You know what's funny is that Texas has the most generous compensation for wrongly accused prisoners in the nation. They get like $80k per year for every year they spent behind bars and for the rest of their lives, plus health coverage.

Many blue states don't offer a lick.
- Tomahawk

How is that a blue state/red state thing?

We also shouldn't ignore that, on just about every shift, Giroux is getting run at, cross checked or slashed repeatedly. A guy like Hartnell is supposed to open up room for Giroux and he's simply not doing that.

To make it worse, they're getting nothing from the second line, at all.
- Jsaquella

Hartnell isn't fast enough to make McDonagh and Girardi back off or stop shading Giroux, because they know they can turn and recover on Hartnell if he has the puck on a rush in the neutral zone

I don't know how Giroux shakes this kind of coverage -- I think it was Bill who said he'd try Raffl up there, and I might do that. It's gotta be somebody fast who can bust in off the wing and carry the puck to the net in order to get them to back off Giroux and Voracek even a little bit

How is that a blue state/red state thing?
- wolfhounds

Cuz, irony?

There's just not enough urgency in the puck movement to me, period. Way to slow; way to many players looking for the perfect play. Move the puck and skate with a little more urgency, and that opportunity will present itself to you more frequently, as opposed to searching for it moving at half speed.
- mochoson

I've observed the same.

Of course, but those things are a given in 99% of professionals. They didn't get to where they are by not caring more and working harder and being more innately competitive than all the kids around them.

What AI4F was getting at was that you can choose to look at Giroux's struggles in a vaccuum, or you can step back and see that McD/Girardi/Lundqvist are trying and competing hard themselves, and that might have more to do w/ G struggling than some sudden uncharacteristic absence of competitiveness on G's part.
- Tomahawk

You expect it to be a war and a fight for every inch of ice, against good teams and top players. Giroux is not just being played effectively, he's been rendered pretty much ineffective overall. You don't expect him to win every battle, but you expect him to win his fair share. And he hasn't done so. And if the Rangers advance, I think we'll see some top players have some success against the Rangers and their top D pair.

Hartnell isn't fast enough to make McDonagh and Girardi back off or stop shading Giroux, because they know they can turn and recover on Hartnell if he has the puck on a rush in the neutral zone

I don't know how Giroux shakes this kind of coverage -- I think it was Bill who said he'd try Raffl up there, and I might do that. It's gotta be somebody fast who can bust in off the wing and carry the puck to the net in order to get them to back off Giroux and Voracek even a little bit
- AllInForFlyers

Hartnell needs to be more physical and punish those who are battering Giroux. There's been zero incentive for the Rangers to stop their molestation of Giroux, because no Flyer has made them pay for it with a goal or fight.

Cuz, irony?
- Tomahawk

Putting aside your misuse of the word irony for the moment, $80 grand a year seems pretty low, actually.

It's a good tactic to try to settle before the state is sued.

Because awards are usually much, much higher.

Even in blue states:

http://www.nytimes.com/20...conviction-case.html?_r=0

And now back to hockey.

Easy to say, harder to do

If it was that easy...don't you think they would've done it by now?

"Picking his game up" is the kind of fan-speak that means absolutely nothing when a team is clearly trying to shut down one or two players and has the personnel to be successful at it
- AllInForFlyers

For 8.25/8.7 million a year. You find a way to pick up your game. That's what good players do. Good players don't disappear for 2 and 1/2 games in the playoffs.

Giroux has been a non-factor thus far. That's on him. Tight checking? Get over it and find a way through.

Cuz, irony?
- Tomahawk

You know what's funny is that Texas has the most generous compensation for wrongly accused prisoners in the nation. They get like $80k per year for every year they spent behind bars and for the rest of their lives, plus health coverage.

Many blue states don't offer a lick.
- Tomahawk

Either get busy livin' or get busy dyin'

Putting aside your misuse of the word irony for the moment, $80 grand a year seems pretty low, actually.

It's a good tactic to try to settle before the state is sued.

Because awards are usually much, much higher.

Even in blue states:

http://www.nytimes.com/20...conviction-case.html?_r=0

And now back to hockey.
- Atomic Wedgie

Please don't link the new York times. Joke of a paper.

For 8.25/8.7 million a year. You find a way to pick up your game. That's what good players do. Good players don't disappear for 2 and 1/2 games in the playoffs.

Giroux has been a non-factor thus far. That's on him. Tight checking? Get over it and find a way through.
- Flyersgod

Yes they do.

All the time.

Nobody's giving anybody a pass. But telling Claude Giroux to pick up his game when he's getting a steady dose of Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi and Henrik Lundqvist in the playoffs is a hell of lot easier than telling Claude Giroux to pick up his game against Henrik Tallinder and Mark Pysyk and Jhonas Enroth in February

The results will vary, and they won't always favor you
- AllInForFlyers

Not expecting results to always favor Giroux. But I'm also not always expecting the results to favor the Rangers. With a few exceptions. No one is expecting Giroux to just dominate. But I'm expecting him to lead, and be the Flyers best player. He hasn't been.

Hartnell needs to be more physical and punish those who are battering Giroux. There's been zero incentive for the Rangers to stop their molestation of Giroux, because no Flyer has made them pay for it with a goal or fight.
- Jsaquella

That cross-check in Game 1 needed to get answered

Yeah, you probably take a penalty and yeah, you might get strafed as a result

But that cross-check was vicious, and it needed to get answered...set the tone for that game and, to some degree, gave the Rags an idea how much they could get away with

The opportunities this team passes up offensively astounds me.

They wonder why they miss the net so many times, or why a defensive player ends up blocking a shot. The puck will be sent back to the point, and no matter whose playing defense, the pucks not off their stick for at least another 3 or 4 seconds.

I'm not saying this is the only problem, but you win games by maximizing on your ability to "make plays", be it offensively or defensively. Offensively, were not doing that at all.

Watch Duncan Keith or Kevin Shattenkirk get a pass while manning the point. The puck is either back another team-mates stick within 1-2 seconds, or they've found a shooting lane and gotten the puck on net, or damn close.

There's just not enough urgency in the puck movement to me, period. Way to slow; way to many players looking for the perfect play. Move the puck and skate with a little more urgency, and that opportunity will present itself to you more frequently, as opposed to searching for it moving at half speed.
- mochoson

Please don't link the new York times. Joke of a paper.
- Flyersgod

And we're off...

Either get busy livin' or get busy dyin'
- PhillySportsGuy

After a lot of prison sex...

Putting aside your misuse of the word irony for the moment, $80 grand a year seems pretty low, actually.

It's a good tactic to try to settle before the state is sued.

Because awards are usually much, much higher.

Even in blue states:

http://www.nytimes.com/20...conviction-case.html?_r=0

And now back to hockey.
- Atomic Wedgie

It's not a misuse of the word. It's dead on accurate.

Yes they do.

All the time.
- Atomic Wedgie

Of course they do...that is, everywhere except in Philadelphia, where no matter what, no star player will ever not be run out of town by the "try harder" crowd

Yes they do.

All the time.
- Atomic Wedgie

Maybe in Toronto

Putting aside your misuse of the word irony for the moment, $80 grand a year seems pretty low, actually.

It's a good tactic to try to settle before the state is sued.

Because awards are usually much, much higher.

Even in blue states:

http://www.nytimes.com/20...conviction-case.html?_r=0

And now back to hockey.
- Atomic Wedgie

We're not talking court settlements... we're talking government mandated payouts for wrongful imprisonment... many states don't offer anything:

http://www.innocenceproje....org/fix/Compensation.php


Edit: you just wouldn't expect Texas, a state that is pretty callous toward inmate rights in general, to have such a generous policy... hence the irony.

That cross-check in Game 1 needed to get answered

Yeah, you probably take a penalty and yeah, you might get strafed as a result

But that cross-check was vicious, and it needed to get answered...set the tone for that game and, to some degree, gave the Rags an idea how much they could get away with
- AllInForFlyers

There's more to it than that, being behind so often doesn't help, because the Rangers not only love to sit on a 1-0 or 2-1 lead, they're really good at it. They frustrate teams and goad them into forcing plays and that's how they win.

The Flyers need to be more creative. It shouldn't take 20+ blocked shot to realize that outside slap shots were not gonna work last night. Stationary, set piece offense isn't going to beat the Rangers. The Flyers have to be more creative and really drive the net, can't settle for outside shots and hope to get one through the Ranger Maze of bodies.

Of course they do...that is, everywhere except in Philadelphia, where no matter what, no star player will ever not be run out of town by the "try harder" crowd
- AllInForFlyers

Got it. Giroux gets a free pass for his poop play. If he doesn't have to perform, who does?

I normally agree with you, but your dead (frank)ing wrong dude. Dead wrong.

There's more to it than that, being behind so often doesn't help, because the Rangers not only love to sit on a 1-0 or 2-1 lead, they're really good at it. They frustrate teams and goad them into forcing plays and that's how they win.

The Flyers need to be more creative. It shouldn't take 20+ blocked shot to realize that outside slap shots were not gonna work last night. Stationary, set piece offense isn't going to beat the Rangers. The Flyers have to be more creative and really drive the net, can't settle for outside shots and hope to get one through the Ranger Maze of bodies.
- Jsaquella

I'd like to see the Flyers come out for the start of the game, and play the entire game like they did the last 5 minutes of the first period. It seems as though they need something to fire them up, to reach that higher gear.

We're not talking court settlements... we're talking government mandated payouts for wrongful imprisonment... many states don't offer anything:

http://www.innocenceproje....org/fix/Compensation.php
- Tomahawk

Texas apparently also has the largest prison population.