Big Blue Huddle

Quote from: Gmo11 on Today at 10:01:42 AMI do think last night Carolina was better.  Though the teams are mostly pretty equal on paper.  The Hurricanes played as though their lives were on the line last night and turned in maybe their best game of the playoffs only to have Igor shove it right back in their faces with a masterful performance. 

They said that teams that go up 2-0 win 85% of the time so Carolina really played as though it was a do or die game for them even if they still have a great chance to go home and tie this thing back up at 2. 

Rangers are now in position to where they have two games to get one.  If they can split the next two games in Carolina I think they're moving on.  I don't think the Hurricanes can beat Shesty 3 straight times when he's playing at this level. Hell they may not be able to beat him once. 

I will give you they were more desparate, better puck handlers going into the Rangers' zone, passing in the Rangers' zone to set up shots on goal. When they were up 3-2, and Emily Kaplan was interviewing Laviolette, the head coach mentioned the Rangers needed some "pep in their step." Not a minute after he said that, the Rangers went on full burners and literally put the Canes on their heels and bombarded Freddie, drawing a penalty not long after, and the game-tying goal by Kreider after that. For the Rangers to absorb all that the Canes threw at them, then put on the Superman capes and literally blow the same Canes off the ice with a power play they cannot stop when the Rangers make their minds up they won't be denied. Top that with a hot goalie, it beats "better paper champions" and that's not taking anything away from a very, very good Carolina team that, in any other division, would likely blow through to Round Three without breaking a sweat.

The series is far from over, and Carolina can get back into this one with two home wins and put the pressure back on the Rangers' shoulders. But they have to do three things that run counter to what they've done all season:

1. Convert on their power play (0 for 10 in this series to date)
2. Dominate on their penalty kill (given up four goals in nine penalty kill attempts this series to date)
3. Excellent goaltending averaging three or less in the playoffs (given up eight goals in two games, avg. of four per game, to date)
4. Taking stupid, undisciplined penalties which lead to #2 above.

The Rangers are literally assassinating them in all four categories. They are literally the difference between the two teams and, if Carolina cannot solve these problems, they will be in a lot of trouble after Thursday. That's not the make-up of a better team; that's a better team ON PAPER!!! As in PAPER CHAMPION!!!

They have their home-town fans, parochial crowd which their box office locked out Ranger fans from out of town to ensure they couldn't get tickets and preserve the home-ice advantage. If they are better, they will have their home ice and fans behind them to demonstrate that they are. But somewhere, in the back of their minds, the thought that the last time the Rangers came to town, Igor and the Blueshirts left with a 1-0 shutout victory.

For the record, I don't see the Rangers sweeping this series. Even if they find a way to pull off a win tomorrow, I still think it will go five minimum, six realistically, seven possibly. To your point, Carolina is too good to go down in straight sets and Game Three may very well end up being a throw-away for the Rangers. I hope not, but let's see how it goes.

Peace!

The Avs came back to steal Game One in overtime over Dallas. I can't describe what a magnificent night of playoff hockey we were treated to last night.

Before going overboard on Carolina being so much "better" than the Rangers, are you talking shots on goal differential or time in zone differential? Ray Ferraro correctly pointed out that these two stats are a staple in the Canes' play throughout their season, and what we witnessed last night was consistent with that plus padded numbers due to the extra time. Carolina had some nice chances to win it but hot goalie beats hot shots, at least for now (NOTE: and hopefully for the long haul, as far as the Rangers are concerned). The defense really did about as good a job as possible in keeping the lanes clear in the overtime. But where I respectfully disagree Carolina is better is that the Rangers big three, i.e. Breadman, Z-man and Vinny T., are the difference makers they cannot account for. That proved the difference in the end last night when both teams let it all hang out in overtime.

Peace!

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on May 07, 2024, 11:24:37 PMHUGE win!!

We got outplayed overall tonight but Shesty was an absolute animal, especially after the second period. That we found a way to win this game was remarkable.

Series is far from over though. We're in a strong position right now for sure, but Carolina will be balls to the wall the next two games.

This was tremendous. I was constantly worrying we were going to lose this game throughout play tonight. For certain phases of the game they were really dominating us.

Rangers teams in recent past years would have for sure lost this game. The fact that we found a way to win tonight speaks volumes about this year's team. They have some magic going here.

My preview played out darned near to the letter. I did not think a double OT would be needed, but so be it.

54 saves for Igor! The A-game is in full gear! Forget 2022! He's playing above that level right now!

Laffy getting his first two playoff goals were both timely AND needed tonight.

The special teams ended up being the difference again. The two power play goals, from Kreider to tie it, and Vinny T. to win it, will make Brind'Amour mutter to himself.

Just a great physical match which, like files58, I didn't feel nervous at all. I had a quiet confidence the Rangers feel similar to how I'm seeing the playoffs. Everyone's crowning Carolina as the league Champs, but there's one small problem with that:

Rangers: 2 - Paper Champions: 0

Sorry Vegas, and all the misguided, I'm just not seeing it your way.

Now the series gets fun as it shifts to Raleigh. Can the Rangers pull off the improbable to go 3-0? One of two in Raleigh would be huge.

Colorado coming back on Dallas after trailing 0-3, now 2-3 after 2. Great 3rd period coming up!

Peace!

Quote from: EDjohnst1981 on May 07, 2024, 11:16:19 AMThe Bruins provided quite the shock last night.

Would be huge for the NYR to go 2-0 up right now. We are playing with such chemistry a game winner can come from anywhere. If I were predicting, I think the Rangers nick a close one again. I'm hoping Bread can imitate Zib and dominate the game.

I think goals will be at a premium tonight. I would love another three-goal first period but I am finding it difficult for Brind'Amour's boys to come out again and have their heads spinning like a pinball machine as in Game One. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they try to do to the Rangers precisely what Boston did to Florida last night in a somewhat shocking, but not overly surprising, 5-1 victory for Bean-town.

I suspect we'll see much more grinding, much more shoving around, and possibly a few tempers flaring before the night is over. But it will come down to protecting Igor, staying patient and extra due-diligence on playing defense. Again, I think special teams will be the difference and the Rangers have the advantage, at least for now.

Work and grind, that's the formula!

Also, Avs and Stars kick off tonight as well. The Avs, like the Rangers, want nothing more than to race with the puck to create opportunities. Dallas, on the other hand, wants to contain the high-flying Avs. The series starts in Dallas tonight!

Yet another great hockey night!

Peace!

Where are all the "in-breeding" and "cronyism" comments and rants???

  - off

He's Coughlin-tested, Coughlin-approved. That's all I need to know.

Welcome back, Chris Snee!

Peace!

Quote from: files58 on May 06, 2024, 10:20:19 AMYes Igor got his stick on the second goal, it happened very quickly, and Anderson should have stopped Panarin's eventual game winner. Carolina will make some adjustments within their structure. However they play one game, Pressure, and at a consistent, constant level. They will need to raise their level of play to beat this Ranger team. I don't know that they can. If they do, hats off to them. That's their DNA under Brind'A'Mor. Love that already in Game 1 they are frustrating Goetzel. He got chippy yesterday.  I'm watching all the series. This Ranger team can beat all 7 remaining teams, and can lose to the same. It's that close this year. Would love to see an Adamms Family train wreck between Fla-Bos. 

For all the years you've been screaming to this team to grow a pair, and to finally see them take it to the paper champions, has got to give you an adrenaline rush, as it did an entire Blueshirts nation.

I agree with you that the Rangers can match it with every team left playing but, to get to the top of the Everest, they will have to do it with the physical and the grinding leading the way while their special teams may very well be the difference. For all the talk about the five on five, as long as they break even, at a minimum, this team is literally tearing apart teams' power plays and making their penalty killing efforts look silly. They picked the right time for special teams to boil over.

Still, this one's going to swing back and forth and I would not be surprised if the Canes take it to them tomorrow to even the series. I hope that doesn't happen, but they're going to make corrections to their special teams and they're going to fortify the blue line to make it nearly impossible for the Rangers to get into the Cane's zone to do what they did to Freddie yesterday. It very well may come down to a 1-0 or 2-1 game, or the Canes may have a blowout game, which is generally how these games play out. There will be more tactics employed to slow the Rangers down but we'll see how it plays out.

These other series are going to be just as exciting. Boston and Florida should be a great one and I wouldn't be surprised if that one went the distance just like last year. In the West, Canucks-Oilers is about as intense a match-up as the Rangers and Canes and will not disappoint for intensity and goal scoring. Great goal scorers, the Canucks' back-up goalie is gaining confidence and Connor McDavid is more than ready to test him. Finally, the Avs and the Stars match up in yet another huge battle of Central Division rivals. The Stars barely survived in their seven game battle with Nashville and the Avs are starting to look like that 2022 Stanley Cup Champion again with their intense speed and attacking prowess. They are definitely capable of up-ending he Stars but it will take a herculean effort to pull it off.

Great hockey to watch tonight while the Rangers prep for game two tomorrow.

Peace!

 

Maybe Al Davis had it right all along ...

"Just win, Baby!"

Peace!

Oh wow! These criteria, all the different laundry lists, it's a wonder he hasn't already cleaned out his locker and said "who needs this?"

I like Trench's criteria the best. It doesn't get any easier than beat the Cowboys and Eagles. If he and the Giants could do that twice a year, and throw the team formerly known as the Redskins x two, for good measure, he can stay as long as he wants.

Oh, maybe one more thing.

Instead of 0-41, how about give us a 41-0 and we'll let all be forgiven.

Easy enough, right?

Peace!

Quote from: Rosehill Jimmy on May 05, 2024, 01:05:05 PMBack in the day I would drop notes to GY and he always answered. I still have a few 40+years later. Prior to the 81 draft I asked who he planned to select ( he was always frank and forthcoming in his responses ). He replied back .. I haven't even told my confessor who I'm taking. In a post draft note he thanked his lucky stars that the Saints were one of the 4 teams that had a higher grade on Rogers than LT. BTW, Rogers and LT won OROY andDROY respectively and this draft also produced 8 HOFers

Thank you for sharing, great stuff!

That 1981 draft was something else. It also did something special. It took two doormat teams and and not only changed their fortunes, but set their respective courses to climb out of the ashes of the 70s to the height of NFL powerhouses in the 80s. Of course, I'm talking about the Giants and the 49ers. Ronnie Lott and Lawrence Taylor did more for their teams to reach the pinnacle. The 49ers also added Eric Wright and Carlton Williamson to fortify their secondary, along with Lott, which dominated the '81 post-season. But the Giants didn't do too bad either in adding Byron Hunt to the LB corps, and nose tackle Bill Neill who started right away and showed promise until injuries slowed him down. Then, there was this free agent nose tackle, Jim Burt, who played with an attitude from day one and worked his way to All Pro status.

Great memories!

Quote from: files58 on May 05, 2024, 04:03:52 PMI'm ridiculously calm. I should be a little tied up in knots, and I'm not. Do I know something?

I thought about you throughout the first period; they had to have done you proud with their toughness.

The whole DeAngelo scenario, I was disappointed in all the announcers that nobody mentioned that he left his feet and launched himself. Why isn't that more than two minutes?

Special teams were indeed special. The Z-man looked possessed out there today, but the magical passing which set his goals up were just that.

I agree that today was Wennberg's best as a Ranger. He turned the Jets on and looked more confident with the puck and what he wanted to do with it.

Igor was steady as always, not to worry about our hero between the pipes.

One game in the books and our heroes - one, the paper champions - zero.

I like it! Hope the Vegas oddsmakers did too!

Peace!

Troy Archer (died in car accident)

Dan Lloyd (cancer, recovered)

Doug Kotar (cancer, later died)

The Irrelevant Giant, John Tuggle (cancer, later died)

Kevin Belcher (car accident, career-ending injuries)

Karl Nelson (cancer, survived)

Many "could have been" great players. Nelson won a Super Bowl. Archer would likely have made it to Pasadena as well as Tuggle and possibly Belcher.

Peace!

Quote from: EDjohnst1981 on May 05, 2024, 11:27:46 AMPer The Athletic:

Will Filip Chytil be the Rangers' X-factor?

The Rangers need Artemi Panarin playing at his regular season MVP-caliber level. New York will be in good shape offensively if that line featuring Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafrenière can lead the way at five-on-five, in addition to Mika Zibanejad's line scoring at a steady clip.

Those are the obvious keys. Looking beyond that, Filip Chytil emerges as New York's wild card.

Chytil hasn't played since Nov. 2 because of concussion issues. He has, however, been a full-contact practice participant with the Rangers recently. The 24-year-old Czech center broke out as a bona fide top-six player last season with 22 goals and 45 points in 72 games. Those totals were especially impressive considering his limited power-play usage.

He looked electric at the start of this season centering Panarin and Lafrenière. Of course, expectations need to be tempered if he returns as he'll have missed so much time and would likely slot in a third-line role rather than playing with Panarin because of how well Trocheck is performing. But if Chytil is healthy and even 70 percent of the player he was last season, the Rangers will get a massive secondary scoring boost.

Chytil drives play with his smooth skating, above-average frame and highly competitive style. He can be a lethal attacker off the rush. Chytil scored four goals in seven games on the third line when the Rangers played the Hurricanes in 2022. Will he return and play another big part in this rematch?

>>>>

Interesting points. It would bump Rempe to the press box and slide Wennberg to centre the 4th line.

My biggest concern is that Chytil is one more concussion away from something very bad happening to him. I'm very concerned about that.

I don't know if now is the right time to inject him into the lineup with the risk of something bad possibly happening and throwing off the Rangers' momentum.

My vote would be to stay conservative and pack him in for the rest of this season and evaluate him for next.

Peace!

Round two starts tonight!

What kind of game are the Rangers going to throw at the Canes? Will rust from 12 days between games be a factor?

I'm ready to drop the puck now!

Peace!

Quote from: TDToomer on May 02, 2024, 10:53:33 AMThe Isles have about $6 million in cap space for next season with a few RFAs to extend. There will be no big splashes. We don't get a Panarin to fall into our laps like you guys. We need to develop talent but all the prospect rankings say we are near last in the league.

You finally have the right coach to develop your talent. You have the heart to play with the Rangers. You have something brewing.

Lest you forget the tides were turned over 40 years ago.

Peace!