Pre-Game Talk: Stanley Cup Final: New York Rangers vs. Los Angeles Kings

[nevesis]

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=623178

This gave me the chills. It has finally sunk in, like really sunk in - that the Rangers are playing for the Cup. Wow.

That was ****ing sick.

 

[Levitate]

One thing I noticed about LA is they get a TON of players in front of the net. Rangers D will have to work them over and limit the traffic.

Eh, every team has tried that against the Rangers. Every team has talked about doing that to the Rangers. You had one of the outright best front of the net players in the league in Simmonds stopped cold outside of one game.

The Rangers will have to step up their game no doubt but players crashing the net and making life hard for Lundqvist is standard "how to try to play the Rangers 101" and they're used to it

 

[NYR Viper]

It should also be noted that Duncan Keith DID NOT look healthy in that last series at all. He was shying away from contact and doing fly by's most of the series.

 

[aufheben]

It should also be noted that Duncan Keith DID NOT look healthy in that last series at all. He was shying away from contact and doing fly by's most of the series.

Brent Seabrook was also not very different than a glorified Sheldon Souray.

 

[Cake or Death]

It was a 4-1 series. They swept St. Louis and beat Vancouver in 5.

RongoBoi pls

So basically their longest playoff series was against the supposed weak Eastern Conference team? Nice

 

[KingWantsCup]

Must. Take. Game. 1.

If the Kings are still fatigued at all it will show most in game 1. Doubtful the Kings surrender both their home games to start the series. Really, really have to capitalize in game 1. Loser of game 1 also has to sit on that loss for two days which is awful.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

Must. Take. Game. 1.

If the Kings are still fatigued at all it will show most in game 1. Doubtful the Kings surrender both their home games to start the series. Really, really have to capitalize in game 1. Loser of game 1 also has to sit on that loss for two days which is awful.

Ill take a split in LA any way it comes

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

That was ****ing sick.

Yeah, that was one of the best NHL "trailers" ive ever seen. Really gets you amped.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

He wasn't any factor against the Rangers.

What I loved most is that he played almost 30 minutes every game, playing all of the PP minutes and most of the PK minutes as well. Yet, in 6 games he only had 1 PP goal

 

[Carlos Ranger]

Rangers media day podiums are starting soon Slats & AV up now, at 3:30 Girardi, Klein, Richards, Lundqvist, MSL, Nash, McD, Boyle
http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=98511&navid=nhl:topheads

 

[BarbaraAlphanse]

Must. Take. Game. 1.

If the Kings are still fatigued at all it will show most in game 1. Doubtful the Kings surrender both their home games to start the series. Really, really have to capitalize in game 1. Loser of game 1 also has to sit on that loss for two days which is awful.

The two day break benefits the loser.

 

[FJB]

Staal worries me more than any Ranger right now. He was a mess last round and it wasn't just him having trouble with the Habs speed, he just flat out made a lot of poor decisions.

Which Staal shows up will have a huge impact on the outcome of the series. The margin for error is going to be small.

Staal has not been the same since returning from the injury.

 

[BlueshirtBlitz]

So, who is the best team in hockey?

Considering how thin the gap is between the top teams in the league, it's foolish to try and discuss who is the best. I have no problem if you want to deem the cup winner the "best" but I think it's absolutely acceptable to look at the myriad of data available before that as well.

It doesn't seem a little odd to you, that if the Pittsburgh got a lucky bounce and scored on us in Games 5 or 6 when we were down 3-1, that they would be considered better than us right now? Despite the fact that all we've heard for the past two weeks is how that was an inconsequential match-up for the Rangers?

It's much easier to realize who isn't as good as the results may indicate: Minny/Habs this year, 11-12 Devs, 09-10 Habs, etc.

 

[BlueshirtBlitz]

Staal has not been the same since returning from the injury.

Staal was monstrous in the 14 games before the Habs. He had a bad series, it happens.

 

[we want cup]

Sather opens up media day joking about Game of Thrones.

 

[MSG*]

That was really funny. Good on Slats.

 

[aufheben]

Thanks for sharing the joke with the rest of us.

 

[we want cup]

Thanks for sharing the joke with the rest of us.

Steve Zipay ‏@stevezipay 3m
Sather: tough decisions today. What golf course, where to go for dinner, what to watch on TV "Is Game of Thrones on?"

 

[aufheben]

Sather = Robert Baratheon. Gorton = Ned Stark.

Boyle = Hodor.

 

[KingP]

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=623178

This gave me the chills. It has finally sunk in, like really sunk in - that the Rangers are playing for the Cup. Wow.

Its been one hell of a ride

 

[we want cup]

Slats hadn't seen McD play before trading for him. Relied on the word of Gorton and Gordie, who had.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

Staal has not been the same since returning from the injury.

From what injury?

Thought he played some of the best hockey of his career in the first 2 series when McDonagh was out to lunch. Now Staal has a bad series and its tied to an injury? Hogwash.

 

[Fletch]

It doesn't seem a little odd to you, that if the Pittsburgh got a lucky bounce and scored on us in Games 5 or 6 when we were down 3-1, that they would be considered better than us right now? Despite the fact that all we've heard for the past two weeks is how that was an inconsequential match-up for the Rangers?

It doesn't seem odd to me that a lucky bounce and the Pens would be considered better than the Rangers. There really is only one way to objectively decide which team is the best team in the league, and that's the team who wins the last game on the season. Every other way is subject to interpretation. All data can be manipulated and broken down to each shift of every game, of which there were, what, 1,230 regular season + playoff games, which accumulated billions of data? Keep is simple. There is a format for winning the Stanley Cup. Everyone accepts that format and the team that wins the fourth game in the finals series is the Cup winner. The goal of each team and of every player is to be the winner. The ultimate winner, in my mind, is the best. I don't care about injuries, bounces, bad calls and what ifs. The what ifs didn't happen and there are an infinite amount of them.Team who wins the last game, no matter how they got there, or who they played, is the best team. In my mind.

EDIT: I guess I'm trying to determine the universal best, or most accepted best, and easily arguable best, which, of course, is subjective.

 

[FJB]

From what injury?

Thought he played some of the best hockey of his career in the first 2 series when McDonagh was out to lunch. Now Staal has a bad series and its tied to an injury? Hogwash.

He played well in the first couple rounds, but to me, something has seemed very "off" about him since he started wearing the shield

 

[BarbaraAlphanse]

Man I hate listening to Barry Melrose talking about the Rangers. He is unapologetically biased against us.