GDT [RS] (#40) Rangers at St. Louis Blues — Big Ouchies

[BrooksBurner]

50 minutes ago, 4EverRangerFrank said:

LAV and Henrik saying adversity can be a good thing. Henrik especially talking about how you learn things about guys and yourself when it’s ‘not going well.’ Mentioned that it’s not April.
 

Yeah, we’ll be fine. 

 

I expected them to look like this at the beginning of the year, followed by a slow adoption of how Lavi wants the team to play. I think what we've seen was a temporary adrenaline burst to start the year and impress the new coach, in combination with Quick playing out of his mind, followed by a rejection of anything resembling good hockey. I don't know where it goes from here, but I hope you're right.

Edited January 12 by BrooksBurner

[Albatrosss]

26 minutes ago, BrooksBurner said:

 

I expected them to look like this at the beginning of the year, followed by a slow adoption of how Lavi wants the team to play. I think what we've seen was a temporary adrenaline burst to start the year and impress the new coach, in combination with Quick playing out of his mind, followed by a rejection of anything resembling good hockey. I don't know where it goes from here, but I hope you're right.

If they play .500 hockey for the rest of the season they should make the playoffs, but they have to promise that they will peak in april, may, and june. 

[RangersIn7]

8 hours ago, The Dude said:

Bad loss. Don't care who's not in the lineup. They looked like ass. This is a very beatable team. Should have had a gameplan to hold the fort down. 

 

Shesterkin is definitely an issue,  but the play infront of him is inexcusable. Zero guts. Zero fire. 

 

Even worse is,  this will no doubt rush Kakkos return. There will be no AHL conditioning stint and his confidence will continue to be shot. Laviolette is turning into GG with line juggling and zero patience with kids not named Cuylle. No way he stands for 10 games of Kakko working out his kinks. 

They’ve been out of joint for a bit now. 
But I wouldn’t go so nuclear.

 

They were not going to play at the 130+ point pace they were on in the first 2 months all season long. And the injuries have piled up some, and they’re feeling it.

 
They’ll be ok

[jsm7302]

St. Louis and Vancouver both fast broke in all night long (similar to NJ last year). The sky certainly isn't falling but to see the repeating trend has me questioning things a little bit. 

[fletch]

So is OK making the playoffs and a first round series loss?

 

Laviolette was hired to replace Gallant for a variety of short-comings (speculations include: Gallant conflict with Drury, organization disagreement with Gallant deployment of players, Gallant inadequate tactics/strategy, distracting from Drury's failure in roster construction, organization not holding players responsible for on-ice results) leading to a perception that the team did not achieve it's potential under Gallant.

 

At some point you have to stop blaming Gallant for 100% of the problems last year and start looking at the players and the GM as at least partially responsible.  Right now it's incomplete data until the playoffs start.

[JHS]

I just want to remind everyone here that this is still a top 5 team.  The level of over-reaction here after these last 3 losses is really alarming.

[fletch]

10 minutes ago, JHS said:

I just want to remind everyone here that this is still a top 5 team.  The level of over-reaction here after these last 3 losses is really alarming.

They started the season 12-2-1 and 18-4-1. Laviolette new coach - most teams get a bump from a new coach.

6 losses in the last 10 games, 4 losses in the last 5 games.  Their early season record wasn't sustainable, all teams go through a slump, and people are grouchy in GDT.

 

What is alarming is how they are losing games - I am seeing problems with effort and in the defensive zone, which are symptoms of problems I've seen the last few years no matter who the coach is.  Again, incomplete assessment until the playoffs, which will sharpen analysis of how the team has developed this season.

 

[RangersIn7]

49 minutes ago, JHS said:

I just want to remind everyone here that this is still a top 5 team.  The level of over-reaction here after these last 3 losses is really alarming.

They were bound to hit a slump eventually. Especially with the injuries really shortening the lineup amongst the forwards.

 

Its gonna be ok

[Pete]

There's nothing to take from this game.

 

Losing your number one center in warmups, the amount of injuries they have, players who were never expected to be elevated in the lineup are now getting way too much ice time. It's pretty surprising that this is the first time they've lost three in a row given what they're up against.

 

St Louis has had so much trouble scoring that the law of averages says they were due. 

 

Face the adversity now, get healthy, and move on.

Edited January 12 by Pete

[RangersIn7]

2 minutes ago, Pete said:

There's nothing to take from this game.

 

Losing your number one center in warmups, the amount of injuries they have, players who were never expected to be elevated in the lineup are now getting way too much ice time. It's pretty surprising that this is the first time they've lost three in a row given what they're up against.

 

St Louis has had so much trouble scoring that the law of averages says they were due. 

 

Face the adversity now, get healthy, and move on.

Yup.

 

Just need to weather this storm. 

[Ozzy]

As soon as I heard Mika was out, I was like, "here we go!".  I can't say I was surprised at the results. 

Currently playing 3 AHL players and 2 relics that move like turtle shit, and we're gonna win?  Add in a goalie who needs step-therapy if he gives up a goal...Yeah....No!

 

And here are the Top 15 nominees for last night's “Ozzy Quote of the GDT”, sponsored by OxiClean...the best puke stain remover from carpets ever!  Trust me!

 

 

12 hours ago, mbob said:

Maybe he’s got his own pre game rushes to the bathroom.  

 

12 hours ago, Keirik said:

I'm with Mika. I feel sick to my stomach too. 

 

12 hours ago, Keirik said:

lol Trocheck almost tore his scrotum trying to stay onside 

 

12 hours ago, RodrigueGabriel said:

Kreider has been in make-weak-effort-then-give-up mode for a while now.

 

12 hours ago, 4EverRangerFrank said:

My wife wanted to watch Slow Horses. I said we’re already watching them. 

 

11 hours ago, phillyb said:

Those saves are bigger than my alcoholic gene. Holy shit. 

 

11 hours ago, Keirik said:

What a stupid penalty by Brodzinski. That was borderline sexual assault for groping 

 

11 hours ago, jsrangers said:

The combined hockey IQ hovering around 0.05, lower than the DUI limit of .08

 

11 hours ago, siddious said:

Forget the helmet throw. Laviolette needs to throw his toupee in this game. 

 

11 hours ago, RichieNextel305 said:

I can’t watch Blake Wheeler play anymore. I just can’t. It’s like trying to milk a rock. There ain’t nothing there.

 

11 hours ago, siddious said:

How did I miss that? Maybe I’m not as great as my mom thinks I am?!

 

11 hours ago, 4EverRangerFrank said:

NYR?  I’ve seen better finishing in blurry amateur porn. 

 

10 hours ago, Albatrosss said:

The rangers are shooting blanks, like some posters here

 

10 hours ago, knedragon said:

Maybe put the pads on Bonino 

 

10 hours ago, The Dude said:

Miller Trouba trains Lafrenière!  Mother fucker finally hits someone and it's his own guy. 

 

We're not winning without 5 starters, plain and simple.  This team's roster is a fucking mess right now due to illness/injury.  We just have to weather the storm. 

 

...and the winning quote for tonight’s GDT goes to The Big Guy!! @4EverRangerFrank who had it pegged!  How many posts did we hit last night?  I counted at least 5, with Kreider doing it twice in 10 seconds!  Not to mention how many we just plainly missed the net on.  Ugh!

We're in a slump and we look like shit.  Fine!  Maybe one day we actually get a player back in the lineup.

[Valriera]

I'm only disappointed at two things this game:

 

Fox getting beat by Kyrou, the guy he just knocked down, up the ice on the backcheck for a goal.

 

All five players getting caught below the hashmarks.

 

Chalk everything else up to the fact that we're playing with one hand and one leg. 

[Ozzy]

I wanna see them fight through some adversity to fix this.  I don't think any team goes wire to wire without going through some kind of shit. 

Even in '94 we had that game against the Ducks where Terry Yake scored a hat Trick and we looked like a team destined for dog shit at that point.  These are the times where they have to face their weaknesses and fix this shit for what's ahead.

 

This team has been plagued with injury, bad calls, and all kinds of bad puck luck all season, and they've still been able to get wins.  So they are very good.  This kinda of slump will make them better in my opinion. 

 

Not to mention that during a slump, we have some of the most hilarious comments in the GDT!!  Did you read some of them last night?  Good Christ!  They were funny!

[RJWantsTheCup]

Just now, Ozzy said:

I wanna see them fight through some adversity to fix this.  I don't think any team goes wire to wire without going through some kind of shit. 

Even in '94 we had that game against the Ducks where Terry Yake scored a hat Trick and we looked like a team destined for dog shit at that point.  These are the times where they have to face their weaknesses and fix this shit for what's ahead.

 

This team has been plagued with injury, bad calls, and all kinds of bad puck luck all season, and they've still been able to get wins.  So they are very good.  This kinda of slump will make them better in my opinion. 

 

Not to mention that during a slump, we have some of the most hilarious comments in the GDT!!  Did you read some of them last night?  Good Christ!  They were funny!

I like some good steaks marinated in teriyaki.

[fletch]

8 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

I wanna see them fight through some adversity to fix this.  I don't think any team goes wire to wire without going through some kind of shit. 

Even in '94 we had that game against the Ducks where Terry Yake scored a hat Trick and we looked like a team destined for dog shit at that point.  These are the times where they have to face their weaknesses and fix this shit for what's ahead.

 

This team has been plagued with injury, bad calls, and all kinds of bad puck luck all season, and they've still been able to get wins.  So they are very good.  This kinda of slump will make them better in my opinion. 

 

Not to mention that during a slump, we have some of the most hilarious comments in the GDT!!  Did you read some of them last night?  Good Christ!  They were funny!

 

I agree that injuries are a legitimate issue.  Calls and puck luck will even out over a season. Every team slumps at some point during a long regular season.

 

That doesn't give the players on the ice a pass, though.   I don't know why it's such a recurring issue with this team to not play a strong 60 minutes or to have five minutes stretches where they just don't back-check, or mark up in the defensive zone, and give up multiple goals.  Effort is a coach-killer.   Eventually it might be a GM killer.

[knedragon]

1 hour ago, Valriera said:

I'm only disappointed at two things this game:

 

Fox getting beat by Kyrou, the guy he just knocked down, up the ice on the backcheck for a goal.

 

All five players getting caught below the hashmarks.

 

Chalk everything else up to the fact that we're playing with one hand and one leg. 

 

 You forgot Shesty , he's made some big key saves night in and night out but there's a bunch of times he doesn't look interested . There was a play in the 3rd I swear he could have gotten hurt cause he wasn't focused on the play. Most nights the opposing goalie is making big key saves but a bunch of them. Like Binnington last night. He made 8-10 big saves, did get some luck from the pipes as well. 

[Br4d]

2 hours ago, JHS said:

I just want to remind everyone here that this is still a top 5 team.  The level of over-reaction here after these last 3 losses is really alarming.

 

How often do top 5 teams lose 3 in a row looking as bad as the Rangers have the last couple of games?

 

I would argue that the Rangers as currently constituted with the injuries and the AHL call-ups and the lack of discipline on defense are more like a 16-17 middle of the pack team.  This is what they have most closely resembled over the last 16 games or so.

Edited January 12 by Br4d

[Ozzy]

18 minutes ago, fletch said:

 

I agree that injuries are a legitimate issue.  Calls and puck luck will even out over a season. Every team slumps at some point during a long regular season.

 

That doesn't give the players on the ice a pass, though.   I don't know why it's such a recurring issue with this team to not play a strong 60 minutes or to have five minutes stretches where they just don't back-check, or mark up in the defensive zone, and give up multiple goals.  Effort is a coach-killer.   Eventually it might be a GM killer.

 

I don't think it's effort, Fletch.  Not in Last night's game anyway.

 

They peppered the net in the first period, and put some good shots on net. Kreider hit the post with 4 shots and Laff dung it too.  We had lots of chances and I thought we played a lot of the game in their end.

 

Our depth right now is being tested, and that's a spot we really don't have any strength.  I think we're playing with too many "fill-in's" who don't really play that role, and it's glaring.

 

I wanna see them fight through this shit though.  This is what I think gives a team some character.  They'll get through this eventually but it's going to be a little bit.  We're playing sloppy hockey and I'm sure every player knows it.  But when I watch guys like Vesey, Laffy, and Lindgren, I know there's no lack of effort there.  It's just simply execution.

[fletch]

18 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

 

I don't think it's effort, Fletch.  Not in Last night's game anyway.

 

They peppered the net in the first period, and put some good shots on net. Kreider hit the post with 4 shots and Laff dung it too.  We had lots of chances and I thought we played a lot of the game in their end.

 

Our depth right now is being tested, and that's a spot we really don't have any strength.  I think we're playing with too many "fill-in's" who don't really play that role, and it's glaring.

 

I wanna see them fight through this shit though.  This is what I think gives a team some character.  They'll get through this eventually but it's going to be a little bit.  We're playing sloppy hockey and I'm sure every player knows it.  But when I watch guys like Vesey, Laffy, and Lindgren, I know there's no lack of effort there.  It's just simply execution.

 

Lapses kill this team.  Fill-ins should be able to play sound, fundamental hockey, and not have lapses; fill-ins are competing to be on the active roster or TOI so they should be particularly focused. 

 

Lapses I see: 5 minutes of bad hockey when multiple goals are given up; soft goal from Shesterkin or Quick; a defenseman puck-watching and leaving someone unmarked in front of the net.

 

This team LOVES the power play and scoring goals - that's fun hockey.  It's WORK to backcheck hard, take the body in front of either net, etc.  I don't think number of shots on goal is a great metric for problems I see.  Number of high danger scoring chances given up, number of odd-man rushes given up, those are the kinds of things I would look at.

[4EverRangerFrank]

“THESE are the times that try Ranger Fan's souls. The summer off-season and the bandwagon patriot will, in this brief losing spell, shrink from the service to BSBH; but he who stands by the Team now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman fans alike. Losing, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap on the open market, we esteem too highly; it is the CAP limit only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon winning; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial a goal as winning THE CUP should not be so highly rated”

Adapted from ― Thomas Paine, The Crisis

Edited January 12 by 4EverRangerFrank

[Dunny]

Are they worse 5v5 in their own end vs last year? Fancy Stat guys?

 

[Br4d]

1 hour ago, fletch said:

 

I agree that injuries are a legitimate issue.  Calls and puck luck will even out over a season. Every team slumps at some point during a long regular season.

 

That doesn't give the players on the ice a pass, though.   I don't know why it's such a recurring issue with this team to not play a strong 60 minutes or to have five minutes stretches where they just don't back-check, or mark up in the defensive zone, and give up multiple goals.  Effort is a coach-killer.   Eventually it might be a GM killer.

 

It's a recurring issue because the Rangers do not have a strong defensive identity on the ice aside from pray the goalie makes the save.  This has been true for at least the last 3 seasons now.

 

The 'Canes forecheck and backcheck frenetically.  The Bruins play solid positional hockey.  The Rangers had the 1-3-1 thing going for awhile and Trouba and Miller slide around at the side of the goal to block shots.  What else does the team do in the defensive zone that is identifiable at this point aside from leaving the goalie all alone with a rabid shooter?

[Pete]

1 hour ago, Br4d said:

 

How often do top 5 teams lose 3 in a row looking as bad as the Rangers have the last couple of games?

 

I would argue that the Rangers as currently constituted with the injuries and the AHL call-ups and the lack of discipline on defense are more like a 16-17 middle of the pack team.  This is what they have most closely resembled over the last 16 games or so.

You realize that the bolded is what's causing the italicized, right?

 

I just don't see how anybody can look at this team and judge them as if this is what the team is going to look like in the playoffs, assuming everybody makes it back from injury and illness. 

 

You can't just throw around "the team" as if this iteration is the final product. 

[Pete]

54 minutes ago, Dunny said:

Are they worse 5v5 in their own end vs last year? Fancy Stat guys?

 

The short story is when they are good in their own end at five on five They struggle to score goals, when they open it up to score more goals, they also give up more goals. 

[Pete]

45 minutes ago, Br4d said:

 

It's a recurring issue because the Rangers do not have a strong defensive identity on the ice aside from pray the goalie makes the save.  This has been true for at least the last 3 seasons now.

 

The 'Canes forecheck and backcheck frenetically.  The Bruins play solid positional hockey.  The Rangers had the 1-3-1 thing going for awhile and Trouba and Miller slide around at the side of the goal to block shots.  What else does the team do in the defensive zone that is identifiable at this point aside from leaving the goalie all alone with a rabid shooter?

This is what I'm talking about. The last three seasons they were not dealing with this level of injury.

 

You're trying to compare a team that's 75% healthy to ones that were 100% healthy.

 

It's not apples to apples.