Big Blue Huddle

Huge win last night. Bread and Shesty had huge nights. Trocheck also played great and is really having a big year for us. I wasn't as crazy about him last year (though I recognized he was an upgrade to Strome) but he's really getting it done this year.

We need to just keep the heat on. Carolina is always tricky, but at least that's at home. The next two games after that (Chicago and Montreal) are manageable. We need to keep our guard up for opponents like these.

We have won three of our last four and six of our last eight. We're in a very solid place right now. Shesty has found his game again, and our top star forwards have been great. Just need to keep it going. Trade deadline is still two and a half months away, so we are very much in the slog phase of the regular season still. The key is to try to maintain momentum, avoid very long bad spells, and above all remain healthy, especially as we start to get closer to spring.

In the near term I really don't care about things like where we are in the power rankings or what the exact seed is. Yes, I'd like for the Rangers to be able to have home ice in every series they play, but I care a lot more about how healthy and how hot we are going into the playoffs than I do about the exact seed.

I also think Laviolette (who has clearly done a fabulous job to this point) needs to really look at what has plagued this team in playoff hockey in the past and start thinking about his plan for that if he hasn't already. Bread has to be better. And he's not the only one. This team got bounced in the first round last year and was frankly extremely lucky the same didn't happen the year before, as we needed OT in game seven to get past the Pens in the first round, and they were playing with backup and third string goaltenders in that series. Had they had a healthy Jarry the whole way, we were getting ousted in the first round that year two. I think Laviolette and Drury need to own that fact and have a real strategic vision around the playoffs this year as they get closer. This team now has sufficient playoff experience to where that's no longer an excuse, and there is enough tape out there showing why they struggle with playoff hockey. This should be on their minds as we approach the trade deadline too and they think about adding role players.

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on December 31, 2023, 08:51:26 AMHuge win last night. Bread and Shesty had huge nights. Trocheck also played great and is really having a big year for us. I wasn't as crazy about him last year (though I recognized he was an upgrade to Strome) but he's really getting it done this year.

We need to just keep the heat on. Carolina is always tricky, but at least that's at home. The next two games after that (Chicago and Montreal) are manageable. We need to keep our guard up for opponents like these.

We have won three of our last four and six of our last eight. We're in a very solid place right now. Shesty has found his game again, and our top star forwards have been great. Just need to keep it going. Trade deadline is still two and a half months away, so we are very much in the slog phase of the regular season still. The key is to try to maintain momentum, avoid very long bad spells, and above all remain healthy, especially as we start to get closer to spring.

In the near term I really don't care about things like where we are in the power rankings or what the exact seed is. Yes, I'd like for the Rangers to be able to have home ice in every series they play, but I care a lot more about how healthy and how hot we are going into the playoffs than I do about the exact seed.

I also think Laviolette (who has clearly done a fabulous job to this point) needs to really look at what has plagued this team in playoff hockey in the past and start thinking about his plan for that if he hasn't already. Bread has to be better. And he's not the only one. This team got bounced in the first round last year and was frankly extremely lucky the same didn't happen the year before, as we needed OT in game seven to get past the Pens in the first round, and they were playing with backup and third string goaltenders in that series. Had they had a healthy Jarry the whole way, we were getting ousted in the first round that year two. I think Laviolette and Drury need to own that fact and have a real strategic vision around the playoffs this year as they get closer. This team now has sufficient playoff experience to where that's no longer an excuse, and there is enough tape out there showing why they struggle with playoff hockey. This should be on their minds as we approach the trade deadline too and they think about adding role players.

I really like your write-up and especially as it pertains to staying healthy and seeing Trouba out there, last night, and the hope of adding Kappo in the future. Chytil, however, is becoming a growing concern and his individual case is one the Rangers have to do the right thing on and br prepared to shut him down for good, this season at a minimum.

You mention the trade deadline in a couple of months. I read someone's blog who suggested they go after Tampa's Stemko to add fire power to the second line (NOTE: this had to have been about six weeks ago, I'd guess). There's no doubt he still has game in him; however, I'd have to wait and see. Even though the Rangers kept him in check yesterday, Tampa have been slow off the starting line this year, their goalie is only returning from back surgery and they didn't look close to the form which put the 2021-22 Rangers out of the playoffs down 0-2 inches semis. But, to your point, a Stemko might be exactly what they need if Panarin, Kreider or Z-man drop off as we head to the playoffs.

Trocheck has been a favorite of mine since they picked him up. A spitfire player, always causing havoc around the goal and is determined when taking faceoffs. He's really an unsung hero of last night's game. But he also has no fear when getting bounced around the boards when fighting for the puck. Best of all, he does take anything from anyone and I love that spirit in him. The Rangers need players like him, but bigger, in the playoffs. That would be my suggestion to the decision makers upstairs.

The Rangers have played some very tough teams, as well as teams who usually give them fits, and have been impressive to date. They'll lock horns out this way soon with the Champs, the California teams, host the Rocky Mountain Boys which are all great tests for them. But then come all the Divisional matchups where they'll make hay. Islanders and Flyers in the top four??? What's going on in the metro? The Devils are slowly starting to wake up. Carolina is always dangerous. Pittsburgh can win any game on any day. 2023 has been fun. Happy New Year and bestow wishes for some hardware returning to the Garden in 2024!

Peace!

Quote from: kartanoman on December 31, 2023, 09:29:43 AMI really like your write-up and especially as it pertains to staying healthy and seeing Trouba out there, last night, and the hope of adding Kappo in the future. Chytil, however, is becoming a growing concern and his individual case is one the Rangers have to do the right thing on and br prepared to shut him down for good, this season at a minimum.

You mention the trade deadline in a couple of months. I read someone's blog who suggested they go after Tampa's Stemko to add fire power to the second line (NOTE: this had to have been about six weeks ago, I'd guess). There's no doubt he still has game in him; however, I'd have to wait and see. Even though the Rangers kept him in check yesterday, Tampa have been slow off the starting line this year, their goalie is only returning from back surgery and they didn't look close to the form which put the 2021-22 Rangers out of the playoffs down 0-2 inches semis. But, to your point, a Stemko might be exactly what they need if Panarin, Kreider or Z-man drop off as we head to the playoffs.

Trocheck has been a favorite of mine since they picked him up. A spitfire player, always causing havoc around the goal and is determined when taking faceoffs. He's really an unsung hero of last night's game. But he also has no fear when getting bounced around the boards when fighting for the puck. Best of all, he does take anything from anyone and I love that spirit in him. The Rangers need players like him, but bigger, in the playoffs. That would be my suggestion to the decision makers upstairs.

The Rangers have played some very tough teams, as well as teams who usually give them fits, and have been impressive to date. They'll lock horns out this way soon with the Champs, the California teams, host the Rocky Mountain Boys which are all great tests for them. But then come all the Divisional matchups where they'll make hay. Islanders and Flyers in the top four??? What's going on in the metro? The Devils are slowly starting to wake up. Carolina is always dangerous. Pittsburgh can win any game on any day. 2023 has been fun. Happy New Year and bestow wishes for some hardware returning to the Garden in 2024!

Peace!

Excellent write-up as usual Kart, and HNY to you and yours as well.

Good points and description on Vinny Tro. I will admit to being a little underwhelmed by him last year relative to my expectations, although the simple eye test showed he was a better player than Strome ever was (and more durable). I felt like he didn't quite put it all together last year, but man, he really has this year. I've been very happy with him.

I agree on Chytil. I have to think this season at minimum is a wash for him, and I worry about his career. We'll just have to wait and see. I've mentally come to just accept what seems like a high likelihood that he won't be back this year, and at this point I'm not even really thinking about the situation from the perspective of the team and more just wish him well.

The thing I'm happiest about these days as a Ranger fan is the way Shesty has played for the last five or six starts. He looks like the Shesty of two years ago again. Let's hope that continues. I don't want to see him get in another rut again. A bad start here and there is fine, but I'll be worried if we see say three bad starts in a row from him again like we were seeing in October and November.

Athletic on the Rangers:


The Rangers have a chance to make 2024 special

By Arthur Staple
5h ago

Artemi Panarin was saying last week that going through adversity can be a good thing. "If you have a tough time," he said, "it's so easy to control yourself, to have discipline. Eat well. Sleep well. I look at the problems, maybe enjoy the good days too — but not too much."

Panarin hasn't had many bad days yet this season. Neither have the Rangers, who enter 2024 having played the best 35-game stretch to open a season in team history, winning 25 of their first 35 games for the first time and tying the 1993-94 Rangers with 51 points through 35 games.

Panarin capped his calendar year with a second hat trick in December. He shrugged off questions about reaching 50 goals or 100 points for the first time in his career the other day, but he's on pace for the type of season we haven't seen around here since Jaromir Jagr put the Rangers on his back from 2005-2008.

Mika Zibanejad broke through after a slow start and he's back up to a point per game. Chris Kreider, with more than a few grays in his goatee, is on pace for 41 goals. Vincent Trocheck's seven-year deal looked about five years too long last season; now, meshing with Panarin in a way he just didn't a season ago, Trocheck is a huge contributor. Alexis Lafrenière isn't just rounding that line with Panarin and Trocheck — he's mixing it up and rewarding the faith Peter Laviolette has shown in him since training camp.

Should we go on? Sure, why not? Jonathan Quick has cooled off in net but starting his Rangers career with nine wins in 10 starts allowed Igor Shesterkin to find his level, which he certainly has — the team's .910 save percentage has covered up for some holes in the five-on-five defense and it hasn't been all Shesterkin doing so, which should keep him fresh for the back half of the schedule.

Jacob Trouba has looked like a top-four defenseman all season after a frustrating first half of the 2022-23 season and though his pair with K'Andre Miller has been a bit underwater on the metrics, they have shouldered the load of minutes with Adam Fox missing 10 of the first 35 games. And Fox is still finding his way back, not as productive at five-on-five but still controlling play well enough to be the team's leader in on-ice expected goals.

More? More! Jimmy Vesey and Will Cuylle, with seven goals apiece, have provided needed scoring from the bottom six. Erik Gustafsson has tailed off but he was a beast during Fox's absence. Ryan Lindgren has taken a major licking, as usual, and keeps on ticking.

The Rangers' power play is lethal, a league-best 30.9 percent. Their penalty kill is exceptional at 84.9 percent, fifth heading into Sunday night's games. Their faceoff percentage, in a decade-long funk, is third-best in the league at 54.1 percent.

Laviolette seemed like the slam-dunk hire when Chris Drury began his coaching search last May. After talking to a handful of candidates, Drury ended up where he began his search and that's paid huge dividends so far — from the depth guys to the stars, the Rangers certainly play as if they like this style.

Let's take a breath here to note that, in the words of many Rangers when asked about accomplishments so far this season, have pretty much uniformly said the same thing: We've done nothing yet because nothing's done until the spring, when things matter most.

And there are some issues, as with any team. For right now they're centered around the forwards. Filip Chytil, out for eight weeks now with a concussion, is back home in Czechia, trying to rediscover some joy in his long recovery. There is still hope that he can come back this season but this has been a difficult stretch for the cheerful young center and his trip home, expected to last for a couple of weeks, is a hoped-for start to getting Chytil back in the right mindset.

Kaapo Kakko's leg injury is progressing and there's less uncertainty around his return, though his impact may need to be greater than 2-1-3 from his first 20 games. That the Rangers have risen to the top of the league with Blake Wheeler — far better than he was the first month of the season but still not an ideal top-sixer — playing alongside Kreider and Zibanejad and with single goals from four of their bottom-six regulars (Barclay Goodrow, Nick Bonino, Tyler Pitlick, Jonny Brodzinski) is pretty remarkable.

It's also something that may need fixing. Drury did an admirable job assembling a group of veteran free agents on the cheap last July and all of them are contributing in their own ways, but the crunch time comes when trade season begins in a few weeks. If the Rangers can get Kakko and Chytil back, the need isn't as great; if Chytil doesn't return it's time to search for a center who can anchor a third line and make it more than just a 30-seconds-and-off group.

And there's the small matter of being the best regular-season team, which hasn't meant a whole lot in the playoffs the last 15 years or so. The last Presidents' Trophy winner to get past the second round was the 2014-15 Rangers; the last 82-game Presidents' Trophy winner to hoist the Stanley Cup was the 2008 Red Wings.

There's still room to appreciate what the Rangers have done this season. There's a lot to like. And it's easy to see, with Shesterkin rounding into top form, with Panarin attacking and producing, with Lafrenière on the upswing, with Zibanejad and Kreider and Trocheck and Miller and Fox playing at high levels, that this can continue for the Rangers.

They've made 2023 special. There's room for more in 2024.

I got to see the Lightening game on Saturday.

Aside from all that has been said I would add the motions and movements from Igor now, as compared to the early season are much, much more aggressive. The reaction time is lightning fast but it is the movements toward the shooter that is most impressive. Without hesitation Igor gets big and goes at the shooter; this was not the case earlier in the season.

He was deeper in the crease with his base and even when in an aggressive stance he was deeper than he is playing now. The real difference is when he decides the shoot is coming at him, they way he springs toward the shooter and gets big.

He had crap puck luck and some poor reads with clear sight lines during his funk.  But in no way was he moving and attacking as aggressive as he is now.

Since the loss to the Caps in the beginning of December Igor really started to catch on. This man is playing with a confidence and presence that is simply awesome to see:  a 2-1 win over the Bruins, 5-2 win over leafs, 4-3 Sabres, ??-? over the Caps, and 5-1 Lightening.   I assume he will be in net tonight

 
Hurricane are giving up 3.11 goals against, let's see what the Blue shirts can do.  Special teams could be a huge factor, with the Rangers top PP vs the 10th ranked kil and the Hurricanes 5th ranked PP vs the Rangers 5th Ranked PK.

I have practice at 8:30 and I am hoping to see the majority of the game.

I'm looking forward to tonight. Canes are never an easy out. I feel like Gallant had a hard time figuring them out the way they clog up the neutral zone. Will be interesting to see if the Rangers are better prepped under Lavvy.

Just got a mid-afternoon invite to the game tonight. I'm pumped! Usually go to 3-4 games a season at minimum, but tonight is my first this year. Luckily enough the seats are good too. Can't wait to get live eyes on this year's group.

Down 5-1 in what has been a very poor effort.

Carolina has played very well and are hot on special teams the last month. It clearly shows in tonight's game but a lot of bad puck distribution by Igor tonight took the bloom off his rose of outstanding play lately.

Again, you can't give the opponent a goal in the opening minute. It's been a recipe for disaster for the Rangers and now they're going to start hearing footsteps in the Metro division with the Canes the hottest team now in the division.

Peace!

Ugh.

I can't help but feel partially responsible! First game I go to this year and that's the result?

I'm going to choose to assume these guys had a wild new years eve and were still feeling the effects. For the first half of the game or so I didn't think they were awful but they definitely looked bad on specials. Then they just imploded. Awful night. Really inept, and I hated the way they basically quit in the third period. At least skate it out and try.

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on January 02, 2024, 10:31:20 PMUgh.

I can't help but feel partially responsible! First game I go to this year and that's the result?

I'm going to choose to assume these guys had a wild new years eve and were still feeling the effects. For the first half of the game or so I didn't think they were awful but they definitely looked bad on specials. Then they just imploded. Awful night. Really inept, and I hated the way they basically quit in the third period. At least skate it out and try.

We could joke around and suggest it was you; however, Carolina cold-cocked them early and they couldn't get in any rhythm after that. That's what that team does and all the Rangers can do is flush that one and try to pick up wins in the next two Original Six games, starting with Chicago on Thursday.

I'm so sorry they didn't play well for you last night. I'll try to make it up for you when they head out this way for the Coyotes March 30th.

Peace!

Quote from: kartanoman on January 03, 2024, 08:48:48 AMWe could joke around and suggest it was you; however, Carolina cold-cocked them early and they couldn't get in any rhythm after that. That's what that team does and all the Rangers can do is flush that one and try to pick up wins in the next two Original Six games, starting with Chicago on Thursday.

I'm so sorry they didn't play well for you last night. I'll try to make it up for you when they head out this way for the Coyotes March 30th.

Peace!

Haha. I appreciate that Kart. I've been going to games since the mid 80s. I've seen more than my fair share of clunkers.

I'll give the crowd credit though. Place remained pretty packed right up to the end, even though it was clearly over well before the end. And the booing wasn't too bad. Kind of hard to boo the team with the best record in hockey because of one bad night I guess.

Classy.

https://twitter.com/92In82/status/1742555232381333854

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on January 03, 2024, 12:59:29 PMClassy.

https://twitter.com/92In82/status/1742555232381333854

Having spent my mid-20s, and nearly my entire 30s in the deep south, dating back to the "My Cousin Vinny" era, you learn to appreciate the differences in your upbringing and look for the best in everyone. Sometimes, you run across a few happy-slappy folks whose elevator doesn't quite go all the way to the top floor. I will give this one-eyed fan the benefit of the doubt despite the very bad optics.

Pass the grits and live to play another day.

Peace!

Quote from: kartanoman on January 03, 2024, 01:36:53 PMHaving spent my mid-20s, and nearly my entire 30s in the deep south, dating back to the "My Cousin Vinny" era, you learn to appreciate the differences in your upbringing and look for the best in everyone. Sometimes, you run across a few happy-slappy folks whose elevator doesn't quite go all the way to the top floor. I will give this one-eyed fan the benefit of the doubt despite the very bad optics.

Pass the grits and live to play another day.

Peace!

I don't know Kart. Making fun of 9/11 is about as low as it gets. Hard to give anyone a pass or any benefit of any doubt for that.