Big Blue Huddle

Quote from: babywhales on December 22, 2023, 07:08:49 AMFYI
Promoted to 2nd line, my boy rose to the challenge and played great !

Played physical and aggressive all night, some real smart plays.

The highlight of the night was scoring the game winner to get his first high school Varsity goal vs their biggest rival .

Stepped up in a packed house vs their biggest rival

It was awesome

Congratulations man, that's awesome. Must be thrilling for you. Hope he and his team continue to thrive.

Well, for at least two periods, anyway, it looked like Jonathan Quick was going to rob Connor McDavid and the Oilers blind tonight. But once the first goal went in, the avalanche followed. That Oiler team completely ran roughshod over the Rangers in the 3rd and that was that.

Gotta shake it off and move on for Buffalo tomorrow.

Peace!

What a rotten third period.

Okay boys and girls. The unofficial beginning of the second half of the regular season begins tonight. We are about to be treated to some really really good hockey league wide from here on out. Our Rangers are a very very good team. This is no mirage. The last week or so before the break has seen a raising of the game to near playoff like level. Forget about the fumble in the 3rd against Edmonton, what was most important was the subsequent win against Buffalo. The Sabres are a fast, young, talented team that is better than their record. The Rangers are showing resilience, they don't let losses fester. In the third and OT Igor simply said NO. That bodes well. I've had the thought during the 1st half that the Rangers are not a fast enough skating team, and made up for a lack of speed with superb passing. I think I'm wrong, they are fast enough. Couple of things. I wish we could infuse a Nick Fotiu New York attitude into all these Rangers. Meaning combined with their talent is a mean, belligerent, nasty playing personna. Although I REALLY like Will Cuylle's game, I think we need one more piece like that with 15-20 goals ability. Play fu hockey. Cups are won with talent(I think they have enough), and equally important WILL. Treat the opposition as if they are just in the way, and you will do almost anything to get by. Take liberties with Lindgren(happens all the time) then be prepared for a xcheck to the mouth by one of his teammates. Shoulder checks instead of stick checks, particularly in Center Ice. Want to block a shot, well here it comes mother effer. Pray for no major injuries. I really like their third jersey. Evokes memories of the Giants' 86' home blue uniform. LGR.   

First half couldn't have gone much better.

I'm hoping for a good start to the second half tonight, although our track record of performing very well after a long break is not the greatest, so if we're not lights out tonight I won't be shocked or excessively worried.

After losing 2 of the first 4 games the blueshirts have gone 21-6-1,  pulling it together to date. Within that time the Rangers have risen to almost all of the challenges as they presented: long North west road trip, Avenged loses to the Leafs and wild within the week of their lose, beat Bruins after a game the night before, rallied around Quick when Igor was struggling, won with a minor league call up between the pipes, overcome injuries......

All that being said the style of play is the most exciting part of this team.  The team looks hungry, they are relentless, they win face offs, control the puck, crisp tic tac toe passing, they never look complacent, never satisfied, and up until 3 weeks ago they attack everywhere including a very impressive defense.

the team was simply shutting teams down with their 1-3-1 forecheck, forcing turnovers and blocking shots.  Sloppy defense has been an issue in December.  Neutral zone turnovers and worse turnovers in our own zone  have been an issue.

That in itself is my biggest question mark I have? The Rangers have responded to almost ever challenge before them, but will they respond and start playing the same stifling defense they did in October and November?

 If they do look out cause they can be ridiculously good.

I also wonder if Drury will add a Defensemen or a wing or let Wheeler continue to evolve his game?

I have to open rink tonight for open skate so I look forward to hearing your comment's on tonight's game.

Go Rangers!!


 

Actually, wait a second. Why is this the halfway point of the season? They've played 32 games. Season is 82 games, no?

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on December 27, 2023, 03:11:30 PMActually, wait a second. Why is this the halfway point of the season? They've played 32 games. Season is 82 games, no?

The beginning of my post says "unofficial beginning of the second half". I've heard the turn of the year being considered as the start of the second half.

Quote from: files58 on December 27, 2023, 03:47:09 PMThe beginning of my post says "unofficial beginning of the second half". I've heard the turn of the year being considered as the start of the second half.

Fair enough.

Well, retribution for 0-4 achieved. Rangers taking it to the Caps 5-1 with five minutes to go.

A scoreless first period, bookend goals by Miller and an outstanding performance by Igor. Just a great team effort with a superb defensive performance.

The Bread man, Schneider and Lafreniere all scored with the Z-man assisting on two. Of concern was Trouba leaving the game early with an upper body injury.

The Rangers continue to lead the NHL in wins and are tied for best in points pending Vancouver's game.

Florida and Tampa back to back Friday and Saturday. Great tests for the Rangers coming up!

Peace!

Excellent performance after a blah first period. Very well done. The first Miller goal was amazing. Loved the way Schneider played tonight too and the way he stepped up after the Trouba injury. Mika and Bread were great as usual.

Quote from: kartanoman on December 02, 2023, 09:08:24 PMAs good as this was, the real test comes tomorrow with that San Jose team whom the Blueshirts seem to struggle against. But a win would be a nice lead-in to the Ottawa road trip for Tuesday and then the quick breather before a "murderer's row" schedule of Washington (away), LA Kings (home), Toronto (home), Anaheim (home), Boston (away), Toronto (away), Edmonton and Buffalo home before Christmas. The Rangers have proven they can play with the best in the league as well as overcome teams which have had their number in the past. They won't win every game but they remain 8-2-0 in their last 10 which is very impressive given whom they've played in those 10 games. Their next big test is to compete against the other contenders whom they haven't played yet. In the Metro, that would obviously be Washington. Over in the Atlantic, in addition to the rematch in Boston Garden, they have to play Florida, Tampa and Toronto. In the Western - Central, they will get another crack at Dallas at home, but will have to play St. Louis and, of course, Colorado. Finally, in the Western - Pacific, the Kings are just around the corner and, on January 26, a hot ticket at the Garden when the Stanley Cup Champion Golden Knights come to town for what could be a battle of the best in each conference and, dare we suggest, a Stanley Cup final fantasy preview? Personally, I'd hold out for a NYR-Colorado series myself, but beggars cannot be choosers. The way this season is playing out so far, there's no reason to think beyond tomorrow night, and remember today's big comeback win.

One final observation. I guess it's good for Igor to get a series of games under his belt to get back in rhythm after recovering from his injury. As good as Quickie has been, the Rangers will go the distance on Igor's back. Seeing him in the third period today reminded me of his outstanding 2021-22 campaign.

Back to the Garden to take the teeth out of the Sharks tomorrow night!

Peace!

They went 5-3 in your murderer's row. 6-3 if you count tonight.

Quote from: coggs on December 27, 2023, 11:09:28 PMThey went 5-3 in your murderer's row. 6-3 if you count tonight.

The two Florida teams, in their respective rinks, are part of that row. It continues through their west coast road trip and culminates with the reigning Champs in Sin City. Let's chat about it more then. For now, so far, so good.

Peace!

Miller is a player who when he is on impresses the hell out of me. The downside is that he is not infrequently guilty of defensive lapses. I feel like he's improved a bit on that front this year (although no doubt he has definitely had his share of bad moments or even entire games). His talent is undeniable though, and he's still just 23.

Laffy needs to get to 25 goals this year for me to feel better about his development and outlook than I did a year ago. He has definitely improved this year but has not been that consistent. He is getting plenty of ice time and is playing with better players and is also on the PP2 unit, so he really has no excuses at this point.

Any update on the significance of the Trouba injury? Schneider definitely stepped up after he went out, but I hope he's not out for a while. He's a big part of our defensive corps and we need him for his toughness and mean streak.

Wilson is an easy player for Rangers fans to hate, and we should, but he is pretty darn good.

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on December 28, 2023, 07:41:57 AMMiller is a player who when he is on impresses the hell out of me. The downside is that he is not infrequently guilty of defensive lapses. I feel like he's improved a bit on that front this year (although no doubt he has definitely had his share of bad moments or even entire games). His talent is undeniable though, and he's still just 23.

Laffy needs to get to 25 goals this year for me to feel better about his development and outlook than I did a year ago. He has definitely improved this year but has not been that consistent. He is getting plenty of ice time and is playing with better players and is also on the PP2 unit, so he really has no excuses at this point.

Any update on the significance of the Trouba injury? Schneider definitely stepped up after he went out, but I hope he's not out for a while. He's a big part of our defensive corps and we need him for his toughness and mean streak.

Wilson is an easy player for Rangers fans to hate, and we should, but he is pretty darn good.

The PP2 unit generally only gets about :40 per every 2 mins and that is if they actually get on before the PP1 scores.