Rangers 0, Panthers 3

The team’s performance was abysmal. If you exclude Kreider’s hat trick in game six of the last round, it was the same uninspired and low-energy team that showed up in game 4, the third-period collapse, game 5, and for the most part, game 6 of the last round. This means we had four straight games of not much creativity, being dominated in our own end, and overall uninspired play.

Good thing, though; there is plenty of time to correct all of it.

Author: CCCP

SCREW BETTMAN! AND DOLAN! AND SATHER!

140 thoughts on “Rangers 0, Panthers 3”

  5. We have seen them put up stinkers like this and then come back strong. OTOH this is 4 bad games in a row one of which they miraculously won. This group seems to hit the wall in the playoffs. We’ll know on Friday if game 4 against the Canes was the wall or if this is just a speed bump. This was a very boring hockey game. The NBA had a much better product last night. I’m interested to see Valley’s chart for this game. Were there any HD chances? None of the goals came off one. Maybe Bobo made a difficult save it that one flurry they had in the third. In game 5 against the Canes they had 1 HD chance. This looks to be in the same category.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Sam shouldn’t watch the Mets; it’s bad for your health.

    Anybody who watched that game and thought your boys in blue have a rats arse chance to win this series, has got to be delusional or related to Dancing Larry; one and the same.

    The Cats play bigger because they have team toughness. Rempe provides not only the Will and the body to slam opponents, he also makes everyone else play bigger. For the sake of Fil’s life, I would sit him. Trouba, Culleye and Schneider finished checks; that is it.

    besides the obvious own goal, Laffy sucked a big hard one last night. Cannot happen.Turned the puck over, didnt touch a soul or win a board battle. When Bread gets bounced around, the other two on that line are just passengers.

    Mika was scared for his DJ life out there. Jackqee needs to grow a pair, Kreider needs to channel young Chris.

    Kakko still lost in space and Gusto was running for his life.

    Those who are whining that this will be a long summer, do not understand playoff hockey. Fla is the better playoff team by a long shot. Hopefully these Rangers will decide not to be punching bags for four games and show some sack.

    did they get their worst game out of the way when shaking off the week off rust? I certainly hope so.

    Liked by 11 people

  7. Chytil is his own worst enemy. There’s not a lot of replay to go on but taking the hit he did with 5 secs left shows either stupidity or lack of awareness of his surroundings. Great that Lavi says he is OK but most of his injuries seem to follow that same pattern.

    Summer buyout, thanks for the memories, become another team’s injury problem.

    0.5 0.3 1.4 0.7 0.7 0.7 for a total of 4.5M over 6 years are the buyout hits

    If the NYR ate 1.5M of his cap, is there a GM that will trade you a player you really want (but can’t get otherwise) in return for taking him? I don’t think so. Do the buyout and go shopping, the numbers are better.

    Liked by 4 people

  9. that the cretin 94 was out running players up 3-0 with 10 secs to go and the Rangers turtled like your grandmother would, says it all.

    Fil is the opposite of Rempe; all skill no will. Enough of the high skill ballerinas, let’s get some motherfuggers who want to kick arse and ask questions later.

    Liked by 6 people

  10. Win or lose, this team is much more fun to watch when Rempe is in the lineup. After all, it is supposed to be entertainment. Put him on a line with Cuylle and Goodrow and let the festivities begin!

    Liked by 6 people

  11. Drury doesn’t hide in a freezer in the off-season. If they move on from Chytil they will find a replacement. Lavi obviously thinks better of Wennberg at 3C than Chytil or Wennberg would have moved to 4C and Goodrow to one of the wing positions. And no, I don’t think Wennberg will be on the team next season either.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Uncle Larry seems to be pushing for swapping Janice and the Wheel. True, Janice is very hot and cold but I don’t recall Wheeler being that much of a banger while healthy and Janice can probably lap him speed wise. In fact, 31 hits and 31 blocks in 54 games, usual caveats with those stats. Meaning the true number is probably lower.

    Here is my wild n crazy line up change for game 2:

    Chytil -> upstairs
    Cuylle -> back to L3
    Janice -> down to R3
    Kakko -> down to R4
    Goodrow -> R2 replacing Janice
    Rempe -> 4C

    On defense it is more difficult because I think some players are hiding injuries (Fox, Trouba less so) which is stressing partners even more. Jones is a pony and this is a series for horses but Gus has had issues. I’d go back to Miller/Schneider and then Jones/Trouba for a game.

    Liked by 3 people

  18. The Rangers do have the opportunity to prove him wrong. Unless our boys in blue come up with more accessories than a pool table, well you catch my drift.

    Like

  19. They either play harder and faster taking a straight line to the puck and arriving in vert ill humor or……they will be lounging at their local country clubs right soon. Let’s hope for the former…not the latter.

    Liked by 3 people

  24. Panthers are relentless but beatable. not sure if this current NYR roster configuration has the will to fight through it and win 4 games. Last night was close in the scoreboard but like a heavyweight fight, NYR was absorbing body blows in the early rounds and eventually got knocked out.

    True, one game does not make a series, but matchup feels even more daunting now.

    Liked by 1 person

  25. People wouldn’t bother coming here if they were bailing.

    Rempe is said to be a center. Is he the first center the NYR or any other team has played at wing? Certain Prancing Czech seems to be a winger now (and probably should have been from day one)

    Rempe has three games with 8:33, 7:34 and 7:09. Lavi can and does play him for more minutes when Lavi wants too. Same way most coaches decide when to give 4th liners more or less time. If your line mates are on a specialty unit that is getting used a lot (ie, PK) that will also effect your minutes.

    A friend tells me trades can be made for players that are under contract or RFAs. They usually involve other players, picks and sometimes additional considerations.

    Liked by 4 people

  27. it’s weird. I kind of don’t care anymore. I was rooting hard to beat Carolina, but now I kind of don’t care. I mean I hope they win, but won’t lose sleep if they lose. This could be another growing year for them.

    Like

  29. – Weinberg is as soft as a baby’s behind, he is useless if he isn’t winning face-offs.
    – Kakko has no hockey IQ in the Ozone , Lost in Space. .
    – Goodrow and VZ looked like a dog chasing a car, chasing the puck but never catching it and were pinned in the dzone all game long.
    – Chytil is in a time warp and not a threat
    – Fox is anything but Fox
    – Lindgren & Schneider were losing board battles all game long
    -Miller had no burst and lacked desire along the battle lines.
    – Too six (other than Laffy) were dominated for but a couple of shifts.
    – First one was a softy for Shesty

    Like

  33. alot of people after game 5 last series and more after 1st period of game 6 in Carolina ….its annoying but just the way it is ..just go back and look at the comments

    Like

  34. Putting a center on wing is different than putting a kid with a dozen NHL games in at center in playoffs.

    Trades can be made for players under contract or RFAS …..just not many involving centers at a reasonable price …if they go with a different 3C maybe its Edstrom

    Like

  37. A simple truth…when Bread doesn’t score, he’s a liability and a turnover machine, and the turnovers usually result in odd man rushes and scoring opportunities for the opponent

    Liked by 2 people

  38. By no means did we play a good game and Florida played a stifling one, but not otherwise impressive. Expect both teams to play better simple as that

    as far as lineup changes, Rosi should be out for sure and no issues removing Chytil if isn’t up to it health wise. if not i’d lean to keeping him in since his upside still higher than brodz.

    Wheeler a wildcard, but think he’d need a sheltered amount of ice time on bottom 6 given how much time he has missed and since he was slow as molasses before getting hurt.

    would love to take out wennberg, but likely keep him in for faceoffs and pk.

    D more tricky for much of reasons noted above, but wouldn’t object to Jones over Gus just for possibility of faster breakouts alone

    Like

  46. I know everybody here loves advanced stats; but as much as Wennberg may not look good in ozone; his line was the TOP line in expected goals % across all teams in the playoffs coming into Game 1

    Like

  47. If they lost game 2 and ended up going to fla 1-1, you could say just leave line up alone. But losing game 1 at home puts a lot of pressure to win the next. They are what they are and will have to look in the mirror as Lavi can only do so much with moving within the lineup or inserting the spare parts.

    Bread in particular looked lost to me last night. Did something happen to his dog? IDK what it was but I just felt he was out of it, not much fire unlike with the Craps series. Need that guy to show back up

    Liked by 2 people

  49. Cuylle/Whenevers/Kakko seem to be on the cusp of getting the offense rolling but just can’t get over the top of the berm. The tease line, get you to throw away all your 20s but never reveal much of anything.

    Liked by 1 person

  50. i have rooted hard for Frenchy,Chytil and Kako. So far we hve one clear cut NHL player. Chytil is done through no fault of his own. Where as Kako is an enigma. Sometimes you can’t get him off the puck,other times he looks like a dear in the headlights. Oh well. Unless they give a lot better effort NY Giant preseason news will be all I will be excited for.

    LGR

    Liked by 1 person

  51. I love this team. Still the song remains the same. Dajenabiz isn’t waking up Friday morning with an extra large set. And he will be the same next year. Panarin is too slow and too small to be a major threat when the rink shrinks. His sidewinder instincts are tattooed into his DNA. Fox needs to bulk up and take speed skating lessons. If not he will be in the same shape every post season. Otherwise they’re doing great.

    Liked by 4 people

  55. 4th line with Wennberg goodrow and [pick one] sounds about right if something’s going to change in the bottom 6 – though I’ll still be surprised if it does.

    Like

  56. Valley had the Rangers winning the expected goal contest. FL only had 4 HD chances to the Rangers 7. It would have been a good time for Igor to pitch a shutout.

    Like

  58. Panthers like the matchup between their forwards and our D. Constantly flipping it up for one-on-one or two-on-two battles that they could win or neutralize while getting deep for the forecheck.

    they had a lot of traffic in front for those ‘low danger’ chances.

    In the Mika/Tro v Barkov/Bennet matchups, Panthers have the upper hand

    Create checking line of VC-Wennberg-Goody to match up against Barkov line and alleviate Mika of heavy D role

    new 4th line of Culleye-Edberg-Rempe

    Jacquee to press box, Kakko/Flip up to 2RW

    Bread-Tro-Laf

    Kreids-Mika-Kakko

    VC-Wenny-Goody

    Culleye-Edberg-Rempe

    Liked by 2 people

  63. Take this at face value

    game 1 I specifically commented to my kids that Roslovic did a nice job taking a huge hit to make a play getting puck out of zone

    he’s taken a few hits to make plays.

    Liked by 2 people

  65. Admiral. Re Bread disappearing, I think the looming threat of big hits makes him play tentatively. Having the Rempe threat may give him more confidence. #72 isn’t going to scare any of the Cats, #73 if he’s allowed to will

    Liked by 1 person

  68. “The Rangers have to be better, they have to stake their claim to the series, and Rempe is a part of that…

    “The Rangers have responded to adversity all season. They need to respond on Friday. They need to make the Panthers answer for Chytil. They need a dose of their identity in the lineup.

    “It’s time for Rempe.” (LB/NYP)

    The Ent is quite the lightning rod…here, there, everywhere.

    Liked by 4 people

  69. this is the same guy whose model shows the rangers had twice as many high danger chances and higher expected goals in G1

    Liked by 2 people

  72. NYR beat themselves for 2.5 games against CAR. FLA was just the better team in Game 1. Gave them no time and space, and not enough in game adjustments made. Still NYR were a post away from tying the game until the 57th minute.

    Liked by 2 people

  73. Wennberg has been on ice for 2 goals against over 11 playoff games and his line has the highest expected goal % meaning the OPPs in ozone are there but nobody finishing and they are preventing high danger chances.

    that being said, if they do not get secondary scoring, this team will not advance. Calling Goody, VC, Kakko etc to step it up and pot one or two as well as D.

    Like

  74. The high danger chance differential may be misleading in Game 1 as they seemingly never had the puck save for a flurry in the 3rd

    if the officials are going to allow Fla to charge NYR 2-3 seconds after the puck is gone, their chances are slim.

    Liked by 2 people

  78. Kakko wasn’t drafted #1, 2nd overall, because he can contribute the occasional forecheck. Buckle up, bubeleh, and act like who you are or at least who you are supposed to be!

    Liked by 4 people

  79. If Florida is allowed to hold Ranger sticks consistently their chances are slim also…that is a penalty..all season long…they did 4 or 5 times the other night and were called once

    Like

  85. Our D seems somewhat ill-chosen or ill-coached, as has been the case for 5 years and counting. Schneider, Foxy, Lindgren maybe the exceptions.

    Like

  86. Similar arguments for/against Glass playing vs Sens in ECF (I think) and he had this improbable backhand roofie goal in the game.

    The brunch crowd were spilling their Mimosas in shock.

    Liked by 5 people

  87. Mollie rambling on about mismatched jersey colors and to expect Janice to be not on Mika line. Thinks that Chytil getting praccy time on pp2 means hes playing, though counter is PP2 never really sees the ice so…

    Liked by 1 person

  88. Liked by 1 person

  89. Dont look for a smiling kakko tonight

    “Reading tea leaves, it looks like both Chytil and Roslovic are definitely in tonight. Kakko and Rempe stayed on a little late, but not as long as the rest of the extras. Looks like they’ll both take warmups tonight, but only enough room for one.

    The intrigue continues… #NYR   ”

    Like

  96. Who’s kakko’s agent? He (or she) should be looking for a RFA right trade but the player doesn’t have a leg to stand on if he’s scratched by two different coaches in two different ECFs.

    Like

  98. I’ve seen all I need to see from Kakko. He’s not an NHL player. I wanted to see him succeed more than anybody. I even tried to give him good juju by saying he’d have a big playoffs this year. Oops. He plays better on a larger European ice surface. Fairly confident that letting him go won’t burn us for years to come. Time to cut bait.

    Liked by 1 person

  104. He’s sent in a couple of breakaways (Schneider’s most recently) and he had a good look, as they say, but he’s a proven non-scorer at this point, part of an excellent 3rd checking line. A bit of a gamble going with 5 minutes of Rempe’s limited game, but will be rooting for him.

    Liked by 3 people

  105. Maybe Rempe will play *gasp* 10 mins? And I’d take Kakko’s non-scoring game over Chytil’s non-scoring game. As is noted by others, Cuylle/Wennberg/Kakko line has done well but underscored. Though honestly, isn’t that what the top six are paid to do a lot of?

    Liked by 2 people

  109. lol

    However, Kakko was one of eight forwards wearing a blue jersey at the morning skate, including every forward in the top six group and Brodzinski. Rempe was one of eight in a white jersey, but that group also included forwards Edstrom and Wheeler

    Chytil was in a blue jersey at the morning skate, an indication he will play on a line with Zibanejad and Kreider

    So Chytil in blue means he is playing. Kakko in blue means he is sitting. Really?

    Liked by 4 people

  114. Bottom 6 isn’t scoring much. I believe Goodrow leads them all with 3 goals (1 ENG)… there has to be more scoring throughout the lineup.

    if Kakko isn’t contributing to the offense, perhaps Rempe can stir things up.

    Messier, Rupp, Duguay, Gretzky, to name but a few are asking about reinserting Rempe. But maybe we know more about hockey than those guys and that Rempe should sit.

    Liked by 3 people

  115. to borrow the catchphrase from Carolina – it’s time to create a little chaos out there. Rempe is just the man to do it. So what, Panthers get an extra power play? Who cares — their power play is the least of our concerns. The hits on Chytil, Trocheck, and others need to be accounted for. Make the Panthers slightly less comfortable.

    Since when does Miko Mikkola get so comfortable that he can hit a guy with 5 seconds left? It’s because Miko knows there will be no pushback and enjoyed a relatively relaxed, boring game. Rempe changes the narrative on the physicality.

    Does Rempe’s playing guarantee a Rangers win? No, it doesn’t. But what it does guarantee is it puts the other team on notice, and raises the collective games of his own team. Especially Goodrow and Vesey. Rangers get on their toes and get their asses back into this series.

    Liked by 1 person

  118. But some of us bemoan the fact that Kappo Kaako is going to be removed from the lineup.

    tactical maneuver ? Desperation ?

    we’ll have to find out

    Like

  119. I don’t know Alex, Rempe is exactly the type of player the Rangers need in there against the ferocious Panthers.

    20-3-1 with Matt Rempe in the lineup. That’s over a quarter of a season. Hardly a minuscule sample size. The kid has an effect.

    Liked by 3 people

  121. Watching the Stars last night they got Johnston and Robertson without a lottery pick. I would trade Kakko and LAF for them in a heartbeat. That game also had more action in the first OT than the whole Ranger Panther game.

    Liked by 1 person

  123. There must have been at least 10 players the Rangers could have drafted over the medal slinger, Whinesoft, and Krakko. Pathetic management and scouting. What a rebuild, retool, rewhatever. Got love being a Ranger fan.

    Like

  126. admiral

    they better play him. the complaining if they don’t will be off the charts

    so let me guess. if he plays say 5 min and we win it’s due to him. not due to rest of guys especially top guys stepping up after a bad game. and follows the carp logic of 1-1 after 2

    and if he doesn’t play and we lose………………

    Like

  128. Lord Stanley’s Cup, circa 1545, Tudor Square Rink, Rempe’s GGGGGGrandfather to Sir Lancelot Tkachuk at puck drop: “Prepare, sir, to defend thy slimy self and your backwoods family’s honor!”

    Liked by 3 people

  130. i’d rather count on top line (trocheck) and 2nd line (mika) to deliver the goods. along with fox and shesty

    but i know the drill. if we win rempe gets the credit

    Like

  137. Most likely close to 20:20, Coos. I’m at work… night shift. Gonna try to watch with one eye here and there between all the “PAIN!” screaming and ass whipping…

    Like

Leave a comment