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2017-2018 Out of Town Thread


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1 hour ago, vadvlfan said:

guess I'll visit HF board to see "Sky is falling" Ranger fans chatter. Entertaining

Heh heh.

I posted this back in July in the UFA thread...I'm re-posting it here because more and more I'm realizing that the Rangers' goaltending situation could really sink them no matter what anyone else does:

As much as I hate the Rangers, if I thought they were on the cusp of something big, I could be partial and admit it.  But Shattenkirk is really minimizing Lundqvist's age and possible (soon to be inevitable) decline...Lundqvist has 742 career regular season games under his belt, along with 128 playoff games...over his last six seasons, he's averaged a tick over 71 GP per season.  And he's getting paid handsomely over the next four seasons, which makes it a lot harder to bail on him if he's struggling; also, if he gets hurt or slumps badly enough, there's no Talbot or Raanta to turn to anymore...it's now Pavelec...he of the 39 starts and .901 save% the past two years.  Raanta was at .921 as a Ranger (44 starts), and Talbot .931 (53 starts over the prior 2 seasons).  Ranger fans got VERY spoiled by the level of play from their backups...they got, on average, about 24 starts of mostly stellar play from those two...they went 60-29-9 in their games.  No one can tell me that their goaltending won't see a serious downgrade from the previous four seasons. 

Maybe Lundqvist can somehow buck the odds and come close to what he was at his peak, but nothing really suggests that the Rangers should count on that.  They should continue to be a playoff team for the foreseeable future, but it's hard to see them doing much more than getting to the second round now.  They're kind of on the other side of the mountain now...just feels like they had their shot to win their Cup and simply couldn't do it.

Lundqvist since the start of last season (reg season):  63 GP, 61 GS, 2.78 GAA, .909 save%.  He DID play well in the playoffs overall (12 starts), though not as much in the final two games...he put up a .937 save% through 10 games, finished at .927 over 12 games.

Pavelec since the start of the 2015-16 season (reg season):  43 GP, 40 GS, 2.96 GAA, .899 save%.  No playoff games in that stretch (he's made just four playoff appearances for his career).

Rangers clearly rolled the dice that Lundqvist isn't on the decline, and that they'd somehow strike backup gold a third time with Pavelec, despite almost zero evidence that Pavelec could approximate the terrific play they got from both Raanta and Talbot (who at times were even better than Lundqvist).  Not saying their situation was entirely preventable (especially with Lundqvist's contract situation), but the trade that saw them give up Raanta and Stepan seems like it's going to bite them hard...especially short-term. 

Edited by Colorado Rockies 1976
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http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/21062335/nhl-2017-18-power-rankings-team-biggest-worry-far

I don't put much stock in power rankings (particularly from ESPN), but damn it feels good to see the Devils getting some love (#4). And they've already beat 2 of the teams ahead of them (Bolts & Leafs). They're right about too many penalties though. You also have to scroll WAY down to find the Rags. :lol:

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11 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Heh heh.

I posted this back in July in the UFA thread...I'm re-posting it here because more and more I'm realizing that the Rangers' goaltending situation could really sink them no matter what anyone else does:

As much as I hate the Rangers, if I thought they were on the cusp of something big, I could be partial and admit it.  But Shattenkirk is really minimizing Lundqvist's age and possible (soon to be inevitable) decline...Lundqvist has 742 career regular season games under his belt, along with 128 playoff games...over his last six seasons, he's averaged a tick over 71 GP per season.  And he's getting paid handsomely over the next four seasons, which makes it a lot harder to bail on him if he's struggling; also, if he gets hurt or slumps badly enough, there's no Talbot or Raanta to turn to anymore...it's now Pavelec...he of the 39 starts and .901 save% the past two years.  Raanta was at .921 as a Ranger (44 starts), and Talbot .931 (53 starts over the prior 2 seasons).  Ranger fans got VERY spoiled by the level of play from their backups...they got, on average, about 24 starts of mostly stellar play from those two...they went 60-29-9 in their games.  No one can tell me that their goaltending won't see a serious downgrade from the previous four seasons. 

Maybe Lundqvist can somehow buck the odds and come close to what he was at his peak, but nothing really suggests that the Rangers should count on that.  They should continue to be a playoff team for the foreseeable future, but it's hard to see them doing much more than getting to the second round now.  They're kind of on the other side of the mountain now...just feels like they had their shot to win their Cup and simply couldn't do it.

Lundqvist since the start of last season (reg season):  63 GP, 61 GS, 2.78 GAA, .909 save%.  He DID play well in the playoffs overall (12 starts), though not as much in the final two games...he put up a .937 save% through 10 games, finished at .927 over 12 games.

Pavelec since the start of the 2015-16 season (reg season):  43 GP, 40 GS, 2.96 GAA, .899 save%.  No playoff games in that stretch (he's made just four playoff appearances for his career).

Rangers clearly rolled the dice that Lundqvist isn't on the decline, and that they'd somehow strike backup gold a third time with Pavelec, despite almost zero evidence that Pavelec could approximate the terrific play they got from both Raanta and Talbot (who at times were even better than Lundqvist).  Not saying their situation was entirely preventable (especially with Lundqvist's contract situation), but the trade that saw them give up Raanta and Stepan seems like it's going to bite them hard...especially short-term. 

I imagine their plan is to begin the process of phasing Shestyorkin into being their starter over the next several years, starting next season if he's ready. As much as I like to imagine the imminent downfall of the Rangers' goaltending, Shestyorkin could be the real deal. He has put up a really good save percentage both this season and last season in the KHL. Before that, he has had good numbers in the Russian junior leagues.

Thankfully, there is some hope for us as Devils fans. From what I know, save percentage is generally higher in the KHL. This season, there are 8 players with a SV% > .930 who have all played 10+ games. Also, Shestyorkin is playing on SKA St. Petersburg, the most stacked team in the KHL. Maybe those impressive numbers don't translate to the NHL well.

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McDavid is everything he was supposed to be.

A very very small part of me wants to see them do well because I still like Larsson.

The much larger part of me says fvck the Oilers and their 4 #1 overall picks, a #3, and a #4 in 6 out of 7 seasons.  Kind of amazing that two of the #1s are already gone...and the second-best of those is now a Devil.

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1 hour ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

McDavid is everything he was supposed to be.

A very very small part of me wants to see them do well because I still like Larsson.

The much larger part of me says fvck the Oilers and their 4 #1 overall picks, a #3, and a #4 in 6 out of 7 seasons.  Kind of amazing that two of the #1s are already gone...and the second-best of those is now a Devil.

I actually hold more animosity towards the Sabres and Leafs for their bullsh!t tank jobs.  The Oilers futility was more just a result of inept management IMO and fans stuck through all of it. They deserve to get to watch this kid and Draisatl on a nightly basis after watching spring 2017 Devils level hockey for the better part of a decade.   

I would still root for any "southern" or expansion market team over any team in Canada, but that's a whole other story.    

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Just now, LittleBallofHate said:

So wait... you're saying that Yakupov is better than Hall?? :wacko: :huh:

Lol, I can see how that's misleading.  I meant the second-best of the Oilers' four first-overall picks.  McDavid #1, Hall #2.

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36 minutes ago, devlman said:

The rangers are so awful. Screw them and sh!tonkirk

I turned on my TV and NHL network happened to be on and I thought I was watching a memorial service and not a hockey game considering how depressed Michaletti was talking about his beloved blueshirts down 2-0. It would've been sad if he wasn't so pathetic

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And the Rangers' latest one-game winning streak comes to an end.  Heh heh, fvck 'em. 

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3 hours ago, LittleBallofHate said:

I didn't see this posted (it's from last night)... :lol:

 

Damn did Lundqvist look slow and old on that play. 

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Trading Stepan so that they could sign Shattenkirk was not a good move for the Rangers, especially when they've got Skjei, who is capable of playing PP minutes. They had two top 6 centers in Stepan and Zibanejad, and now their center depth is really weak. They are in a weird position where they aren't nearly good enough to compete with teams like the Caps, Pens, or Lightning. But their core of Zucc, Kreider, Zib, Buchnevich, McDonagh, Skjei, Shattenkirk, etc. isn't bad enough to blow up the roster.

Not that I'm complaining or anything, but they could have closed their window this offseason with those moves.

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