Post-Game Talk: Panthers @ Rangers | 21 March 2016

[aufheben]

The parity is fine, the issue is that they let stuff go like the Hawks signing Keith and Hossa until the heat death of the universe.

Around the NHL thread is probably the place for this discussion, though.

 

[Krams]

There's no team in the league that's above average at every aspect of the game and that includes LA.

You didn't answer my question.

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

Oh u agree with Linda Cohn do you? I've been saying it since before the deal even got made lol.

Staal is not a center anymore Carolina knew it and stopped playing him there. Everyone knows it BUT AV. We had 3 good centers going prior to the trade. Hayes was playing his best hockey. We needed Staal on the wing. That's where he can help us.

Miller Brassard Nash
Staal Stepan Zucc
Kreider Hayes Fast
Glass Moore Stalberg

Fast needs to be nowhere near the top 6 it's crazy playing him with Nash and brassard

Yeah, he has no business up there. Plays are dying on his stick, he's not making passes to open players and holding the puck too long and turning it over a lot, he's def in over his head there. The issue too is that it renders than line less effective and also makes Fast less effective. Played in the right role Jesper Fast is a very good player.

A big issue is that AV is using Fast like he's Hagelin, which sounds good on paper, but then you watch it and he's not even close to Hags. Hags may have had stone hands at times, but he definitely had good enough skill to play in the top 6 at times and he was good at pushing the pace and making passes when they were available, not even mentioning his speed which Fast isn't even close to which Hags used not only to forecheck and create chances for himself, but to open up lanes and create space and gaps for his linemates to take advantage of.

 

[Machinehead]

Chicago/LA is a coin toss. Hawks are good.

It's been a coin toss in the past but Kane and Crawford are dragging that team by its hair this year.

 

[Kovalev27]

Hagelin wasn't even effective for us in the top 6 he was at his best playing third line and pk.

That's where Fast belongs

AV basically had him on his top line tonight that's a joke

 

[Machinehead]

You didn't answer my question.

The talent pool is there but it's divided up pretty evenly by the cap.

Back in the day you used to have 2 or 3 totally ridiculous teams (remember the late 90's to early 00's Red Wings? They'd win 65+ games if they were dropped into this league) several good teams, 5-10 mediocre teams, 5-10 bad teams, and a couple of really awful teams.

Now you have 2-4 great but beatable teams, like 23 alright teams, and a couple of really bad ones.

It's all really close now. Sure it's competitive but it's not because everyone is great. It's because everyone is ok. On the same token there's fewer bad teams now. But who's really phenomenal? Like I said, drop a 90's dynasty team into this league and they'd embarrass the league. The Wings used to have hall of famers on their 3rd line.

Every single team in the league has an aspect of their game that I can look at and say "wow that's a problem"

 

[ColonialsHockey10]

Had the privilege of attending this one in person. Thoughts:

- Aside from Hank, Trochek was the best player on the ice

- Eric Staal was pretty handily the worst player on the ice

- If that is the result we get after a "players only meeting", then this team is totally ****ed. We were the definition of subpar tonight. I was reading some posts using the word "amazing" to describe our play at times tonight. My God has the bar been lowered, we didn't nothing amazing tonight. Where's James Cameron when you need him.

- Highlight of the game: when Dominic Moore was somehow given an equal "roughing" penalty after his tussle with Trocheck, the officials were dead set on having the face off in the Rangers zone. Eric Staal, and the "gritty, savvy veteran" he is (his only redeeming quality), refused to go back into the defensive zone, arguing that it should be outside until the refs finally decided to move it. Truly showed how incompetent the morons that dictate this game are, they don't have a clue what they're doing out there.

As usual, we survive by the skin of our teeth, thanks to a hall of fame goaltender that's giving us all false hope.

 

[Mikachu93]

Better game but it's apparent that Eric Staal needs more minutes and Hayes needs to reassume third line C duties. Fast has no business in the top 6 and should be a third line player.

Staal Brassard Zuccarello
Kreider Stepan Nash
Miller Hayes Fast
Glass Moore Stalberg

McDonagh Klein
Yandle Girardi
Staal Boyle

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

Better game but it's apparent that Eric Staal needs more minutes and Hayes needs to reassume third line C duties. Fast has no business in the top 6 and should be a third line player.

AV needs to at least try it. If it doesn't work, fine, but he has to at least try it.

 

[TheTakedown]

Nash with the GWG. Nice.



My one big complaint for this game is : please for the love of God, please AV take Jesper Fast out of the top 6. He's just out of his element. Great bottom 6 energy winger, not great with Nash-Brass.

Slide Miller up to Nash-Brass (worked in TB series) and Stalberg up to 3rd line.

Nash-Brassard-Miller
Kreider-Stepan-Zuccarello
Stalberg-Staal-Hayes
Glass-Moore-Fast.

Offense dies in Fast's stick. I love the guy but please move him down the lineup.

But you know AV. He really likes fast, and his line worked really good--ONE TIME... So we gotta keep it for a year to see if it works

 

[Machinehead]

AV needs to at least try it. If it doesn't work, fine, but he has to at least try it.

Couldn't be any worse than Hayes at wing which is a crime against humanity.

 

[mrhockey193195]

I thought McDonagh was the best player on the ice, by far. Great games by Miller and Nash (even disregarding his goal - look at how he drove the net, especially in the first!!!). I thought Klein was excellent, Girardi was good too.

 

[Inferno]

The turtle again almost sinks us...av is such a ridiculous coach.

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

Couldn't be any worse than Hayes at wing which is a crime against humanity.

Yup. Honestly moving Staal into a top-6 winger role solves 3 problems.

1) It gets Staal the minutes he needs and line mates he needs to maximize his effectiveness

2) Hayes goes back to Center where he is quite clearly a far better NHL player

3) it slots Fast down into a bottom 6 role where he will be more effective.


AV really is married to the idea of Staal being s center though. I just want to see him give it a legitimate shot.

 

[nyr5186]

Why can't Hayes play center on a line with Staal? Just have Staal take faceoffs and switch back to wing after the draw. A lot of teams do this.

Miller-Brassard-Nash
Kreider-Stepan-Zuccarello
Staal-Hayes-Fast
Glass-Moore-Stalberg
Lindberg

 

[Ola]

GSC-Yeah I agree. Even if Staal has done a lot of good things since coming here, it has also been on some kind of glorified checking line center level. I wouldn't mind seeing him on the wing of Brass-Zucc or something like that.

 

[Ori]

Oh u agree with Linda Cohn do you? I've been saying it since before the deal even got made lol.

Staal is not a center anymore Carolina knew it and stopped playing him there. Everyone knows it BUT AV. We had 3 good centers going prior to the trade. Hayes was playing his best hockey. We needed Staal on the wing. That's where he can help us.

Miller Brassard Nash
Staal Stepan Zucc
Kreider Hayes Fast
Glass Moore Stalberg

Fast needs to be nowhere near the top 6 it's crazy playing him with Nash and brassard

Fast is a valueable player for sure, but he is not a top 6 on Rangers at the moment - so qft.
I also enjoy to see Zuci with Stepan as I mentioned earlier - they usually find eachother as well not only on PP!
I love the Zuci magic last night - what a snipe goal! And Zuci reminds me more of MSL finishing of late - when he is very accurate with his shot!

 

[nyr2k2]

Not only are we second in the East, we're sixth overall and five points out of second. If Washington hadn't run away with it months ago, we'd be talking about whether we could pull off a run at the President's. What a weird season this has been.

 

[haohmaru]

Insanity. No offense.

The Penguins are way, way, way better than the Islanders.

The Islanders play twice as inspired against the Rangers as the Pens do. Give me Pittsburgh all day long.

 

[Raspewtin]

I thought McDonagh was the best player on the ice, by far. Great games by Miller and Nash (even disregarding his goal - look at how he drove the net, especially in the first!!!). I thought Klein was excellent, Girardi was good too.

I thought so too.

 

[FOD]

Had the privilege of attending this one in person. Thoughts:

- Aside from Hank, Trochek was the best player on the ice

- Eric Staal was pretty handily the worst player on the ice

- If that is the result we get after a "players only meeting", then this team is totally ****ed. We were the definition of subpar tonight. I was reading some posts using the word "amazing" to describe our play at times tonight. My God has the bar been lowered, we didn't nothing amazing tonight. Where's James Cameron when you need him.

- Highlight of the game: when Dominic Moore was somehow given an equal "roughing" penalty after his tussle with Trocheck, the officials were dead set on having the face off in the Rangers zone. Eric Staal, and the "gritty, savvy veteran" he is (his only redeeming quality), refused to go back into the defensive zone, arguing that it should be outside until the refs finally decided to move it. Truly showed how incompetent the morons that dictate this game are, they don't have a clue what they're doing out there.

As usual, we survive by the skin of our teeth, thanks to a hall of fame goaltender that's giving us all false hope.

Don't forget hall of famer Antii Raanta who is 5-1 in his last 6.

 

[Glennsoe]

As scary AS it get's...

 

[TheTakedown]

Hagelin wasn't even effective for us in the top 6 he was at his best playing third line and pk.

That's where Fast belongs

AV basically had him on his top line tonight that's a joke

I think it's because he is a RH shot, which honestly is sad. I'd put Stepan up there before Fast.... doesn't take too many brains to figure that out

 

[silverfish]

Not only are we second in the East, we're sixth overall and five points out of second. If Washington hadn't run away with it months ago, we'd be talking about whether we could pull off a run at the President's. What a weird season this has been.

And people still wonder why the FO didn't sell at the deadline...

Thought Nash was incredible last night.

 

[Miamipuck]

I thought McDonagh was the best player on the ice, by far. Great games by Miller and Nash (even disregarding his goal - look at how he drove the net, especially in the first!!!). I thought Klein was excellent, Girardi was good too.

He was absolutely atrocious in the 3rd. I am not talking about the PP against either.