Post-Game Talk: Rangers @ Senators - January 24

[aufheben]

Am I the only one that thinks it's ass-backwards to give our best puckmover only 1/5 of his zone starts in the defensive zone? I understand that he's great in the offensive zone and not exactly Lidstrom on the backend, but seriously...

He's not John Moore, Alain.

 

[TheDirtyH]

Am I the only one that thinks it's ass-backwards to give our best puckmover only 1/5 of his zone starts in the defensive zone? I understand that he's great in the offensive zone and not exactly Lidstrom on the backend, but seriously...

He's not John Moore, Alain.

I think you're playing with fire every time you line up Marc Staal at our circles.

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

He's not a very good hockey player. I don't think he's the big problem with the team, but I don't think he belongs in the top 9 unless we have like 8 or 9 players out of the lineup. I'd rather put someone like Stalberg in the top 9. I think he brings more offense. On the fourth line, its a choice between Glass, Paille and Fast. Paille has been good so far, so keep him in the lineup. Glass or Fast, a choice between two bad players. Does it matter that much? Glass hasn't been that bad lately, so maybe him. I think Fast's main problem is that there isn't a big difference in quality between him and AHL players like Glass. Fast is barely an NHL level forward. What separates him from Jason Megna? I don't think its much.

Fast is a lot better than Glass and Megna. The problem is AV (and probably the brass) saw him play above his head in the playoffs and assumed he'd be able to step into the role vacated by Hagelin and perform comparably. I like Fast and like him on the 3rd or 4th line. He's a decent forechecker, he finished his checks and goes to the dirty areas. However, he is not Hagelin. He's not as fast so he doesn't open up the same space that Hagelin does, he's not as persistent and tenacious as Hagelin which isn't even a slight to Fast, because Hagelin is one of the very best at forechecking and forcing players into mistakes with his speed.

Where Fast falls short most noticeably is on the PK, which is unfortunate because he is used on PK1. He's always willing to give 100% and give up his body, but he often loses his place and over commits at times. Hagelin was always able to force the point men into mistakes with his speed, he didn't hesitate and had fantastic instincts of when to pressure in all 3 zones. Fast is very passive and there are a lot of times where he holds back just a split second and is unable to clear or make a play on a puck because of that hesitation.

But to say he's not much better than Megna and Glass in an insult. Fast is a great 4th liner and a decent 3rd liner.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I think he's a 4th line player, I don't agree about him having 3rd line potential. I'd keep him on the team because he's pretty cheap, and he's not much worse than most 4th line RW's around the league, but I don't think he really has much ability to play in the top 9 when other players are out of the lineup. That should be for someone like Stalberg. Fast is a very vanilla hockey player. He hits, he plays good defense, plays hard in all zones, he has above average speed, but thats about it. No offense and bad on the PK, he's good enough to keep a job in the NHL, but he shouldn't be asked to do more than that.

 

[ArPanet]

Boyle was trash. McDonagh was trash.

Game turned when Glass whiffed on that empty net to tie the game and Ottawa came back and scored on the ensuing rush.

Game turned on the 1st shift. Thanks Staal

 

[ArPanet]

Another goal scored while G is on his belly.

Painfully funny

 

[Anthony5967]

I already went over this with most of tbe boys from the Rangers blog on hockeybuzz but this coach is a major issue too. Stubborn. One word. Reason for him never winning the big won. Yes he has coached some regular season teams that have been elite and primed to win and haven't. His certain attachment to certain players is what has held him back. Dylan mcilrath is ready to play every game and he can't even get in over 40 year old dan Boyle who is cooked. Gets his usual second or third most mins on the backend of any d man. Some games im looking and he's finishing a game with 23 mins. It's absolutely mind numbing at this point and nothing the coach says can justify it. He has 4 even strength points I believe all year. I don't even blame Glen for the Yandle deal. He gave up Duclair that's all I look at. You never know what the coyotes would've taken with that pick, well we're yet to find out technically we will see what year they give Arizona. Leadership is lacking severely. When a 39 year old early in the year started complaining about sitting a game or two for a young kid instead of being a team leader that showed me a lot from him. I should've seen the leadership in the room then. Now he doesn't sit anymore because he complained and he's far from a reliable answer back there. And this isn't a personal attack either but this is another reason they're struggling. Coach is making same mistakes and his inability to adjust is hamstringing them.

 

[Anthony5967]

Painfully funny

Im sick of him getting killed too. It's old now. They chose Boyle over stralman and all the people saying that are lying to themselves. Girardi was staying . The deal is overpayment no doubt but this idiot gm played chicken with stralman and wouldn't hand him the 4.5 for 4 years. He was willing to offer stralman 4 for 4 years. He wouldn't cave and hand stralman the 500k a year instead he said let me go grab a 38 year old d man who's numbers have declined to qb this team's pp because the coach didn't think stralman could play the pp. well look how that ended? 40 points later for stralman and this team is stuck with a 40 year old d man who is done for. He couldn't retire any quicker. They could be paying stralman two more years than they handed Boyle. Girardi has been banged up since the playoffs arguably and we all know he isn't the same but come on.

 

[ArPanet]

I want to punch Stepan in his stupid bald face. He was such a dynamic offensive player in the shortened season, and now he just looks like he's slow and doesn't give a **** out there.

He needs to work out with Brassard's trainer in the offseason to become more explosive and quick.

Lol like Stepan ever had more than 1 gear.

 

[ArPanet]

I don't understand anything AV says anymore. Fast did absolutely nothing. Even if AV was correct with that statement, why would you only play Fast 12 minutes if he's the only skater playing well?

Does this team have some set of super-advanced bizarro stats that we don't know about that might decipher why AV says the things he does?

This observation deserves to be remembered. Classic AV. Fraud?

 

[aufheben]

I think you're playing with fire every time you line up Marc Staal at our circles.

Yandle would get roughly 22-23 minutes a night in Phoenix with relatively even zone starts. For example, 2013-14: 35%/30%/35% (O/D/N). AV gives him 48%/21%/31%. Ridiculous.

He's also receiving the least amount of PP time in his career. Again in 2013-14 he was getting 4.30 TOI/G; 2.33 here. He seriously is used like a glorified John Moore.

The whole point of this mess of a defensive system is to get the puck quickly and move it back up the ice, and he barely uses the best defenseman for that in the D-zone. Girardi who is going to 9/10 times just chip the puck out when he gets it, and he gets 37% of his starts in the D-zone. AV just makes less and less sense to me as his tenure goes on.

HE'S NOT RAPHAEL DIAZ

 

[Brooklyn Ranger]

Do it to their face when the outside world won't know.

How do you know what is said in the locker room?

 

[Raspewtin]

Laughed off the ice by one of the worst teams in the league rofl

 

[TheTakedown]

Hank's struggled at times as well. Unless he doesn't play poorly at all and really can't do much better, he shouldn't be calling out his teammates to the media.

the fact that you give Girardi a pass, and even compliments, while calling out Hank is borderline absurdity...

 

[TheTakedown]

Was Hank's comment a jab at coaching? I'd say it was more so a jab at his teammates not preparing as effectively as they can.

no, Hanks jab was at his teammates...

my question is whether his teammates have given up on this coach

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

@markpherrmann: Did not having practice yesterday hurt? Lundqvist: `You have to ask the guys. I take care of my own preparation.'

He should focus on that high glove side

 

[Brooklyn Ranger]

Sometimes that's the only way to get things going. It's not like they're having players only meetings after the games, this team as it seems thinks they're playing okay.

According to published reports they have had numerous player only meetings. They just don't mention it constantly.

 

[Brooklyn Ranger]

Was Hank's comment a jab at coaching? I'd say it was more so a jab at his teammates not preparing as effectively as they can.

Sounds like Lundqvist was talking about players. He might even be (gasp!) satisfied with the way the coaching staff is trying to prepare the group for games.

 

[Vickers8]

Gorton and AV share some blame here, but playing Fast on the 1st line, Mcilrath sits, Girardi, Staal and Boyle all suck, when are things going to change, we are simply not good enough, we need changes

 

[The Gloaming]

Am I the only one that thinks it's ass-backwards to give our best puckmover only 1/5 of his zone starts in the defensive zone? I understand that he's great in the offensive zone and not exactly Lidstrom on the backend, but seriously...

He's not John Moore, Alain.

Absolutely. Part of being a PMD is moving the puck out of your zone. Something Yandle is good at. Can't say the same for the boneheads who get most of the defensive starts on this team. Maybe McDonagh once in a blue moon. But Yandle is still the best on our team at it.

Yandle's usage is perhaps my number 1 complaint about AV this season. And there's been a lot to complain about.

 

[haohmaru]

is there ever a time that hank is at fault here? great goalies win games by stopping shots like that.. look team is horse crap. but shut up or come out and blast someone.. AV sucks i called this a long time ago..he refuses to adjust

Yes, but yesterday wouldn't be the time. They were outshot, outchanced, & outplayed. Couple that with the fact that we, you know, couldn't score a single goal kind of absolves our goalie.

Lunqvist's worst season that I can remember, but he's been pretty good the last 10. This team is on the precipice of needing some big change(s) to either personnel or their coaching staff.

 

[Irishguy42]

Yesterday was an outlier and not a real indicator of how our season is/will be going.

Clean it up, crush the Sabres, Go Rangers

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

The best play always ends up with a puck in the back of your net.

Maybe take away the pass on your feet so you can try to pressure someone instead of sliding aimlessly and assuming two professional hockey players can't react to a lone defender on his belly.

Your agenda reached absurdly long ago, but now you're basically at a point where you're ready to kill Girardi for breathing. When defending a 2 on 1, the defenseman' job is to take away the pass. Like any defenseman, there will come a point sometime soon where you can kill Girardi for a legitimate mistake. This ain't one of those times.

 

[Killem Dafoe]

On to the next...

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=2018855