As much as the first period got me hopeful, I knew that these were the One-Period Rangers, and they were going to need more than one goal to win this game. I sure hoped that wasn’t our good period.
It was. By far.
The Panthers still looked frustrated to start the second period, but they would get hope and confidence from an unlikely source. Igor Shesterkin. The Rangers had just finished killing off a penalty when Bennett took a shot on Shesty that he had trouble with, that went over his shoulder and behind him, to the side of the net. He couldn’t get his pad up against the pipe, but he was in perfect position for Bennett to poke it off his skate and into the net. No surprise, K’Andre Miller was right there doing nothing beneficial. Game tied 1-1.
This goal gave the Panthers the life and confidence they needed to turn this game back into one they could dominate. They had finally gotten a bad goal in on Shesterkin and they were now sure they could get more. Shesty wasn’t going to save the Rangers this time. Could the team save him for once?
Just over two minutes after that goal Barclay Goodrow committed the cardinal sin; he shot a puck over the glass in the defensive zone. Our penalty kill was playing like crap, and we were about to give them another freebie. Tkachuk passed the puck across and just outside of the crease, but Lindgren was there to block it; Or, rather, to delay the inevitable. The puck bounced off his stick, into Verhaeghe, back off Lindgren’s helmet, and then Verhaeghe hit it out of the air with a backhand that found the back of the net. Panthers’ stars contributed again. I wonder how that feels as a fan to see that. We may never know in this series. Panthers up 2-1.
208 responses to “Rangers 2, Panthers 3 (OT)”
Repost:
Last night was such a reality check…. But, the wins helped pull the wool over my eyes. I’m okay with Igor stealing a few games within a series, but having to steal EVERY game just reemphasizes how miserably soft, panicky and disorganized we are in our own end. Unfortunately, I don’t see how the team magically gets it together and manages to stifle the panthers. We outshot/outplayed them in 1 single period out of 15 by the slimmest of margins. That should tell you all you need to know. This is who we are, this is who they are. Being a Rangers fan is exhausting
they’ve given us fair warning that this is not the year. and this one will last a lifetime continues.
some hate when i say it but florida is a really good team. we would have been fluke cup champs. florida would be legit cup champs
On Kakko: SN brought it up, I did same a week or more ago – maybe he won’t score but he is what Mika/Kreider need on their right, someone who might actually get the puck and maintain possession so they can hopefully use thier skill to put a few in.
As to the stumble late in the third – slow motion replay showed that it looked like he put his skate down on the very tip of the defender’s blade. Can’t really say it was a trip as much as just bad luck.
They will not win this series if Mika continues to turn the puck over, not to mention miss open nets. But it is the turnovers, not just Mika’s that are killing the team in this series.
Not all of them end up in the back of the net but the resulting need to play defense for extended periods of time takes a toll physically, espcially on a few players who really can’t afford that right now (Fox, Lindgren, Trouba). It also means they get little offensive zone time to work on beating Bob who is quite capable of giving up 5 goals.
The president’s trophy was fair warning?
bobby
have you been watching the games. they’re very one sided
love the write up, thanks Ev!
Alex I would not go so far as to say it would be a fluke. Perhaps if it there was something in a game 7 but they have won too many games, even in OT, for their position to be a fluke. That said, we are seeing a lot of the same weaknesses as pointed out in game threads throughout the season. Those may yet come back to bite the Rangers in the as*.
Dallas and Edmonton are both good teams but don’t think that close to the level of Carolina or Florida, nor the Rangers. Rangers or Florida are going to have an easier series against which ever of those teams moves on.
Lavi also needs to commit to playing that fourth line 10-12 minutes. Whenever he backs away from them, that is when Florida starts to really pick up the pace.
Who knew EV was the next Carp? EV the blog can offer you an employment contract. Unfortunately, it is all deferred comp, payable in woots after the Rangers win the cup. 😁
the last 2 yes.. but you need to win 4 …I am not closing up shop or talking about next season
Yikes “Four games into the series, Kreider has not yet recorded a shot on goal at five-on-five”
Bobby
Shesty prevented a sweep. So it’s not just the last 2. In fact it was the last few vs Carolina that prevented a disaster of blowing a 3-0 lead.
“I thought he came in and there was times where [Barclay] Goodrow, [Matt] Rempe and Wheeler put it in the offensive zone and they actually stayed down there,” Laviolette said. “Able to occupy some time and spend some minutes down there. First game back in a while. I thought he was good.”
And yet Lavi still backs off playing them when the other lines start coughing up fur balls. Maybe double shifting that line in place of the Mika line a few times would be the necessary kick in the pants? 🤷♂️
They dont have to apologize for having better goalie…. you quit last series too. Lets hope you are wrong again…if not you can go back to buying out Chytil
Rempe has been fine but Laffy is the one who needs more ice time
“-Wheeler had a very satisfactory game until his gaffe in overtime.”
It’s unfair to put the blame on Wheeler. No Rangers fan should have a problem with that penalty.
@Beezle
Carp who?
This whole “Chytil is being managed” stuff is BS. Either his head is OK or it is not. There was nothing else physically wrong with him this season. At age 24 he best not be so gassed that he needs multiple games off. Wheeler you could believe something like that and it will be interesting to see if Wheeler can still skate on that ankle Thursday. Perhaps the real reason is Chytil made no meaningful positive difference in his 4 games / 55:38 TOI and his style of play just does not fit against the Panthers?
Jbytes – the play never happens if Mika doesn’t make the idiot pass, so original sin was there. Wheeler’s problem was being so aggressive instead of just letting Shesterkin have at the save. I’m sure it is an instinct from so many years of playing with goalies who probably couldn’t make that kind of save but at that point in the game which is worse – a guy with a short break away or trying to kill another two minute penalty?
bobby
being wrong hmm? like you’ve been from day 1 on 72
not blaming Wheeler on goal but prefer someone else in there that can move. Big body that can’t get anywhere
Did anyone think this series would be going any differently after the Canes series? 2-2 after 4; 2 of 3 at home.
Dzone break outs have to be addressed; nothing will change until they decide to work as a unit breaking out and start picking off the incoming forecheckers with the weakside D or forward to give the puck carrier space to make a smart pass; right now its just whipping it around the perimeter until there is a prolonged dzone wall battle which NYR invariably loses. Win the wall, win the war.
Wheeler was fine; very engaged in first half of game, more physical than he ever was; big boy so let’s use that body. Playing on a line with Rempe gives guys courage. Bring in Edstrom and lets start pounding these bullies. On 4 different occasions, Rempe was charging in to hit a Fla Dman and the D just coughed up the puck throwing out into space to nobody. Cmon Lav!
Once again, both goals had NYR Dmen in the NYR crease playing shuffleboard; take the man out and he can’t shoot! Igor has to be better on that first one. His stickhandling has been subpar as well this series which you can’t afford against this group.
Just win baby!
I keep reading people/press saying “oh but Florida is so much bigger a team!”
So… I took a look. Using NHL bio data and TOI I calculated “lb-mins” and “in-mins”, ie player weight * time on ice. Summed it all up and here it is:
Florida had, cummulatively, 3.4% more weight on ice in the series so far. Florida also had 2.8% more height. Again, that is over the course of all four games. Imperfect but on a game basis just divide by four so under a 1% difference.
So yeah, I call BS on Florida is so big. In fact, if you simply take average height and weight, NYR are 0.45″ taller and 4.2lbs heavier. Even if Rempe drops 40 lbs, NYR still outweigh FLA by 2+lbs. The median FLA weight (half more/half less) is 197. NYR it is 204.
After the second period, my friend who’s a Panther fan couldn’t stop fishing about Shesterkin’s puck handling skills. He thought they benefited the Panthers and hoped he would continue.
Shesty is an amazing puck handler but he either doesn’t look and rims it around the boards right to an opposing player or he makes some other stupid play to give the puck up.
Either way the only Ranger who gets a total pass on this series, and this playoffs, is Shesty.
But Ziba and Kreider are big but don’t hit anybody…at least with an intention to harm
Chytil will be back next year you will be wrong again
many were afraid of playing tampa. florida dismissed them in 5. winning 6-1 in game 5
florida beat bost in 6 including wins of 6-1 and 6-2.
and bost never seemed in the last game despite losing only 2-1
so why wouldn’t florida dominate vs us.
remember they went to finals last year. including a sweep over carolina
give credit to florida. nah.
better to play the blame game vs our guys
Chytil is big but afraid of his own shadow.
keeping him beyond this summer is or would be an awful decision.
another concussion right around the corner.
JBytes, I would’ve much rather have seen Wheeler whack Barkov with his stick a couple times just to let him know he was there and make it harder for Barkov to make a move.
If you can’t trust your goaltender in that situation and would rather try and defend a power play when the penalty kill is barely over .500, while your goaltender’s save percentage in the same game is over .950 at the time, then they might as well pack it in now. But they CAN trust their goalie and they can’t trust their PK. Letting Barkov go was the much better play and higher percentage chance. I’m not blaming Wheeler for the loss at all. I just thought he made a dumb decision. He hasn’t played in a really long time, so making bad decisions is understandable, especially when the rest of his game was so solid. Regardless, it was the wrong play by a mile.
ev – your write up is better than anything I read in the post. Good work!!! Rangers are playing scared. Fla has pounded them into submission. Even when the rangers get to a loose puck, which happens rarely, they immediately get rid of it as soon as there’s a hint of pressure. Mika and Kreider are not getting anything done offensively. Their ice time should be cut in half. Coaches can’t play favorites because at this rate it is over in 6. Shame shesty’s balls are the biggest on the team. After wheels, goody, and rempe are off, I’d double shift rempe, goody, and laffy. 4th line is the only line with any pressure.
My 11:14, “couldn’t stop raving”
i’d rather take out 93 and 20 entirely. give another guy a chance. they’re losing either way
The weirdest stat in this series is, other than the first game, the Rangers have recorded more hits or are almost even in hits with Florida every game. I find it amazing that actual hits are recorded the same as bumps, because that’s mostly all the Rangers do. I can’t remember how many times last night the Rangers either missed hits, hit a Panther with such bad timing that he was able to get through, or the Panther player shoved it off like it was nothing and kept going.
You can tell hitting is in the Panthers DNA and that it’s not in the Rangers ‘. I have no idea how Lavy gets around that, but he needs to figure out a way because the team on the ice can’t seem to figure it out.
Thanks for the compliment, E3!
EV
of course we’d have more hits. florida has the puck most of the game.
That’s why we have more blocks, I’m not so sure about hits. Bumping a guy with the puck or bumping a guy without the puck isn’t going to do anything for them.
I don’t know if anyone saw it but at one point in the third, two Rangers players were close to each other while one had the puck and a Panthers player was heading right at them to hit the hell out of at least one of them. Instead of bracing for the hit, they both tried to get out of the way of the hit and coughed up the puck at the same time.
The Rangers are afraid of the Panthers physicality at this point and they’re not putting any fear into the Panthers at all. Rempe should play more because he’s the only guy that can keep the opposition honest. He was in their heads before, that’s why they went after him after game three…which should’ve elicited at least a fine or suspension from the NHL btw.
My take. Except for a few the Rangers are playing frightened hockey. They’re scared to lose, and their play on the ice could never be more apparent. This ain’t badminton boys, nuts are required.
ladies and gentlemen. This is the bout you’ve all been waiting for. This is for the heavy weight championship of the world. In the blue corner, fighting out of Don Cheadle is a tremendous player who’s capable of at least a 30 goal season, we have bobbyo. In the red corner, fighting out of Don Cheadle sucks and will be bought out this summer, we have Alex.
let’s get ready to rummmmmmmmmble
the Wheeler penalty was fine and we’ll never know of course but we probably would have been better off if they allowed the penalty shot. Mika turned it over, anybody saying otherwise had the wrong guy
Mika/chicken
Kreider/Gentlemen
Panarin/Overwhelmed
Miller/Senseless
Kreider’s best (and perhaps only move) was ripping Tkachuk’s dangling mouthpiece from his teeth and tossing it into the crowd.
Mika is having a horrid series. Absolutely terrible in all three zones.
bread is moldy and no longer edible.
If Kreider wants a cup he needs to stop being a gentleman
kreider needs a time machine. he’s 33. next year he’s 34.
he was very solid in playoffs 2 years ago and last year. and 1st 2 rounds this year.
va florida ran into a younger better florida team
every player has a best by date.
2-2 after 2, but no such thing as momentum, (Carp) so we have that going for us.
Does anyone know where to get per game zone time stats? They are definitely available as announcers/analysts quote during the game. NHL edge only has regular season or playoffs to date, not by game or series.
NYR offensive ES zone % for the playoffs so far: 37.5%, FLA 43.4%
Other NYR stats from EDGE for playoffs:
Your fastest NYR are: Trocheck 22.82 mph (1), Roslovic 22.55 (2), Rempe 22.35 (3), Chytil 22.24 (2), Kreider 22.19 (3), Cuylle 22.09 (1) The number in () are the number of “bursts” over 22mph. NYR have a combined 12 during the playoffs.
Regular season: Kreider 23.02, Trocheck 22.81, Roslovic 22.79, Rempe 22.60, Cuylle 22.29, Chytil 22.07
did anyone hear how great and physical the Panthers are?
its a danm good thing there’s no such thing as momentum, but it makes you think maybe we just suck
Just going to toss this one out there –
Bread/Tro/Laffy
Kreider/Goodrow/Janice
Cuylle/Mika/Kakko
Wheeler/Wennberg/Rempe
Speaking of Cups, the great Gordie Howe was asked jocularly why he wore a Cup but not a helmet. He replied: “I figure I can always hire someone to do my thinking for me.”
Kreider is 6’3 and 230 —you don’t need a time machine to finish checks in the playoffs ..he has to get nastier
A goalie has more points that Mika and The. Is there anything more embarrassing?
bobby misses the point. look at the florida guys ages. prime years in their career. 33 years old is on the downside. still better than his boy chytil but that’s a low bar to clear.
EV
so why doesn’t lav sit 93 and 20. let some other guys have a chance.
Barring injury, you can still be at your physical and talent-level peak at 35.
cooscoos
father time is undefeated. and a player that goes to hard part of rink gets a lot of abuse over the years. the crease area is the hard part. players that live on the perimeter get a lot less abuse from opponents.
look at graves. early end to his best days based on where he lived
True. That’s why so few choose to go there and they perform a lifetime of fly-bys.
Jamie Benn is 34, Evander Kane is 32, Pat Maroon is 36 …do they finish checks?
not as often as they used to bobby o
i’m sure fans of those teams criticize their play a lot. i know dallas does re benn.
does chytil finish checks? and he’s young. allegedly in prime of his career.
Beezle 12:01
I like it. Although I might switch Janice and Krakko. But then again maybe not. The only way Laviolette would consider it is if he reads RR2.
Alex
Graves raised the cup. I bet he considered the abuse worth it. Mika is a DJ at heart, his best moves are behind a sound board. I rest my case.
10 16 13
50 91 24
72 22 othmann
73 21 edstrom
double shift 13 and 73
If Dallas plays Florida in finals I assure you that Jamie Benn will finish checks, drive the net and not put up with any Tkatuck or Bennett nonsense
maybe benn will get a 3rd period hat trick to allow his team to get to finals
the only reason i would consider sitting chytil is if he gets hurt that kills the buyout this summer at 1/3 rate
maybe Benn will win another Cup
At least we got a point.
another cup? when was the first one?
when did Kreiders hat trick get them to finals
in the first round BobbyO and Alex had good moments. BobbyO’s jab jab right cross left cross were effective. Alex countered effectively with several left hooks to the body. This is definitely going to be a war of attrition with both combatants scoring with big shots to the head and body. Round two coming up….
Best comment all postseason, Cal.
and benn has had a far better career than kreider. over 900 points to less than 600 points.
i’m still skeptical on kreider to rafters while benn is a sure thing to rafters in dallas.
many celebrities ring side for this championship bout. Haven’t seen this many since Ali – Frazier I
Ha, thanks! And nice write-ups to you.
E3, the way I’ve been treated by both of them during the season I can’t tell the difference between the two.
Though I’m loving this back and forth. It’s like me and Wicky in the past. It’s entertaining when you’re not the one involved.
Thanks, Cal. Appreciate it.
bobby. well since benns team is in semis he’d have to get a 3rd period hat trick this round since he didn’t last round.
if kreider didn’t get a hat trick in game 6 last round we would not be playing this round. instead we’d be in the books as one of the few to blow a 3-0 lead.
Anyone hear Mika has had no points this series?
No, AA. But I have heard that Florida is a really good team.
solid point Alex but you said they were losing last round after game 4
bobby
carolina outplayed us for large parts of that series. i actually watch the games. do you?
game 5 was a disaster. game 6 was just as bad until the third and the hat trick. we would not have won game 7. the pressure would have overwhelmed us.
and my thought on losing was more after game 5. although internally i was scared after game 4.
Gentlemen – neutral corners please.
Good wordsmithing, Ev. No punches pulled.
I want to believe there are still embers smoldering in the bellies of 10, 20 & 93. I want to believe they’ll be angry tomorrow night & show some fire — even the mild Persian.
Release the Ent. Let him crush the Orcs.
BobbyO vs Alex? 😉
the point is Alex…you were wrong
wheres the chytil chew toy in that video
hmm. as are you re chytil
he needs to go
YAWN…. He’s still here… so I’m not wrong yet. Call Drury
just because he’s still here and btw still a problem doesn’t mean you’re not wrong.
how many concussions does he have to have before you admit it. he needs to go. one way or another
how many fly bys does he have to do. most recognize this
biggest problem with Mika’s turnover is not that he took a chance to make a play. It’s that he was at the end of a long shift. His d men were changing so no one back. That is a low iq play right there. Not to get it deep to allow your line change to complete at that point in the shift at that point in the game
vally said it should have been a penalty shot which would have been advantage for Shesty with being able to face the shooter in controlled play over the brokenness of a PP
still peeved about it. The worst play I’ve ever seen Mika make cost us dearly.
let’s hope we rebound and can still take the series.
Mika plays like a deer in the headlights.
Kreider plays like he’s trying to make friends.
Panarin plays like baked bread thrown to the birds.
mika has 6 years left. full no move. so they’ll have to find other guys to move from. kreider and trouba are the obvious choices since they now have some no trade instead of full no move.
in addition to chytil and kakko
opens up more room for laffy and rempe.
bobbyO and Alex just simultaneously threw left hooks: down goes Bobby O, down goes Alex, down goes BobbyO, down goes Slex.
I love this place! Being a Ranger fan is joy and pain soup.
Anyone ever find Mika’s iPad that his friend Chris tossed away?
I think Mika would like it back right about now.
except Drury
Kreider Vermont Busto
Panarin Goodrow Kakko
Cuylle Dajenabiz Othman
Rempe Wennberg Janice
Holy F@#$! I just watched the final 15 seconds of the third and we got totally shafted by the refs.
First, Forsling fell to the ice and then grabbed Mika’s leg and spun him around to the ice like a spinning top. If he hadn’t done that, there’s a 2 on 1 with Kakko instead of Kakko alone.
When I was at the game, it looked like Kakko tried the toe drag and tripped his own self up. Nope. Stick in the skate with the ref looking right at it.
I know you can’t blame the refs for losing the game but you can definitely blame them for blatantly not giving us the chance to find out.
if Forsling doesn’t take down Mika, there’s a 2 on 1 and the game might’ve been over before it even got to overtime. We’ll never know.
No call on Forsling and no call on the guy that tripped Kakko. We should’ve gone into the OT period on a 5 on 3. Again, we might have still lost, but we never got the chance to find out.
Also, after the whistle to mark the end of the third period, Trouba game a little cross-check/ push to Reinhart’s back. Reinhart turned around and socked tripping in the mouth with either the top glove on his stick or the butt end, or both.
That should’ve been penalized too. Even if you put both guys in the box, Reinhart isn’t on the ice to score the winning goal.
Again, we might have still lost, but that would’ve been our best chance to win right there. Again, we’ll never find out because refs love to influence the game by NOT getting involved.
Bunch of idiots in an idiot league.
*Trouba gave
*Socked Trouba
the refs blow
I saw that trip/hold on Kakko too.
just be officiating. Buttman has it in for Dolan.
Twitter is a cesspool. Carp was right about it.
TWIDIOTS.
I don’t think the refs inherently have a bias against the Rangers. I just think that they are woefully unqualified with horrible judgement.
Great write up EV! Fair without being overly negative.
Glad Wicky’s not here to threaten and chastise one bonehead after another for expressing their opinions.
How old was Mess in 1994? They aren’t too old. They’re too nice. They need more a-holes on the team. The medical report next week will be interesting. Bread was aggressive in the last round. He has gone back into his shell. I hope Mika is hurt. 6 more years of this would be very painful.
I’m not going to lie. It just hurts to watch this team go down like this. Yes, it’s 2-2. But there is no question as to which team has been more physically and emotionally dominant. Yet all you see is Trouba’s hit on Sausage Lips Lyte… over and over again. As if the Rangers are thugs. I miss SalmonJoe on TV.
Tkachuk said he was able to get his mouthguard back after Kreider tried to toss it last night (it didn’t clear the glass).
“I told him it was the best play he made all game,” Tkachuk quipped.
Ev
Great job my fellow Florida resident. I truly enjoyed the read.
The may need to change his avatar to Was.
Messier was an all time legend. those types are few and far between. but even by 1997 you could see him fading as he faced lindros
DJ Zbad couldn’t stop raving
Beezle same question, every nitwit broadcaster seems to have the zone time by period available, why not us?
trouba and miller have been individually and collectively awful, perhaps go back to miller and schneider as third pair?
Last night I really thought the Rangers would play a much better game and control much more of the play than they had through the first three games. Instead, it was more of the same total domination by the Panthers. After watching them be dominated in 4 straight, it is very hard to believe that they will suddenly awaken and turn this series around. Igor can only do so much and when your three top point producers and goal scorers don’t even show up, your team is not advancing. As many of us stated throughout the season, the Rangers rely on guys who are unable or unwilling to compete come playoff time. Two players in particular disappear as the games get tougher. Hope they wake up for game 5, but certainly not counting on it. Unfortunately, I expect more of the same.
Another thing that hasn’t been brought up much is Rangers propensity for shooting the puck high or wide of the net. When you get very limited opportunities in the Ozone, you need to hit the net with your shots!! Rangers miss high and wide way more often than they hit the net. Make the dam goalie make a save and maybe you will get a rebound. Sending your shot high off the glass or wide into the corner gets you nothing but the puck going back toward your own zone yet again.
actually kreider stepped up in playoffs last 2 years before this. and previous 2 series. so 1 bad series against a superior team dominating the rangers and he gets lumped in with the “unable or unwilling to compete come playoff time” statements
I’ve also seen enough this team when they seem down and out rebound miraculously. The comeback kids may have yet another comeback in them and become the first team to come from behind in a 2-2 series.
Looking forward to the Rangers big comeback after basically a 7-game losing streak where they technically won three games
Unpopular fact but Mika has kept Barkov off the board at ES. His 1 ES point (G4, P3) when Mika not on ice.
can’t wait to see Rempe develop further next season.
Rangers whom have stepped up in the playoffs, especially against Panthers:
Players whom have stepped back (starting with the worst):
No change / not enough to evaluate:
Look – for all the gloom and doom, they were one bad pass away from continuing to play that game. A couple of hit posts, missed open nets. The Rangers could be up 3-1 (or down 0-4) in this series easily.
I sure hope they believe in themselves more than most of us fans do.
see a lot of recency bias here. lets forget first 2 series and focus on the last 4 games
only hope those who are most critical get the same treatment from their customers or boss
Alex – are you now ok with Rempe in the lineup?
boyle in the post podcast says the big issue is the man to man in d zone. and that when they can get out of that zone they’re exhausted and can only get off to change. much more energy expended in d zone by a team vs the o zone by the opponents
when he’s not interrupted by the giggles
admiral
yes. first of all to prevent the complaining when he’s not in and the stats of when he’s in vs out being displayed over and over whether or not he played 4 or 5 minutes or double that.
so we win or lose as a team. despite any faults of his being ignored whereas others are under a microscope especially with the recency bias.
in other words if we lose with him in lineup other excuses will have to be made. and will be with fingers pointed of course
i’ve always been a give the other team their props type of fan. i’m like a unicorn in that way
So you believe the record with Rempe in the lineup is just coincidence?
Yes, they win and lose as a team. Thats why Rempe is important, because he provides an element that is normally missing on this somewhat vanilla team.
So you’ve also heard the Panthers are really good?
keep mocking those who think the panthers are really good
yes i think it’s very overstated. they had a great record before he was called up
like i said above. i’m glad he’s playing. to prevent the complaining most of all.
rangers will win game 5 and take a 3-2 new down to Fla.
3-2 lead^
Eddie Eddie Eddie!
Hope you’re right!
They D wouldn’t have to play man to man if they could keep the panthers higher up the zone. The forwards aren’t playing man though so what’s their excuse!
i think he meant all 5 are playing man to man in d zone. that leads to sometimes the rw being all the way over on the lw.
boyle is a good listen. other than mollie giggling or interrupting
As others have said, it’s time to go back to the old new D pairs. NYR are having too much trouble breaking out of the zone, so they have to at least try.
NYR may not be the toughest team left, but they are the sexiest one in the playoffs by far.
He’d know. Maybe Lav changed up the system from hybrid zone? Thought he has the D are supposed to detach from their men and go back into zone coverage when the puck moves above the dots but it’s been such a fireplace I haven’t really been paying attention!
NYR defensive structure is the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Outside of the D zone issues their biggest problem is this. #1 Dajenabiz is not dangerous enough to be a problem for Barkov. It takes everything he’s has just to keep Sasha off the score sheet. Result, no offense from the DJ. #2 Krusty is too slow and physically soft as Doctors cotton to be effective against the extremely powerful, dominanting, aggressive, larger than life Panthers.
Panthers shut down Tampa and Boston top players also..have to get more Ozone time and draw penalties….if the clowns in stripes decide they will use the rulebook …
I hope our boys in blue realize that the cats are laughing at them. I wonder how they feels being mocked.
Panthers Forwards are better then NYR Defense (incl. centers) so they are able to maintain ozone possession. NYR has decided best to keep the Panthers outside during settled ozone play playing man so they chase their man around the zone letting up chances, but not many high danger ones at ES accd’g to Valley Cat. Our D is losing almost EVERY wall battle and our forwards are not adjusting to FLA D pinching to start a breakout.
The Panthers game plan did not work last season in Cup Finals because Vegas D is very good. Knights ended up scoring 27 goals in 5 games.
So blame the forwards for not scoring but in reality they rarely have the puck in transition as Panthers O is overwhelming NYR D. Moreover, the NYR D was 7th in goal scoring this season has 2 goals all playoffs, none in this series. Is Fox hurt? Not sure, but EVERYBODY this time of year has some issue they are dealing with so nobody should get a pass, esp 5th highest paid D in league. He’s normally very slow and looks slower. Never physical and now getting punished every shift.
The special teams which were a difference maker all season has not delivered as well. And the refs are hot garbage refusing to call the obvious on the Panthers and calling NYR on BS calls.
Just win baby.
Goose Fraba.
They were absolutely dominated in the 2 games in FL. Valley’s chart for game 4 is as one sided as any he has ever published. High and medium danger chances 19-8 in favor of FL. Expected goals 4.6 to 2.1. My son described it as the Varsity playing the JV with the Varsity lending the JV their goalie.
Hopefully home ice makes a difference. Games 1 and 2 were closer. The talent gap between the two teams is not that enormous. This isn’t Gretzky’s Oilers playing a 1960s Rangers team. There are some X’s and O’s that need adjusting, but mostly they all need to look in the mirror, have some pride and show up tonight.
Someone, along with the zebras seems to be putting the castrate on Remper. They’ve stolen the fire from his eyes in the interest of ‘maturing’ him. He escalated himself here for a reason. Don’t strip him of that reason.
As much a problem the DJ has been theres this. Barkov have played about 60 minutes even strength in this series and half of those with Mika on the ice.
We all see him outplaying Mika head to head although a lot of the time it’s the D who need to worry about because the Panthers are so deep in the Rangers zone so much.
Anyway it’s no surprise that Barkov is all around better player than Mika but that’s somewhat a roster problem if the Rangers just don’t have a better checking center to shadow Barkov so that Mika can be used differently while a line that’s not counted on to score spends its time making life miserable.
Eg nobody would argue that the rangers had any better player than Crosby in their old series but had guys at least who could make his job difficult. Anyone think Barkov has been miserable the past four games? Probably his easiest series of the playoffs so far.
Never seen a team before with so many 6’3, 215 lb. guys with no testosterone.
Anyway when there’s a guy who can dominate whatever player you set to mark him, it’s got to be the entire 5-man unit’s job to neutralize the line by playing a good structure, not just one man who is then also expected to contribute to positive scoring differential.
I thought Wennberg was the checking center ?
Remper has been neutered while Bennett and Tkachuk run around with no consequences
I advocated creating a checking line with VC-Wenny-Goody but now Jimmy’s out and need Goody to play C. I think Edstrom would be a good match vs Barkov; decent skater who will not be outmusceled.
I thought so too but Barkov has seen very little of Wennberg at all
I thought Rempe played a physical game on Tuesday without any excessive looks by the refs. It seems to be Sutherland and maybe one other, name escapes me, who take issue. I’m sure we could probably go back in time and find similar with Avery, Glass, Orr, etc. You see this in other sports too where an official seems to have a hard on for certain players.
The problem with Mika is the turnovers and fly bys. I can live with no goals, just don’t be setting the other team up to score by your constant self-inflicted mistakes or failure to establish time in offensive zone. I’ve been a fairly big supporter of Mika over the years but he’s not having a good series at a time we really need him to.
Per Brooks at praccy: 50-21-73; 96-91-24; 20-93-72; 10-16-13. Chytil on PP2.
Guess Wheelers rim is dented again 🙁
Still waiting for Chytil to do something meaningful.
I don’t see how Chytil helps that line but may Lav has something usage plan up his sleeve 🤷♂️
Chytil will do something meaningful when he departs over the summer.
Most players in his situation would have packed it in and waited to come back next season
I have no doubt the Rangers will get their arses kicked tonight. However Igor may still steal it for the home team.
Our Stars have to score and our ‘tough’ guys have to afford them room and the protection to score. Anyone who abuses the likes of Bread or Zib, etc. should be vociferously threatened and duly pummeled.
Would rather they find a way to work Othmann in then use Chytil again.
doubt he would throw another rookie in lineup
Jiminy cricket!
we will all be surprised tonight….. this is going to be one of those games where we kick their azz abd ain 7-1.
wake up lil artemi. Wake up artemi. Who’s gonna tell your momma? Who’s gonna tell your pop? Who’s gonna tell your friends when they say oooh La La? Wake up lil artemi….
no pressure!
NEWS: #NYR has entered an affiliation agreement with the ECHL’s Bloomington Bison. The Bison will function as a development affiliate for the Rangers and their primary developmental affiliate, the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.
You would think they would come out like a team possessed tonight with all of this talk that they’re constantly getting hemmed in their own zone and outbattled on every puck, but you’d likely be wrong. For whatever reason, this core doesn’t have it in them, save for a few. Leaders lead by example…. So, look at your leaders (Kreider, Panarin, Zibanejad, Trouba). 3 out of the 4 are WAY too passive. That, my friends, should tell you all you need to know.
we were good enough to make final 4. never had enough talent to win cup. not this year and not 2 years ago. despite the presidents trophy this year. in a 32 team league many many guys will never win the cup.
by the way isn’t fox a leader too. why does he get a pass?
Alex,
I came very close to including him on that list. So, if we do include him, it’s the cherry on top of the silent sundae. And then on break up day, we get to hear the usual bullsh-t that “this one hurts” and they were “right there.”
craig
we both know this team doesn’t have the talent to win the cup. we’re right there with 30 other teams
They didnt lose yet
bobbyo,
Correct.
But, I mean… look at them.
They’re entirely overmatched, save for goaltending. It’s painful to watch them play half court basketball against us for shifts at a time, yet of course I’ll be watching because I’m a sucker like the rest of us.
Igor will have to stand on his head, they’ll need to fundamentally change how they defend in their own zone, and our stars will need to actually grow a pair and go to the dirty areas. Do you see all 3 of these things happening?
Alex,
They have the talent.
What they don’t have is the intestinal fortitude.
Craig you told me the something very similar last series
Did I?
Still stands. Without Igor standing on his head, they’re golfing. Forget about getting “good” goaltending…. He’s been otherworldly. He’s allowed them to bend without breaking. But, now their star power has gone dry and they can’t get out of their own end leading to opportunistic strikes.
This is not a recipe for success. They’re not just being outplayed… they’re being drastically outplayed.
Maybe they’ll come out guns blazing and put forth a 60 minute effort. I’d love nothing more. But, if their past play is any indicator… I wouldn’t count on it.
They’ve played terribly and still 2-2 with home ice advantage. They haven’t shown the ability to play controlled hockey consistently, but it wouldn’t be the first time a team turned it around. FLA knew their season was on the line in Game 4. NYR season could very well be on the line tonight, so we’ll see how they respond.
Gravy,
They’ll have to be opportunistic and win the special teams battle. I don’t see them outplaying Florida… I just don’t.
thats the spirit!
craig
couldn’t disagree more. the rangers are not as talented as you think. they’re giving their all, it just isn’t good enough. and they’re now getting long in the tooth as well.
expect some changes this summer. figure kreider, trouba, chytil and kakko gone. and the ufas too.
i expect a fall off next season but sometimes you have to go down to go up.
Even 25% is pretty poor – that should be around 40%, if not 45.
He unmatched her!
In the playoffs so far the Rangers OZ time (even strength) is around 37%, which is below the league average by 3%.
How did they get here? 93 percentile overall shot %, 99 percentile on high danger chances.
With the Panthers limiting Rangers chances so severely the chances of success plummet.
Alex
This the most talented Rangers team I’ve ever witnessed. And I’ve been watching the Rangers since the mid 1980’s.
You’ve heard the Panthers are good? Well, they’re not good, they’re great and they are giving the Rangers fits with their blend of physicality, talent, and willpower. The Rangers more than match up in talent, but physicality has yet to be there, and willpower is in question.
I do believe the Rangers have the ability to beat Florida; but it will not be easy.
As far as “long in the tooth” — well, the Rangers are in the middle in age, have some young up and coming stars, and will have a little cap space this summer to address some of their personnel decisions.
Relax, enjoy the series. This won’t be their last shot regardless of what transpires over this next week.
Panthers designed for POs and NYR built for reg season. Enough w the Presidents trophy which means bupkis in the playoffs.
Panthers are younger and nastier are given a free pass by refs and play a relentless system with a better goalie than Canes. All that said no ES goals last game.
has Igor stood on his head? Not as much as you think, it’s just the lack of offense from NYR puts greater urgency on goalie play. There have been stretches where the D was trapped in zone.
Lav has to change their break out. Leaving the incoming forwards free rein plays right into their hands. EVERY team plays a controlled break picking off incoming forwards but NYR.
at the bare minimum, the D needs to learn how to flip the puck out to center ice; it’s all Panthers do when pressured.
Just win baby.
The only NYR performance you can be certain of tonight in the Branthem. Everybody else is a wildcard.
I have nothing but the lowest of low expectations. They simply look completely overwhelmed. They seem to know there is little they can do, but hope Igor is the difference.
This team is more similar to 14 ECF champs; floundering offense, bend don’t break D, break out young player giving them life.
they are missing a Prust-Boyle-Fedastinko line to dish out punishment. Drury missed the boat not picking up more two vet grinders for bottom 6. VC couldn’t cut it. I would have brought in Edstrom on 4th to make a banger line, plus he’s another center.
Florida Panthers average age: 29.0
NY Rangers average age: 28.9
Rangers are just as young, not “long in the tooth”. Just as talented.
Rangers need more playoff performers. Florida has been through this last year, brought in Tarasenko. Rangers haven’t made it to the SCF since 2014 and brought in Roslovic.
Chin up, Doomers and Gloomers.
again not nearly as talented as some here think
1st line talented (bread line)
mika and kreider and fox talented
that’s it
some of those get shut down and you can see what is happening
they’re giving everything they;ve got as a team. that’s just not enough to get past final 4
dallas and edm more talented. we don’t have close to a barkov or the edm guys.
i listed the ages of top paid ranger and fla guys. their guys are in mid to upper 20s
our guys in low to mid 30s
the experts have been picking the panthers talent all series. we were dog vs carolina as well
expect changes this off season. which will cause a bit of drop off next season
kreider, trouba, chytil and kakko likely gone.
FACT: laviolette has been outcoached in this series. He’s mare no adjustments for the Rangers failure over and over to deal with Florida’s forecheck
Many teams would be very happy to have just one talented line. Next to impossible for a team to be elite at all 19 positions on the ice.
Again I’ll say – Rangers can and should play the same way the Panthers do. If the refs aren’t calling it, then do it. Don’t be a patsy and let the other side take advantage and run over you.
rangers unforced-giveaways and turnovers and unwillingness to hold onto the puck has been alarming and depressing. Everyone but Laffy
So, Alex . The Panthers have 12 forwards of elite talent?
Outside of Barkov, Verheague, Tkatchuk, Reinhard, Bennett… who am I missing? Tarasenko?
Elite interferers, crosscheckers, highstickers at almost every position in the lineup
not to mention expert divers, wwpd
Just Byfuglien play hard and win. Everything else is conjecture.
Our veterans better crap or get off the pot. The way that they played doesn’t represent their capabilities. They’ll never have this opportunity again. This game is 100% do or die passionate desperation. Vets grow some onions & surprise me.
admiral those guys are much more talented than the ranger guys. look at ages too
admiral you refuse to give the other team their props. they’re more talented than us. by a fair bit
they can play the same way but if REmper or Troubs blasts someone with a clean hit…the panther will writhe on the ice and Ranger will be in the box
*GAME POST*