Good morning, boneheads!
While this game was unfolding, I thought to myself: wow, these two are really top echelon, elite teams in the East. I know there are still Carolina, Toronto, Florida, maybe a couple of more. But these two teams finished 1-2 in the East, and they are still 1-2. Remains to determine in what order.
Few thoughts:
- Both teams came out with purpose, Tampa had more jump, and pressured for the first 5 minutes. But the Rangers picked up, and they were the better team since, I thought. Both teams battled, unexpectedly hard for the first game of the season. I think they wanted to prove they belong up on top. Prove to both the opposing team and themselves.
- Too early to take apart game stats, but you have to like what you saw. Especially 39 to 26 shots, and 63.8% on FO. I was especially looking at Trocheck. He seemed to have won a few important FOs in the O-zone. Nice to see.
- Speaking of Trocheck. I think it will be fine at the end, but it will take some time for him to adjust to Panarin. This isn’t going to be an instant chemistry. Trocheck is a puck possession guy, he has to realize this is Panarin’s job on that line. He made a few mistakes here and there, but he did fine overall. He can be physical, and he can work the wall. He helped to keep the puck in the zone on the GWG.
- Zibanejad-Monster. Mentioned it last night. BGB just signed a $750K deal with Ottawa. So there’s that.
- I was right about Kravtsov not being in the lineup when I took a stab at it yesterday. I was wrong about Hunt being in instead though 🙂 Kidding aside, can’t judge him at all at the moment. He made one boneheaded pass on one of his first shifts, and got manhandled by Hedman on his next. We’ll wait
- I like what I saw in Kakko. He was aggressive, and he drove to the net. He isn’t easy to handle.
- On defense. I think this will be their top two way pair once they realize Miller should be a rover, and Trouba should stay at home. Even though Trouba had a few golden opportunities, and was denied by Vasilevskiy. I pull my groin just looking at some of Big Cat’s splits.
- Both goaltenders looked in mid-season form. It’s fun to see. These are number one and two goalies in the world, and it looked like one was trying to outplay another. Vasilevskiy had to make more saves, and his were more difficult. Igor looked very sharp as well. Remains to be seen who is number one, and who is number two.
- Can’t say enough about our two magicians. Both Panarin and Fox made some ridiculous moves. Carolina players probably knew they were coming, but still couldn’t do much about it.
- I thought Jones struggled when he needed to box out, or take the puck from, big bodies of Tampa’s third and fourth lines. But I thought he adjusted later, and his positioning was much better. I still think this LD position is very much a question mark.
One game, I know. Let’s not overreact. But it looked encouraging.
UPDATE: A couple of very good game reviews by two REAL hockey writers, click here and here
85 responses to “Rangers-3, Lightning-1”
Thanks ILB. Trocheck will be fine. He is the best faceoff guy they’ve had in a while. That stat will be improved for the team this year without much else changing.
One NHL caliber hit and Kravtsov is hurt. Can’t make it up. He should talk to Lindgren about the definition of the word injury.
On Jones, I’ve been saying it since I watched him live in April. He has trouble with bigger players and will struggle vs. heavier teams.
Thanks ILB. Saw the first period and had to head out. Will watch the last two periods tonight. Great to start off this season on the right foot!
Last night is why you don’t pay any attention to the veterans during the preseason.
They did not play a lot because of all the penalties, but I thought Schneider looked more confident than last year, and I didn’t hate Jones game. Like ilb said, he did struggle some with the bigger Tampa players, but he competed hard against them. Also made a few really good passes. One to Lafrenier sticks out on my memory. Caught Lafrenier by surprise.
All of the upgrades that Trocheck gives over Strome were easily seen last night. Faster skater (Strome was not slow), faceoffs, and D zone play. Now he needs to do the most important thing, and that is to click with Panarin, and on the PP.
Post above updated for two very good games reviews by Staple and VinceM.
I forgot to mentioned that it looked like the refs missed their whistles over the summer….
There weren’t to many penalties you could argue about. Maybe the Carpenter penalty. The rest were pretty clear. Even the Chytil penalty, when you watched the replay, you could see it was the correct call.
They will eventually need a veteran LD, and they need a top 9 forward. I know the Rangers feel Blais is that guy, and maybe he is, but he can’t stay on the ice long enough to find out.
We never win season openers! Especially at home! Great way to kick off the season. Hopefully Blais can get back in soon. I thought Jones was fine. Battled really hard and has an active stick to break up plays, like Fox. He is a great puck mover.
Yep. Again, imho, veteran LD on the cheap, but they’ll pay for top 9, if not 6. And, no, it doesn’t have to be Kane.
Also, hate that they didn’t show the play intros. Really crappy.
It doesn’t have to be Kane, but that’s the guy the insiders are saying the Rangers have, and will continue to target.
Jones is already an NHL player, and yes, he was fine. And he will be fine. But he’s a misfit at the moment. Jones isn’t going to get to show his real prowess on PP. He isn’t going to replace Fox. What they will eventually need in his spot is a veteran, big body, mean guy who can defend and throw a few elbows and crosschecks in the ribs to defend his crease.
I was out at a concert and watched it on the DVR when I got home. The 71 to 46 shot attempt advantage and the 64% FO wins stood out to me as radically different than last year. It’s only one game but it’s a step in the right direction. When was the last time they allowed only one goal and Shesty wasn’t one of the 3 stars? Halak might have been able to win that game. Vasy was excellent or the score would have been more one sided. The PP was pretty good. He was just better most of the night. The VK squeeze looked awkward, but, not viscous. Hopefully we don’t have to add fragility to his other problems. Mika makes the decision to not pursue Eichel look better all the time since they couldn’t have kept both of them.
Aside from the cost, I don’t see why it can’t be Kane either.
The 2nd PP unit doesn’t play much but Jones should be on it. Utilize his skills and showcase him since he is likely to be traded at some point.
Next game against the Wild in Minnesota. Another top echelon team. Good. You don’t want to start your season against bottom feeders.
To my eyes, one of Jones’ best defensive assets is his ability to make a good pass to clear the d zone and, in that respect is already an upgrade at 3LD. It did look like he took the wrong angle once or twice early and got pushed around as a result but seemed to have figured out his positioning a bit better as the game progressed so that his size was less of a disadvantage. While he’s here (assuming his days are numbered), they really should put him on PP2 if for no other reason than to reduce Trouba’s ice time on the margins (he played nearly 26 minutes). Of course, there is another reason – he is a very good offensive player.
I also thought Trocheck seemed to get more aggressive and faster as the game progressed. He brings an element – snarl with skill – that has been lacking in recent years (though I think that Lafreniere has that as well).
Trochek’s shot from that bumper position on the PP looks much more dangerous than Strome’s. He may be able to make people pay for overloading toward Mika. It’s still a work in progress.
GG didn’t comment on VK’s condition. He’ll be back before Sammy.
Who’s more soft? Blais or Kravtsov?
Thought Jon’s look d fine…made adjustments as game prgrssed
Refs missed calls on the Ning helped tilt the ice in their favor. They swallowed their whistles first period like it was a playoff game.
The appearance of Jones “struggling” against the bigger play is less important than the result. He BATTLES and wins battles despite his size and makes smart plays to keep the puck out of danger. I don’t follow advanced stats but if someone does, can you say Jones play resulted in more high quality scoring chances for the other team than would a replacement there?
Also, when pp2 finally did get a few seconds Jones was out there on the left point
Maybe a function of Kravy being hurt. But Jones belongs there
PP1 will always take over 90seconds it seems unless coming off long shift right before
All the skaters on pp1 are in superb shape and can skate extended shifts
Reavo set the tone early with a huge hit.
He looks faster and I’m glad he’s back this year.
Mika and Kreider contracts look like fantastic values now. Wow
For all the Trouba talk from Dom and athletic about value of contract, those idiots may have never been more wrong
Summer of Grit and the Goodrow contract also looks to be the right move
Wonder what the early anti Drury pro hedghog brunch crowd are crowing about now. …. Strike that. I don’t want to know.
I love seeing these positive comments.
I agree with everything cregg7 has said.
I don’t know how anyone can complain of Drury.
He’s done a great job since taking over. The team he’s icing right now should be as good as anyone else in the league.
As has been said:
With Jones, we have an upgrade at 3rd pair.
More importantly:
The upward development in play this season of Lafreniere, Kakko, Miller, and Schneider will more than offset the guys that they lost to free agency.
ilb
Nice take on the game thank you thank you very much. I watched the game delayed, very impressive. The big difference to me was the improvement at the dot (Vermont) and the fact that they never took their foot off the gas. Kakko looks ready to take a big step forward the goals will come. I agree they need more size and grit at LD. Having said that it’s game one so let’s take a deep breath and see if they really are on a mission.
Also I am confident that Bread and Trochek will figure it out.
82-0 here we come!! #believe
Drury for GM of the year, Turk for Jack Adams, Mika for Rocket Richard, Panarin for MVP, Fox, Trouba, Miller for 1/2/3 on the Norris and Igor for Vezina – can’t see that anyone is going to win the Calder though….what a disappointment.
It’s funny because the same people that bashed Strome in his tenure in NY and didn’t like hearing about his chemistry with Panarin are the same who will eventually raise issue over Trocheck if he doesn’t click as well with Panarin. The thing is, even if they don’t click on the same level…What’s going to happen? Is Panarin going to have a 56 point season? No. Even if it’s a down year you’re probably talking about 80 points vs. 95 points. Trocheck is going to have similar output to what he’s always done and give you 55-65. At the end of the day you take that and run when considering the benefits of Trocheck on the other side of the puck.
Minnesota smacked them around pretty badly last season. Let’s see how fluffy the clouds are in the bright blue sky after game 2 lol
I’m nauseous. Is Kratsov really that fragile? Does he understand that this is NHL hockey and not Badmitton? This guy gets breathed on and he’s off to the locker room. I was really looking forward to seeing if really has anything to bring to the dance. I am beginning to believe the answer is no.
Trocheck should learn from the GWG that he helped to score, what he should do with Panarin. Over crowd the puck, win battles, get the puck and give to Panarin. After that get your stick ready to shoot no mater how many guys are between you and Panarin. It’ll end up on your stick.
Think the initial hit hurt Kravstov not the leaning on him after
C3
I don’t think Blais is soft just breakable.
St pete – that was my concern after the first shift I saw Blais play last year – his play seemed almost reckless physically and I figured he’d be prone to injury. Hopefully, I was wrong and he’s used up his share of bad luck.
Bobbyo: good thing Rangers have Reaves to make opponents reluctant to rough up their young players…
Yeah, it’s Reeves faults Kravtsov got hurt. Gallant too. He’s the one who put him on the ice when Hedman was out there after all. You can also blame Drury. Why? Why not?
Opening night must be coming up pretty soon.
I think the dman who is 6 y and 250 is at fault
6 foot 6
BDL – you’re right of course.
Yes, turn KÁndre loose. That’s his talent. He’ll never be an effective DMan. But to ask our $8 million dollar Captain to stay back and cover for #79’s inadequacies is totally ludicrous.
know who should be playing in Reaves’ spot? That Karl Hendricksson kid. Lots of skill there. Skates like the wind.
I’ve never liked the whole “he lets himself get hurt too often” schtick. Too fine a line. If a guy has 10 concussions and never learned to keep his head up I get it. But a hockey player that plays a physical game and is engaged on every shift is doing his job.
In Blais’ case, it’s not a good look but he did take a tough shot in that Isles games. With that said, I’m beginning to wonder if he can make it through 60 this season. Forget about 80.
A followup on point about Blais. If he cannot get through a whole season.what happens when we need him for 24 playoff games. I do not think he is going to be a big part of any run this team will make. Would love to be proven wrong.
Sammy made it through a playoff season already and has a ring
Norris Miller will be even better this year
LensCrafters. Patronize them, but have someone drive you there.
Growing pains were had for kandre
He continues to look better and stronger
Tampas high power offense didn’t expose him and he has the speed and reach to cover Trouba when Trouba gets deep in offensive zone.
I love ya coos but at some point consider allowing his play and development influence your opinion of him. I fear his early gaffs when thrust into the nhl will forever spoil your impression of him
He’s been told to toughen up. Trying. Wildly overrated at this point.
I do appreciate your conviction and your humor on the matter
The LensCrafters comment made me laugh
I love the LensCrafters comment. That’s coos at his finest vintage.
Not much to complain about.
Endlessly complaining about everything is what separates us from the animals. 🙂
I thought we had to wait until Festivus to air our grievances.
With regard to KAM he was habitually out of position in the past so we may tend to harp on it now. Guys are all caught out of position from time to time. We need to be careful not to blow his gaffes out of proportion. People who know a lot about hockey are pretty high on him.
After 1 game, LB gushing over Schneider & Jones. Let’s give them a few more games.
I just got more relaxed after this (unusual for the first home) very good game, after kind of worrisome pre-season exhibition.
Laffy playing RW on Panarin line is blessing in disguise IMO and I’m sure he would flourish. Also, not only Troch should quickly gel with Panarin on this line, but Bread himself will seek and find how to use Trochek strong sides and Laffy thirst for tussle and scoring.
As for Kravy (his injury notwithstanding), I get tired to repeat that he was, is and will be a wasted time and efforts to try to keep him in the roster – he is not and, probably, never will be ready for NHL.
Georgiesieve
Nice work ILB – you’re in mid season form. Nice showing by the boys as well. Looks like they have something to prove this season. And wouldn’t it be grand come June of next year to raise the middle to the face of that pink drink drinker clown of a podcaster who hates the Rangers? LGR!
82-098-0 here we come!! #believeWatch the GeorgieSieve win the Vezina
Strome with a 3 point night and Vatrano with a goal in Anaheim’s opener.
4ever- Don’t relax too much. You know what a rollercoaster ride this team takes us on every season.
Eddie J
Truer words never spoken, buckle up.
Georgie 2 goals on 17 shots. Colorado will be able to hide his shortcomings.
Until the playoffs AVs just need a competent goalie. Georgie has time to work on his game. Benny isn’t there to help him though.
I wonder how much Benny gets paid for being a goalie whisperer …
14 years ago today, Rangers 2007 1st round pick Alexei Cherepanov tragically passed away from a heart attack during a KHL game in Russia. He was just 19 years old.
So soon we forget. Thanks.
Mets need Allaire as hitting coach! Benny and the Mets.
Good test for Jones tonight ….Wild have some big boys and lotsa skill up front
Hunt obviously will play tonight. I’m not a mean person at all, so, I don’t know why, the words: Hunt for Kravtsov tonight, brings a silly smile on my face…
Wonder what Blais timeline is
We need carps sauces to figure these things out
Any boneheads gonna be in Detroit for youth hockey tourney next weekend?
CCM Motown tournament
Mika was awesome
Blais traveled with team…may be close
If the Rangers win tonight I just may take the wife out to dinner tomorrow night. 🤣
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