Post-Game Talk: NYR @ Montreal - October 15

[Tawnos]

I'm not convinced that you need a lot of talent to have a good PP. There's not enough chaos out there with the Rangers.

I've always wondered why a solid forechecking line couldn't just do what they do at even strength and be completely effective.

 

[TheDirtyH]

I'm not convinced that you need a lot of talent to have a good PP. There's not enough chaos out there with the Rangers.

http://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/583367

Doan, Hanzal, Boedker, Yandle, OEL. Not many better five man units the last few years. Plenty with more talent.

 

[aufheben]

http://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/583367

Doan, Hanzal, Boedker, Yandle, OEL. Not many better five man units the last few years. Plenty with more talent.

Yep. Didn't the Blackhawks have a terrible PP once?

 

[haveandare]

I agree that we want a stronger powerplay. However, the special teams situation can often distract from where the real improvements need to come. How many odd man rushes did we have last night where we didn't get a shot, either from overpass or indecision? How many times did we miss the net?

Fixing the powerplay is important. Fixing the PK, which hasn't been great, is slightly more important. Executing properly at even strength is way more important. It's fine to focus on the PP. let's just not forget about the bigger issues.

Agreed for the most part, but PP can be an easy way to build up the confidence of point producing players. Get a few in a situation where there's a 25% chance of getting one, and suddenly you've got a new spring in your step when you find yourself in an odd man situation.

Not saying the PP needs to be the only focus, but I suspect that improving it significantly would have a ripple effect on the offense 5 on 5.

 

[Mikos87]

This game reminded me of the two shutout losses to TB.

They were passive, played on the perimeter, and kept making bad pinches.

This is one where the game tape should get used; and the players drilled.

If this team wants to contend again, they need to be able to adjust mid game, and their better skaters did not move their feet last night.

I think there needs to be an internal push with the leadership to hold guys more accountable and at least show up physically.

That floaty, non-chalant soft play on the Power Play the last 2 games has been disgusting to watch.

This power play needs some prozac and adderall.

 

[OverTheCap]

The PP would improve if they simplified things and didn't try to be so fine. However, I think part of the problem with the PP is that players are too pass-happy and we lack a player whose natural inclination is to shoot at will. A triggerman or sniper could go a long way and eliminate some of the redundancy regarding PP personnel.

While the PP certainly isn't the end-all be-all to team success, at the very least it should be competent enough to win us some games when it becomes a special teams battle like we saw against Winnipeg. Being awarded 6 power plays should have given us a clear advantage and instead it had the opposite effect, we would have been better off playing at even strength. Additionally, if the PP is going to middling at best, then the PK needs to be top notch which unfortunately hasn't been the case so far.

 

[Brooklyn Ranger]

Agreed for the most part, but PP can be an easy way to build up the confidence of point producing players. Get a few in a situation where there's a 25% chance of getting one, and suddenly you've got a new spring in your step when you find yourself in an odd man situation.

Not saying the PP needs to be the only focus, but I suspect that improving it significantly would have a ripple effect on the offense 5 on 5.

One team was over 25% last year (Washington) and only 6 more made it to/over 20%. Of the top ten teams in PP%, only 4 made the playoffs. This is not the good old days!

But, overall, I agree with your assessment--if this team felt like they had a decent chance of scoring on the power play, I think it would help over all.

 

[Ori]

2 zip ( not counting the e/n goal) aint that bad against this team in that building. we never win there.

offensively, this team is challenged. big time. no shooters. too many straight ahead players who have tunnel vision. we can create with speed and size but then we have no ability to finish. we waste chances that we create via hard work because we cannot hit the net nor can we pick corners.

we hit shins.
legs
pipe
net
glass
or just flub shots.

our best (most highly paid players) are not producing. period.

if you take away the 4 goals from oscar lindberg, this team look pretty weak.

rick nash 1 assists in 5 game and tons of minutes. highest paid player and goal scorer extrordinaire.
ryan mcdonagh zero points in 5 games. never leaves the ice.
chris kreider 2 assists in 5 games. breakout season ?
dan boyle. 1 assists in 4 games. offensive dman ?

still believe this team will struggle to score and without a top 10 power play, prepare yourself for many 1 goal losses and shutouts against.

fix
the
powerplay

Not weak, but the usual slow start with some key Rangers players.

 

[chosen]

I'm surprised by how little criticism Kreider is taking here, although I'm sure it's in a lot of people's minds.

I avoided this thread until now but got curious as to whether the bashing of everyone would include Kreider. He is almost always defended here. I presume that is because there are games when he is the best player on the ice and this keeps some of us from ever criticizing him.

For a player with his natural gifts to go invisible for more than half the games and continue to be spared the lashes handed out to other players is ridiculous.

His excuses always said he's a rookie or he is almost a rookie. He's not that young, anymore. There are an awful lot of players younger than him starring in this league, yet we still wait for Kreider to become a major player every night.

Kovalev was demonized by a lot of fans for never reaching his potential and his on ice success dwarfed what Kreider has accomplished.

I love Kreider's raw talents like a lot of you but I hate what he brings on a nightly basis.

 

[chosen]

Everyone was absolutely ****ing terrible, outside of Lundqvist 99% of the game. The other 1% he was ****ing terrible as well. I don't know if they didn't show up or if Montreal is that much better than them. Because this as ugly of a performance I can remember on both ends of the ice. An utter atrocity.

This marks the 50th time you have seen this ugly of a performance by the Rangers.

 

[chosen]

Dude...what are you doing thinking logically?

We're 3-2.

Our team sucks. Our coach sucks. Our defense sucks. The only reason we're an NHL team is cause of Hank.

Anyone who thinks other wise is a fool.

They don't suck but their record is very misleading. Two wins against Bobrovsky who through the first two weeks is playing as poorly as any goalie I have ever seen in the NHL. He has been scary bad.

The goal that he gave up to Hayes, if scored against Hank would have driven some here over the edge. The only good game the Rangers have played was the opener.

 

[GOAT AINEC]

I'm not worried because just about every team in the league is a dumpster fire to start the season.

The Ducks were predicted to win the cup and haven't even won a game yet.

 

[Vickers8]

we hit shins.
legs
pipe
net
glass
or just flub shots.

Thats when we shoot but we never shoot, we kill our own PP by passing the puck around the perimeter after we gain the zone after Stepan loses the initial faceoff everytime

 

[Infinitum Vitae*]

At Rangers practice today, the team’s lines are (Gross):

Rick Nash, Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello
Chris Kreider, Derick Brassard, Jesper Fast
Oscar Lindberg, Kevin Hayes, JT Miller
Viktor Stalberg, Dominic Moore, Jarret Stoll

Ryan McDonagh is paired with Kevin Klein and Keith Yandle is paired with Dan Girardi. (Gross)

Emerson Etem is skating as an extra.*(NYR)

Tanner Glass is swapping in with Viktor Stalberg.(NYR)

The PP units are (Gross):

Keith Yandle, Dan Boyle, Rick Nash, Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello
Ryan McDonagh, JT Miller, Chris Kreider, Derick Brassard, Kevin Hayes

 

[aufheben]

Next Pre-Game Thread up: http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1968433