NFT: Stars at Rangers 7:00

Rangers went in with an 11 game point streak. That game was a lot closer than the final would indicate, Rangers basically fell apart in the 3rd, plus 2 empty netters. Dallas was my preseason Cup pick, and nothing has happened this year to suggest that is not a distinct possibility. They score a lot, they probably have the best top 6 in the league, and they're one of the best road teams in the league. If Oettinger is on his game, look out for Dallas to run through the west. Potential Stanley Cup preview tonight.

In comment 16403653 Greg from LI said:

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Good. A lot of fans in my section were calling for Quick on Sunday but you can't judge goalies on that ice. They were sliding everywhere. Really need to get him in a groove.

In comment 16403501 Rick in Dallas said:

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Rangers need to play UP to the competition tonight. Stars can really skate… Let’s go Rangers

Not only can they really skate, they play very heavy. These are imo the two team styles that trouble, that have troubled, this NYR team past 2-3 years.

This game will tell me a lot about where this team is.
(Victor, I think the KK on first line ship has sailed. I think he's found/finding his stride right where he is. 3rd line as is may be a + vs its match-up.)

Alexander Wennberg

Don't trade him.

Brooks doesn’t think they will trade Kakko or Othmann. They’ll deal this year’s first, Sykora or Berard

In comment 16403969 Greg from LI said:

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Brooks doesn’t think they will trade Kakko or Othmann. They’ll deal this year’s first, Sykora or Berard

Thanks. Berard has apparently been great in Hartford?

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Was amazing!

Why the fuck can’t the Rangers play 3 periods of hockey???
Stars outplayed them on a back to back scenario but thankfully Igor stood on his head.

And great to see Kakko playing with some confidence

Even with Kakko playing well, he seems to have found a good spot with Brod and Cuylle. Vesey ain’t cutting it in the top-6.

So it’ll be interesting to see what Drury does. Maybe he acquires a 3C and a top-6 RW in one trade. Two possible acquisitions that come to mind: Kevin Hayes/Buchnevich from the Blues, and Wennberg/Eberle from the Kraken.

Problem is the cap. They would need significant retention and probably Goodrow going the other way, no?

Regardless, Perrault and Othmann should be untouchable. I can live with trading Berard or Sykora.

Not gonna lose many games with goaltending like that. Good to have that guy back

But perhaps a scoring or playmaking RW would get him going

8th win in a row!

In comment 16403992 Rick in Dallas said:

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Why the fuck can’t the Rangers play 3 periods of hockey??? Stars outplayed them on a back to back scenario but thankfully Igor stood on his head.

8 game winning streak not enough for you? Have to bitch about something??

In comment 16403999 Anakim said:

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Even with Kakko playing well, he seems to have found a good spot with Brod and Cuylle. Vesey ain’t cutting it in the top-6. So it’ll be interesting to see what Drury does. Maybe he acquires a 3C and a top-6 RW in one trade. Two possible acquisitions that come to mind: Kevin Hayes/Buchnevich from the Blues, and Wennberg/Eberle from the Kraken. Problem is the cap. They would need significant retention and probably Goodrow going the other way, no? Regardless, Perrault and Othmann should be untouchable. I can live with trading Berard or Sykora.

Of course Henrique/Vatrano

and perhaps Vesey takes his place.

signing Center Matt Duhene this offseason has to be hockey’s move of the year. 1 yr @ $3 million and probably their top player on an already great roster.

Does Toronto review the tape — slowed it down and Kreider’s last shot crossed the goal with .2 second left. Any chance they get him a cheapie?

In comment 16404004 4xchamps said:

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In comment 16403992 Rick in Dallas said: Quote: Why the fuck can’t the Rangers play 3 periods of hockey??? Stars outplayed them on a back to back scenario but thankfully Igor stood on his head. 8 game winning streak not enough for you? Have to bitch about something??

Lol. I thought I was the only one that laughs at Ricks posts. If the Rangers win the cup this year, he'd be the one to complain that it took them 6 games.

In comment 16404007 Will Shine said:

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and perhaps Vesey takes his place.

I would just as soon NOT touch a darned thing with Kakko at the moment. If and when the trade deadline comes and goes, if there's really some movement of the chess pieces needed, I can get on board with that, but right now KK is humming and I keep rolling him with Cuylle and Brodz.

pretty clear that the Kreider goal should have counted.

Here is a good photo of the puck clearly in the net before time expired.
Link - ( New Window )

In comment 16404000 Greg from LI said:

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Not gonna lose many games with goaltending like that. Good to have that guy back

THIS!!!

and hopefully he's here to stay. What an incredible performance by him. Wedgewood was really good on the other side too. Miller and Trouba had their best game in a while, Fox is looking like he's back to his usual self, the third line keeps plugging away, and in limited time, I liked how Edstrom and Rempe played. I agree with others, don't touch the third line, despite how well Kakko is playing right now. Laviolette has been smart about bumping Panarin up into the first line for offensive zone faceoffs, and I'm sure Kakko will get some shifts in that spot as well, as he did last night. 8 game winning streak where they've held Colorado, Tampa, and Dallas to 1 goal each. Igor is 4-0-0 with a .937 save percentage in February, which obviously includes the Stadium Series game where the conditions were less than ideal for both goalies.

In comment 16404001 Anakim said:

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But perhaps a scoring or playmaking RW would get him going

Oh! But let's not touch or talk about the NYR Holy Grail, 3rd rail. His LW absolutely sucked last night, invisible save for 3 giveaways on the last PP, invisible, as usual, in a tight game vs a good team. He was so gung ho for the win, he fled to the bench (from the line's right side) w/ about 3 mins remaining and the game in the balance while Zib and Vesey played on. But let's weep that Kreider didn't get a 'cheapie'. It was Zib that did the hard work and dug the puck out from the wall and got it to Kreider for his 3' feed to Trochek for the ENG. Sheesh

Did no one else catch Kreider 'taking' the FO at center circle late 2nd. Hilarious.

had Benn and Seguin laughing and shaking their heads at the impenetrable wall in the 3rd. Henrik couldn't say enough in the PG.

Gutty win, dunno if fans can count on Igor being that way every night he's in net. Rick is absolutely right. 4xchamps can bitch about Rick 'bitching', but Rick is observing. Laviolette was none too happy either. Stars had their way coming in waves because Rangers playing a line short. ? Stars are a damn good club, so to be expected they would roll.

I don't get the continued 'let's roll Kappo up to the 'first' line. If you didn't notice the 3rd line was outplaying the 'first' line in its match-ups. Teams don't take liberties with that line. The chemistry is very good there and Kappo feels comfortable, at last. All the beats, in Qs to KK and Lavvy, wanted to talk about his confidence. He's still young and coming out of his shell. Laf had a good game.

Sorry for my #20 rant, grumpy this AM, didn't sleep. But his in-game coasting, sleepwalking play irks me.

By Igor was all-world, the entire side of that net was open for Seguin to put the puck in.

In comment 16404075 ColHowPepper said:

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Sorry for my #20 rant, grumpy this AM, didn't sleep. But his in-game coasting, sleepwalking play irks me.

Kreids has been a notoriously streaky player, but you can't ignore his production since he focused on being a tip artist/screener.

In comment 16404083 Will Shine said:

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...Kreids has been a notoriously streaky player, but you can't ignore his production since he focused on being a tip artist/screener.

Will, true and I don't. He is an artist with his stick in front, productive as hell when games play out that way, with Rangers extended possessions in O zone. And his burst on the PK leads to short-handed chances, and, yes, can be game changing. But not all games play out that way. And, no, I don't excuse his lackadaisical, two-way play when goal scoring chances are not present because that opens up holes in that line's game and causes team to play from behind, tactically/matchups speaking.

Talking about the Rangers targeting Wennberg from Seattle. I like Brodzinski on the third line, quick speed, shoot first mentality. Not worth moving mountains for a 3L Center.
Link - ( New Window )

Yes, he's great at screening the goalie and getting deflections, but his impact beyond that is minimal, particularly for a guy with his strength and speed.

He's a frustrating player, even given his level of production.

Brodzinski has been a shockingly effective defensive center IMO.

Agree with CHP/Greg on Kreider.

In comment 16404075 ColHowPepper said:

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had Benn and Seguin laughing and shaking their heads at the impenetrable wall in the 3rd. Henrik couldn't say enough in the PG. Gutty win, dunno if fans can count on Igor being that way every night he's in net. Rick is absolutely right. 4xchamps can bitch about Rick 'bitching', but Rick is observing. Laviolette was none too happy either. Stars had their way coming in waves because Rangers playing a line short. ? Stars are a damn good club, so to be expected they would roll. I don't get the continued 'let's roll Kappo up to the 'first' line. If you didn't notice the 3rd line was outplaying the 'first' line in its match-ups. Teams don't take liberties with that line. The chemistry is very good there and Kappo feels comfortable, at last. All the beats, in Qs to KK and Lavvy, wanted to talk about his confidence. He's still young and coming out of his shell. Laf had a good game. Sorry for my #20 rant, grumpy this AM, didn't sleep. But his in-game coasting, sleepwalking play irks me.

Kreider has had a reputation for doing this his whole career. For being probably the most physically built player on the team besides Trouba, he never uses that strength except when camped out in front of the net.

but it seems odd to me that we're trashing a guy who has 28 goals and 53 points in 56 games, and has the best +/- on the team (yes, I know it's an antiquated stat), on the heels of an 8 game winning streak. We all know Kreider is streaky and notoriously doesn't use his size/speed combo consistently, I'm not suggesting he's a perfect player. I'm just confused by the timing. Let's complain about stuff like that after losses lol.

Regarding Wennberg, at this point I'm not sure he's a big enough upgrade over Brodzinski to justify sending picks and prospects for him. In fact, I'm not sure he's an upgrade at all. They're practically even in points per game, and Brodzinski averages 7 less minutes per game than Wennberg, and Brodzinski is far better in the faceoff circles. If they're going to target a Seattle player, I'd much prefer Eberle.

In comment 16404104 Costy16 said:

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In comment 16404075 ColHowPepper said: Quote: had Benn and Seguin laughing and shaking their heads at the impenetrable wall in the 3rd. Henrik couldn't say enough in the PG. Gutty win, dunno if fans can count on Igor being that way every night he's in net. Rick is absolutely right. 4xchamps can bitch about Rick 'bitching', but Rick is observing. Laviolette was none too happy either. Stars had their way coming in waves because Rangers playing a line short. ? Stars are a damn good club, so to be expected they would roll. I don't get the continued 'let's roll Kappo up to the 'first' line. If you didn't notice the 3rd line was outplaying the 'first' line in its match-ups. Teams don't take liberties with that line. The chemistry is very good there and Kappo feels comfortable, at last. All the beats, in Qs to KK and Lavvy, wanted to talk about his confidence. He's still young and coming out of his shell. Laf had a good game. Sorry for my #20 rant, grumpy this AM, didn't sleep. But his in-game coasting, sleepwalking play irks me. Kreider has had a reputation for doing this his whole career. For being probably the most physically built player on the team besides Trouba, he never uses that strength except when camped out in front of the net.

yup. Brooks would occasionally write in his column "Has. Anybody. Seen. Chris?" He should be more of a true power forward than he is. He's got the size and the speed.

we have been focusing on whether Kappo should move up and many rightly feel we shouldn't touch that line. Meanwhile, Brooks is reporting that the Rangers are going after Wennberg to replace Brodzinski.

If they are getting him, I would rather he replace Goodrow.

In comment 16404121 Will Shine said:

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If they are getting him, I would rather he replace Goodrow.

This. Goodrow provides nothing this year. He's functionally useless out there.

but I can see some value in adding a C to at least shove him outside.

With the way Brodz has played defensively, I think there's some merit to pushing him down to 4C if there's a worthwhile add to give the third line some more scoring punch.

I have seemingly talked out of both sides of my mouth about the 3rd line.

My real point is that I wouldn't move Kakko up simply for the sake of trying to "fix" L1.

I support strengthening the forward group via the TDL, and once we know what pieces are on the board, adjusting the specific lines as may best fit.

Just extended Brodzinski. 2 yrs at under $800k per. It’s a one way.

In comment 16404229 Y28 said:

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Just extended Brodzinski. 2 yrs at under $800k per. It’s a one way.

Good deal. He's very good in his bottom-six role.

Meanwhile, Goodrow is making what? 4x as much as him? And he has a limited NTC? FFS...

from the moment he signed it

In comment 16404246 Greg from LI said:

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from the moment he signed it

Rangers paid for him when his value was high coming off of the SCF victory with Tampa.

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Despite the fact that Chytil played all of ten games and has been gone since the first week of November. Brodzinski has twice as many points despite playing in seventeen fewer games. He's producing at a Tanner Glass level.

In comment 16404229 Y28 said:

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Just extended Brodzinski. 2 yrs at under $800k per. It’s a one way.

I would think this tends to tamp down, if not completely snuff out, the calls to trade KK. I hope so. Brodz was brought into center of Rangers' huddle at practice this AM by way of congratulating him. Does Drury really do this deal if he's going to break up 3rd line?

In comment 16404388 ColHowPepper said:

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In comment 16404229 Y28 said: Quote: Just extended Brodzinski. 2 yrs at under $800k per. It’s a one way. I would think this tends to tamp down, if not completely snuff out, the calls to trade KK. I hope so. Brodz was brought into center of Rangers' huddle at practice this AM by way of congratulating him. Does Drury really do this deal if he's going to break up 3rd line?

I don't think this extension has any bearing on Kakko. Personally, I don't think Kakko is going anywhere, nor do I think the Rangers have any intention to trade him. Everything I have heard is that they're getting calls, not necessarily that they are actively trying to trade him. When people are talking about Kakko and a 1st for Vatrano and Henrique, all I can think is that is exactly the kind of trade the team historically makes that turns out to be a disaster. I keep going back to, RW is the thinnest position on the team, why would we address that by trading one of our RW's?!?!

what happens if another center goes down in stretch run or playoffs? And if of they all stay healthy, you can bump Goodrow or Brodzinski outside to play wing and bump one of these other guys out of the lineup (the 6'8" yetis from Hartford). Rangers have cup aspirations. They need to improve their 3C to make that realistic.

And should be easily doable without giving up a first rounder, Othman or Perault
Perault

And enough with the trading KK talk. The correct answer during a legit cup hunt is never ‘trade the legitimate two way player for a rental”. Unless some stud is coming back the other way we aren’t getting equal return for KK.

You guys need to take off the draft pick blinders when it comes to Laf and KK. Have they lived up to their draft status? No. But they are both good players that are positive contributors to their squad . These aren’t fucking busts who are stealing their paycheck.