OT: NHL Playoffs, NYR vs PIT, F.A.M.I.L.Y.

[ClassOf02]

I'm a Ranger fan and this may be a chicken little overreaction, but I fear this series may mark the start of the end of the Lundqvist era. Not just him, but he's the centerpiece. We've been all in the last few years to win the Cup now (Yandle, Staal and trading away the picks and limiting our cap room). It might be time to start thinking about the next era. We look slow, flat, and incapable of hanging with a good team.

Or maybe I'm just pissed at that first period.

 

[miker183]

I'm a Ranger fan and this may be a chicken little overreaction, but I fear this series may mark the start of the end of the Lundqvist era. Not just him, but he's the centerpiece. We've been all in the last few years to win the Cup now (Yandle, Staal and trading away the picks and limiting our cap room). It might be time to start thinking about the next era. We look slow, flat, and incapable of hanging with a good team.

Or maybe I'm just pissed at that first period.

Unfortunately you are reading it right. Feel the same way.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

That was a ROUGH 1st period. We simply are getting SHUT THE F* DOWN on our PP's and the D is slowwwwwww.

 

[mikemarc1]

Unfortunately you are reading it right. Feel the same way.

Rangers need a lesson from the Wings, Hawks, and Devils on how to build for Cup runs.
:sunglasses:

 

[Block R]

I'm a Ranger fan and this may be a chicken little overreaction, but I fear this series may mark the start of the end of the Lundqvist era. Not just him, but he's the centerpiece. We've been all in the last few years to win the Cup now (Yandle, Staal and trading away the picks and limiting our cap room). It might be time to start thinking about the next era. We look slow, flat, and incapable of hanging with a good team.

Or maybe I'm just pissed at that first period.

I'm already at acceptance in the 5 stages of grief. I breezed through depression in the first period.

Any chance we can trade Nash straight up for a first rounder, buy out Girardi and start reloading for one last run with Hank (who has looked pretty ordinary this series)?

 

[Wolv RU]

I'm a Ranger fan and this may be a chicken little overreaction, but I fear this series may mark the start of the end of the Lundqvist era. Not just him, but he's the centerpiece. We've been all in the last few years to win the Cup now (Yandle, Staal and trading away the picks and limiting our cap room). It might be time to start thinking about the next era. We look slow, flat, and incapable of hanging with a good team.

Or maybe I'm just pissed at that first period.

While you are likely right, just like in football, a team is never as bad as their worst game or as good as their best one.

It is an open question as to whether this was more of an off year for Lundqvist and he bounces back next year or whether this is an age thing. Plenty of goalies have remained very good past his current age though so it is not necessarily the end of the era. It should be the end of the attempt at quick fixes (St. Louis, Yandle, Staal), all of which have ranged from below average to terrible when you consider the terms of those trades.

 

[Block R]

It should be the end of the attempt at quick fixes (St. Louis, Yandle, Staal), all of which have ranged from below average to terrible when you consider the terms of those trades.

Agree with your point on Lundqvist but I wouldn't say St. Louis, Yandle and E Staal were 'quick fixes'. They were attempts at acquiring that one last piece to put the team over the top for a cup run. E. Staal I would argue was a bit of a Hail Mary as the team this year clearly (to me at least) wasn't going to get it done but the prior two years the Rangers went deep and came very close.

 

[ClassOf02]

I'm already at acceptance in the 5 stages of grief. I breezed through depression in the first period.

Any chance we can trade Nash straight up for a first rounder, buy out Girardi and start reloading for one last run with Hank (who has looked pretty ordinary this series)?

I'm fine sending away Nash, both Staals, Boyle (seriously, we could've still had Stralman), Girardi, Moore. Bring in youth, build around Mac, Stepan, Zucc & Brassard. Maybe Hank stays strong a few more years.

 

[Block R]

I'm fine sending away Nash, both Staals, Boyle (seriously, we could've still had Stralman), Girardi, Moore. Bring in youth, build around Mac, Stepan, Zucc & Brassard. Maybe Hank stays strong a few more years.

Agree. And agree, losing Stralman pissed me off. Not surprised that came back to bite us.

 

[Wolv RU]

Agree with your point on Lundqvist but I wouldn't say St. Louis, Yandle and E Staal were 'quick fixes'. They were attempts at acquiring that one last piece to put the team over the top for a cup run. E. Staal I would argue was a bit of a Hail Mary as the team this year clearly (to me at least) wasn't going to get it done but the prior two years the Rangers went deep and came very close.

I think the Callahan trade was really because he wasn't going to resign with the Rangers and they figured an extra year of MSL was better than just the remainder of the year with Callahan. That said, they paid a stiff price in draft picks to do that one. I this this was more of thinking that they wanted to make sure they didn't lose Callahan for nothing much more than searching for the "final piece," and then morphed into getting MSL after MSL said he wanted to be traded and that the only team he would play for was the Rangers. Considering the bind that MSL put his own management in, it is hard to believe Tampa got the return for him that they did.

The Yandle trade seems a bit baffling at this point -- he is essentially playing as a 3rd pair D. Given what they gave up, it seems like a pretty big misjudgment of where he was going to fit in the team.

So yeah, maybe "quick fixes" isn't the right characterization, but ill-conceived trades may have cost the team a title (trading Anisimov, Dubinsky, and a first round pick for Nash was another trade that proved very costly, IMO).

 

[RUHotTrumpetMonkeyLove]

Islanders advance! First playoff series win since 1993. I'd like to offer a sincere "bite me" to all of the experts who picked Florida in the series.

 

[mikemarc1]

Tavares is a game changer, perhaps the best athlete/star in NY in any sport.

 

[RU848789]

I'm a Ranger fan and this may be a chicken little overreaction, but I fear this series may mark the start of the end of the Lundqvist era. Not just him, but he's the centerpiece. We've been all in the last few years to win the Cup now (Yandle, Staal and trading away the picks and limiting our cap room). It might be time to start thinking about the next era. We look slow, flat, and incapable of hanging with a good team.

Or maybe I'm just pissed at that first period.

I was at game 4 at the Garden and the Rangers were simply outplayed by a better team, by a wide margin. How much of that was physical and how much was psychological is hard to say, but it was ugly hockey by the Rangers and Lundqvist did not play well. Place was 90% empty midway through the 3rd.

I'm not actually a Rangers fan, per se, but a very good friend has 2 season tix and they sell some playoff games because of the exorbitant pricing, so the last few years I've gone to a game every series (including both Game 7's last year against the Caps and TB). Being a good guest, though, I do root for the Rangers when I'm with my friend.

 

[RUnTime]

Let's go Devils..

Glad to see the rangers bow out, nobody cares about the rangers in New Jersey.

 

[RUMcMahon]

Islanders advance! First playoff series win since 1993. I'd like to offer a sincere "bite me" to all of the experts who picked Florida in the series.

I had Isles in 5, took one more. Greiss legit stole 3 games and JT just wants it more then anyone on the ice.

LGI beat Tampa!! Isles in 6

 

[Block R]

...nobody cares about the rangers in New Jersey.

If you say so.

Mildly surprised the Isles got past Florida. I watched the end of the game last night and parts of OT and as RUMcMahon said, Tavares just wants it so badly and it shows. I'll be interested to see how they fare against the TB.

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

Pittsburgh won the series quite easily.
How many times did Lundqvist get pulled?

I think Washington will get their act together and win the East.

 

[miker183]

Pittsburgh won the series quite easily.
How many times did Lundqvist get pulled?

I think Washington will get their act together and win the East.

As a Ranger fan, I was disappointed. They, unfortunately, got the result they deserved. As for Lundquist, easy target, and certainly didn't play well, but the Rangers issues ran DEEP from the players to the Coach. Vigneault REFUSES to settle on any lines, and in the elimination game he finally benches Boyle to insert Rafael Diaz. I like Diaz, but the misuse of defenseman, and the refusal to try to season some young kids for the future was infuriating to me.

As for the Penguins, they played the type of game the Rangers used to play: quick counterattack, heavy forecheck and getting to most of the loose pucks. I agree that Washington wins the East for one really important reason; except possibly Tampa, they are the deepest team throughout the entire lineup. This time of year 4 lines (capable lines) is essential.

I expect a vastly different team next year, younger, and not quite as successful. They built this team for "one last ride", okay, last ride over, time to move on and start to rebuild. There are players on the team, but not enough of them. And Vigneault HAS to rein in the defenseman, leaving guys open in the slot because your d-man are pushing the puck up ice can get you, well, for starters ELIMINATED FROM THE PLAYOFFS. LOL.

 

[miker183]

Let's go Devils..

Glad to see the rangers bow out, nobody cares about the rangers in New Jersey.

Disagree. I only root against the Devils when they play the Rangers.

But, I'll never apologize for being a Ranger fan, simple truth is, I was a Ranger fan before the Devils existed, so no reason why I would jump ship. It's not a knock on the Devils, if I didn't already have a team, I very likely would have been a Devil fan.

 

[RBS05]

Lundqvist had a great season that was made to look worse by how poor the defense played and all the bad penalties. He had a huge spike in medium & high risk shot attempts faced this year thanks to the bums in front of him.

His 5v5 save percentage was .9357, best in his career and top 5 among all goalies since the lockout.

 

[robcac26]

I didn't get a good luck at it because I was at work, but it looked like the Islanders got away with maybe two tripping penalties when the Panthers were close to scoring on the empty net to seal the victory, just before Tavares tied it in the last minute. Either way, the next round should be fun to watch. The last time Crosby faced Ovechkin in the playoffs, it was one hell of a series, and I think there was even a game in which both of them scored hat tricks. Hopefully this time will be just as entertaining.

 

[Kbee3]

Let's go Devils..

Glad to see the rangers bow out, nobody cares about the rangers in New Jersey.

That's just wrong. I know more Rangers fans that live in New Jersey than Devils fans. I did notice however that a higher percentage of Devils fans are girls.....especially on this board.

 

[robcac26]

That's just wrong. I know more Rangers fans that live in New Jersey than Devils fans. I did notice however that a higher percentage of Devils fans are girls.....especially on this board.

I'm not sure what is older, the Rangers' most recent Stanley Cup or the last time calling a guy a girl was a harsh insult. Either way, you are both wrong. Obviously there is still a lot of people who care about the Rangers in New Jersey since they either were hockey fans before the Devils existed or were raised by people who were hockey fans before the Devils existed, but regardless of the people you know, there are more Devils fans in NJ than Rangers fans.

 

[Wolv RU]

I didn't get a good luck at it because I was at work, but it looked like the Islanders got away with maybe two tripping penalties when the Panthers were close to scoring on the empty net to seal the victory, just before Tavares tied it in the last minute. Either way, the next round should be fun to watch. The last time Crosby faced Ovechkin in the playoffs, it was one hell of a series, and I think there was even a game in which both of them scored hat tricks. Hopefully this time will be just as entertaining.

It did look like the Islanders did get away with something there when their net was empty, but Florida really was outplayed by the Islanders in net -- something I certainly didn't see coming before the series started. Florida just didn't come up with the big plays when it mattered most.

Next round Washington / Pittsburgh will be great, but St. Louis v. Chicago game 7 tonight should be a great one. It's another series where St. Louis has had multiple opportunities to put Chicago away, but Chicago has come up with the plays when they needed to. San Jose showed how you need to play in the playoffs (interestingly they are coached by Peter DeBoer) if you want to knock out the best teams.

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

That's just wrong. I know more Rangers fans that live in New Jersey than Devils fans. I did notice however that a higher percentage of Devils fans are girls.....especially on this board.

It's your own perception.

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

Didn't watch the Icelanders game but I heard that they got away with blatant penalties that would have iced the game in the 3rd.

They now get to play a legitimate playoff team in Tampa.

 

[Kbee3]

I'm not sure what is older, the Rangers' most recent Stanley Cup or the last time calling a guy a girl was a harsh insult. Either way, you are both wrong. Obviously there is still a lot of people who care about the Rangers in New Jersey since they either were hockey fans before the Devils existed or were raised by people who were hockey fans before the Devils existed, but regardless of the people you know, there are more Devils fans in NJ than Rangers fans.

Uh, I was responding to someone who said "nobody cares about the Rangers in New Jersey".....not starting a debate about which team has more New Jersey fans.
Also, it wasn't meant as a "harsh insult". Honestly I know more girls who are Devils fans than Ranger fans.

 

[rutger80]

Somehow I knew that trading Hagelin for the immortal Emerson Etem would come back and bite the Rangers. They missed his speed, big-time.
There were no real leaders on the team, either.

 

[miker183]

Somehow I knew that trading Hagelin for the immortal Emerson Etem would come back and bite the Rangers. They missed his speed, big-time.
There were no real leaders on the team, either.

It was a necessity trade. Couldn't fit him under the cap. Myself, I would have let other commodities go before losing Hagelin.

Definitely a huge loss.

 

[RUHotTrumpetMonkeyLove]

Didn't watch the Icelanders game but I heard that they got away with blatant penalties that would have iced the game in the 3rd.

They now get to play a legitimate playoff team in Tampa.

Yes, Martin should have been called for for Tripping when the Isles emptied the net, but it was clear from the first puck drop that the refs were swallowing the whistle. There were no-calls all night. If I were a Panther fan, I'd be pissed today, but I'd also recognize that the Panthers had PLENTY of opportunities to put the Isles away and that the series wasn't decided on a single play.

And if you think Florida wasn't a legit playoff team, then you didn't watch them at all this year. They would give any team fits in a 7 game series.

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

I thought Pittsburgh would win the series, but not so easily.

NY didn't impress me that much this season, the Devils beat them 3 out of 4 times.

They should have kept Hagelin somehow and the Eric Staal trade was not wise.

 

[RUMcMahon]

Didn't watch the Icelanders game but I heard that they got away with blatant penalties that would have iced the game in the 3rd.

They now get to play a legitimate playoff team in Tampa.

As already mentioned, the refs let them play all night. Give and take on both sides. Isles have killed Bishop this year and Tampa has some injuries. If we can et some secondary scoring going with Strome , Nielsen and Bailey etc, watch out fellas.

LGI's ! Isles in 6

 

[robcac26]

Uh, I was responding to someone who said "nobody cares about the Rangers in New Jersey".....not starting a debate about which team has more New Jersey fans.
Also, it wasn't meant as a "harsh insult". Honestly I know more girls who are Devils fans than Ranger fans.

I doubt there is a men's professional team of any sport whose fanbase has more females than males. You may know more female Devils fans than male Devils fans, but the people you know do not make up a large enough group to be an accurate representation of the fanbase. If you go to a game, there are always more dudes in attendance.

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

Defending champs are now out.