ECQF: (2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (3) New York Rangers | Series Tied 1-1

[Sidney the Kidney]

I hope Fleury or Murray is ready by Game 3. The Pens just look like a different team in front of Zatkoff. Even in the Game 1 win, the Pens didn't look as sharp or confident as they've looked since their turnaround.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

I hope Fleury or Murray is ready by Game 3. The Pens just look like a different team in front of Zatkoff. Even in the Game 1 win, the Pens didn't look as sharp or confident as they've looked since their turnaround.

Why is it that fans look for any excuse to excuse their team not dominating the other team? The Rangers couldn't just have played well it has to be their damn goalie. The Rangers didn't have their best skater on the ice in McDonagh.

 

[GOAT AINEC]

Why is it that fans look for any excuse to excuse their team not dominating the other team? The Rangers couldn't just have played well it has to be their damn goalie. The Rangers didn't have their best skater on the ice in McDonagh.

Or have their overall best player for 2 periods in the first game.

 

[Unpredictable1]

I hope Fleury or Murray is ready by Game 3. The Pens just look like a different team in front of Zatkoff. Even in the Game 1 win, the Pens didn't look as sharp or confident as they've looked since their turnaround.

I hoped Fleury would be in for game one, it might have been a 2-0 series lead for the Rangers. (including the Hank injury)

 

[Group Chat Legend*]

Lundqvist's 'shoulder save' on Hornqvist is exactly why pads need to be smaller.

Henrik gets beat by a quick shot, but his absurdly large shoulder pad blocks the shot. Why is a goaltender rewarded for being out of position?

 

[hafaba]

Interresting how hank played yesterday. Everyone thought he was goin to die after his breakdance moves on the ice

 

[Mikachu93]

Interresting how hank played yesterday. Everyone thought he was goin to die after his breakdance moves on the ice

Alright. Let me jab you with a hockey stick in your eyeball when you aren't suspecting it and see how you react to it. Get real.

 

[Kokoschka]

Interresting how hank played yesterday. Everyone thought he was goin to die after his breakdance moves on the ice

really?

 

[ForzaItalia]

Why is it that fans look for any excuse to excuse their team not dominating the other team? The Rangers couldn't just have played well it has to be their damn goalie. The Rangers didn't have their best skater on the ice in McDonagh.

Yep. Right now the Pens are letting the Rangers dictate play. Rangers are forechecking hard and not giving the Pens D a chance to get the transition game going.

Time for the Pens to make adjustments.

 

[WhatsaMaatta]

Why is it that fans look for any excuse to excuse their team not dominating the other team? The Rangers couldn't just have played well it has to be their damn goalie. The Rangers didn't have their best skater on the ice in McDonagh.

It's a combination, really. The Rangers have looked really good and the Pens have looked nothing like the team we saw pre-playoffs. Hopefully the Pens can make some adjustments and start using their speed more consistently, but right now, the Rangers have looked like the faster, more assertive team.

 

[stanleycaps18]

Malkin = team cancer.



His return is an adjustment.

 

[KingWantsCup]

Interresting how hank played yesterday. Everyone thought he was goin to die after his breakdance moves on the ice

Here, hold this L.

 

[Lomez]

Why is it that fans look for any excuse to excuse their team not dominating the other team? The Rangers couldn't just have played well it has to be their damn goalie. The Rangers didn't have their best skater on the ice in McDonagh.

You're clearly not understanding the point (and it has nothing to do with your fave team). The Pens are playing no where near as aggressively nor with the fearlessness and lack of abandon their system requires for it to be effective, and it has to be because they are mindful that there is a third string goalie, at best, behind them. Its a different team.

It isn't a simple discussion of "oh yeah, we'll we don't have McDonagh." Hockey's great, it can be really nuanced.

 

[Lomez]

Interresting how hank played yesterday. Everyone thought he was goin to die after his breakdance moves on the ice

Have you ever played hockey, or any contact sport really? Funny how people react spontaneously to pain, shock, etc. I really don't think "everyone" thought that.

 

[WhatsaMaatta]

You're clearly not understanding the point (and it has nothing to do with your fave team). The Pens are playing no where near as aggressively nor with the fearlessness and lack of abandon their system requires for it to be effective, and it has to be because they are mindful that there is a third string goalie, at best, behind them. Its a different team.

It isn't a simple discussion of "oh yeah, we'll we don't have McDonagh." Hockey's great, it can be really nuanced.

I'll be interested to see how the team responds to a game 3 return from Fleury. Because they truly have been a completely different team with Zatkoff in net.

 

[ForzaItalia]

I'll be interested to see how the team responds to a game 3 return from Fleury. Because they truly have been a completely different team with Zatkoff in net.

I think it's more that playoff hockey is different than regular season hockey. Right now the Rangers have dictated the pace in this series and Pens know what the strategy is against them.

Pens have a few days here to make adjustments so Game 3 is quite interesting to see what their response is.

 

[KingDeathMetal]

Lundqvist's 'shoulder save' on Hornqvist is exactly why pads need to be smaller.

Henrik gets beat by a quick shot, but his absurdly large shoulder pad blocks the shot. Why is a goaltender rewarded for being out of position?

Explain how he was out of position. If anyone was out of position, it was our D who abandoned Hornqvist right in front of the net. Hank didn't have to move other than push forward to cut off the angle. He was exactly where he needed to be, and played the shooter perfectly. Are his pads big? Yeah, the whole league has big pads. If you take Hank's away, you do the same for Zatkoff, and maybe a few more goals go in against him as well.

But he certainly was not out of position.

 

[Devil Dancer]

Let's go Rangers!
[barfs a little]
Let's go Rangers!
[barfs a little]

Nice win yesterday.

 

[NYR713]

You're clearly not understanding the point (and it has nothing to do with your fave team). The Pens are playing no where near as aggressively nor with the fearlessness and lack of abandon their system requires for it to be effective, and it has to be because they are mindful that there is a third string goalie, at best, behind them. Its a different team.

It isn't a simple discussion of "oh yeah, we'll we don't have McDonagh." Hockey's great, it can be really nuanced.

It's also the playoffs, so all teams tighten up their game. As you said, they were really successful with the fearlessness so Sully probably needs to drop the idea of "smart defensive playoff hockey" and just let the horses run. But, I think they'd be playing this same style no matter who is in net because it's what coaches and teams do.

 

[Empoleon8771]

A couple thoughts on that game:

The Rangers did an amazing job at running the trap yesterday. I honestly don't think the Pens got 1 odd man break or breakaway scoring chances that weren't either on the PP or directly after a penalty kill. The Rangers slowed down the Penguins significantly and took advantage of the Penguins horrendous defense. Major props for AV making that change, that was a huge factor in why the Pens were shut down entirely at ES. The Pens just looked like straight up garbage. The only Penguins players that I would give a plus to yesterday were Kessel and Crosby. Everyone else was either mediocre/invisible (Hagelin, Cullen, Kuhnhackl, Hornqvist and such) or downright atrocious (Maatta, Cole, Daley and such). Most of those lines couldn't complete a pass in the defensive zone, which made the Rangers job significantly easier in shutting down the Pens.

Lundqvist played well when he was asked to, I just think that he was only asked to do anything serious like once or twice. The Pens had nothing going offensively at ES, the only reason that game wasn't a blowout was because of the PP. Zatkoff didn't play bad (4th goal was bad though), regardless of how Pens fans want to blame all of the world's problems on him. He's a mediocre backup who you can't expect to win a game when his offense is producing nothing and his defense is giving up backdoor plays, breakaways and odd man breaks on the regular. However, the Pens play differently when he's in net. I don't know if it's just coincidence, but the Pens have looked bad when Zatkoff is in net, which is why his record on the season is so poor.

I want Fleury in net to see if that pushes the Pens to play like they did down the stretch in the regular season, not because Zatkoff played particularly poorly in games 1 and 2. I mean, Zatkoff put up a .908 save% in games 1 and 2 while not getting much help defensively in game 2, I honestly don't think you can chalk that up as anything but a win for him. I was hoping for a split with Zatkoff starting 2 games (my original guess was him going 1-1 with him letting in 5-6 goals and a .900-.910 save%, so I ended up really close) and that's what happened, so I'm not upset the Pens lost yesterday.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Crosby and Malkin played a lot of shifts together yesterday. It didn't seem to be particularly effective.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Crosby and Malkin played a lot of shifts together yesterday. It didn't seem to be particularly effective.

Just about anything the Penguins did didn't seem to be particularly effective. They were really bad at ES yesterday.

 

[Stanley Foobrick]

Interresting how hank played yesterday. Everyone thought he was goin to die after his breakdance moves on the ice

.......and this is why I left these boards. Moronic comments like these only here to troll opposing fans.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Why is it that fans look for any excuse to excuse their team not dominating the other team? The Rangers couldn't just have played well it has to be their damn goalie. The Rangers didn't have their best skater on the ice in McDonagh.

The Rangers played really well and took advantage of a third string goalie, happy?

Saying the Penguins would play better with someone above their third string goalie isn't exactly a gigantic reach.

 

[ForzaItalia]

This series looks like it's going to be a long one with lots of drama and physicality.

Hope it goes 7.