Post-Game Talk: boneless, spineless

[RangerBoy]

Second season in a row the Rangers needed to trade for 2 RWs because Kakko can’t run with the opportunity handed to him. No one should be shocked when he’s traded this summer while he still has value

You never liked Kakko. You wanted to trade for JT Miller. Gallant should have left Kakko with Zibanejad and Kreider. He can't help himself. The Rangers trade Kakko for his own sanity.

 

[TopShelfSnipes]

I get that.

but the issue is we are bad at generating offense. Other teams have their way with the Buffalo's of the league. We're being 'doubled up' in terms of xG against these lower teams at 5v5. That's a problem that will not just go away in the Playoffs. We need to be much better if we plan on winning a Cup.

IMO our biggest issues are (and they should be easy to fix with COMPETENT!!! coaching)

1-We are slow through the neutral zone
Watched the second half of Toronto Edmonton last night and just for kicks:
-Both teams attacked the neutral zone with speed. Neither team turned the puck over much in the neutral zone. All the passing took place in the D zone, but the puck was given to someone who had speed, who skated up the ice quickly with at least one other player nearby as a passing option if he came under pressure in the neutral zone who matched the puck carrier's speed. Dzone D to F passes were made quickly and crisply. Even on set breakouts, such as after both teams change, this style was a constant for both teams and very few neutral zone turnovers from either side.


2-We don't move properly away from the puck in the offensive zone to get open and generate shots
-Watch Draisaitl move in the offensive zone without the puck. He is constantly moving without the puck to create a passing lane in a scoring area. Sometimes that means he's moving away from the net when a player on the strong side is moving towards the net. But it creates an outlet for the puck carrier to send the puck across net (so all the royal road fellaters are happy) and he shoots the puck immediately. ALL the good scorers do this. Who on our team other than sometimes Zibeanejad, and Tarasenko (though someone getting him the puck is another story), actually does that? They all go to the side of the net, behind the net, or set up to support the cycle and pass the puck around the perimeter. OK, Panarin does it sometimes, but when the puck comes to him he almost never just fires it off the pass. He handles it, fakes to the boards, cuts back to the middle, looks for a pass for a full second, then maybe wrists it at the net from a standstill if there's no pass. Skill aside, that's the difference between a 20 goal scorer and a 50 goal scorer. And he's not even the worst culprit.
-The offense is too uncreative. Why don't we see fake shots at even strength more? Subtle, shoulder faked shots before passes that freeze the D and goalie before the puck is moved? In the playoffs they will need to be more dynamic without the puck to create confusion, open passing lanes, and give defenders fits. As of right now they're not doing it.

So unless this is 4D chess where the team just plays rope-a-dope until the playoffs so they can trick other teams into thinking they suck and trick Igor into remembering how to play like a Vezina winner - and the'yre secretly lighting it up in practice to keep their skills sharp so they can still flip that switch come playoffs, they need to change their structure. They are too skilled and too weak defensively in a scoring era to try to play a defensive trapping style and try to consistently win games 2-1. BEST case scenario, that's how you go 7 games against lower seeds and burn yourself out in the playoffs. WORST case scenario you lose in the first round to a less skilled team.

 

[Mike in Houston]

Larry Brooks suggests the Rangers are currently the third best team in the Metro area with the Islanders ahead of them. Can't say I disagree based on the recent performances of our beloved team.

Why Rangers may be third-best team in Metro area

All of our teams are in position to qualify for the playoffs for just the fourth time in the 40 seasons since New Jersey joined the fray.

nypost.com

 

[JCMac23]

GG pissed off with all the lines questions

He shouldn't be...he's clueless when it comes to it

 

[McRanger92]

Larry Brooks suggests the Rangers are currently the third best team in the Metro area with the Islanders ahead of them. Can't say I disagree based on the recent performances of our beloved team.

Why Rangers may be third-best team in Metro area

All of our teams are in position to qualify for the playoffs for just the fourth time in the 40 seasons since New Jersey joined the fray.

nypost.com

Larry is trying to rile up the fanbase. He was the loudest advocate for Kane

 

[TopShelfSnipes]

He shouldn't be...he's clueless when it comes to it

Yup. I don't understand why we still have to suffer through Panarin-Trocheck. The playing styles just aren't compatible. Enough already.

 

[McRanger92]

You never liked Kakko. You wanted to trade for JT Miller. Gallant should have left Kakko with Zibanejad and Kreider. He can't help himself. The Rangers trade Kakko for his own sanity.

I’m sure I could go back and find plenty of bad takes from you over the years too. If they could trade Kakko for a similarly aged player who plays with speed and physicality, I’d do it in a heartbeat. He’s not developing any offense

 

[DanielBrassard]

IMO our biggest issues are (and they should be easy to fix with COMPETENT!!! coaching)

1-We are slow through the neutral zone
Watched the second half of Toronto Edmonton last night and just for kicks:
-Both teams attacked the neutral zone with speed. Neither team turned the puck over much in the neutral zone. All the passing took place in the D zone, but the puck was given to someone who had speed, who skated up the ice quickly with at least one other player nearby as a passing option if he came under pressure in the neutral zone who matched the puck carrier's speed. Dzone D to F passes were made quickly and crisply. Even on set breakouts, such as after both teams change, this style was a constant for both teams and very few neutral zone turnovers from either side.


2-We don't move properly away from the puck in the offensive zone to get open and generate shots
-Watch Draisaitl move in the offensive zone without the puck. He is constantly moving without the puck to create a passing lane in a scoring area. Sometimes that means he's moving away from the net when a player on the strong side is moving towards the net. But it creates an outlet for the puck carrier to send the puck across net (so all the royal road fellaters are happy) and he shoots the puck immediately. ALL the good scorers do this. Who on our team other than sometimes Zibeanejad, and Tarasenko (though someone getting him the puck is another story), actually does that? They all go to the side of the net, behind the net, or set up to support the cycle and pass the puck around the perimeter. OK, Panarin does it sometimes, but when the puck comes to him he almost never just fires it off the pass. He handles it, fakes to the boards, cuts back to the middle, looks for a pass for a full second, then maybe wrists it at the net from a standstill if there's no pass. Skill aside, that's the difference between a 20 goal scorer and a 50 goal scorer. And he's not even the worst culprit.
-The offense is too uncreative. Why don't we see fake shots at even strength more? Subtle, shoulder faked shots before passes that freeze the D and goalie before the puck is moved? In the playoffs they will need to be more dynamic without the puck to create confusion, open passing lanes, and give defenders fits. As of right now they're not doing it.

So unless this is 4D chess where the team just plays rope-a-dope until the playoffs so they can trick other teams into thinking they suck and trick Igor into remembering how to play like a Vezina winner - and the'yre secretly lighting it up in practice to keep their skills sharp so they can still flip that switch come playoffs, they need to change their structure. They are too skilled and too weak defensively in a scoring era to try to play a defensive trapping style and try to consistently win games 2-1. BEST case scenario, that's how you go 7 games against lower seeds and burn yourself out in the playoffs. WORST case scenario you lose in the first round to a less skilled team.

I wish it was rope-a-dope as all the optimists are trying to gaslight everyone into believing. But unfortunately all of the issues the team has had over the past month are being magnified now. Below average transition game as you pointed out, struggling to generate offense at 5v5 which has been an issue all year, underwhelming forechecking team which hasn't gotten any better after the deadline additions to be frank. They play slow and skate slow I don't know how you improve those things at this point in the season with a locked in roster. It's a lot to overcome and once again Igor is going to have to be otherworldly for them to have a shot to make a run. Hopefully they do and hopefully he is.

 

[duhmetreE]

IMO our biggest issues are (and they should be easy to fix with COMPETENT!!! coaching)

1-We are slow through the neutral zone
Watched the second half of Toronto Edmonton last night and just for kicks:
-Both teams attacked the neutral zone with speed. Neither team turned the puck over much in the neutral zone. All the passing took place in the D zone, but the puck was given to someone who had speed, who skated up the ice quickly with at least one other player nearby as a passing option if he came under pressure in the neutral zone who matched the puck carrier's speed. Dzone D to F passes were made quickly and crisply. Even on set breakouts, such as after both teams change, this style was a constant for both teams and very few neutral zone turnovers from either side.


2-We don't move properly away from the puck in the offensive zone to get open and generate shots
-Watch Draisaitl move in the offensive zone without the puck. He is constantly moving without the puck to create a passing lane in a scoring area. Sometimes that means he's moving away from the net when a player on the strong side is moving towards the net. But it creates an outlet for the puck carrier to send the puck across net (so all the royal road fellaters are happy) and he shoots the puck immediately. ALL the good scorers do this. Who on our team other than sometimes Zibeanejad, and Tarasenko (though someone getting him the puck is another story), actually does that? They all go to the side of the net, behind the net, or set up to support the cycle and pass the puck around the perimeter. OK, Panarin does it sometimes, but when the puck comes to him he almost never just fires it off the pass. He handles it, fakes to the boards, cuts back to the middle, looks for a pass for a full second, then maybe wrists it at the net from a standstill if there's no pass. Skill aside, that's the difference between a 20 goal scorer and a 50 goal scorer. And he's not even the worst culprit.
-The offense is too uncreative. Why don't we see fake shots at even strength more? Subtle, shoulder faked shots before passes that freeze the D and goalie before the puck is moved? In the playoffs they will need to be more dynamic without the puck to create confusion, open passing lanes, and give defenders fits. As of right now they're not doing it.

So unless this is 4D chess where the team just plays rope-a-dope until the playoffs so they can trick other teams into thinking they suck and trick Igor into remembering how to play like a Vezina winner - and the'yre secretly lighting it up in practice to keep their skills sharp so they can still flip that switch come playoffs, they need to change their structure. They are too skilled and too weak defensively in a scoring era to try to play a defensive trapping style and try to consistently win games 2-1. BEST case scenario, that's how you go 7 games against lower seeds and burn yourself out in the playoffs. WORST case scenario you lose in the first round to a less skilled team.

It's so painful to watch and I dont think the coaching staff is capable of making adjustments or fixing it. It's easy to see when something is bad, how do you fix it is the question. We need a modern infusion of tactics.... if that comes from another assistant coach? Great. If that comes from a completely different coaching staff? Great. It better be a different approach, with more modern day tactics, not more of the same.

We play slow and we are slow. They need to play with more pace and move as a team.

I'm just tired of watching this type of hockey.. 'but we're winning'.... we wont win a cup playing like this. We may win a round or two but is that the end goal?

 

[Daves a mess]

Saw "boneless/ spineless" it made me reminisce about Vitali Kravtsov.

 

[haohmaru]

Larry Brooks suggests the Rangers are currently the third best team in the Metro area with the Islanders ahead of them. Can't say I disagree based on the recent performances of our beloved team.

Why Rangers may be third-best team in Metro area

All of our teams are in position to qualify for the playoffs for just the fourth time in the 40 seasons since New Jersey joined the fray.

nypost.com

Who cares? Screw Larry Brooks. The Rangers lineup has been in a blender for weeks.

The Bruins are losing to the Wings 4-1. Guess they suck too.

 

[McRanger92]

Who cares? Screw Larry Brooks. The Rangers lineup has been in a blender for weeks.

The Bruins are losing to the Wings 4-1. Guess they suck too.

And only led against them for 6 minutes yesterday . Because that’s apparently a thing that matters now

 

[Megustaelhockey]

I would forgive the Rangers mailing in a game, too, if they had 50 wins, 105 points, and a f***ing x next to their names, too.

Maybe the Bruins aren't playing well the last few, but they can afford it because they didn't suck-start a chainsaw in October like we did.