2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs thread

[Lateralous]

As bad as Bishop has been, I wouldn't start a rookie backup in a game 7. No way.

I agree. Bishop is still only one game off of shutting the Rangers out.

I actually think it's better that the Lightning got their doors blown off tonight. They will hopefully come back much more focused and hopefully the rangers come in overconfident. I think if they lost a heartbreaker tonight, it would be much tougher to recover from

[slasher72]

Back in 94, it was almost acceptable when the Rags won the Cup, cause we all knew that the Devils had an excellent team and that they could come back and win it themselves in 95 (which they did).

If the Rags won the Cup this year, the sting would be incredible because we know the Devils aren't winning anything next year.

Big difference.

Dude, we're not winning anything for the next 4-5 years. We have zero scoring and the facelift won't happen overnight. Meanwhile, these d-bags will probably go deep into the playoffs every season from now until 2020.

[sokar]

hopefully tampa takes them out in game 7

[Louismydad]

Dude, we're not winning anything for the next 4-5 years. We have zero scoring and the facelift won't happen overnight. Meanwhile, these d-bags will probably go deep into the playoffs every season from now until 2020.

Hank is 34, this is a one or two more times max kinda thing. If he loses even half a step, this team is out in the first round.

[njbuff]

hopefully tampa takes them out in game 7

Maybe they can pull a Devils and win 3 games on the road in a series.

[MadDog2020]

Rangers played the neutral zone trap for about 98% of the game, can we talk about this for a second?

Layered defense brah. Great defensive hockey brah. Revolutionizing the sport brah.

[slasher72]

Hank is 34, this is a one or two more times max kinda thing. If he loses even half a step, this team is out in the first round.

Marty was capable until he was 40. Hank could carry this team for another 4-5 years. It's not impossible. The thing that sucks is our forward prospects are garbage and I have very little faith in Lou and Conte finding us offensive talent in the draft (I say Lou because Shero is likely taking his cue from Lou until he feels confident enough to take over).

Edited May 27, 2015 by slasher72

[Louismydad]

Layered defense brah. Great defensive hockey brah. Revolutionizing the sport brah.

Thats it, thats the summary. fvcking hate everything about that team and its fanbase

Marty was capable until he was 40. Hank could carry this team for another 4-5 years. It's not impossible. The thing that sucks is our forward prospects are garbage and I have very little faith in Lou and Conte finding us offensive talent in the draft (I say Lou because Shero is likely taking his cue from Lou until he feels confident enough to take over).

Marty wasn't nearly as dominant though, as he got older. As I said, if Hank loses even half a step, that team is one and done.

[DJ Eco]

Layered defense brah. Great defensive hockey brah. Revolutionizing the sport brah.

 

Swear to god, I brought it up on my Facebook and Rangers friends are arguing with me about it. Like 3-5 people in white jerseys clogging the neutral zone for most of the game isn't cut and dry trap? I even conceded to them that I have no problem with it whatsoever but brought it up to point out the irony but they're arguing with me tooth and nail that it wasn't trap hockey hahaha

Edited May 27, 2015 by DJ Eco

['7']

Marty was capable until he was 40. Hank could carry this team for another 4-5 years. It's not impossible. The thing that sucks is our forward prospects are garbage and I have very little faith in Lou and Conte finding us offensive talent in the draft (I say Lou because Shero is likely taking his cue from Lou until he feels confident enough to take over).

 

Nobody knows how a goalie ages until he...ages. Brodeur and Hasek are exceptions to the rule. So was Belfour. But most goalies start to decline when they hit Lundqvists age. It remains to be seen how he handles father time.

 

Heck Rags won today, but he certainly wasn't incredible.

[MadDog2020]

Thats it, thats the summary. fvcking hate everything about that team and its fanbase

Marty wasn't nearly as dominant though, as he got older. As I said, if Hank loses even half a step, that team is one and done.

Rangerstown brah. Bright lights brah. Smelly urine-soaked train station right downstairs brah.

[MadDog2020]

Swear to god, I brought it up on my Facebook and Rangers friends are arguing with me about it. Like 3-5 people in white jerseys clogging the neutral zone for most of the game isn't cut and dry trap? I even conceded to them that I have no problem with it whatsoever but brought it up to point out the irony but they're arguing with me tooth and nail that it wasn't trap hockey hahaha

Blueshirts brah. Exciting brah. Reinventing defense brah. Not the trap brah.

[DJ Eco]

Nobody knows how a goalie ages until he...ages. Brodeur and Hasek are exceptions to the rule. So was Belfour. But most goalies start to decline when they hit Lundqvists age. It remains to be seen how he handles father time.

 

Heck Rags won today, but he certainly wasn't incredible.

 

The Rangers by and large haven't been even close to incredible at any point this postseason. They were entirely outplayed and outmuscled over 2 periods and maintained a lead. It's a trend, and it's very frustrating.

 

The old Devils teams frustrated the league because you knew they'd go out and dictate and you knew they'd probably win the game, even before the puckdrop.

 

The Rangers team this past 2 years are frustrating because they can lose every battle on the ice all game and come out with a 7-3 or 5-1 winning scoreline.

Edited May 27, 2015 by DJ Eco

[jagknife]

I honestly cannot believe how even some level headed Rangers fans cannot hear the difference between Pierre being depressed in Game 5 vs Pierre creaming his pants the entirety of Game 6

 

Olczyk and McGuire are obviously pulling for NYR yet they [fans] continue to claim they hate their team.

['7']

I actually think a game 7 on Friday helps the Lightning more than the Rangers since it allows their ill players to get better and two full days off can help to stem the Rags momentum some.

[2ELIAS6]

man our fan base really does have alot of sore loser fans.. believe me i dont want to see the rangers win the cup solely for bragging purposes and theyre scum bag fan base doesnt deserve it but some of us look more jealous than anything..the rangers have a good team right now it is what it is.

[Bonginator11]

I actually think a game 7 on Friday helps the Lightning more than the Rangers since it allows their ill players to get better and two full days off can help to stem the Rags momentum some.

I totally agree with this but still think the Rags will win a close one. Unfortunately.

[CarpathianForest]

Maybe Triumph can confirm this but I think the Rangers bet the farm the past couple years. They're not going to have much talent in the short years going forward.

[Satans Hockey]

fvcking hell. Tampa better get their sh!t together on Friday and steal a victory. I'm tired of the sh!t.

[DJ Eco]

man our fan base really does have alot of sore loser fans.. believe me i dont want to see the rangers win the cup solely for bragging purposes and theyre scum bag fan base doesnt deserve it but some of us look more jealous than anything..the rangers have a good team right now it is what it is.

 

Do you really think they looked good for 80% of this game?

 

They looked like this year's Devils hanging on for dear life vs. the Blackhawks or Anaheim with a rock-solid Schneider performance; and then Tampa just had a complete breakdown (after Bishop's initial first period breakdown) to hand them 3-4 goals in quick succession. I just can't take them seriously, I can't give them credit**, they don't pass the "Conference Finals eye test", they do not play up to par with Anaheim, Chicago, or Tampa (at times, aside from tonight's breakdown), they just don't look like they belong. They scrape by. They seize the rare opportunity but do not win by design or by domination.

 

I'd normally concede that I'm obviously biased and speaking like a rival fan, but I won't because I see a ton of fans around the league with no horses in the race saying the exact same thing.

 

 

** - In the context of seeing how the West plays, and has played for several years, I just can't take them seriously. They're a good enough team to cruise through the East, and the East teams are fractured and every team has their own gaping holes, so the Rangers somehow find a way to make it through. But you watch the West and you compare the two, and I just can't say the Rangers are such an amazing team, I just can't. Sure, you can point to the President's Trophy, but that makes my point. The Western teams are playing more Western teams over the course of the season. The West is just so strong, so skilled, so supreme compared to the East that I can't take them seriously and give them credit. It's akin to Washington Capitals finishing top of the Southeast every year. Was that the mark of a really good team, or was the Southeast just that bad? We all know the answer to that question. And on a larger scale, the Rangers, and their 2-3 year window of opportunity, are a similar case, I feel. We thought they'd get bounced by the Kings last year and it proved to be true. The East is just a walk in the park, a bunch of B-level teams compared to the West, and it shows. I just can't call them an amazing hockey club, in the context of watching some of those Western Conference matchups. St. Louis, Anaheim, Minnesota, Chicago, etc. would've all been first place in the East if they were here. The gap is just so wide.

Edited May 27, 2015 by DJ Eco

[Derek21]

man our fan base really does have alot of sore loser fans.. believe me i dont want to see the rangers win the cup solely for bragging purposes and theyre scum bag fan base doesnt deserve it but some of us look more jealous than anything..the rangers have a good team right now it is what it is.

 

There are fans like that for every team. I hate those types but they'll always exist. Especially in the world of social media. Not every fan is spoiled. If you met some of us that have been around for 20 years at the games, you'd realize enthusiasm is replaced by negativity and down right gallows humor with the guy behind me bashing Henrik for sh!ts and giggles. At the end of the day, not everyone lives and dies with it. We're so accustomed to seeing our team come up short. Anything less than a championship is a failure which in these parts is perceived as 'arrogance.' If you actually follow the team which many here do, they know that this is the best chance they got.

 

One thing about this core. They are resilient and have enough experience to win these kind of crazy games. They don't get rattled. Lundqvist played great too. He made some huge saves at key spots in those first two periods. Without that, there's no big third period. That's what makes him great. Even with the defense struggling against the Bolts speed which is very impressive, he's able to rise to the occasion. 

 

I agree with what 7' said about the two days off. It helps Tampa more. Honestly, I agree with my Dad in that Game 7 could be played anywhere. This is the kind of series that's hard to predict. I expect the Lightning to play much better. The Rangers must earn it. It won't be easy. Regarding Bishop, Steve Zipay joined Somers and wondered if he has an injury. Possible? He has been flopping around a lot. Who knows.

 

The Bolts are very good. They're by far the best team they've played. Very tough to slow down the Triplets and Stamkos and his line. Hedman is a top 5 defenseman who doesn't get the accolades. It won't be easy.

[Derek21]

Do you really think they looked good for 80% of this game?

 

They looked like this year's Devils hanging on for dear life vs. the Blackhawks or Anaheim with a rock-solid Schneider performance; and then Tampa just had a complete breakdown (after Bishop's initial first period breakdown) to hand them 3-4 goals in quick succession. I just can't take them seriously, I can't give them credit**, they don't pass the "Conference Finals eye test", they do not play up to par with Anaheim, Chicago, or Tampa (at times, aside from tonight's breakdown), they just don't look like they belong. They scrape by. They seize the rare opportunity but do not win by design or by domination.

 

I'd normally concede that I'm obviously biased and speaking like a rival fan, but I won't because I see a ton of fans around the league with no horses in the race saying the exact same thing.

 

 

** - In the context of seeing how the West plays, and has played for several years, I just can't take them seriously. They're a good enough team to cruise through the East, and the East teams are fractured and every team has their own gaping holes, so the Rangers somehow find a way to make it through. But you watch the West and you compare the two, and I just can't say the Rangers are such an amazing team, I just can't. Sure, you can point to the President's Trophy, but that makes my point. The Western teams are playing more Western teams over the course of the season. The West is just so strong, so skilled, so supreme compared to the East that I can't take them seriously and give them credit. It's akin to Washington Capitals finishing top of the Southeast every year. Was that the mark of a really good team, or was the Southeast just that bad? We all know the answer to that question. And on a larger scale, the Rangers, and their 2-3 year window of opportunity, are a similar case, I feel. We thought they'd get bounced by the Kings last year and it proved to be true. The East is just a walk in the park, a bunch of B-level teams compared to the West, and it shows. I just can't call them an amazing hockey club, in the context of watching some of those Western Conference matchups. St. Louis, Anaheim, Minnesota, Chicago, etc. would've all been first place in the East if they were here. The gap is just so wide.

 

 

I thought they did okay in the first despite the shot total (16-7). Most of the Bolts' chances were kept to the outside. Brassard scoring early was huge for their psyche. Lundqvist's best save was on Stamkos getting the leg out to keep it 1-0. That was a big turning point because Yandle scored afterwards. Then they left too much gap for Stralman to find Callahan who coincidentally was Tampa's best player. He was a pain in the ass. Lundqvist stopped him with it 2-1 in the second and also denied Boyle. Those guys come to play in these big games. 

 

The second, I agree. They got completely outplayed. Those two power plays sucked. The Lightning had better shorthanded chances. For a while, it was basically Lundqvist carrying them. To their credit, they regrouped and played to win instead of sitting back which doesn't work against a dangerously skilled opponent like the Bolts. 

 

Regarding the West, I agree the Ducks have impressed. I was wrong about them. Something I'm sure LOTCB will keep reminding me. They are big, physical and skilled. Remind me of a more talented Kings with a better D. However, Andersen is still a second-year goalie and he blinked in the last game. I have to think the Hawks will force a Game 7 giving us two great Conference Finals. Chicago has the heart of a champion. They showed that with Toews scoring twice in the final two. Amazing. Anaheim is better than Chicago because they're much deeper. The Hawks rely so heavily on that top four without Rozsival. Quenneville can't trust Timonen or Cumiskey. So, the Ducks' strategy is perfect. Keep applying pressure and banging away.

 

Looking forward to watching that tomorrow and breathing.

[RunninWithTheDevil]

 

my life right now

[Devils Pride 26]

Say something I'm giving up on you

[Chuck the Duck]

fvcking hell. Tampa better get their sh!t together on Friday and steal a victory. I'm tired of the sh!t.

I wouldn't bet on that happening. This series ended last night. We better hope Anaheim or Chicago is up to the task in the finals.