Big Blue Huddle

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on March 17, 2024, 10:05:26 AMLame move by the NHL to give Rempe four games instead of three. They should have wanted him back for the Isles game today. Ok, I'm biased, but this would be the perfect game for him to be coming back for.

I still don't even know what Trouba's injury even is, other than the usual vague "lower body" injury stuff. I have no idea when he's coming back, except that they're optimistic they'll have him for the playoffs, which is still several weeks away. I wish we had a bit more transparency.

I actually thought Quick played very well yesterday, despite allowing four goals. None of the goals were really on him, and he made some very nice saves. I do agree the D was a bit subpar in this game, but overall I thought we looked good. Both teams played well I thought.

Carolina continues to win and has a higher goal differential on the year than we do. Our win there was huge last week, but we have no room for complacency if we want to win this division. You know the Isles are going to show up today. We need another big effort. I know the schedule and lack of rest time is tough right now, but this is go time.

I'll log my thoughts as the Rangers finish taking care of business against the Islanders.

The Trouba injury was a mystery from the moment we learned about it. But I think he now has incentive to work himself back sooner now that Lindgren's knee/MCL will likely ensure he will be done for the foreseeable future pending good fortune.

Quickie's performance yesterday, and Igor's performance today, continue to demonstrate why the Rangers have arguably the best goalie tandem in the NHL which is a point in their success so far this season.

Today's game plan was to play it simple, and it started that way and was working until the short-handed goal by Horvat gave the Isles a shot in the arm and the lead at the end of the first. But when the Rangers turned it on, to start the second, with the sequence that resulted in Z-man's goal in the first 30 seconds set the tone for everything which followed. It was good to see the goals spread out among the players today with Cuylle and Brodzinski scoring and another from Kakko. That these second and third line players continue to score will be needed against the powerhouse teams the Rangers will face over the next two weeks.

So, it's on to Powerhouse Week #1. Winnipeg on Tuesday, will be their second of a five game road trip for them. Hopefully Columbus takes it to them today. Tough matchup but should be a playoff atmosphere at the Garden; Hellebuyck vs. Shesterkin, battle of two of the best in the league.

Peace!

I'm glad we took care of business against an inferior opponent today, and there were definitely some good performances worthy of mention, but this was really bittersweet as the Lindgren injury is a huge concern. I think he may be the most underappreciated player on the team. We're not the same without him.

The one positive is that unlike in some recent past years, we have pretty good defensive depth this year. Zac Jones has developed into a pretty nice player, our 6th D spot is no longer a weak link (Gustaffson is good), and we have Chad Ruhewedel from the trade. Still though, this loss sucks if it's as serious an injury as I'm worried it might be. Hoping for the best and that it's just a bad sprain and it's a 2-3 week thing. I fear worse than that though.

Athletic article on the current situation:


Ryan Lindgren injury overshadows Rangers' great effort in win over Islanders



By Arthur Staple
42m ago


NEW YORK — As the New York Rangers have piled up the wins since the All-Star break — they're now 15-3-1 since the start of February — they've been a curious team. They still have some of the most elite talent in the league and that talent is still performing at a high level, but the Rangers haven't defended well.

Coming into Sunday's game with the New York Islanders, the Rangers ranked 29th in the league in expected goals against at five-on-five in February and March. During December and January, when the Rangers had an 11-12-2 record, they ranked 16th in the league in xGA. It's been the Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick show, for the most part, during this terrific stretch.

But they were very good defensively on Sunday, even after suffering a potentially huge loss when Ryan Lindgren had to be helped off the ice in the second period following a collision with Jean-Gabriel Pageau in the Rangers end.

Lindgren is as tough as they come in this league and he's usually able to recover, whether it's a stick to the face or something more serious. He memorably returned from a high-ankle sprain in just eight days, coming back into the lineup when the Rangers were down 3-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the playoffs. He didn't miss a game the rest of the way even though he was clearly compromised.

Perhaps he can recover from this nasty-looking leg injury. Peter Laviolette would only say Lindgren was "being evaluated" and there is just over a month until the playoffs begin. But for a defense corps already missing Jacob Trouba for at least another week, losing Lindgren would be a big blow.

If the Rangers can defend the way they did on Sunday, they can withstand the Lindgren loss for a while. The Rangers didn't just defend in their own end — they were up the ice turning pucks over and rolling through shifts that didn't see their end of the ice. They've been one of the worst teams defending the rush all season and gave up hardly anything in that area on Sunday; rather they stuck to Laviolette's 1-3-1 structure better than they have for a while now, even using the tight neutral zone to turn the play back on the Isles when Lindgren sent Will Cuylle in for a second-period goal.

Laviolette made a tweak to his bottom six, swapping Jonny Brodzinski and Will Cuylle to create a matchup-checking line of Cuylle-Barclay Goodrow–Jimmy Vesey and a third line with Kaapo Kakko, Alex Wennberg and Brodzinski. That third line contributed two goals, one from Brodzinski on a deflection and one from Kakko on a strong play off the wall; both were crucial, with Brodzinski's breaking a 2-2 tie and Kakko's giving the Rangers a 4-2 lead in the third.

Chad Ruhwedel will almost surely make his Rangers debut on Tuesday against the Jets. Perhaps the need for a left-shot defenseman feels a bit stronger now with Lindgren's potential absence, but the trade market yielded what it could on deadline day; Erik Gustafsson would move back to the left, presumably with Fox, while Zac Jones and Ruhwedel would form a third pair, at least until Trouba is ready to return.

The Rangers finished a gauntlet of six games in eight-plus days at 5-1-0. They are still buoyed by their goalie tandem — Shesterkin's outing on Sunday put him at a .941 save percentage in 13 starts since his extended All-Star break and Quick isn't too far behind at .919. Artemi Panarin is on a mission for his first 40-goal and 100-point season. Fox has quietly put together a resume that should still have him in the top five of Norris Trophy voting despite missing 10 games in November. Mika Zibanejad is starting to heat up, at even strength no less.

Now they may be down a key defenseman. They have handled everything thrown at them this season as they march toward a possible Metro Division title and a hoped-for lengthy playoff run. If they can defend the way they did on Sunday, better than they have at almost any time in the last six weeks, it's hard to call them anything but a Stanley Cup contender.

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on March 17, 2024, 06:07:35 PMAthletic article on the current situation:


Ryan Lindgren injury overshadows Rangers' great effort in win over Islanders



By Arthur Staple
42m ago


NEW YORK — As the New York Rangers have piled up the wins since the All-Star break — they're now 15-3-1 since the start of February — they've been a curious team. They still have some of the most elite talent in the league and that talent is still performing at a high level, but the Rangers haven't defended well.

Coming into Sunday's game with the New York Islanders, the Rangers ranked 29th in the league in expected goals against at five-on-five in February and March. During December and January, when the Rangers had an 11-12-2 record, they ranked 16th in the league in xGA. It's been the Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick show, for the most part, during this terrific stretch.

But they were very good defensively on Sunday, even after suffering a potentially huge loss when Ryan Lindgren had to be helped off the ice in the second period following a collision with Jean-Gabriel Pageau in the Rangers end.

Lindgren is as tough as they come in this league and he's usually able to recover, whether it's a stick to the face or something more serious. He memorably returned from a high-ankle sprain in just eight days, coming back into the lineup when the Rangers were down 3-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the playoffs. He didn't miss a game the rest of the way even though he was clearly compromised.

Perhaps he can recover from this nasty-looking leg injury. Peter Laviolette would only say Lindgren was "being evaluated" and there is just over a month until the playoffs begin. But for a defense corps already missing Jacob Trouba for at least another week, losing Lindgren would be a big blow.

If the Rangers can defend the way they did on Sunday, they can withstand the Lindgren loss for a while. The Rangers didn't just defend in their own end — they were up the ice turning pucks over and rolling through shifts that didn't see their end of the ice. They've been one of the worst teams defending the rush all season and gave up hardly anything in that area on Sunday; rather they stuck to Laviolette's 1-3-1 structure better than they have for a while now, even using the tight neutral zone to turn the play back on the Isles when Lindgren sent Will Cuylle in for a second-period goal.

Laviolette made a tweak to his bottom six, swapping Jonny Brodzinski and Will Cuylle to create a matchup-checking line of Cuylle-Barclay Goodrow–Jimmy Vesey and a third line with Kaapo Kakko, Alex Wennberg and Brodzinski. That third line contributed two goals, one from Brodzinski on a deflection and one from Kakko on a strong play off the wall; both were crucial, with Brodzinski's breaking a 2-2 tie and Kakko's giving the Rangers a 4-2 lead in the third.

Chad Ruhwedel will almost surely make his Rangers debut on Tuesday against the Jets. Perhaps the need for a left-shot defenseman feels a bit stronger now with Lindgren's potential absence, but the trade market yielded what it could on deadline day; Erik Gustafsson would move back to the left, presumably with Fox, while Zac Jones and Ruhwedel would form a third pair, at least until Trouba is ready to return.

The Rangers finished a gauntlet of six games in eight-plus days at 5-1-0. They are still buoyed by their goalie tandem — Shesterkin's outing on Sunday put him at a .941 save percentage in 13 starts since his extended All-Star break and Quick isn't too far behind at .919. Artemi Panarin is on a mission for his first 40-goal and 100-point season. Fox has quietly put together a resume that should still have him in the top five of Norris Trophy voting despite missing 10 games in November. Mika Zibanejad is starting to heat up, at even strength no less.

Now they may be down a key defenseman. They have handled everything thrown at them this season as they march toward a possible Metro Division title and a hoped-for lengthy playoff run. If they can defend the way they did on Sunday, better than they have at almost any time in the last six weeks, it's hard to call them anything but a Stanley Cup contender.

Are we surprised that the Rangers are hush-hush about the extent of his knee injury this morning? Given the way he twisted his knee, as he went down, it's either the ACL or MCL and we have to hope it was just a sprain vs. a tear or, worse, a rupture.

Keeping my ear to the grindstone for news but it does look like Chad Ruhwedel will get his opportunity now. He'll have his work cut out for him but this is the time and place for unsung heroes to step up when the bell is rung.

Getting antsy already about the three big matchups this week!

Peace!

I'm surprised we haven't gotten a definitive diagnosis on Lindgren yet.

The optimist in me says this is good news, or, at least, not the worst news. If he tore his ACL, I don't see any reason to be cloak and dagger about it. He's obviously done for the season and the playoffs, if that is the injury, no ifs ands or butts. I know Lindgren is tough but nobody comes back from an ACL in two months. Not even close.

The reason to be quiet about it, as I see it, is if it's not a tear but some sort of a sprain, and they want to get a realistic prognosis before going public.

When an athlete has an ACL tear, you almost always for sure know within 24 hours. In fact, they usually have a good idea before the player has even had an MRI. You usually see headlines like "The Browns fear the worst with Nick Chubb", etc. We haven't seen anything like that here.

Don't get me wrong - I don't think we'll see Lindgren on the ice for a while. Very possibly for the rest of this season and the entirety of the playoffs. But I don't see why they would withhold telling the media/public if he tore his ACL. What would be the point of that?

BOOM!!

https://twitter.com/MollieeWalkerr/status/1769832913107841057

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on March 18, 2024, 07:12:16 PMBOOM!!

https://twitter.com/MollieeWalkerr/status/1769832913107841057

So, it sounds like it was a sprain. Man, he is one tough son-of-a-gun! When the blade of his skate locked his foot into the ice, and the knee twisted/hyper-extended as he went down, it was not a good look at all. It's probably swollen but good and some minor tears to the ligament; rehab and recovery with a pro sports doctor, trainer and the best equipment available (e.g. hyperbaric chambers) will accelerate his recovery time but you're talking two to four weeks, depending on the extent of the swelling.

Thank you for posting as it's very good news. What's not so good is that the proverbial "next man up" has got their hands full tomorrow with the opponent's ridiculously hot #1 and #2 lines which were reinforced at the end of the trade deadline. The papers have talked about Rangers' depth; tomorrow will be a litmus test for certain.

Peace!

As they showed the first replay of Lindgren going down, I instantly thought of the Potvin hit on Ulf Nilsson as the Rangers started looking toward the 79 playoffs.

An otherwise hit of no regard leaving the ranger flat on the ice only to be helped off

Glad the news was so good.

The upcoming three game tilt is off the charts. 

I am excited to see how the team matches up, even with missing Lindgren and Trouba.

Quote from: babywhales on March 19, 2024, 10:01:59 AMAs they showed the first replay of Lindgren going down, I instantly thought of the Potvin hit on Ulf Nilsson as the Rangers started looking toward the 79 playoffs.

An otherwise hit of no regard leaving the ranger flat on the ice only to be helped off

Glad the news was so good.

The upcoming three game tilt is off the charts. 

I am excited to see how the team matches up, even with missing Lindgren and Trouba.

Don't remind me of Ulfie going down. Had that play never occurred, he and my man Anders Hedberg would have given Montreal a tougher time in the finals and, perhaps, the Rangers would have been more dynamic in the early 80s. His career was cut short by the injury and eventually so did Hedberg's. Both teamed up with Bobby Hull in Winnipeg, during the WHA era, and were the deadliest line in all of hockey at the time. That line, alone, was responsible for back to back AVCO Cups and Hull tried to join the Rangers for a brief reunion in the pre-season of 1981, but glory days had long passed him by.

With Winnipeg coming into the Garden tonight, I always think back to their history and am grateful that they signed Nilsson and Hedberg from Sweden and brought them to North America. It's a small tie to the Rangers for which I will always tip my hat to them, and occasionally wear my vintage 1970s throwback Hedberg Winnipeg Jets jersey. But not for tonight! I had the third jersey customized for old #15 and I'm wearing that tonight in support of the Blueshirts.

Peace!

And Hellebuyck does it again on the big stage in out-dueling Igor. Once the first goal went in, they went to work in shutting down the Rangers, but giving them a power play was a mistake and the Rangers tied it up. But the Jets scored on their own power play and further extended the lead when they continues to smother the Rangers' attack.

But credit Hellebuyck for shutting down the Rangers and adding to his Vezina Trophy credentials. They are going to be a tough draw in the playoffs.

Peace!

That guy Hellebuyuck is a menace!  Against mere mortals the Rangers would have jumped ahead in that first period but against this freak...not so much.  Not a terrible performance, though the late penalty was a bit of a bummer, but they held their own and created plenty of chances just couldn't get it past that goalie.

Quote from: Gmo11 on March 20, 2024, 10:09:02 AMThat guy Hellebuyuck is a menace!  Against mere mortals the Rangers would have jumped ahead in that first period but against this freak...not so much.  Not a terrible performance, though the late penalty was a bit of a bummer, but they held their own and created plenty of chances just couldn't get it past that goalie.

Last season, it was very early on (October?) where Winnipeg came into the Garden and Hellebuyck was doing cartwheels and stopped everything in sight. He ended up with an unheard of 52 (if I remember correctly) saves and left the Rangers completely stymied as the Jets stole the win that day. Since then, I've kept tabs on the Jets and they have shored up their #1 and #2 lines and can match up with anyone in the league if their goalie continues to play like he did last night. In spite of all of that, the Rangers were a few inches away from tying the game in the end.

Most Pro Hockey new coverage today just loved the matchup and thought the first two periods were playoff-calibur hockey on display. The Rangers didn't let anyone down last night. They played one of the league's best and hung in there. Now they have to shake it off and get ready for Boston who is gunning for them.

Peace!

Okay so I've never coached a minute of a hockey game, and I can't skate so the following is based on observation, and 50+ years of watching hockey. Lav should make an alteration to their own zone breakout. The opp is now pressuring our deemen quickly with two forecheckers, Tampa did it, and Winn. did it last night. The Rangers need to move the puck forward quicker, quicker decisions. No passing laterally between deemen, and no going back behind the net. This creates opportunity for errors, and leads to being pinned in their own zone. Just get the damn puck out of the zone. I know Lav likes the puck possession game, but sometimes....
Miller misses Trouba, he's making brain fart plays in both the dee and offensive zones. Too many risky xice passes, and he's not the only one. The puck must be kept in front, and going forward, drop passes are becoming dangerous. Especially against these good teams. Finally, and I may catch some hell for this, but every once in a while use the puck as a weapon. Tampa did it a few times the other day. They hit Lindbergh, and Laffy who were in a direct line, whereas the Rangers look to move to find a lane to shoot. It's part of the f/u attitude that Tampa has from their Cup winning days. It's what makes them very dangerous. The will part of winning a Cup. Look I want the opp to haveto keep their heads' up while taking a piss in their locker rooms between periods. Pressure, pressure, take the rules to their very limit, and add a little gray area sometimes, more pressure. There are a bunch of really good teams, Rangers among them. The team that gets some puck luck, and displays the most WILL will hoist the chalice.

Quote from: files58 on March 20, 2024, 01:53:26 PMOkay so I've never coached a minute of a hockey game, and I can't skate so the following is based on observation, and 50+ years of watching hockey. Lav should make an alteration to their own zone breakout. The opp is now pressuring our deemen quickly with two forecheckers, Tampa did it, and Winn. did it last night. The Rangers need to move the puck forward quicker, quicker decisions. No passing laterally between deemen, and no going back behind the net. This creates opportunity for errors, and leads to being pinned in their own zone. Just get the damn puck out of the zone. I know Lav likes the puck possession game, but sometimes....
Miller misses Trouba, he's making brain fart plays in both the dee and offensive zones. Too many risky xice passes, and he's not the only one. The puck must be kept in front, and going forward, drop passes are becoming dangerous. Especially against these good teams. Finally, and I may catch some hell for this, but every once in a while use the puck as a weapon. Tampa did it a few times the other day. They hit Lindbergh, and Laffy who were in a direct line, whereas the Rangers look to move to find a lane to shoot. It's part of the f/u attitude that Tampa has from their Cup winning days. It's what makes them very dangerous. The will part of winning a Cup. Look I want the opp to haveto keep their heads' up while taking a piss in their locker rooms between periods. Pressure, pressure, take the rules to their very limit, and add a little gray area sometimes, more pressure. There are a bunch of really good teams, Rangers among them. The team that gets some puck luck, and displays the most WILL will hoist the chalice.

Your post has merit with me and I yelled at Miller on more than one occasion last night to stop being cute playing around with the puck in his defensive zone and move it out. But, there he was, playing keep-away from the Jet forwards who got wise early and, to your point, started smothering him and his defensive teammates into turning it over and creating heat in front of Igor. That he was able to match Hellebuyck save for save was only going to last so long and, sure enough, the first one went in.

People might have forgotten that the Rangers completed their historic five-game clean sweep of their Western Canadian hosts, back in October, with a stunning OT win in Winnipeg's building. You don't think those guys came in last night with that in the back of their minds, with thoughts of pulling off their own road trip sweep of the Northeast? Last night's game was monumental to them in many ways and we all witnessed what Vezina Trophy-level play is all about, with no disrespect to Igor. I've kept watch on Connor Hellebuyck and he started the season slow but is now playing at the top of his game, as he demonstrated last night. It wouldn't have mattered had Trouba been in the lineup. In the last two outings at the Garden, he has put on clinics which have left the Rangers stunned.

It's on to Boston and, as strange as it sounds, is a must-win game as they do not want to face Florida after dropping two in a row. They last played in their building in mid December and walked out a winner in OT. It should be another good one.

Peace!

At this point I just want everyone healthy for the playoffs. I'm not saying I don't care at all about seeding, but it's not nearly as important to me as it is to have everyone healthy. Ideally I hope Lindgren and Trouba are both back with at least 5-6 regular season games yet to get everything cohesive again, but frankly as long as they're ready for game one of the first series and as long as everyone is healthy, I'm fine. I know this team can compete with anyone when it's all hands on deck. They've already proven that to me. But if these current injuries linger and turn into issues that push into the playoffs, that will concern me. Being down our top two defensive defensemen is a problem.