384 thoughts on “Rangers vs. Senators… It’s Go Time!”

  9. I’m so nervous, it is almost embarrassing, considering how long I’m in this business. Besides, tonight lines doesn’t add any optimism…

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  47. Worth noting that came on the carry-in, not the dump-in. Good combo of both so far. Would be nice to get another in this one-way traffic.

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  87. As I said before, I couldn’t believe we lost 2 games to THAT team. Look lost and almost pathetic…Sorry, shouldn’t say that out of superstition.

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  105. Wonder if a Senator called for that drop pass from Step. No harm, no foul, though–nice last five minutes, and gave them NOTHING that period. Impressive.

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  114. Great first, except for the last 10 seconds! That fancy boy pass attempt is what gets me worried. Seems that when we’re up (especially when we’ve had a ton of opportunities that don’t go in as well), then the fancy boy crap starts. Just keep going to the net!!

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  115. Like the 4th line, quite a bit of snarl there. Passing looks better too, well except that last stupidity by Step.

    Woder if AV considered THE/Z/Beep for a line? Some impressive speed on the wings there.

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  118. Now, dangerous 2nd period coming, habitually bad for Rangers (don’t ask why). I’m not resting on my couch until there will be at least 3 goals difference.

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  191. Hayes gets it here a lot, some of it deserved, but man it must drive the other team nuts when he has the puck. Wears you down trying to get the puck off him.

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  205. Does anyone think that AV told his boys to ‘go out there and kick the chit out of them?’ Unlikely. He did dress Glass, but seems to me that Girardi, Donuts, Miller, and #15 did a little pre-game rah-rah.

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  222. Two good periods. Let’s see if we get the put-’em-to-sleep Rangers or the sagging, icing, nervous Rangers. No pressure on Ottawa at all–they should come out crazy.

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  224. Mac is either allergic to Pageau or guilty of really underestimating him. Can’t let that happen. But otherwise we look really solid on both ends of the ice.

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  227. 5 goals against in the last 3:19 of a period against Montreal and now 3 against Ottawa. We’ve had a total of 5 for in the playoffs. If this score holds up then 4 out of the 5 will have been meaningless goals. And now at least once in each series we’ve given up 2 in a single game. And both of those games were OT losses.

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  341. Just caught up watching the DVR. Can they play like this again didn’t seem that difficult. 2-2 after 4? I hope so, another game like tonight and I’m on my way to grilled crow!

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  347. Big-Boy Pants! Great performance by the team as a whole, but i had Zib, Zucc and Smith.

    If Bobby Ryan can’t go on Thursday, that’ll be a big blow for them.

    Need another good start and more solid team defense in game 4.

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  354. Nash scored a goal scorers goal on a 2 on 1 when 2 Sens collided in neutral ice. Other than that he and Step played well on PK.
    Zika/Zucc/Grabber/FSt/Oscar/JT all played better IMO.

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  356. First postseason win where Hank wasn’t, and didn’t need to be, the best player on the ice. That is a really good sign that the team can actually make this a series and hopefully come out on top. I thought Zuuc, Zib, Nash, Grabner, etc were just tremendous and AV did an excellent job of sheltering Holden and Staal. Not Mac’s best game but others stepped up. And Hank was solid, making the “timely” saves when he needed to. All in all a pretty great game for the blueshirts.

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  362. Carp, Lundqvist was the best Ranger every night against Montreal and in the first game of this series. I was worried after Game 2 that they wouldn’t be able to win if he wasn’t in God mode. They totally erased that fear tonight. Just a great team win.

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  364. Rick Carpiniello‏ @RickCarpiniello

    Mike Yeo wanted a “streetfight.” It’s 2017. You’re not going to intimidate a team anymore. Skil, speed beat muscle in ’17 (and in ’15, ’16).

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  365. I voted machine, hated, and bgg….well I would have voted glass if some lazy aasen hadn’t screwed up the poll options with buch instead of glass…in no particular order.

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  366. Carp,
    You nailed it with that tweet about the speed and skill focused preds…with McLeod and Watson in their line up! Do you even watch the games? 😉

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  367. Carp
    While I understand you have a narrative and the yeo comment made it sound like the game was going to be something out of slap shot, the reality is physicality is just as important as speed and skill and teams need a good mix of all to be successful.

    Since the lost bettman season of 04-05, here are where the cup winners ranked in the “not speed and skill” stat
    Canes-25th
    Ducks-10th
    Wings-25th
    Pens-6th
    Hawks-25th
    Bruins-21st
    Kings-2nd
    Hawks-30th
    Kings-1st
    Hawks-29th
    Pens-12th

    Of the 8 remaining teams, this is where they finished in hits…
    Ducks-2nd
    Sens-4th
    Oilers-6th
    Pens-8th
    Caps-15th
    Rangers-16th
    Blues-17th
    Preds-21st

    It sure seems to me that physicality seems as important as speed and skill (not more important, but speed and skill are also not more important) and judging by the numbers that is how it comes out.

    Drops mic!

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  370. Best first two periods of the playoffs. Then they decided to sit on the lead for most of the third until they realized that it’s more fun playing in Ottawa’s zone than their own. Of course, getting a couple of power plays helped them come out of their cocoon.

    The Ottawa trap isn’t so overwhelming after all. Nine goals in the last two games. Yeah, keep trapping.

    You know Brassard has been pretty quiet during this series. In fact, so have Ryan (despite last night’s assist), Hoffman and Turris. If only they could contain Pageau…

    Still want to jettison Zucc because he holds onto the puck too long?

    We had a JT Miller siting! He played a pretty good game last night. Certainly better than what he had been playing.

    Does Hayes realize that it’s not against the rules for him to shoot the puck?

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  372. Good morning, boneheads!
    Workmanlike approach last night. Precise passing, forechecking, using their speed. Hitting when necessary.
    They play like that Thursday ( and beyond), it won’t matter what Ottawa does. The Rangers are a better, deeper, more skilled team. With superior goaltending. If they play to their strengths.

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  374. Charlie,
    Yes. Whether they lose this series, or go on to win the cup, they are going to need to get younger and faster on D. Trading Zucc for D help may be a good way to get there. But this is a conversation for another time.

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  376. Say what you want, but BBG seems to bring an intangible to this team and he has not at all disgraced himself with his hockey play as a 4th liner, but every team needs those guys. I recall reading last offseason (sorry can’t find a link) that in going for conditioning and skating work he found out one leg was significantly weaker than the other. Program seems to have worked as he does seem a bit less slow out there (fast and glass don’t go together unless its Norm’s boy #19).

    Hated/Machine/Glass are like our little infantry brigade – first in battle, take no prisoners and soften up the opposition for the big strike.

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  378. Zucc was their leading scorer in the regular season. He’s been one of their best players in the playoffs. If I was GM I would keep him and get D help some other way.

    AV went from benching Skjei-Smith to giving that tandem second pairing minutes. Will that be the case in game 4? We’ll see.

    Carp’s predictions that between two teams in the playoffs bet on the desperate team came true again. Carp, how are you at handicapping horse racing?

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  379. Charlie,
    Zucc being the leading scorer is a bit misleading. He was average at best for most of the season. Zucc overstaying his shifts happened. Zucc freelancing happened. Zucc holding on to the puck to long happened. Zucc making selfish plays happened. Zucc is a guy who gets the look away from most fans. Now Zucc has been one of there best forwards, if not the best forward in the playoffs. That is also happening.

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  380. AV said he reduced Shea’s minutes but lost Smith ‘on the bench’ in Game 2. Holden/Stall pair’s had reduced TOI but still a lot of anxious moments with them in Dzone. Both refuse to move the puck quickly basically allowing the Sens to set up their trap.
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    Jimmy Thomas Miller – gets away from Haze and plays better. Coincidence?
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    Needed a center to step up and Zika had a HUGE game v his former mates. Just HUGE.
    .
    Nash scored so he played great? Right?
    .
    NYR better still be desperate on Thursday night…

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  382. Had to watch it on the DVR when I got home. as that Eric that I heard calling in toe LaGreca that I heard on the radio on the way home? The Ottawa trap has been a non-factor in the last two games. Rangers are blowing through the neutral zone. AV must be listening. Skjei and Smith get more TOI than Staal and Holder. Balanced scoring shows their strength. Need to keep it up on Thursday

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