointed that someone didn't become the Alpha defenseman in his career here... and maybe even be weary about handing him a 4 yr $30 million deal this summer .... and thinking a guy is a problem on the ice.
McDonough is at worst a top 30 NHL dman and we're lucky to have him even if hes not Chara in his prime
MTL paid Alzner like he's a top 4 D and I don't like him much more than I like Smith. No shit or hyperbole I think I have a better shot than Alzner.
My comments about fans overrating Smith are strictly from BBI comments.
And I don't think he was that great in the Canadiens series. He and more so Staal were very weak in the defensive zone, Hank played great and pretty much won that series for NYR. McD and Skjei very solid too.
Go back and read (if you care to) some of Gallagher's comments, after struggling to score, MTL simply wanted to dump the puck in and force Staal and Smith to have to play the puck and wait for turnovers.
MTL paid Alzner like he's a top 4 D and I don't like him much more than I like Smith. No shit or hyperbole I think I have a better shot than Alzner.
My comments about fans overrating Smith are strictly from BBI comments.
And I don't think he was that great in the Canadiens series. He and more so Staal were very weak in the defensive zone, Hank played great and pretty much won that series for NYR. McD and Skjei very solid too.
Go back and read (if you care to) some of Gallagher's comments, after struggling to score, MTL simply wanted to dump the puck in and force Staal and Smith to have to play the puck and wait for turnovers.
You sure you're not thinking Staal and Holden? I too thought Smith had a very solid series. We were all pleading for AV to give he and Skeji more ice time than the other two.
Just my opinion. stats like zone entries certainly aren't going to change my opinion.
Yeah I read dont fuck with a 4 game strea....
2 F'in Goals for Vesey so far... Kid wants back on teh Ice full time badly!!!
Is Milbury and Pierre really the best NBC can do? Honestly think NBC does a terrible job covering the game
Yeah I read dont fuck with a 4 game strea....
2 F'in Goals for Vesey so far... Kid wants back on teh Ice full time badly!!!
You make the thread and Boston ties it. We bump this thread and a struggling forward scores twice. You wanna argue that?
Yeah I read dont fuck with a 4 game strea....
2 F'in Goals for Vesey so far... Kid wants back on teh Ice full time badly!!!
8 days ago Kyle and I were the only ones posting on Halloween following a 3-9 team staring down the barrel of a 2 goal deficit at home against an expansion team... the entire board ready to trade the whole fucking roster and per Brooksie, AV with about one period left to live.
Now - I'll be damned if we're going to do anything to fuck with this win streak. Silly superstitions are a hell of a lot more fun than what we were discussing a little over a week ago.
And superstitions are what hockey is about anyway - no touching cups or conference trophies, no stepping on the logo in the locker room, etc
In short - Fuck You. I say that as a fourth line grinder with the deepest respects.
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"Continuing" thread over what 4 games now.... I didnt even know it was here so I'll Delete my other thread asking where the game day threads have been.
Yeah I read dont fuck with a 4 game strea....
2 F'in Goals for Vesey so far... Kid wants back on teh Ice full time badly!!!
You make the thread and Boston ties it. We bump this thread and a struggling forward scores twice. You wanna argue that?
Nope... LGR, Stay strong in the 3rd and close this out!
Yet another example of how writing people off really should wait until they are actually done and gone.
He's by far the worst puck handling goalie I've ever seen. And odds are that any decision he makes to pass the puck with his back to the play is gonna be wrong. Amazing for a goalie so good in all other respects.
But five in a row, and back from oblivion.
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Still feel better when he doesn't leave the fucking net.
He's by far the worst puck handling goalie I've ever seen. And odds are that any decision he makes to pass the puck with his back to the play is gonna be wrong. Amazing for a goalie so good in all other respects.
But five in a row, and back from oblivion.
It's like Eli leaving the pocket ... you just know they are going to fumble.