Good morning, boneheads!
Well done, E3. I like it. That’s the best one can say about that debacle.
I don’t even have a reaction. I’m numb. And it’s not comfortably.
Now what? Oh, yeah. They play Dallas on Tuesday.
We have come full circle, Hank is now a difference maker but not in a good way. Allaire must be able to tell if he has lost it. They need to get his input and decide what to do going forward. Right now he is not even average. Price is getting lit up right now too and the Habs are not panicking. Got to be patient and hope he can work his way through it.
It pains me to say this, but Hank stinks. Oh, he makes some nice saves, but what goalie doesn’t? He must have ridden horses during the offseason because that 5 hole has gotten to be as wide as a a canyon.
When they play a heavy schedule, AV’s excuse is that they have no time to practice. When they have no games for a stretch, AV says they were stale from no live games.
@cooscoos apparently the CBA prevented practices during the bye. No excuse. @E3 I feel your pain. Write in notepad or word then cut/paste.
I am here to cheer you up. Nash is back. Buchnevich is back. Amadinejad soon. JT/Bongs/Beep still rolling. THE been a beast and even Opie been putting a few points up.
This may (or may not) bring a laugh, but losing Staal for any length of time hurts. I actually think he has been worse than G on quite a few nights. Time for a call up – put the two kids together and drop their minutes. I was only half joking the other day that HL needs some glasses. And clearly AV was determined to try out my idea of Auntie as starter and HL as closer. Don’t they shoot at HL during warm ups? Better we score on the first two shots
Schoenfeld, this morning to Roman Hamrlik on the third anniversary of their Adirondack Camp workout: “I get the feeling that we’re not making a ton of progress here.”
This is the best and most appropriate “In Review” ever. WTG E3. I thought that Henrik looked completely out of sorts in each of the last 2 games. Off balance, off angles, scrambling around instead of compact and reactive. Before the avalanche of goals last night he was making easy saves look spectacular. On the screened marshmallow from the point, he was sitting back on his knees, not battling to see the puck and behaved like he thought it was down in the other end of the ice. Then comes the breakaway……one of the things he used to eat up and he looked hopeless on it. That was game over. There were some good points, including the productive return of Buchnevich. Used to be that the Rangers hung on and were saved by Henrik. Now it appears that is not going to happen much anymore, and it magnifies the deficiencies on the back line which everyone, including the Rangers brass are well aware of.
I mentioned the other day Zucc had scored one goal in his last 26 (now 27) games.what I did not realize was, that one goal was an empty netter.
Buchnevich is a special player. He sees the ice so well, and his passing is just a thing of beauty.
One position a goalie never wants to find himself in, or see himself in on video, is kneeling on his pads facing the shooter, as if praying. The puck is in the net, and he has just made himself into a narrow peg. On these screened and tipped goals, while Lundqvist needs to do a better job moving his head and trying to find the puck as early as he can, there are times that the traffic is so heavy that all a goalie can do is be center himself and make himself big (e3: Norm said ‘make himself big’). Kneeling in prayer presents the least likely silhouette and is a lousy metaphor in the bargain.
The D was a shambles last night. Something needs to be done. Clendening is not an NHL Dman. The Skjei, Klein pair? Yikes, and McD having to carry Girardi around is hurting him.
I wouldn’t do it, but, you have to wonder if Vesey may be the chip used to get the D help. AV has not really found a role for him. He was under 10 minutes of time last night, and I don’t think he received much more than that the night before. I think if you put Vesey with a steady center he would be just fine. And when Zibanijad comes back, maybe they will.
I’m posting just to say I don’t even know what to post after this post weekend. Lots of reasons but I can’t help but think this isn’t leaking into AVs fault. Well, fault is a strong word but his style isn’t suited to this group of guys or this year’s division
There is so much to say about that game. Part of my problem was I was typing straight into WordPress from my iPhone. The first review was nearly done and somehow I hit a button and the entire post was highlighted and as I scrambled it deleted itself. So I redid it. Long intro and then 31. Paragraphs. It was there. I hit publish and nothing happened. My word count said zero but it was still on my screen. I tried to get it to publish but alas I couldn’t see it through. But it was there and I could back up to it on my screen but it wouldn’t publish. Then after playing with my back arrow – it too went away some where….
Huge fan of Girardi’s overachieving career, but these days, when he is your best defender in the game, that was probably not your best defensive night. Lousy D from the other five, poor execution all over the place, especially on the goals:
1) McD cruising around aimlessly in the zone, leaving Galchenyuk all alone to decide which of 4 tips he should use
2) Klein/Skjei allowing 3 hacks, 2 guys alone in the slot
3) Clendening with a back-to-the shot screen, covering nobody
4) McD taking a ridiculous angle at the point, allowing Pacioretty the easiest of breakaways
5) Clendening and Holden giving away the blue line for free, backing up so hard they ended up with assists in the slot
Granted it’s Lundqvist’s job to clean up these turds, that was way too many turds.
If the wheels aren’t off, then the lug nuts are definitely loose. Hank is a shell of his former self (and defensive, judging from some of his stares and head shakes lately), Girardi should not be playing 20 minutes any more, I’m starting to realize why we only gave up Del Zotto for Klein (after two decent years), Skjei is on the left, Skjei is on the right, and a boatload of other issues. After some awful losses to bottom tier teams (Carolina, Sabres x2), they are now losing to the better teams in the league, and looking pretty bad while they do it. only Curtis McElhinney saved us from consecutive losses to playoff teams – Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Toronto, and Montreal.
Zibanejad is not going to turn this season around, so they better think of something else.
At least scored 4 goals vs price should they meet in 1st round. Other then that nothing positive. This team is going no where. Same core same group same result in end.
My only positive thought for the day is that they did do some things well like score 4 goals on Carey Price. And they did play hard and stay in the game. That 90 seconds was kinda unbelievable and unbearable. Must have been what Columbus felt like when we beat them. So long story short, offense was really solid and defense/Hank was a shambles. Not sure what can be done about the D, but I won’t toss in the towel on Hank until April…
I’ll say this, then duck: I thought Lundqvist was his usual not-good-enough self, though hard to fault him alone on any of the goals; the defense continues to lapse into last year’s territory (is Ulfie back?) … BUT overall, I didn’t think the Rangers were terrible for 58:58. I think they’ve played worse games and won (The game when Messier, er, Stepan hollered at them, for example).
E3, I have experienced your pain many times over the years and I feel yours. That’s why I learned early on to write in Word or another doc form before pasting it into the blog (or anywhere). You actually want to punch the computer. It sucks.
Ricardo / I threw props at you re: Pirri in his office and his need to shoot 100 one timers a day off a feed and how 21 and 36 should do the same from the top of the left circle and that 13 same from the right circle.
I too thought they played well. The D were bad tho – norm – Don Vito Girardi looked useless Max’s breakaway. He hesitated and stood like a statue until max was by him.
I agree with you, Carp, to a point. Three goals in one minute, each one stemming from horrible defensive errors, will undo 118 minutes of otherwise good play. Fortunately, poor execution is easier to fix in the video room than lack of talent.
Girardi was moving to the right, e3, positioning himself for the D to D pass from McD. No way he thought McD was going to fan on that one. I know, I know, Girardi is the perfect scapegoat, but that goal was on St. Donuts all the way. (And Lundqvist signing a no-compete clause at the other end.)
I will be the first to admit Klein has slipped, but it is time for the Brady bunch to admit every D man paired with skjel has “an off night”. The kid is going to be a good NHL d man (as I have said before) but he is bad in his own zone and drags his partner down.
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On one for sure (possible two) if the Klein leaving guys in front nonsense (like he’s off sound a leisurely skate around the rink), he’s doing what he should do, rotating to the puck side. Its his partner (mr perfect), who failed to do his job in rotating to the front as Klein rotates to the puck side and instead is out of position behind the net where he over persuaded the play.
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It’s great everyone has an opinion, but jeez guys take off the skjel coloured glasses
Mcdonut deserves a good solid partner like leetch had.
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I’d take shaw on this team any day. Plays on the edge, has skill, arrives in the blue paint with malice. The pens and Blackhawks thrive with guys like that.
Norm – re: Habs’ 4th goal, it didn’t look like Girardi was moving at all, much less than to the right. And if he was, it was slower than frozen syrup. And while Don Vito Girardi deserves the whipping boy tag, St. McD was brutal too. Tho he did make up for that brutal whiff in the second by speeding back on the backcheck to poke the play away….
Norm
I agree with your earlier post wholeheartedly about getting close to time to scrap the system (personally I think it was time about a month into the season last season)
One was waived and nobody grabbed him. That would not be the case with Miller
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Alex
I was in no way, shape, or form comparing the two. You really have a fascination with mcilrath. I think you are the only one that ever mentions him on here.
Thought I might be crazy so went back to the video and there’s Girardi, pivoting and committing to the D-to-D pass to his right and out of the zone. It’s right there in front of any eyeballs looking at the play. It doesn’t fit the narrative, that Girardi is the weak link, the guy McD must carry around, and there are plenty of times when that’s true. Just not that time.
I give up. That game’s review(s) will never see the light of day. I tried to do it without going into a word doc cause I’m a stubborn SOB but the operator error is just too great.
Graves was a year away they said in Oct and Shea was way ahead of him for spacing and schemes – yikes!
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Clendening is an offensive Dman who should play with McD along with their top line. Putting Done G with McD just eliminates any offensive push out of the zone.
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Zucc has 2 PPGs all season but gets a ton of run on the 1st unit. Step and he are just brutally slow on the PP and turnover machines.
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Figures the first time in NYR history they get 3 calls from the refs in Montreal, they blow the lead.
Can’t say it’s the ugliest loss that I’ve seen while playing in Montreal (for Hank OR the team) And I have said that Lundqvist is in the worst stretch of his career at this point in time. But damn, I can feel the stress through my computer screen. A lot of disgust which is very understandable but let’s be real the way Carp would if he were at the helm: 1- Lundqvist isn’t going to Hartford, getting traded or left exposed in the waiver draft. You can come up with reasons why it would make sense for the rest of your lives but you’re not convincing the GM or the coach that you’re right.
and 2- There will be no fire sale. This coach has constructed his team with his system in mind and they’ll live or die by it for the rest of the season.
The truth of the matter is that this D was overachieving for quite some time. Lundqvist has to be held accountable for playing mediocre (not average. mediocre. maybe teams win with average goalies but not mediocre ones) hockey but the bigger problem is the need to rebuild or at least shake up the blue line Quick break down:
Your best Dman has no one to play with that he doesn’t have to babysit defensively.
You’ve got a rookie being dealt all kinds of responsibility he’s not always able to handle.
Staal is your second best Dman and is out with like his 8th concussion and 100th injury in the last few seasons. Meanwhile Ryan Graves doesn’t even get a single game for the coach to see what he’s got.
You’ve got the 7th man Clendening who is a borderline NHL guy regardless of his fit into AV’s system.
And most importantly, You’ve got two ANCHORS in the top four right now in Klein and Girardi, being dished very important minutes by a coach with less balls than he apparently has options on D within the organization. I think it’s telling that Ryan Graves hasn’t come up at all for a look, I think it’s possible that AV could be using Klein while he isnt 100%. That could and should have ramifications.
I don’t want to drag this point out any more but obviously the defense needs some upgrading.
Carp, while I know that’s somewhat sarcastic, you have to admit that Torts wouldn’t stand by and expect the situation to improve itself. In fact I remember accountability being one of the main reasons Torts was the guy that replaced Renney. AV has been here for a while. His system his mentality his approach has paid dividends at times, but this team has shown itself not ready to play a few too many times this season and the breakdowns defensively need to be addressed. That doesn’t mean go yell at them like Torts would, but it’s time to stop this “live and die with the veterans” stuff. It didn’t get them anywhere last year and it’s not working this year either. Guys need to sit, guys need to have their roles adjusted. Another year of one and done in the post season because he didn’t have any options other than the ones he chose isn’t going to be good enough. At least it shouldn’t be.
Theorizing about what may or may not be going on in the locker room is losing proposition if you have no access to it. Terrific locker rooms can produce crap games and vice versa. As a fan, you get occasional data points, such as last year when Fast got the majority of his teammates’ votes, but even then you don’t really know what’s going on.
Have to give Torts credit for changing/adapting from core beliefs as the game has changed. He used to grind his top guys into exhaustion. Now he doesn’t even hold practices on game day. Alternatively AV has one belief system and he never waivers. In late December he still claimed that Girardi was an excellent partner for McD – unbelievable and clueless.
It’s pointless to rate our weak D as the real problem vs. HL. Both preclude a serious SC run. HL struggles to save 90% of shots – Mason level. And he’s played like that for about a year now so why say it will change in April. Do you remember last April?
regarding Mcilrath, without mentioning him by name you certainly seem to be talking about him when you suggest AV should sit miller for defending a teammate. Correct me if I’m wrong but Mcilrath was the last Ranger to be scratched when he did the same.
Rangers Report 2.0 
That was my reaction too.
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E3, type in word, copy and paste here
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Good morning, boneheads!
Well done, E3. I like it. That’s the best one can say about that debacle.
I don’t even have a reaction. I’m numb. And it’s not comfortably.
Now what? Oh, yeah. They play Dallas on Tuesday.
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I recorded it & planned on watching today.
Bad idea?
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King has to go to Hartford to see if there is a game to be found. Not acceptable, or watchable.
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Have all the pom poms been put away?
Is the good ship lollipop off course?
Will AV switch gum brands?
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Let’s Go Rangers!
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Is Halak available?
Too bad we missed out on McIlhenney…
Serious. This is really bad.
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We have come full circle, Hank is now a difference maker but not in a good way. Allaire must be able to tell if he has lost it. They need to get his input and decide what to do going forward. Right now he is not even average. Price is getting lit up right now too and the Habs are not panicking. Got to be patient and hope he can work his way through it.
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Eli to E3 – “Were you screened?’ Good one.
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AV is getting under my foreskin. “We came to play.” I heard him say it. He said it really loud. On the radio. O O O on the radio.
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Thanks, eddie. You’re a trouper, and appreciated.
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And, oh yeah, “The puck seemed to have eyes tonight.” Eyes? AV is a modest man, and he has much to be modest about.
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It pains me to say this, but Hank stinks. Oh, he makes some nice saves, but what goalie doesn’t? He must have ridden horses during the offseason because that 5 hole has gotten to be as wide as a a canyon.
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I’m not going to blame Vigneault for this.
This game, and some others, rests solely on Lundqvist’s “Head & Shoulders…” (pun intended)
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Any word on Raanta’ s injury? He has suddenly become a very important piece of the puzzle.
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When they play a heavy schedule, AV’s excuse is that they have no time to practice. When they have no games for a stretch, AV says they were stale from no live games.
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@cooscoos apparently the CBA prevented practices during the bye. No excuse. @E3 I feel your pain. Write in notepad or word then cut/paste.
I am here to cheer you up. Nash is back. Buchnevich is back. Amadinejad soon. JT/Bongs/Beep still rolling. THE been a beast and even Opie been putting a few points up.
This may (or may not) bring a laugh, but losing Staal for any length of time hurts. I actually think he has been worse than G on quite a few nights. Time for a call up – put the two kids together and drop their minutes. I was only half joking the other day that HL needs some glasses. And clearly AV was determined to try out my idea of Auntie as starter and HL as closer. Don’t they shoot at HL during warm ups? Better we score on the first two shots
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sorry! left out I think Klein has been worse
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Schoenfeld, this morning to Roman Hamrlik on the third anniversary of their Adirondack Camp workout: “I get the feeling that we’re not making a ton of progress here.”
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This is the best and most appropriate “In Review” ever. WTG E3. I thought that Henrik looked completely out of sorts in each of the last 2 games. Off balance, off angles, scrambling around instead of compact and reactive. Before the avalanche of goals last night he was making easy saves look spectacular. On the screened marshmallow from the point, he was sitting back on his knees, not battling to see the puck and behaved like he thought it was down in the other end of the ice. Then comes the breakaway……one of the things he used to eat up and he looked hopeless on it. That was game over. There were some good points, including the productive return of Buchnevich. Used to be that the Rangers hung on and were saved by Henrik. Now it appears that is not going to happen much anymore, and it magnifies the deficiencies on the back line which everyone, including the Rangers brass are well aware of.
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Who’s next for a long-term contract after Richards, Girardi, Hank and Staal? Glass and Pirri?
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Shampoo Boy will be replaced by Dan Druff.
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I am livid. And it has nothing to do with the 5-4 loss. F’ing amazing.
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Sorry doodie – that was me. Trying to somehow get that review back.
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Don’t, Eddie3. Unless you think we earned another bout of migraine.
Kidding, I’d like to see your..ahem… interpretation of that debacle.
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I mentioned the other day Zucc had scored one goal in his last 26 (now 27) games.what I did not realize was, that one goal was an empty netter.
Buchnevich is a special player. He sees the ice so well, and his passing is just a thing of beauty.
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One position a goalie never wants to find himself in, or see himself in on video, is kneeling on his pads facing the shooter, as if praying. The puck is in the net, and he has just made himself into a narrow peg. On these screened and tipped goals, while Lundqvist needs to do a better job moving his head and trying to find the puck as early as he can, there are times that the traffic is so heavy that all a goalie can do is be center himself and make himself big (e3: Norm said ‘make himself big’). Kneeling in prayer presents the least likely silhouette and is a lousy metaphor in the bargain.
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The D was a shambles last night. Something needs to be done. Clendening is not an NHL Dman. The Skjei, Klein pair? Yikes, and McD having to carry Girardi around is hurting him.
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I wouldn’t do it, but, you have to wonder if Vesey may be the chip used to get the D help. AV has not really found a role for him. He was under 10 minutes of time last night, and I don’t think he received much more than that the night before. I think if you put Vesey with a steady center he would be just fine. And when Zibanijad comes back, maybe they will.
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So now what? Wheels are coming off the bus already. We’re like the Knicks.
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I’m posting just to say I don’t even know what to post after this post weekend. Lots of reasons but I can’t help but think this isn’t leaking into AVs fault. Well, fault is a strong word but his style isn’t suited to this group of guys or this year’s division
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There is so much to say about that game. Part of my problem was I was typing straight into WordPress from my iPhone. The first review was nearly done and somehow I hit a button and the entire post was highlighted and as I scrambled it deleted itself. So I redid it. Long intro and then 31. Paragraphs. It was there. I hit publish and nothing happened. My word count said zero but it was still on my screen. I tried to get it to publish but alas I couldn’t see it through. But it was there and I could back up to it on my screen but it wouldn’t publish. Then after playing with my back arrow – it too went away some where….
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Huge fan of Girardi’s overachieving career, but these days, when he is your best defender in the game, that was probably not your best defensive night. Lousy D from the other five, poor execution all over the place, especially on the goals:
1) McD cruising around aimlessly in the zone, leaving Galchenyuk all alone to decide which of 4 tips he should use
2) Klein/Skjei allowing 3 hacks, 2 guys alone in the slot
3) Clendening with a back-to-the shot screen, covering nobody
4) McD taking a ridiculous angle at the point, allowing Pacioretty the easiest of breakaways
5) Clendening and Holden giving away the blue line for free, backing up so hard they ended up with assists in the slot
Granted it’s Lundqvist’s job to clean up these turds, that was way too many turds.
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If the wheels aren’t off, then the lug nuts are definitely loose. Hank is a shell of his former self (and defensive, judging from some of his stares and head shakes lately), Girardi should not be playing 20 minutes any more, I’m starting to realize why we only gave up Del Zotto for Klein (after two decent years), Skjei is on the left, Skjei is on the right, and a boatload of other issues. After some awful losses to bottom tier teams (Carolina, Sabres x2), they are now losing to the better teams in the league, and looking pretty bad while they do it. only Curtis McElhinney saved us from consecutive losses to playoff teams – Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Toronto, and Montreal.
Zibanejad is not going to turn this season around, so they better think of something else.
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At least scored 4 goals vs price should they meet in 1st round. Other then that nothing positive. This team is going no where. Same core same group same result in end.
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My only positive thought for the day is that they did do some things well like score 4 goals on Carey Price. And they did play hard and stay in the game. That 90 seconds was kinda unbelievable and unbearable. Must have been what Columbus felt like when we beat them. So long story short, offense was really solid and defense/Hank was a shambles. Not sure what can be done about the D, but I won’t toss in the towel on Hank until April…
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E3 is always playing with his back arrow
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I’ll say this, then duck: I thought Lundqvist was his usual not-good-enough self, though hard to fault him alone on any of the goals; the defense continues to lapse into last year’s territory (is Ulfie back?) … BUT overall, I didn’t think the Rangers were terrible for 58:58. I think they’ve played worse games and won (The game when Messier, er, Stepan hollered at them, for example).
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E3, I have experienced your pain many times over the years and I feel yours. That’s why I learned early on to write in Word or another doc form before pasting it into the blog (or anywhere). You actually want to punch the computer. It sucks.
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This team has scored four on both dubnyk and price and lost both games
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If it wasn’t for the miracle in Columbus, this would be quite the stretch for AVs boys
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Ricardo / I threw props at you re: Pirri in his office and his need to shoot 100 one timers a day off a feed and how 21 and 36 should do the same from the top of the left circle and that 13 same from the right circle.
I too thought they played well. The D were bad tho – norm – Don Vito Girardi looked useless Max’s breakaway. He hesitated and stood like a statue until max was by him.
8 and 76 played like a 20th pair – woof
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Dolans to soon give AV the dreaded vote of confidence
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I agree with you, Carp, to a point. Three goals in one minute, each one stemming from horrible defensive errors, will undo 118 minutes of otherwise good play. Fortunately, poor execution is easier to fix in the video room than lack of talent.
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Girardi was moving to the right, e3, positioning himself for the D to D pass from McD. No way he thought McD was going to fan on that one. I know, I know, Girardi is the perfect scapegoat, but that goal was on St. Donuts all the way. (And Lundqvist signing a no-compete clause at the other end.)
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Turn up your volume, press play and get ready for some playoff football!!!
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Let me get this right…skjel was “perfect”? Lmao
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I will be the first to admit Klein has slipped, but it is time for the Brady bunch to admit every D man paired with skjel has “an off night”. The kid is going to be a good NHL d man (as I have said before) but he is bad in his own zone and drags his partner down.
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On one for sure (possible two) if the Klein leaving guys in front nonsense (like he’s off sound a leisurely skate around the rink), he’s doing what he should do, rotating to the puck side. Its his partner (mr perfect), who failed to do his job in rotating to the front as Klein rotates to the puck side and instead is out of position behind the net where he over persuaded the play.
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It’s great everyone has an opinion, but jeez guys take off the skjel coloured glasses
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Serious question- does anybody think there might be some friction in the locker room?
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Mcdonut deserves a good solid partner like leetch had.
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I’d take shaw on this team any day. Plays on the edge, has skill, arrives in the blue paint with malice. The pens and Blackhawks thrive with guys like that.
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Best. review. ever.
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Scottsdale
I do.
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Norm – re: Habs’ 4th goal, it didn’t look like Girardi was moving at all, much less than to the right. And if he was, it was slower than frozen syrup. And while Don Vito Girardi deserves the whipping boy tag, St. McD was brutal too. Tho he did make up for that brutal whiff in the second by speeding back on the backcheck to poke the play away….
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I’m going to try a third rewrite. Wish me well…
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Norm
I agree with your earlier post wholeheartedly about getting close to time to scrap the system (personally I think it was time about a month into the season last season)
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E3
Good luck
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I really miss Tortorella.
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I really miss Tortorella
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Stop. Plz.
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Alex says:
January 14, 2017 at 10:49 PM
Wicky
Big difference between JT Miller and McIlrath
One was waived and nobody grabbed him. That would not be the case with Miller
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Alex
I was in no way, shape, or form comparing the two. You really have a fascination with mcilrath. I think you are the only one that ever mentions him on here.
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Mcilrath.
I just mentioned him too.
(:
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Scary when Opie the Victim is your locker room look-to guy.
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Cccp and coos
Lol
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Thought I might be crazy so went back to the video and there’s Girardi, pivoting and committing to the D-to-D pass to his right and out of the zone. It’s right there in front of any eyeballs looking at the play. It doesn’t fit the narrative, that Girardi is the weak link, the guy McD must carry around, and there are plenty of times when that’s true. Just not that time.
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Norm
Agree on Girardi
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Girardi has had his worst games when paired with skjel (as everyone else has).
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Speaking of young D men, why has graves not had a shot yet?
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Wish we had a centre like Eric Staal…oh wait, another very good player who won’t play for double bubble.
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Friction in the lockerroom. That’s one of my favorites.
This should make some people happy: Marek Hrivik was placed on waivers today.
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I give up. That game’s review(s) will never see the light of day. I tried to do it without going into a word doc cause I’m a stubborn SOB but the operator error is just too great.
New Post – as there’s more WTF!!!
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Girardi was, at worst, the third or fourth worst defenseman last night.
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new post
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Graves was a year away they said in Oct and Shea was way ahead of him for spacing and schemes – yikes!
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Clendening is an offensive Dman who should play with McD along with their top line. Putting Done G with McD just eliminates any offensive push out of the zone.
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Zucc has 2 PPGs all season but gets a ton of run on the 1st unit. Step and he are just brutally slow on the PP and turnover machines.
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Figures the first time in NYR history they get 3 calls from the refs in Montreal, they blow the lead.
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I really miss Tortorella’s press conferences after games like last night. and the night before.
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Please lord, Hear my prayer
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Can’t say it’s the ugliest loss that I’ve seen while playing in Montreal (for Hank OR the team) And I have said that Lundqvist is in the worst stretch of his career at this point in time. But damn, I can feel the stress through my computer screen. A lot of disgust which is very understandable but let’s be real the way Carp would if he were at the helm: 1- Lundqvist isn’t going to Hartford, getting traded or left exposed in the waiver draft. You can come up with reasons why it would make sense for the rest of your lives but you’re not convincing the GM or the coach that you’re right.
and 2- There will be no fire sale. This coach has constructed his team with his system in mind and they’ll live or die by it for the rest of the season.
The truth of the matter is that this D was overachieving for quite some time. Lundqvist has to be held accountable for playing mediocre (not average. mediocre. maybe teams win with average goalies but not mediocre ones) hockey but the bigger problem is the need to rebuild or at least shake up the blue line Quick break down:
Your best Dman has no one to play with that he doesn’t have to babysit defensively.
You’ve got a rookie being dealt all kinds of responsibility he’s not always able to handle.
Staal is your second best Dman and is out with like his 8th concussion and 100th injury in the last few seasons. Meanwhile Ryan Graves doesn’t even get a single game for the coach to see what he’s got.
You’ve got the 7th man Clendening who is a borderline NHL guy regardless of his fit into AV’s system.
And most importantly, You’ve got two ANCHORS in the top four right now in Klein and Girardi, being dished very important minutes by a coach with less balls than he apparently has options on D within the organization. I think it’s telling that Ryan Graves hasn’t come up at all for a look, I think it’s possible that AV could be using Klein while he isnt 100%. That could and should have ramifications.
I don’t want to drag this point out any more but obviously the defense needs some upgrading.
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Carp, while I know that’s somewhat sarcastic, you have to admit that Torts wouldn’t stand by and expect the situation to improve itself. In fact I remember accountability being one of the main reasons Torts was the guy that replaced Renney. AV has been here for a while. His system his mentality his approach has paid dividends at times, but this team has shown itself not ready to play a few too many times this season and the breakdowns defensively need to be addressed. That doesn’t mean go yell at them like Torts would, but it’s time to stop this “live and die with the veterans” stuff. It didn’t get them anywhere last year and it’s not working this year either. Guys need to sit, guys need to have their roles adjusted. Another year of one and done in the post season because he didn’t have any options other than the ones he chose isn’t going to be good enough. At least it shouldn’t be.
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Carp, wicky agrees with me.
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Theorizing about what may or may not be going on in the locker room is losing proposition if you have no access to it. Terrific locker rooms can produce crap games and vice versa. As a fan, you get occasional data points, such as last year when Fast got the majority of his teammates’ votes, but even then you don’t really know what’s going on.
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Have to give Torts credit for changing/adapting from core beliefs as the game has changed. He used to grind his top guys into exhaustion. Now he doesn’t even hold practices on game day. Alternatively AV has one belief system and he never waivers. In late December he still claimed that Girardi was an excellent partner for McD – unbelievable and clueless.
It’s pointless to rate our weak D as the real problem vs. HL. Both preclude a serious SC run. HL struggles to save 90% of shots – Mason level. And he’s played like that for about a year now so why say it will change in April. Do you remember last April?
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Wicky
regarding Mcilrath, without mentioning him by name you certainly seem to be talking about him when you suggest AV should sit miller for defending a teammate. Correct me if I’m wrong but Mcilrath was the last Ranger to be scratched when he did the same.
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