Post-Game Talk: Game #2: Rangers @ Columbus Blue Jackets

[thenumbersdonotlie*]

IMO the lines should be

Duclair-St. Louis-Nash
Kreider-Brassard-Zucc
Hagelin-Miller-Stempniak
Fast-Moore-Hayes

McDonagh-Girardi
Staal-Klein
Moore-McIlrath


The reality is with all the big salaries on the Rangers, there had to be a time when 3 or 4 young kids were on the team to mature and keep the cap number down.

 

[NYR425]

Anecdotal evidence is meaningless, unreliable, and subject to huge biases...OF COURSE players are going to tell you they are glad someone stuck up for them. That's how all people think. But in no way does that say anything about whether or not it was a correct decision.

When a team sticks together, it plays better. What Kreider did was necessary. The real issue here is we are two games in and it is very clear that nobody is afraid of Glass and retaliation. The Rangers need to bring McIlrath up. I am so sick of people using baseball like data to say what goes on in hockey. They are two completely different sports. The emotion and adrenaline in hockey can not be accounted for using your lame statistical data. I am sorry but I will listen to a player before I listen to some numbers person that just crunches numbers, does not know the game nor has ever played the game.

 

[silverfish]

HFBoards' trademark is groupthink. Where have you been?

I think the last sentence is an oversimplication. He got 50 points, but he provided nothing else, ran out when it mattered the most, and became a flat out liability late in the year. "Certainly can't be worse than Richards" is an exaggeration for sure. But he plays a game that Richards didn't, hell, a game NONE of our centers play. And he has upside. I'd certainly rather him now to Brad Richards.

I understand what you're trying to say, but I have a hard time completely ignoring 50 points from a player.

What game is that exactly? Yeah, it's north-south hockey. Yeah, Miller has good size. In the first two games, and after the beginning of the preseason, he hasn't shown me much.

I'm sorry this is becoming all about Miller as there were plenty of problems last night.

I ****ing hate this tendency to react only viscerally and not think about what someone might have meant that seems to be the norm around here. For one thing, you've been on here long enough to know that I'm anything but a participant in groupthink. For another, read what I wrote.

What Richards became was a liability at even strength. That's not how he started the year last year, but it's where he was much of the time down the stretch and in the playoffs. In the final 45 games of last year, playoffs and regular season after the Olympics, Richards had 21 points. That's a 38 point pace. Only 12 points at even strength over that stretch... that's a 22 point pace at even strength. Richards just faltered at the end of the year. I'm not even criticizing him. Just saying that Miller is already making better things happen. They need to translate into points, sometime, but right now I'm happy with what he's doing.

It is groupthink. It's hard to keep track of individual posters though. I saw one person say this off-season that Miller will provide more this season than Richards did last season and I wrote it off as useless drivel. Yet, it grew and grew and the 'groupthink' adopted it.

That 38 point pace as Richards being a liability is literally 3.8 times more than anything Miller has done at this level.

We'll talk again if/when these good things Miller are doing are translating into points. Until then, comparing his effectiveness to Richards is laughable to me.

 

[KOVALEV022473]

I understand what you're trying to say, but I have a hard time completely ignoring 50 points from a player.

What game is that exactly? Yeah, it's north-south hockey. Yeah, Miller has good size. In the first two games, and after the beginning of the preseason, he hasn't shown me much.

I'm sorry this is becoming all about Miller as there were plenty of problems last night.



It is groupthink. It's hard to keep track of individual posters though. I saw one person say this off-season that Miller will provide more this season than Richards did last season and I wrote it off as useless drivel. Yet, it grew and grew and the 'groupthink' adopted it.

That 38 point pace as Richards being a liability is literally 3.8 times more than anything Miller has done at this level.

We'll talk again if/when these good things Miller are doing are translating into points. Until then, comparing his effectiveness to Richards is laughable to me.

Like I have said in the past, there's a certain contingent of posters here who want nothing but " the kids" to play and crap on most vets as old and slow. Results be damned. Perhaps, they should get Wolfpack season tickets.

 

[bl02]

IMO the lines should be

Duclair-St. Louis-Nash
Kreider-Brassard-Zucc
Hagelin-Miller-Stempniak
Fast-Moore-Hayes

McDonagh-Girardi
Staal-Klein
Moore-McIlrath


The reality is with all the big salaries on the Rangers, there had to be a time when 3 or 4 young kids were on the team to mature and keep the cap number down.

Yes please those are the lines I wanna see. Put kreider with brass and zucc.

 

[Steve Kournianos]

I saw some good things last night. Good signs.

None involved John Moore though lol.

 

[BlueshirtBlitz]

John Moore is a train-wreck.

The rest of the D, outside of McD, is questionable.

I think AV starting the backup in the 2nd game of the season is ridiculous.

That said, it's one loss. No big deal.

 

[Beer League Sniper]

John Moore is a train-wreck.

The rest of the D, outside of McD, is questionable.

I think AV starting the backup in the 2nd game of the season is ridiculous.

That said, it's one loss. No big deal.

Agreed, John Moore is awful. He's made zero noticeable progression from last season.

They're not starting Hank 3 in 4 nights no matter what point in the season it is, and the organization obviously wants him in for the home opener. While it might not be the right "hockey decision," it makes all the sense in the world from a business standpoint. The fans want to see Hank on opening night.

 

[Riche16]

People seem to be overreacting as usual.

Right now this squad has A) young players who may not be ready
&
B) key players who are injured

There's going to be games where the players who are in don't belong. This includes Miller apparently.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

I would love it if Miller provided 50 points and nothing else. Right now, he provides very little points and nothing else.

 

[rholt168]

Remember the beginning of last year? I'd say that season worked itself out.

Still a lot of young guys learning the system and to work with new linemates. I'm not passing major judgement until around the 10-15 game mark.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Remember the beginning of last year? I'd say that season worked itself out.

Still a lot of young guys learning the system and to work with new linemates. I'm not passing major judgement until around the 10-15 game mark.

But the Devils and Islanders are 2-0 and I hate that they are above us in the standings!

 

[chosen]

Players are paid to play the game. Not to analyze the game.

Analysis all you want bud, but without teammates sticking up for other teammates an getting eachothers back you don't win Championships it's a brotherhood and you show your brother you got his back end of story.[/QUOTE]

Teams with enormous divisions in the locker room often do very well in baseball. Not sure why it would be any different in any other sport.

After one loss, the board has settled into mid-season form.

Usual folks telling others that they know nothing.

*****ing about the refs.

Picking out scapegoats.

Questioning coaching decisions.

The season has now officially started.

 

[Infinitum Vitae*]

Our fourth line needs to be
Glass-Moore-Malone
Fast is to ****ing soft and quiet to be on our fourth line which is our energy line.
Also I'd swap hayes in for Miller just to see how he does.

 

[Wolfy*]

Zucc says he sucks...

[NHL]641712[/NHL]

 

[Levitate]

I didn't get to see all that much of the game, but that was a nice play by Duc before getting the puck back to Nash.

I can live with a 1-1 start, but I wish they had shown a bit more tonight. We could definitely use Step back. The parts of the game I did see didn't look so hot.

But, to be fair, I'm not that shocked. We're out a top-4 d-man and our #1C (who also happens to be one of our best defensive forwards). Talbot was the unfortunate victim of some mistakes (committed by both the team and himself). What can you do, though?

The season is young. It'll get sorted.

Onward!

Right, and it's obvious the team is still getting used to the new players and getting their positioning down, etc. Need to ahve some better intensity along the boards when fighting for pucks but it's all stuff that can easily be fixed, team was just off last night

Really did like what Duclair was doing though, want to see the lines moved around and maybe give him some minutes with Nash.Brass and Zucc need some help

 

[Placid]

Zucc says he sucks...

He simply says it like it is, that he (and the line he is on) has not been good enough, and that they have to step it up. That probably echoes what most people in here have been saying during the first two games.

He is just being honest

 

[KOVALEV022473]

Our fourth line needs to be
Glass-Moore-Malone
Fast is to ****ing soft and quiet to be on our fourth line which is our energy line.
Also I'd swap hayes in for Miller just to see how he does.

Finally, someone making some sense.

 

[Levitate]

A lot of talks about lines, but make no misstake, the part of our team that struggled tonight was our blueline that whiffed when pressured.

Someone above said that our transition game was old school and only circled around shipping the puck out. Ehh no, but that's how we played tonight and that was the problem. Way to many low quality plays from our Ds...

Also, AV keeps playing left handed Ds as right Ds. It is NOT working. Nobody is playing up to any kind of standard, it looks like crap. When a team like CBJ ships the puck in along the board, we wan Hunwick to turn the back to the ice and collect the puck with his backhand, then turn up ice, then make a play. There is NO time for that.

I think there were times when the forwards weren't coming back deep enough to help out the D. I think it was on the 4th goal by Columbus where Staal is all alone behind the net and has a guy right on him, he doesn't have much of a play there. He could have just tried to sit on the puck, sure, but in theory he SHOULD be trying to move it to a teammate. He tries to swing it around the boards because he doesn't have any other play, and the Rangers winger is way up above the hash marks standing still. The Columbus player just jumps right in front of him and starts the whole play

Get that forward lower and maybe that Columbus D doesn't think about jumping in as deep, or at least has further to go. Basically I"m just saying, while the D might be having trouble making plays, the forwards also need to GIVE them an outlet that doesn't have to be a great pass every single time.

The forwards also struggled bigtime with their outlet passes, often missing wide open guys, and they had a penchant for just throwing the puck out to an area of the ice rather than to a teammate. That's all on the forwards and not the D

 

[Whiskers*]

I love how we are talking like Duke made 2 unreal plays last night and he is really playing well. He made two passes that a pro hockey player should make. Other than that what did he do? The first goal he had all kinds of time to find Stemp and the second pass is a pass that every hockey player sees in that spot . Let's relax.

 

[Riche16]

Exactly. Even if AV feels he MUST sit Hank, then do it tomorrow against a team that's not in our division and is vastly inferior to Columbus.

You're advocating sitting Hank in the home opener?

 

[Raspewtin]

You're advocating sitting Hank in the home opener?

It's against a not playoff team in the Leafs, yeah.

Would've made a lot more sense to play Hank last night.

 

[Megustaelhockey]

I love how we are talking like Duke made 2 unreal plays last night and he is really playing well. He made two passes that a pro hockey player should make. Other than that what did he do? The first goal he had all kinds of time to find Stemp and the second pass is a pass that every hockey player sees in that spot . Let's relax.

People are looking for anything positive to take away from two not so great performances in a row by this club.

 

[RangersOwnNewYork*]

But the Devils and Islanders are 2-0 and I hate that they are above us in the standings!

Come on man. The Isles played two games against Carolina who could be the worst team in the league. They will start playing real teams now and we will see how that goes. The Devils have looked like an offensive juggernaut but they have played 2 teams who can't stop a nosebleed let alone keep the puck out of their own net. The Devs are the oldest team in the league by far and when this sprint turns into a marathon will see how they hold up. When the season is over we will be looking down on both of them in the standings. Book it!!

 

[Wolfy*]

He simply says it like it is, that he (and the line he is on) has not been good enough, and that they have to step it up. That probably echoes what most people in here have been saying during the first two games.

He is just being honest

At least he didn't break his arm, half this board had him out for six months last night.

I wonder if Hags will be on that line tonight. I believe Kreider would be a better option, they showed some chemistry during preseason.