NFT: NY Rangers 2023 - 2024 Season

[coggs]

If you knew this team was winning this game during the second intermission, kudos to you, but feel free to share that prediction in real time next time. Any dope can call people out with the gotchas after the fact.

Let's just say I have been very good at the reverse jinx this year.  I mention a player is playing like xxxx and then he scores.  Yesterday at end of 2nd I said, "time to work your magic." Texted my wife to ask if she wanted to go to the game on saturday.  Hit send, and I knew we were good.

On a serious note, they have been the best comeback team in the league this year and "momentum" can shift VERY quickly.  Hence why the analytics people do not believe in momentum or players being hot and cold as an indicator of a future outcome.

[DaveBrown74]

Let's just say I have been very good at the reverse jinx this year.  I mention a player is playing like xxxx and then he scores.  Yesterday at end of 2nd I said, "time to work your magic." Texted my wife to ask if she wanted to go to the game on saturday.  Hit send, and I knew we were good.

On a serious note, they have been the best comeback team in the league this year and "momentum" can shift VERY quickly.  Hence why the analytics people do not believe in momentum or players being hot and cold as an indicator of a future outcome.

Ok, fair enough.

So maybe the three of us in this thread putting those emotional posts up in-game contributed in some cosmic way to the comeback then lol.

I'm rooting for the Bruins hard tonight. Even if the Panthers end up winning the series, I want the Rangers to have an edge on the rest/recovery/practice front. At this stage in the playoffs every day matters IMO. I remember when we beat the Hurricanes in seven in the second round two years ago and then had to start the series against the Lightning two days later. Yes, we did get up 2-0 in that series, but we were pretty worn out by game three. Hopefully that won't be the case this time.

That win was magical last night though. Definitely one of the most thrilling I have seen from this team in 40 years as a fan.

[nb587]

Is Igor expected to stop the shots that are wide or high, on top of the ones that are on net?

Igor, and other goalies , regularly stop shots that would go wide or high.  Every goalie considers themselves lucky when a shot hits the post or a crossbar.

[coggs]

Igor, and other goalies , regularly stop shots that would go wide or high.  Every goalie considers themselves lucky when a shot hits the post or a crossbar.

I see.  So, he should stop the SOG and the not SOG.  Does that mean Carolina was lucky to stretch it to 5 with the 3 posts the Rangers hit in game 4? 

[coggs]

I think quote from Barclay Goodrow sums it up.  From The Athletic, but I am sure several other places have it as well:

"'They're a great team," said Barclay Goodrow, who finally eased the tension with a 143-foot empty-netter with 48.1 seconds left. "It's not like we go up 3-0 and they're going to roll over and quit. They're a really good team and we knew they were going to fight back. We maybe had a letdown game last game but I think throughout the season, whenever that's happened, we've rebounded and came back stronger the next game.'"

[EDjohnst1981]

ECF final starts Wednesday according to the TNT broadcast. That's a nice rest for the Rangers.

[coggs]

ECF final starts Wednesday according to the TNT broadcast. That's a nice rest for the Rangers.

Yup.  Wed-Fri-Sun-tues-thurs-sat-mon

[nb587]

Yup.  Wed-Fri-Sun-tues-thurs-sat-mon

Rangers vs Florida Panthers

[Rosehill Jimmy]

I still find it odd that a shot that hits the iron is not recorded as an official SOG

[kartanoman]

If you knew this team was winning this game during the second intermission, kudos to you, but feel free to share that prediction in real time next time. Any dope can call people out with the gotchas after the fact.

Hey, I think coggs is playing with you, more than anything else, but every one of us here were ecstatic at game's end. Whether, fan for fan, we're taking tabs on who's predicting what, in the end, who really cares, anyway?

Look, we all process our lack of patience or frustration differently. That we can express it here freely, and can kid each other about it after, doesn't change the fact we all have an underlying respect for each other, if not a kinmanship.

You know, I was all riled up early on about destroying the "Paper Champions" and stirring that thing around. But, as the series went on, I grew to enjoy the fight in Carolina and their clawing their way back into the series. I came to realize this series was the best of the NHL, so far, and everyone outside the fans of both of those teams have have watched and admired the intensity the two teams brought. So, I freed myself from the emotions, as much as I could, and just sat back and appreciated the game and the skill of both teams. The game didn't disappoint and neither did our boys when it counted most.

Now, we can celebrate another milestone as the Rangers get the Panthers in the semifinals. It's an appropriate matchup and one that has been destined since the 4-3 shootout Ranger win.

So now the discussion turns to how this Rangers team is going to win four games against this Panthers team who has the speed, the shooters, the goons and an excellent goalie. This series won't be for the feint of heart! If the Rangers are truly a team of destiny, they'll find a way.

Peace!

[coggs]

I still find it odd that a shot that hits the iron is not recorded as an official SOG

By rule, it is a SOG if it would have gone it the net had the goalie not touched it.  So, if the goalie does get a piece of it and the puck hits the post, it is a SOG.  If it goes straight to the post, then without the goalie it still would not have been a goal.  The discrepancy is sometimes if the official scorer thinks a shot was going wide, and the goalie gets a piece of it.  Some will rule it a SOG, some will not.

[coggs]

Hey, I think coggs is playing with you, more than anything else, but every one of us here were ecstatic at game's end. Whether, fan for fan, we're taking tabs on who's predicting what, in the end, who really cares, anyway?

Look, we all process our lack of patience or frustration differently. That we can express it here freely, and can kid each other about it after, doesn't change the fact we all have an underlying respect for each other, if not a kinmanship.

You know, I was all riled up early on about destroying the "Paper Champions" and stirring that thing around. But, as the series went on, I grew to enjoy the fight in Carolina and their clawing their way back into the series. I came to realize this series was the best of the NHL, so far, and everyone outside the fans of both of those teams have have watched and admired the intensity the two teams brought. So, I freed myself from the emotions, as much as I could, and just sat back and appreciated the game and the skill of both teams. The game didn't disappoint and neither did our boys when it counted most.

Now, we can celebrate another milestone as the Rangers get the Panthers in the semifinals. It's an appropriate matchup and one that has been destined since the 4-3 shootout Ranger win.

So now the discussion turns to how this Rangers team is going to win four games against this Panthers team who has the speed, the shooters, the goons and an excellent goalie. This series won't be for the feint of heart! If the Rangers are truly a team of destiny, they'll find a way.

Peace!

Yes and no.  The doom and gloom of Rangers fans is just tiring.  Up 3-1, have a bad game and everyone sucks.  The GM sucks for not trading for a top-6 forward (because that worked out well last year).  Rangers fans expect them to win every game by 4+ goals, score the first two goals of every game in the first 5 minutes.  Never allow the opponent to get closer than 1 goal.  Score on every PP, kill every penatly.  Win the Corsi battle 95-5, have every zone entry result in a HDSC and a goal.  I could go on and I am only slightly exaggerating. 

Here are their results this year:  https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/NYR/2024_games.html

They literally had ONE losing streak of more than 2 games.  It was a 4-gamer that started with a SO Loss.  Aside from that, only 5 times where they had back-to-back losses and in 2 of those cases there was a SO/OT loss. 

[DaveBrown74]

Yes and no.  The doom and gloom of Rangers fans is just tiring.  Up 3-1, have a bad game and everyone sucks.  The GM sucks for not trading for a top-6 forward (because that worked out well last year).  Rangers fans expect them to win every game by 4+ goals, score the first two goals of every game in the first 5 minutes.  Never allow the opponent to get closer than 1 goal.  Score on every PP, kill every penatly.  Win the Corsi battle 95-5, have every zone entry result in a HDSC and a goal.  I could go on and I am only slightly exaggerating. 

Here are their results this year:  https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/NYR/2024_games.html

They literally had ONE losing streak of more than 2 games.  It was a 4-gamer that started with a SO Loss.  Aside from that, only 5 times where they had back-to-back losses and in 2 of those cases there was a SO/OT loss. 

I would say this thread has been almost nothing but a cascade of high praise this year, so unless you're referring to other Rangers fans outside of this thread, I would say the above is a misrepresentation or, at best, a wild exaggeration. I can think of a number of occasions this season where the Rangers had a bad night, and people here generally had the attitude of "rough night, but no big deal. Shake it off and move on to the next one."

The bottom line is fans know this team is very talented, and so expectations are naturally very high. Fans also recognize that the top of the Eastern Conference is highly competitive, but regardless, if the Rangers' final game in this postseason is a loss, people are unquestionably going to be disappointed for a period of time. I would not say that makes them gloom and doom mongers or disloyal or unfair fans. It makes them fans that were optimistic about their team given its roster and coaching who didn't quite get the outcome they were hoping for. Nothing wrong with that. They're still loyal, good fans who are not going anywhere.

As a means of comparison, I am also a Knicks fan. I have been nothing but delighted with the season they have had relative to expectations and considering their severely bad injury luck this year, but in no way do I expect them to go any further than the Eastern Conference Finals (if they make it). I just happen to feel the Rangers have a higher ceiling than that.

[kartanoman]

They literally had ONE losing streak of more than 2 games.  It was a 4-gamer that started with a SO Loss.  Aside from that, only 5 times where they had back-to-back losses and in 2 of those cases there was a SO/OT loss.

I've got your back on the bigger picture, here, coggs. In fact, if you look at that losing streak, it came after that scorching October/November performance where they went into a collective funk of inconsistency and actually lost five of six. The Canadiens loss was not a bad one, by any means, as they played well, but the Habs were on fire that Saturday night. It wasn't until after the embarrassment in Vegas, and the team letting down Quickie in his return to LA, where they finally woke up, and the huge shootout win in Colorado against the Avs set them on their way (i.e. insert 10-game winning streak here) to where we are today, in my opinion.

Now that we know it's Florida that stands in between the Rangers and a Cup Final berth, we can to a man, honestly state that Florida's credentials, plus their wanting to get back to the Finals to finish the job, makes them a valid favorite in this series. They don't have the hardware, but they are no "Paper Champion" either. Of all the teams in the East, going into the playoffs, both Florida teams (i.e. Panthers and Bolts) represented the biggest challenges for the Rangers should they cross paths (NOTE: I respect the Canes, but I already knew the Rangers could account for them, which they did). So now it's Florida.

A brief (NOTE: good-ending) re-introduction:

There were two others that went to the Cats which ended up close on the scoreboard, but the Rangers chased them in both games.

The shootout win was also made possible by notable absences in Florida's lineup at the time.  They'll be coming into the Garden with a full deck, this time, and, even playing short in the March 23 game, their relentless attacking, which saw them jump ahead 3-2 with four minutes left, is representative of the same style play they put Boston away for good with last night. The defense cannot give them the space in front of Igor, nor the swath between there and the point or the Cats will eat them alive.

They're going to have to figure out how to rattle Bobrovsky and capitalize. This shootout win showed some opportunity on how to do it that, in the other two games, they hadn't quite figured it out. Again, their special teams will be the catalyst in solving that puzzle. For the short-handed goals they pulled off against Washington and Carolina, they're going to have a much harder time with Florida's power play who have the speed and physical brute force to shut down the breaks the Rangers capitalized on.

This will be the series where the Breadman can stamp himself into Ranger lore forever if he can make an impact.

My concerns with Foxy not being 100% may end up being the difference in this series, but whether or not they use Jones to spell him remains to be seen. Note that he played in the March 23 game and held his own, for the most part.

Again, I'm not making any predictions about the upcoming series. We're back to where we were, two years ago, against a tough, physical team who can skate, shoot the puck and score, along with intimidate with brute force. That Rangers' team literally ran out of gas. This one has a sense of purpose. These two teams finished first in their respective divisions and, as such, have earned the right to be here. So, let them play, starting Wednesday, and may it be a great battle of hockey that does the league, and its fans, proud, regardless of the winner.

Having said all that, LGR!

Peace!

[files58]

Florida will try to do the same thing to Panarin/Fox that they did to Marchand. Bennet got away with it. Maurice is a very good coach who desperately wants his name on the chalice. The Rangers raised the level of their game in the 3rd, they will need to keep their game on the incline. I noticed during the Cane series Fox was not coming down the boards like usual until that third period. Maybe he's getting closer to healed. There will be a ton of hitting this series. I hope the refs are legitimate in their calls, and no cheapies. Here's where Goodrow's Cup experience comes in handy. Florida is a really really good team. It will be interesting to see how many Ranger fans travel to Sunrise for the game and to see their grandparents.