Quote from: files58 on Today at 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!