I am not going to pretend it’s business as usual. It’s not. This is a different season. This virus is still out there, and it’s still killing people. There is still a lot of denial and sheer stupidity out there. And antivaxxers with conspiracy theories. If this virus doesn’t interfere wit this season I’ll be floored.
BUT! There is a season. This is the best distraction from reality than anyone of us, hockey fans, could ask for.
And, also, there is this young and promising team. This team’s future is really a lot to be excited about.
This is a new era. Lafrenière, Kakko, Shesterkin, Fox, Miller. All young stars in the making. Panarin, Zibanejad, Kreider are starring already. Trouba is up for a big season. Lindgren will get even better.
I don’t do predictions. I am sure this will be an exciting team to watch, at the very least. And the goal of this season should be to make playoffs. No excuses.
New page, boys! Fill it up with your signatures!
Rangers (0-0-0) vs Islanders (0-0-0)
Projected lineup:
Kreider-Zibanejad-Buchnevich
Panarin-Strome-Kakko
Lafrenière-Chytil-Gauthier
Lemieux-Howden-Di Giuseppe
Fox-Lindgren
Miller-Trouba
Johnson-DeAngelo
Rooney and Smith prucha’d
Shesterkin in net
LGR!!!!!
312 responses to “It’s Go Time!”
The hit from behind on Zibenajad was also cheap, no call and no response from any teammate. It really does look a lot like a preseason game. Shesterkin was not ready to go until the start of the 2nd period. Be nice to see some sort of response.
If it was an islander down, there would be a penalty for something
“Our”, jpp? You’re assuming there are mostly nets fans here?
I think that was the first hit of the game for the Rangers
Akbar, is anyone playing tonight?
I’m just going to say it… DQ talks a good game, but man does he SUCK as an NHL coach.
Not a steal, Grand Larceny.
2nd head shot of the night for Johnston. No response and no penalty.
Where the hell has this Igor been?
That should’ve been a goal. We’re even now
Who is going answer the bell? This is not college hockey. Roster construction is an issue once again.
I hope Rammer speaks Russian
Come on – watch them call this a goal
That’s goalie interference AND the whistle blew the same amount of time after as the Rangers
Goalie interference
It would be nice to see THE step up and handle the retribution once in a while. Not like he’s undersized.
Good goal my a$$
EFF THESE MOTHEREFFIN REFS!!
Eberle goalie interference
How in the ass is that a good goal and ours wasn’t???!!!!
Was that NOT a goalie interference?!
Omg they are such shills
This game is garbage.
Need something to build into next game
How about the too many men on ice pandemic we haven’t found a vaccine for yet ?
Joe and Sam tripping over their words trying not to say they see the puck in the net
Can these cream puffs just shoot the damn puck and soften their D up?!?! It’s infuriating to watch. They want to get in the lanes? Make them pay!!!
Either way, the Rangers have gotten effed by the officials all night. That was no goal to begin with, with obvious goaltender interference and the whistle blown earlier than the Rangers no goal was blown.
There was zero chance that was a goal in any universe, especially when compared to our “no” goal.
I hate listening Salmon Joe and first game isn’t even over
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I guess the Calder is not coming to MSG
This is so stupid lol
When they were reviewing the goal, couldn’t they see THEN that there was a goalie interference? lol
I hear there’s a praying mantis on the bench….
Game like this you need to get Pepe a little more ice time
I just said the exact same thing to my pops, 3c
Can’t blame DQ that line 1/1a did not show up to play tonight. Best/most noticable players can’t be Goaty A and Howdy
Oh… and I’d like it if Jackass Johnson would never suit up again….
Full line brawl heading into Saturday’s game?
I think the team found Haze’s forgotten stash in the locker room.
I wish, jpp. This team has shied away from contact at every chance they can.
Refs were in preseason mode on this game; lost control from very beginning with soft calls followed by no calls.
Can I at least get blood and guts from tonight? 🙂
Tough first game
Assume Georgie in net Saturday?
The best thing about this game is that there are less than 6 minutes left in it.
Lol Sam I wrote that first
They have completely folded the tent up in the third.
They should play Tiptoe Through the Tulips as the Rangers leave the ice.
I don’t think we’ll need all three stars tonight.
This might be the worst I’ve ever seen the Rangers play in an opener.
Chytiljuice sucks….. Thanks, OTBG.
Hawks, now Rangers… I’m down to GO Leafs Go…
I hate this team
Queeny with knee jerk moves, starting crazy random shuffling players in wild attempt…There is NO team as we understand it.
SHUT OUT
Crowd is dead
Well at least we got our stinker out in the 1st game.
81-1 here we come
Faceoffs:. Howden 7/11 Mika 8/15 Strome 4/10 Chytil 1/7 THE 0/3
1.
2.
3.
Well, it can only get better from here.
Not a team you want to get your first game in against.
Went in to the third period down by 4. Even if every shot the Rangers took in the third find the back of the net, we still lose.
Three. Effin. Shots.
Well….that was pathetic.
Sam and Joe were pathetic as well.
Not too thrilled with DQ either.
He never seems to have them ready to play. It has been that way throughout his tenure.
I’ve asked this earlier, but I’ll ask again:
Did Kakko play tonight?
Jpp, how’re we winning 81 games in a 56 game season? Lol
They didn’t look this bad against Carolina.
That actually SUCKED.
AA the top six were deep sixed
Well that was…
I wanted just one goal so not a shutout
Salmon Joe needs to go to nbcsn full time. Annoying homer
Chytil is not a center
I liked Kreider killing penalties.
Need less candy arses, more hard arses. And they’re right back to not being gametime ready.
One game boys …Isles are good…they gotta learn from it
what annoy’s me the most is that all of us see that the team needs more grit. We scream about it for years and nothing happens. Howden,Chytil are two I think we can do without.
Rooney was our best player tonight. I loved how Joe praised Truba for bumping into him. Shades of Michael Sauer. It is going to be a long season
Team well coached vs a team that is not.
Islanders are in mid season form; they had an extended playoff run and have a great coach.
Rangers coming off a long rest, are the youngest team in the league and were unprepared. Blame it on the players, blame it on the coach.
Tonight’s score did not surprise me at all / and in fact I said before the game that Islanders are the last team I would want to open my season against. Im sure next game will be a similar result as tonight.
Grit don’t matter much when you take 8 penalties
Anyone else get the dou**e chills whenever the Rangers “fan” commercials come on…. Like the one with the Rangers baby shower/tatted up dad? I’m legit embarrassed for them….
And the officials were brutally bad too. If the Rangers have those clowns a lot due to Covid, look out. In particular, the referees were out of position a lot. They blew the Trouba goal and blew the goalie interference, which they saw plainly until there was a review.
On the plus side, I think Miller kinda settled in. Going from really really tentative, to just, Okay, I gotta engage & learn. Laff, didn’t look out of place at all. Wish his family could’ve been there.
This game is totally expected. Not worth freaking out over.
It’s only one game, but, you always have to be concerned about becoming Edmonton East. Lots of skilled players but not a team capable of winning consistently especially in the postseason.
I don’t think JD or Gorton will allow “Edmonton East” — they have had prior success.
The thought of Edmonton East is scary, however.
‘The time to hesitate is through
No time to wallow in the mire
Try now we can only lose
And our game become a funeral pyre…
Come on, bubalas, light my fire
Come on children, light my fire
Try to set the night on fire…”
We will know much more after the 10 game mark but this division is a meat grinder.
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Kakko and Chytil are the two to look for progress but they are both very young.
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Gotye showed some promise tonite.
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The Bev/JJ pairing is going to cause much angina.
You know that it would be untrue.
You know that I would be a liar,
If I was to say to you –
That, we couldn’t get much higher.
(I wish after this defeat, but I’m as low as it could be…)
Come on baby, light my fire
Try to set the night on fire
(Tire fire, I mean…)
We looked like a talented but ragtag junior team intent on playing street hockey vs a skilled structured veteran NHL contender
Can DQ instill that structure at this point of his own career? How do I know
I’ll say it again- what a disappointment Trouba is. He’s second pair at best, and that’s on a good day with other D guys on the IR
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