I would much rather be up 3-1 going back to MSG winning "close games" than be the Isles who are going to DC tied 2-2 after dominating every game.
- rangerdanger94

Heard dat.

Teams change their games to suit their opponents - in any sport. You guys have been shown to be weak against what this AHL D has provided & I'm sure a full NHL D will do the same & expose you better when they have the puck.

You guys must admit that this series - not yet over, has been far from impressive. I would even say you would be disappointed. There was certainly 'a lot' of relief in the comments in your thread. What does that say?
- Aussiepenguin

I never said I was blown away by how good the Rangers look; as I am sure no other rational Rangers fan would either.

The Penguins deserve credit, borderline AHL defense and all, in being able to slow the games down to more their liking. The Rangers are not a good puck possession team; their offense is based on counter attack and transition. Pittsburgh, to this point, hasn't allowed the Rangers to play their style of game.

This series isn't over though, by any means, and I expect Pittsburgh to play a tough game tomorrow night. But, to say the Rangers would absolutely get beat, by an opponent to be named next round, is laughable because whether you think so, or not, this series being a close one has more to do with Pittsburgh playing a good defensive system than the Rangers being a bad team.

Yeah, they def are but I think his point was, the Isles and Cap are playing open hockey, Pens are purposefully playing clogging trap to try to slow the Rangers down. So how can you predict that the Rangers wont be good against them, Rangers want the open hockey game, they love that and are better suited for the fast paced game.
- xcheckmajor

The Caps, and any Tortz team for that matter, does not play wide open hockey at all. The Isles play high-event hockey and are well suited for it.

I would much rather be up 3-1 going back to MSG winning "close games" than be the Isles who are going to DC tied 2-2 after dominating every game.
- rangerdanger94

You were comparing games that you might play against either of those 2 teams - I simply replied to what you commented on.

Now you have changed the subject???

Now if you want to discuss what 'you' say then discuss, but don't go & change the subject as if you are right when you are clearly attempting to avoid my comment.

Dude, why are you bothering? This is all they have - trying to tear down anything around them to make them feel better about their failures. It is the last recourse and rallying cry of the defeated. Not worth it.
- SMSB

Some of us Ranger folk are stubborn around these parts!

Dude, why are you bothering? This is all they have - trying to tear down anything around them to make them feel better about their failures. It is the last recourse and rallying cry of the defeated. Not worth it.
- SMSB

Hey man, don't lump me in with "they" haha I enjoy having good conversation around here with any teams fans. No if's and's or but's about it, the Rangers have been the better team. But I have enjoyed watching every game, regardless.

I think the key to beating the Rangers is obviously slowing down their speed and playing aggressive hitting hockey because they aren't the biggest bunch. That being said, the Pens are doing their best to play that style and our defense has not let us down. Lundqvist and the team has a 1.25GAA so far. You are absolutely right, teams change their game to suit their opponents. The Pens are playing a clogging slow style game and the Rangers had to change their game to suit. This type of game in the playoffs will never yield 4, 5 goals scored because of the amount of collapsing both teams are doing and the amount of Neutral zone clogging they both have to do. Things will be different in round I guarantee you. Give the Rangers a little more open space and their playmaking will take over. Caps
and Isles don't know how to play any different than going gun for gun.
- xcheckmajor

You make it sound like the Rangers are the only team to stop Pittsburgh offensively? What's the point with the Lundqvist and team has a 1.25 GAA? BFD? Providence College probably holds this team to under a 3 goals per game average.

Hey man, don't lump me in with "they" haha I enjoy having good conversation around here with any teams fans. No if's and's or but's about it, the Rangers have been the better team. But I have enjoyed watching every game, regardless.
- j.boyd919

Fair enough. There are exceptions to every rule. I know one or two even-minded Devils fans too

You make it sound like the Rangers are the only team to stop Pittsburgh offensively? What's the point with the Lundqvist and team has a 1.25 GAA? BFD? Providence College probably holds this team to under a 3 goals per game average.
- Oneonta Penguin

The saltiness is real with this one

If you played a competent team in the first round the way you are now, you lose. Pretty simple.

The way you are winning the 5 games is not eye pleasing and is not impressive. I have an opinion that I will stick with. You are bent out of shape because you don't like it.
- Oneonta Penguin

Its not eye pleasing at all, because of the style the Pens have emplored in order to neutralize the Ranger's eye pleasing game. Its kind of odd how you are blaming the Rangers for playing an ugly penalty filled, chippy, no flow, lots of obstruction, controversial type game, when its YOUR TEAM'S game plan, now ours to play like this. The stick fouls, the aggressive crosschecks, etc... its all been a part of the Pens game plan since before the series started. I don't blame them, they need to compensate for the injuries and the lack of depth. But lets not lose perspective and forget this is not the Rangers game. If the Isles and the Caps want to emplore this style, then we would have trouble predicting how successful they would be as well because its not their styles either. This type of game is basically, lets neutralize hockey and start playing ugly Rugby on ice. We'll gamble to see who gets the better bounces and who gets called for more penalties when it gets chaotic. Not exactly the situation to evaluate whether a team is good or bad or will continue in the next rounds.

Fair enough. There are exceptions to every rule. I know one or two even-minded Devils fans too
- SMSB

Personally I'm just glad that even with the atrocious defensive corp in front of him, Fleury has stood up pretty damn strong in just about every game. I've had nearly no criticism for him. Even going back to last year, he had a strong playoffs.

Typical reaction from NJ You would not know good hockey if it bit you in your arse
- holeinone

Funny every once in a while my memory fails me, but i seem to remember a period of time when the devils played a little bit of good hockey? There comes a time in every teams history when a championship caliber teams window closes, and thats exactly whats happening to the pens right now, much like the devils there time is up, time to rebuild/retool. Sorry that i hurt penguins fans feelings, that was not my intention, just calling it like i see it.

Whether or not people think we'll get eliminated in the next round I think we should wait for this round to be over. As we saw last year, 3-1 series leads aren't guarantees and you guys have been in every game.

With that said, playoffs are a lot about match ups and for whatever reason, you guys are matching up well with us and eliminating not our offense. There's no guarantee that the caps or isles will have similar success defensively should we advance and while you guys are banged up defensively, you're icing your full lineup offensively and are being absolutely shut down.
- rangerdanger94

I agreed with you up until the last statement. Who you have on your back end highly effects offensive production. Right now we have one guy that has the skill set to consistently and successfully bring the puck up through the neutral zone and facilitate a controlled zone entry on our blue line, which allows our forwards to set up and establish offense. Because of his age and Rutherford's poor handling of the cap, this one guy is gassed so he hasn't been capable of putting the team on his back like he has to due because of the injuries to our other four guys that are suppose to have the same capability.

Forechecking is great, and teams that have good forecheckers will always be more successful offensively than teams that don't, but when you don't have skilled d men that can facilitate zone entries and your offense is reliant on dump and forecheck to establish offense, much of our forward's skills are negated as it turns into a grindfest. Our top three centers are Crosby, Malkin, and Sutter. Two of our top six wingers are Perron and old Kunitz. Its obvious with that roster makeup that dump, forecheck, and grind is not our strong suit.

Its not so much that the Rangers are completely shutting down the Pens. Its more so that we've been forced into a style of play that neuters our offense because we lack the personnel on the blue line to be able to play our brand of hockey. I maintain that having one of Letang, Maatta, Ehrhoff, or Pouliot back would make a world of difference. Two of them back and this is a different series. All four back and forget about it. Not so much because of what they bring on the defensive end, but what they would bring to our offense.

My penis is bigger than yours.

I think the key to beating the Rangers is obviously slowing down their speed and playing aggressive hitting hockey because they aren't the biggest bunch. That being said, the Pens are doing their best to play that style and our defense has not let us down. Lundqvist and the team has a 1.25GAA so far. You are absolutely right, teams change their game to suit their opponents. The Pens are playing a clogging slow style game and the Rangers had to change their game to suit. This type of game in the playoffs will never yield 4, 5 goals scored because of the amount of collapsing both teams are doing and the amount of Neutral zone clogging they both have to do. Things will be different in round I guarantee you. Give the Rangers a little more open space and their playmaking will take over. Caps and Isles don't know how to play any different than going gun for gun.
- xcheckmajor

1.75 GAA

My penis is bigger than yours.
- jmatchett383

I'm really good at photoshop.

I agreed with you up until the last statement. Who you have on your back end highly effects offensive production. Right now we have one guy that has the skill set to consistently and successfully bring the puck up through the neutral zone and facilitate a controlled zone entry on our blue line, which allows our forwards to set up and establish offense. Because of his age and Rutherford's poor handling of the cap, this one guy is gassed so he hasn't been capable of putting the team on his back like he has to due because of the injuries to our other four guys that are suppose to have the same capability.

Forechecking is great, and teams that have good forecheckers will always be more successful offensively than teams that don't, but when you don't have skilled d men that can facilitate zone entries and your offense is reliant on dump and forecheck to establish offense, much of our forward's skills are negated as it turns into a grindfest. Our top three centers are Crosby, Malkin, and Sutter. Two of our top six wingers are Perron and old Kunitz. Its obvious with that roster makeup that dump, forecheck, and grind is not our strong suit.

Its not so much that the Rangers are completely shutting down the Pens. Its more so that we've been forced into a style of play that neuters our offense because we lack the personnel on the blue line to be able to play our brand of hockey. I maintain that having one of Letang, Maatta, Ehrhoff, or Pouliot back would make a world of difference. Two of them back and this is a different series. All four back and forget about it. Not so much because of what they bring on the defensive end, but what they would bring to our offense.
- Victoro311

I completely agree with your assessment, but the difference is, you change the style of play the blueline is playing and you have no idea what that does to the game. You open up the transition game more and you open up more chances for holes to develop in your own end. I read somewhere that the Pens Coaching staff made it simple for the Dmen, don't play the game beyond 2 options. Leave the offense to Crosby and Malkin, everyone chip in to collapse and play more defensive hockey. But thats a double edged sword. Your offense would be substantially better if you had your blueliners back, but your style of play would be completely different to opening up the game. I'm not predicting how things would have turned out, I'm just saying the game would have been played completely different and don't rule out the chance that Rangers would not have scored much more either, and the game turning into a battle between Hank and MAF.

Funny every once in a while my memory fails me, but i seem to remember a period of time when the devils played a little bit of good hockey? There comes a time in every teams history when a championship caliber teams window closes, and thats exactly whats happening to the pens right now, much like the devils there time is up, time to rebuild/retool. Sorry that i hurt penguins fans feelings, that was not my intention, just calling it like i see it.
- devfan30

I personally don't feel as though their window for a championship is closing, right now it's just like one hitting one of those rough spots.. you know, when you try to close the window.. and its not closing? It's just stuck and you have to sleep with the window slightly open, leading to a morning of a soaked carpet because it poured while you were sleeping, and now you get out of bed and the carpet is all wet and you walk in the soaked carpet only to be absolutely pissed and instantaneously alert because you thought you stepped in a puddle of dog piss, only to realize the window was kind of sort of open.

I personally don't feel as though their window for a championship is closing, right now it's just like one hitting one of those rough spots.. you know, when you try to close the window.. and its not closing? It's just stuck and you have to sleep with the window slightly open, leading to a morning of a soaked carpet because it poured while you were sleeping, and now you get out of bed and the carpet is all wet and you walk in the soaked carpet only to be absolutely pissed and instantaneously alert because you thought you stepped in a puddle of dog piss, only to realize the window was kind of sort of open.
- j.boyd919

greatest comment today

well said !! to the point and pue..love it..

Rare is me to propose trades or throw names out there ...but here goes..

Thoughts on acquiring ...Phil Kessel. TML have already said they would have to take back a bad contract (Scuderi, Kunitz) in order to move him.

I don't think it will happen, I am not one that hates Kessel's game. His game is what it is...he scores goals

I personally don't feel as though their window for a championship is closing, right now it's just like one hitting one of those rough spots.. you know, when you try to close the window.. and its not closing? It's just stuck and you have to sleep with the window slightly open, leading to a morning of a soaked carpet because it poured while you were sleeping, and now you get out of bed and the carpet is all wet and you walk in the soaked carpet only to be absolutely pissed and instantaneously alert because you thought you stepped in a puddle of dog piss, only to realize the window was kind of sort of open.
- j.boyd919

Personally I'm just glad that even with the atrocious defensive corp in front of him, Fleury has stood up pretty damn strong in just about every game. I've had nearly no criticism for him. Even going back to last year, he had a strong playoffs.
- j.boyd919

Agreed. There should be zero controversy around him after this year. Honestly, I think he is a large reason that these games are competitive as they are. Not trying to sound smug...

I personally don't feel as though their window for a championship is closing, right now it's just like one hitting one of those rough spots.. you know, when you try to close the window.. and its not closing? It's just stuck and you have to sleep with the window slightly open, leading to a morning of a soaked carpet because it poured while you were sleeping, and now you get out of bed and the carpet is all wet and you walk in the soaked carpet only to be absolutely pissed and instantaneously alert because you thought you stepped in a puddle of dog piss, only to realize the window was kind of sort of open.
- j.boyd919

That was very deep, really like the dog piss analogy.

they better make some changes, because it sure is getting old...year in and out same excuses, injuries, spaling should be more like a 1Million$ guy, scuderi should be at 3 at most, and I will be fine saying good bye to martin

but yea, not surprising how we are where we are right now
- JLT168

What?