Pre-Game Talk: Perhaps it is time to begin this discussion - Rangers @ Isles 4/13

[Bardof425*]

Ahh I get it. He's putting all the underachievers together to prevent them from dragging down the other lines.

Should be Pyatt Richards Boyle.

No chance of scoring but no other lines hurt.

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

Why do some of you guys predict the score and who's going to score? I know it's fun to see if you get any of it right, but that just screams jinx to me. I guess I'm just superstitious lol

 

[fredrikstad]

So pumped for this game I wish it was tomorrow night instead.

Any predictions on the first fight? Asham vs Boulton? Hank vs Nabokov?

LGR

Has Henke ever had a fight in The NHL?

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

For some reason, I feel better that this game is on the Island instead of the Garden. I know they've sucked on the road for the most part but I feel like the Isles always gear it up against us another notch at the Garden (not that they really need to gear it up anymore, they've been fantastic lately).

The Rangers could use a big road win, so hopefully its tomorrow night.

 

[nevesis]

I love how people freak out about Boyle moving up. Clowe and Boyle actually have good chemistry on the PP. Why not try them out together? (2) big bodies to create space.

For who? Brad Richards...

 

[nevesis]

Has Henke ever had a fight in The NHL?

Not an official one, but Max Pacioretty comes close.

 

[JohnC]

Has Henke ever had a fight in The NHL?

Close



Gets me everytime

 

[fredrikstad]

Ugh Boyle on 2nd line? Pyatt still in lineup? Terrible.

Hagelin - Stepan - Nash
Clowe - Richards - Fasth
Kreider/Hrivik - Brassard - Cally
Powe/Asham - Boyle - Zucc

Speed/skill/grit on every line. That is the kind of depth that you go deep in the playoffs with. People may argue Zucc on the fourth line but he and Boyle had chemistry last season and having him playing against other team's bottom pairings will only benefit him. Plus he still gets 1st unit PP time. And yes, I think Fasth is ready. He has been playing against men for 3 full seasons now. Without Fasth (injured?) you move Zucc back to 2nd line and plug whoever down there.

BTW... Isles are 9-11-2 at home, 12-5-2 on the road. Very unusual to have that type of disparity in home/away records.

Fast is leaving for Sweden and National Team duty this weekend.

 

[gary laser eyes]

I don't even know why you bothered writing this out. Do you really believe Torts is going to call up Kreider, Hrivik AND Fasth? Come on. He wanted to send Kreider and Miller down because he wants NHLers in the lineup. He doesn't want 3 rookies, two of whom he hasn't seen before, playing in these important games.

These are practically playoff games, not a week into the season and trying to feel out some rookies.

LA iced 3 rookies in the playoffs last year. Two of which had significant impacts (King, Voynov).

Hrivik is a reach as he has only 50 AHL games under his belt. Kreider and Fasth, however, have plenty of experience playing against men and there is no reason that they shouldn't be at least given a shot over guys like Pyatt. Kreider has 3 full NCAA seasons, 2 WC's, 44 AHL games and 35 NHL games, 18 of which were playoff games. Fasth has 3 full SEL seasons and plenty of International men's experience.

I realize I'm preaching to the choir here, but it's just frustrating seeing guys contribute absolutely nothing night in and night out and stay in the lineup. When Kreider was in the lineup, he was getting chances. It'd be great to see how he fits in with the newly acquired depth.

Fast is leaving for Sweden and National Team duty this weekend.

Did not know that. Thanks for the info. Hopefully he can come back and help out the Whale in the playoffs should they still be in the mix. I'm excited to see how the Hagelin - Brassard - Zucc line works out.

 

[Riverdale]

Looking for Hank to have a big game tonight.

Show them why you deserve a second Vezina.

 

[Malarowski]

Looking for Hank to have a big game tonight.

Show them why you deserve a second Vezina.

He better not have a game tonight.

 

[Thirty One]

Should be Pyatt Richards Boyle.

No chance of scoring but no other lines hurt.

So then Clowe is with Powe and Asham?

 

[Doctyl]

all in on vbookie?

 

[Wolfy*]

Nash - Stepan - Callahan
Hagelin - Brassard - Zuccarello
Clowe - Richards - Boyle
Pyatt - Powe - Asham

These are my lines. Brassard played well against the Leafs, that line is fast and should get 2nd line minutes.

 

[nevesis]

“@MikeFrancesaNY: I haven't seen da Eye Landers play a game in 5 yeahsâ€

 

[esidebill]

holy ****, i totally forgot about bickel.

Thanks for reminding me.

unleash the bickel!

 

[Mickaleen]

Rangers just better be ready to go from the drop. None of this, we need a period to get our legs going ********.

 

[Richter Scale]

Boyle on the 2nd line. AWESOME.

“@AGrossRecord: #NYR practice lines: Nash-Stepan-Callahan (same), Clowe-Richards-Boyle, Hagelin-Brassard-Zuccarello, Pyatt-Powe-Asham (same).”

Going by performance as of late, that 3rd line should be the second line.

Right. Anyone ever think that maybe that is precisely what Torts is doing? Actually demoting Richards, as everyone on here has been clamoring for? Alternatively, this creates three solid lines both offensively and defensively (Clowe-Richards-Zucc is not a good line defensively; something whose importance is amplified in away games when you don't have last change).

Not to mention that as has already been said, Torts changes the lines constantly throughout the game. Last time he put Gabby on the third line for practice everyone on here was flipping out; and guess what, he only lasted there for a couple shifts come game time.

Calm down folks. Big game. Let it play out and enjoy it.

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

LA iced 3 rookies in the playoffs last year. Two of which had significant impacts (King, Voynov).

Hrivik is a reach as he has only 50 AHL games under his belt. Kreider and Fasth, however, have plenty of experience playing against men and there is no reason that they shouldn't be at least given a shot over guys like Pyatt. Kreider has 3 full NCAA seasons, 2 WC's, 44 AHL games and 35 NHL games, 18 of which were playoff games. Fasth has 3 full SEL seasons and plenty of International men's experience.

I realize I'm preaching to the choir here, but it's just frustrating seeing guys contribute absolutely nothing night in and night out and stay in the lineup. When Kreider was in the lineup, he was getting chances. It'd be great to see how he fits in with the newly acquired depth.

I know LA did it, I'm just saying after all the trades and stuff Torts made it clear he wants NHLers in the lineup and not kids he has to worry about. Honestly I'd like Kreider on Brassard's wing right now, but I guess Torts doesn't think he's ready. I think Kreider would play into being ready if he was getting a solid 12-14mins a night instead of 5 mins on the 4th line. But alas, Torts wants NHLers in the lineup. That's the only way to explain why Pyatt is still in there.

 

[TankLarkin]

these games aren't nearly as epic as back in the day when fighting wasn't a staged event and each team was stacked with toughness. just sayin'

 

[Richter Scale]

I know LA did it, I'm just saying after all the trades and stuff Torts made it clear he wants NHLers in the lineup and not kids he has to worry about. Honestly I'd like Kreider on Brassard's wing right now, but I guess Torts doesn't think he's ready. I think Kreider would play into being ready if he was getting a solid 12-14mins a night instead of 5 mins on the 4th line. But alas, Torts wants NHLers in the lineup. That's the only way to explain why Pyatt is still in there.

I think he needs to work on some pretty basic NHL-level hockey skills/sense and needs some time to do that, without any added pressure, in the AHL. That said, though we'll never know for sure, I'd be willing to bet that Torts would be more open to doing something like this (bolded in your quote) with Kreider and Miller if it were an 82 game season. In the shortened season, each game is extremely important, and Torts probably feels like this gives him less leeway to let a rookie develop in the NHL at the expense of the team. But that said, he's also just 21. People need to relax.

This brings up an important point -- when Kreider is brought up he should absolutely be playing on the 3rd or 4th line. None of this 1st/2nd line BS. He shouldn't automatically get top 6 minutes as I've seen many people on here suggesting. Playing on the 3rd and 4th line would take a huge amount of the pressure off of him and give him some of the room to develop properly. He should have to play his way into top 6 minutes and one of the worst things that can be done is to rush this along.

One of the best teams at developing young talent - the Red Wings - does this routinely even with their top players. They let them develop and mature in the AHL or euro leagues until fairly late in their careers, and then when they finally are brought over to the NHL, they aren't expected to fill in top line slots right away - they are given roles on the 3rd and 4th line. I don't think I could name more than one Red Wings prospect in over a decade who was given a solid roster spot before the age of 23.

Datsyuk: Roster spot at 23.
Zetterberg: Roster spot at 22.
Kronwall: Roster spot between 25 and 26.
Helm: 23.
Hudler: 23.
Holmstrom: Played at 24 and 25, but didn't have a solid roster spot until 26.
Filppula: Played at 22, but didn't have a solid roster spot until 23.
Ericsson: 26.
Fischer: Played from 20-21, but didn't have solid roster spot until 22.
Andersson: 24.
Emmerton: 23.
Kindl: 25-26.
Abdelkader: 23-24.
Franzen: 26.
Brunner: 27.

And their current star prospects:

Nyquist: 23
Tatar: 22
... And neither has played in even half of the Red Wings' games this year, despite contributing at a pretty solid rate, despite the Red Wings having to battle through a significant amount of injuries earlier in the season, and despite having a desperate need for solid 3rd and 4th line players.


Kreider is 21. I get why people are anxious, but there is no good reason to rush his development.

 

[enigmatic]

For some reason, I feel better that this game is on the Island instead of the Garden. I know they've sucked on the road for the most part but I feel like the Isles always gear it up against us another notch at the Garden (not that they really need to gear it up anymore, they've been fantastic lately).

The Rangers could use a big road win, so hopefully its tomorrow night.

umm, the isles have one of the top road records in the NHL this year.....

if anything, its our home record which has been disappointing, though we have been playing much better at home as of late (hard not to when you are 8-1-1 in your last 10)

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

I realize I'm preaching to the choir here, but it's just frustrating seeing guys contribute absolutely nothing night in and night out and stay in the lineup. When Kreider was in the lineup, he was getting chances. It'd be great to see how he fits in with the newly acquired depth..

I wish I could just make stuff up to prove my points -- like a myth that Chris Kreider was consistently producing chances in his time here. What a nice little fairy tale.

 

[Holocene]

umm, the isles have one of the top road records in the NHL this year.....

if anything, its our home record which has been disappointing, though we have been playing much better at home as of late (hard not to when you are 8-1-1 in your last 10)

He was talking about the Rangers road record.

 

[OverTheCap]

I wish I could just make stuff up to prove my points -- like a myth that Chris Kreider was consistently producing chances in his time here. What a nice little fairy tale.

Too bad the Rangers didn't get the imaginary version of Kreider that exists only in fans' heads, he seems a lot better than the real one we saw this year.