NFT: Stars at Rangers 7:00

nice streak here, get that 8th.

I like Vesey, don't like him on the Kreider-Mika line. Give Kakko a real shot.

Love the size and toughness these kids bring along with their talent. Traditionally the Rangers do not usually develop these types (tough guys who can play).

Again, Igor has to be his 2022 self if they are to make a run.

Geez, what a warrior

In comment 16403419 Anakim said:

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Geez, what a warrior

Sure is. I don't think I've ever seen a meaner looking set of eyes. He's got the scariest glare I've ever seen.

In comment 16403424 Victor in CT said:

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In comment 16403419 Anakim said: Quote: Geez, what a warrior Sure is. I don't think I've ever seen a meaner looking set of eyes. He's got the scariest glare I've ever seen.

Dale Purinton looked like a psycho ax murderer.

Olli Jokinen just looked plain creepy.

Theo Fleury had those Peter Lorre eyes

Dallas is on the back end of a back to back after an overtime game yesterday in Boston, and Wedgewood is in between, not Oettinger. Crazy that Lindgren is going to play tonight, he's indestructible. I'm hoping they have a more typical kind of game tonight and not one where they're chasing goals all night so we can get a real look at Edstrom and Rempe (aside from watching Rempe punching fools in the face).

In comment 16403424 Victor in CT said:

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In comment 16403419 Anakim said: Quote: Geez, what a warrior Sure is. I don't think I've ever seen a meaner looking set of eyes. He's got the scariest glare I've ever seen.

Kevin Klein looked liked a White Walker!

He just seemed to not get smoked as often as Lindgren does. But I love RL. He reminds me of Favreau's character in MADE who is always ready to scrap and always gets lumped up.

"I mean, did you even hot the other dude ONCE?"

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

In comment 16403419 Anakim said:

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Geez, what a warrior

I swear every time a Rangers player is shown lying in a heap of pain and injury I just assume it's Lindgren. I have been right 90% of the time. And 99% of the time he gets up and finishes the game.

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which of the young guys will play?

Who is in goal?

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Otherwise we get fisted.

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.