But I keep reminding myself that Carolina absolutely dominated Boston during the regular season yet was pushed to the brink by them. The Canes outscored the Bruins 16-1 this season, while the aggregate in Rangers-Canes games was 14-10.
I thought we played poorly against Pittsburgh, especially given Crosby's game and a half absence and Domingue playing for most of the series, that I just feel so fortunate to be here. I am kind in the mood of everything is gravy at the moment. I am sure that will change tonight when the puck drops, but can't shake the feeling we are playing with house money (which you never really are in the playoffs).
He played much better the last few games against Pittsburgh, but still not at the level he was at for much of the season.
Besides the breakaway to Rodrigues, which was just weird (in that he went back into the net never thinking Rodriguez could lift he puck) I thought he played as well as he could in game 7. He looked like old Igor.
I also thought the two first period goals in Game 6 really were not his doing as opposed to bad and soft defense. I mean Carter and Rust were basically just hanging out at the edge of the goal/crease like they were on vacation. The breakaway in that game seemed like a goal he should have stopped, but it was Malkin.
I agree with the comments that we're fortunate to be here after a weak
Motte didn't play in any of their games against Carolina this season. His skating should make him much more effective against Carolina than the fourth lines that did play those games.
I mean, where would he even fit? Would they really trot out a line of Motte-Rooney/Goodrow-Blais? They're the best players, for sure, but each of those guys has missed so much time.
Yeah, he's missed over 6 months. Have to wonder about his conditioning and being up to game speed to go out and essentially play vs an opponent who is trying to have a track meet on ice.
Carolina's speed all season. They can win if they slow them down, but they haven't shown they can do that- yet. Playoffs are different!
They have to be able to get out of their zone and get to the NZ. Need to dump in and make them turn their backs and grind it out on the walls to sustain offensive zone time.
....I think the Bruins played tougher in the series versus the regular season (where Carolina dominated) simply because they played each every other night for a week and a half.
And you see this sometimes, as teams start to find and exploit weaknesses that you simply don't exploit in a one and done situation.
Hurricanes were the better team, but Boston did battle. They just couldn't close the gap as a visiting team.
I expect to see the same thing in this series...close and probably 6 or 7.
but this very well could be their toughest series, if they are able to advance. Carolina creates all kinds of problems, but I'm sticking to the fact that Tony, Skjei, and Smith are all liable to make mistakes when under pressure and aside from Smith, are not physical players. Rangers need to punish this team, not try to "match" their speed. I also think the two days off will help guys like Fox and Trouba who have played a ton of minutes get their legs under them.
If Zibanejad and Igor play the way they did in games 6/7, and Fox stops turning the puck over, they will have a real shot at winning this series. I'll say Rangers in 7.
All my old rangers bars from when I used to work at MSG have sucked (Blarney Rock, Blarney Stone). Tir Na Nog is alright but too massive to really have that crowded hockey camaraderie feel.
Honestly, if you're up for it, take the 11 minute PATH train to Hoboken and watch at Black Bear. That's been BY FAR the best Rangers bar I've been do during this run, and it's not even close.
I went to Mustang Harry's before the last game of the regular season
He played much better the last few games against Pittsburgh, but still not at the level he was at for much of the season.
Saw a stat, but haven't verified, that after the 2nd Period throughout the Pens' Series (3rd Period and OTs)--of course, that excludes the games 3 and 4 when he was pulled--Igor's Save % was ~ 98.
dump and forecheck only really impacts puck movers, none of those other guys are puck movers except TDA. They all want you to dump it in and forecheck them.
Slavin can move the puck, but he is also their best two-way D.
The risk of a sell-out forecheck is if the other teams cracks it your forwards need to get back and will wear themselves out.
I think the Rangers should play their game if you understand the cliche you know why players say it all time (F1, F2, F3 like normal like they have practiced for 11 months), not do something different. That's how you get in a spot wondering what the hell happened.
Opportunistic scoring (IOW when you get chances, capitalize on them), tough D, quick neutral zone play/transitions, and Igor has to be on his game.
dump and forecheck only really impacts puck movers, none of those other guys are puck movers except TDA. They all want you to dump it in and forecheck them.
Slavin can move the puck, but he is also their best two-way D.
The risk of a sell-out forecheck is if the other teams cracks it your forwards need to get back and will wear themselves out.
I think the Rangers should play their game if you understand the cliche you know why players say it all time (F1, F2, F3 like normal like they have practiced for 11 months), not do something different. That's how you get in a spot wondering what the hell happened.
Opportunistic scoring (IOW when you get chances, capitalize on them), tough D, quick neutral zone play/transitions, and Igor has to be on his game.
It sounds to me like you are advocating a more carry in approach....basically what Panarin is great at, but couldnt do vs Pitt because they either keyed on it 9r he just made poor plays with the puck. Chytil is pretty good at this as well as Kreider. I tend to agree with this approach. The best way to get to an overly aggressive team is to make them chase which I had always thought to be the achilles heel for the Canes.
Rangers fans watched TDA and Brendan Smith get embarrassed for years by skill now they want the skill guys on the Rangers to dump the puck in on them and forecheck and the reasons given are because the Hurricanes forwards are fast (at least I hope that's the speed being referred to because the Canes D are not fast - TDA and Slavin are their better skaters). Ian Cole and Brett Pesce are the epitome of a stay-at-home defenseman. Skjei is decent two-way player, but I still don't worry about him beating anyone with his speed.
The risk of a sell-out forecheck is if the other teams cracks it your forwards need to get back and will wear themselves out.
But it's worse than 'wear themselves out'. Doofus' approach seems to ignore this fundamental truth:
Against a much worse skating team, aka Pens, the repeated failures of Rangers' forwards to back check in neutral zone, let alone the defensive zone, left wide open ice and Rangers' back lines badly exposed against a lesser skating (albeit vs some more savvy lines) team. Again, put more baldly, Canes are a much better skating team than Pitt. If GG schemes to have his forwards try to hammer Canes' d-men in deep, coming back out it could get very ugly, very fast.
We know 1st line is not good at keeping opponents hemmed in, really only Zib potentially getting back. Kreider almost never. Have you ever seen Kreider take the puck away backchecking?
2nd line is even worse, Copp being the best of a bad bunch.
Best hope is the Kidz, who are trying to play honest two-way, Beware the Turk.
4th line, we don't know how it will be constituted. Rooney, Hunt, Reaves, don't inspire confidence this way. Way too soon for Goodrow, Blais is a ghost; all Hail Motte.
Yeah, Brettsky was making a joke-a-roo
Hey Jints in Carolina, if you see and hear a lot of Rangers fans tonight, think of them as cheering the 6 former Rangers.
Let's fucking go.
I am also unsure of Anderson's status.
Besides the breakaway to Rodrigues, which was just weird (in that he went back into the net never thinking Rodriguez could lift he puck) I thought he played as well as he could in game 7. He looked like old Igor.
I also thought the two first period goals in Game 6 really were not his doing as opposed to bad and soft defense. I mean Carter and Rust were basically just hanging out at the edge of the goal/crease like they were on vacation. The breakaway in that game seemed like a goal he should have stopped, but it was Malkin.
@FOS
📺 Game 7 of Rangers-Penguins delivered 2.3 million average viewers — the most-watched first round game ever on cable.
Good luck, my friend. Just not too much!
Miss Gerard and Revo
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Let's have a good series.
Good luck, my friend. Just not too much!
If the Canes get knocked out I will pull for you guys!
I mean, where would he even fit? Would they really trot out a line of Motte-Rooney/Goodrow-Blais? They're the best players, for sure, but each of those guys has missed so much time.
Yeah, he's missed over 6 months. Have to wonder about his conditioning and being up to game speed to go out and essentially play vs an opponent who is trying to have a track meet on ice.
J/k LGR!
They have to be able to get out of their zone and get to the NZ. Need to dump in and make them turn their backs and grind it out on the walls to sustain offensive zone time.
My place.
And you see this sometimes, as teams start to find and exploit weaknesses that you simply don't exploit in a one and done situation.
Hurricanes were the better team, but Boston did battle. They just couldn't close the gap as a visiting team.
I expect to see the same thing in this series...close and probably 6 or 7.
Always plenty of room at Brettsky's
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Where are we watching?
My place.
If Zibanejad and Igor play the way they did in games 6/7, and Fox stops turning the puck over, they will have a real shot at winning this series. I'll say Rangers in 7.
Honestly, if you're up for it, take the 11 minute PATH train to Hoboken and watch at Black Bear. That's been BY FAR the best Rangers bar I've been do during this run, and it's not even close.
Highly recommend over the usual places.
Saw a stat, but haven't verified, that after the 2nd Period throughout the Pens' Series (3rd Period and OTs)--of course, that excludes the games 3 and 4 when he was pulled--Igor's Save % was ~ 98.
Its been this way for years and years
Its been this way for years and years
yup. the Fred Shero "wear out Denis Potvin" method from 1979
-Hopefully Shesterkin can gain some momentum from the Game 7 win and show signs of the Vezina form he had during the reguar season.
-Canes play fast and aggressive in all 3 zones, so it's gonna be tough
-Would like to see less cute passes and more shots.
But, what the hell do I know. Gut says 'Canes in 7. Heart says Rangers in 6.
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Where are we watching?
My place.
Thanks for the invite. Is Cam coming?
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The way you slow them down is soft dump-ins to the corners and punish their defense into the boards. Make them play a 200 foot game
Its been this way for years and years
yup. the Fred Shero "wear out Denis Potvin" method from 1979
Which is the exact example I used, along with Shero doing it to Bobby Orr in the earlier '70s
The key is dumping it in softly and never missing an opportunity to hit them
dump and forecheck only really impacts puck movers, none of those other guys are puck movers except TDA. They all want you to dump it in and forecheck them.
Slavin can move the puck, but he is also their best two-way D.
The risk of a sell-out forecheck is if the other teams cracks it your forwards need to get back and will wear themselves out.
I think the Rangers should play their game if you understand the cliche you know why players say it all time (F1, F2, F3 like normal like they have practiced for 11 months), not do something different. That's how you get in a spot wondering what the hell happened.
Opportunistic scoring (IOW when you get chances, capitalize on them), tough D, quick neutral zone play/transitions, and Igor has to be on his game.
Quote:
In comment 15712452 Snablats said:
Quote:
The way you slow them down is soft dump-ins to the corners and punish their defense into the boards. Make them play a 200 foot game
Its been this way for years and years
yup. the Fred Shero "wear out Denis Potvin" method from 1979
Which is the exact example I used, along with Shero doing it to Bobby Orr in the earlier '70s
The key is dumping it in softly and never missing an opportunity to hit them
Exactly. No fucking around at the blue line. Get it deep and pound them.
dump and forecheck only really impacts puck movers, none of those other guys are puck movers except TDA. They all want you to dump it in and forecheck them.
Slavin can move the puck, but he is also their best two-way D.
The risk of a sell-out forecheck is if the other teams cracks it your forwards need to get back and will wear themselves out.
I think the Rangers should play their game if you understand the cliche you know why players say it all time (F1, F2, F3 like normal like they have practiced for 11 months), not do something different. That's how you get in a spot wondering what the hell happened.
Opportunistic scoring (IOW when you get chances, capitalize on them), tough D, quick neutral zone play/transitions, and Igor has to be on his game.
It sounds to me like you are advocating a more carry in approach....basically what Panarin is great at, but couldnt do vs Pitt because they either keyed on it 9r he just made poor plays with the puck. Chytil is pretty good at this as well as Kreider. I tend to agree with this approach. The best way to get to an overly aggressive team is to make them chase which I had always thought to be the achilles heel for the Canes.
I don't get it.
There is no Bobby Orr or Dennis Potvin on CAR.
https://www.facebook.com/19064794857/posts/10159055101394858/?d=n
But it's worse than 'wear themselves out'. Doofus' approach seems to ignore this fundamental truth:
Against a much worse skating team, aka Pens, the repeated failures of Rangers' forwards to back check in neutral zone, let alone the defensive zone, left wide open ice and Rangers' back lines badly exposed against a lesser skating (albeit vs some more savvy lines) team. Again, put more baldly, Canes are a much better skating team than Pitt. If GG schemes to have his forwards try to hammer Canes' d-men in deep, coming back out it could get very ugly, very fast.
We know 1st line is not good at keeping opponents hemmed in, really only Zib potentially getting back. Kreider almost never. Have you ever seen Kreider take the puck away backchecking?
2nd line is even worse, Copp being the best of a bad bunch.
Best hope is the Kidz, who are trying to play honest two-way, Beware the Turk.
4th line, we don't know how it will be constituted. Rooney, Hunt, Reaves, don't inspire confidence this way. Way too soon for Goodrow, Blais is a ghost; all Hail Motte.
he is a fine skater, but not one I change the way my team has practiced all year to make sure we can handle him.