Oh that was the best! They bumped Lafreniere up to the #1 line with Zibanejad and Buchnevich tonight and it made a real difference. He was much more involved than any other game I've seen, had a couple of great opportunities to score in regulation only to be stopped by Ullmark (who was fantastic) but he kept at it and got the game winner in overtime.

That was a much better overall performance by the Rangers, they were far more aggressive and didn't have the drop off period. Gave up a couple of leads again, but that meant actually getting the win this time was sweeter. I'm hooked.

Jan 29, 2021 3:17:26 GMT @admin said:

Oh that was the best! They bumped Lafreniere up to the #1 line with Zibanejad and Buchnevich tonight and it made a real difference. He was much more involved than any other game I've seen, had a couple of great opportunities to score in regulation only to be stopped by Ullmark (who was fantastic) but he kept at it and got the game winner in overtime.

That was a much better overall performance by the Rangers, they were far more aggressive and didn't have the drop off period. Gave up a couple of leads again, but that meant actually getting the win this time was sweeter. I'm hooked.

That RT guy knows what he's talking about.

Also glad I kept Lafreniere on my fantasy team. Got me a couple points tonight. Boo ya.

...

Knocking on wood as I type this, but the Leafs are absolutely sonning the Oilers tonight. 2-0 score does not reflect this game at all. Andersen has made some big saves to keep the Oilers from scoring, but the Leafs could easily have 5-6 goals right now.

Gotta keep this up and not slump in the 3rd like they always seem to do. This is the best hockey they've played so far this year.

And after I posted this the referees made two bullshit calls on the Leafs to let the Oilers back in it. Phantom interference on Holl then a nothing slashing call on Kerfoot. Hyman accidentally trips McDavid and it's suddenly 5 on 3 right after killing the Holl penalty. 2-1.

I'm honestly not sure what to think anymore. The refs flat out let the Oilers off the hook. Jeff O'Neill is ripping the refs on the panel right now.

Lafraniere has had short stints on the top six over the course of the season thus far. He started on a line with Zibanejad and Buchnevich, but ended the night with considerable less ice time than them. I'm not sure if he was dropped or piwerplay time affected it. In overtime he was on the ice with Blackwell and Miller, not top six guys though.

It is a balance of either playing with more talented players, but face harder competition or be on the third line, and play against the last defensive pairing of the other team. I would like Lafraniere to stay in a top six role. Hopefully this goal gets him going, and gets the Rangers going too.

Blackwell was instrumental in the game winner. He caused two Eichel turnovers, and made a nice pass on the 2 on 1.

Does anyone want Kreider? He left a player wide open in front of the net, and skated to the boards where a player was already covered. Piss poor defensive coverage. He does nothing offensively. That contract was a mistake.

Rangers placed DeAngelo on waivers. Apparently there was some type of altercation with Georgiev following a loss to Pittsburgh. Not confirmed of course. Either way the Rangers are hoping his cap hit will keep him from being unclaimed, and he can be moved to the taxi squad. Rangers blue line is thin already so he really can't be held out of the lineup for too long. It would be nice to see the Rangers fix this within their organization, move on, and keep him on the team with a waiver move and the incoming bad press. The Rangers have had a bad start to the season. They have many other issues to fix.

The way the Canucks played last week, is exactly what I want to see from Vancouver moving forward. They absolutely dominated the Senators, sixteen goals in three games, compared to Ottawa's three. The best part though, finally beating the Jets and ending their losing streak against Winnipeg.

I'm really hoping they'll continue that momentum going into this week. Obviously they aren't gonna win every game, but I'm hoping they split the Montreal games and take two of the games against Toronto.

Larry Brooks is saying the Rangers should name Kreider captain after the Deangelo incident. This is why I'm subscribed to The Hockey News.

DeAngelo being a gross MAGA idiot was a big turnoff when I was first looking into the Rangers so I wouldn't be upset if he's gone. Seems like there are some pretty major issues in the locker room though, you'd expect a veteran to take control and break up the fight rather than a rookie like Miller (as much of a gun as he is).

Be interesting to see how they play tonight - what a rollercoaster dramafest this team is!

The answer was pretty well, finally a decent performance in the third period! Seemed like a lot more emotion and physicality tonight. Howden starting the fight, strong penalty killing, Miller with that fantastic block when Shesterkin was down.

Zappy even you have to admit Kreider was good tonight.

Feb 2, 2021 3:53:18 GMT @admin said:

The answer was pretty well, finally a decent performance in the third period! Seemed like a lot more emotion and physicality tonight. Howden starting the fight, strong penalty killing, Miller with that fantastic block when Shesterkin was down.

Zappy even you have to admit Kreider was good tonight.

That is as close as it gets to a 60 minute game.  They gave the Pens nothing.  Crosby and Malkin silent.  Miller came up huge playing goalie.  The Rangers would be lost without Miller.  He is a candidate for team MVP right now.  The Rangers had shift after shift with the puck in the offensive zone especially in the third period.  All the Penguins could do was clear it for a change.  That is how the Rangers will win games.  This was a physical game by both teams too.  A lot of scrums and finishing checks.  Smith attempting an open ice hit on Tanev, and missing, started everything.

Sorry just because Kreider scored a goal doesn't mean he was good.  He is just not noticeable on the ice.  A goal does not change nearly 18 minutes of blah.  Don't get me wrong I hope he gets going, but based on his career he won't.  He refuses to use his body.  Lafraniere only had 9 minutes of ice time.  I think he will be demoted to the AHL.  He can't be playing on the bottom six.  It will stunt his growth.

Come on he was involved in a lot more than just the goal. His game tonight actually reminded me of Lafreniere's against Buffalo where he had a few good chances and then finally broke through to get the game winning goal. That awesome shorthanded break he had where he completely deked the defender was really nice. I'm not denying the things you've been saying, but tonight was by far the best game I've seen him play.

Agreed that Miller has been fantastic. I think it's really only him, Fox and Panarin who have been anywhere close to consistently good each game. He's so good at dispossessing guys with that long reach.

Feb 2, 2021 6:01:15 GMT @admin said:

Come on he was involved in a lot more than just the goal. His game tonight actually reminded me of Lafreniere's against Buffalo where he had a few good chances and then finally broke through to get the game winning goal. That awesome shorthanded break he had where he completely deked the defender was really nice. I'm not denying the things you've been saying, but tonight was by far the best game I've seen him play.

Agreed that Miller has been fantastic. I think it's really only him, Fox and Panarin who have been anywhere close to consistently good each game. He's so good at dispossessing guys with that long reach.

That is a fine assessment for Kreider.  I'm just looking for consistency.  It is not necessarily about a breakaway or a goal.  I'm looking for a consistent effort.  If he played with intensity he would be a far better asset to this team.  The goals will naturally come.  He definitely has the talent.  One good game out of 9 is not good enough at all especially when he is looked at as a leader, and has a ridiculous contract.

Absolutely correct with Miller, Panarin, and Fox.  The Rangers would be lost without them.  Buchnevich is also having a good start to the season.

Amazing thread from last night. Saw it as I was lying in bed and was giggling so hard and trying not to wake up my wife.

2-0 in the Anthony Bitteto era! What a goal by him too. Amazing how much better the Rangers have looked in the last couple of games, the attitude and intensity is so much more positive. Shesterkin is looking more comfortable and some of the mid-tier guys like Strome and Trouba have started contributing more after a poor start.

Win was even sweeter because they overcame some awfully biased refereeing with a number of missed penalties on Washington, plus that absurd embellishment call on Kakko when he just went to the ground after being tripped. The Capitals seem like a real bunch of assholes.

Feb 5, 2021 3:03:08 GMT @admin said:

2-0 in the Anthony Bitteto era! What a goal by him too. Amazing how much better the Rangers have looked in the last couple of games, the attitude and intensity is so much more positive. Shesterkin is looking more comfortable and some of the mid-tier guys like Strome and Trouba have started contributing more after a poor start.

Win was even sweeter because they overcame some awfully biased refereeing with a number of missed penalties on Washington, plus that absurd embellishment call on Kakko when he just went to the ground after being tripped. The Capitals seem like a real bunch of assholes.

That call was such bullshit. I couldn't believe it when I saw the highlights.

In the Leafs game Alex Kerfoot was boarded plain as day right in front of the ref and there was no call. They blowed the play dead for a hand pass though. Didn't miss that.

And that's just tonight. The refs have been extra terrible so far this year.

Does COVID cause blindness? Like what the fuck is the league even doing?

Feb 5, 2021 3:30:49 GMT RT said:

That call was such bullshit. I couldn't believe it when I saw the highlights.

In the Leafs game Alex Kerfoot was boarded plain as day right in front of the ref and there was no call. They blowed the play dead for a hand pass though. Didn't miss that.

And that's just tonight. The refs have been extra terrible so far this year.

Does COVID cause blindness? Like what the fuck is the league even doing?

Outrageous bias against PW supported teams. There's clearly something Kerfoot with these refs.


^{Alright, I'm logging off for the weekend.}

Click on this tweet then click on the Quote Tweets. Wayne Simmonds has done more to grow the game of hockey in 30 seconds than Gary Bettman has in his entire career

First winning streak of the season! Yeah!

Another quality performance by the Rangers. Only the Caps second regulation loss of the season. Shesterkin is back to his elite goaltending. This should bring the Rangers out of the basement.

Sens rebounded to defeat the Canadiens after awful games against Edmonton. Stutzle is having an excellent start to his career.

I'm just glad the Senators beat someone other than the Leafs. Was never going to hear the end of it if the Leafs ended up in 2nd by a point.

Watching Kings/Vegas tonight.

Me at the start: "Kings are scrappy and Vegas has been struggling a little. This should be a good game."

*Vegas scores less than a minute in*

"Never mind."

2-0

3-0

Tonight was the first Rangers loss that didn't feel super dispiriting, they played well but were just unable to take their chances. When Panarin and Ziba failed to score on their consecutive breakaway looks I had a bad feeling the Islanders would pip them and that's exactly how it turned out. Can't seem to find a way past Valamov, that's his second shutout after the opening day game.

Feb 9, 2021 3:59:09 GMT @admin said:

Tonight was the first Rangers loss that didn't feel super dispiriting, they played well but were just unable to take their chances. When Panarin and Ziba failed to score on their consecutive breakaway looks I had a bad feeling the Islanders would pip them and that's exactly how it turned out. Can't seem to find a way past Valamov, that's his second shutout after the opening day game.

I have to disagree. I think the Rangers effort was lackluster. It was as if they were content with playing a scoreless game forever. Not enough consistent offensive pressure. Looked like a different team than when they played the Penguins and Caps. And, they allowed two fourth line goals too.

Outside of Fox, Miller, and Lindgren the Rangers defense is weak. Trouba has lost a step in his skating. Not good enough to be caught attempting to skate the puck out of the zone. Zibanejad seems to have lost a step too. He is usually a very good skater, but had trouble back checking.

Kreider is doing nothing. Laughing and smiling on the ice to the bank. Lafraniere is simply not getting enough ice time. I don't like him being on the third line.

The issue seems pretty clearly offensively rather than the defence to me. I think the last couple of games have been by far the best defensive performances, Fox and Miller have been so consistent. Fox was absolutely unreal tonight, I think his best game yet at that's saying something, and the team has looked a lot better since Johnson and D'Angelo went out of the lineup.

The main problem again tonight was converting chances. Zibanejad is becoming a huge problem, he had numerous great scoring chances again and still failed to end his cold streak. Our powerplay is terrible, something like 2 goals from the last 29. And of course the one star forward who's actually in good form would be the one that gets injured.

Feb 11, 2021 3:32:34 GMT @admin said:

The issue seems pretty clearly offensively rather than the defence to me. I think the last couple of games have been by far the best defensive performances, Fox and Miller have been so consistent. Fox was absolutely unreal tonight, I think his best game yet at that's saying something, and the team has looked a lot better since Johnson and D'Angelo went out of the lineup.

The main problem again tonight was converting chances. Zibanejad is becoming a huge problem, he had numerous great scoring chances again and still failed to end his cold streak. Our powerplay is terrible, something like 2 goals from the last 29. And of course the one star forward who's actually in good form would be the one that gets injured.

It was a defensive game to start, and the Rangers gave the Bruins nothing offensively. Rangers did a great job in the neutral zone.

Much better effort by the Rangers last night. Zibanejad, Trouba, and yes Kreider played well. They were involved in the game, and skated well. Trouba was so much better in his own zone. Rangers ran into Rask who made a lot of high quality saves. It was a great game to watch. Glad to see the Rangers come back late to force overtime especially against a team that has only one regulation loss this season. Quick ending to the game, but Fox made an unbelievable game saving slide head first in overtime.

Rangers powerplay is horrible. Also, allowed a shorthanded goal too. I'm not surprised because their set up is garbage. Take a look at another team that is top 10 in powerplay. There is a noticeable difference. You need to have quick passes, cross ice passes, and one timers. Get the penalty killers and the goalie moving. Anything less than that is too easy for professional hockey players to defend.

On the other side the penalty kill has been fantastic. About 20 consecutive penalties killed. The Rangers like to do an aggressive diamond, and actually go after pucks instead of allow the powerplay to set up. Now, if you win those battles it works, but if you get beat there will be plenty of open ice.

Lafraniere had a couple of shifts with some offensive players after Panarin was injured. He had a nice give and go with Strome. A glimpse of what is to come.

The Leafs have had two very weird games back to back, and I hope they snap out of it (even though they won both).

After slamming the Canucks twice, their 3rd game was weird. Toronto played like shit, but hung in because Vancouver sucks. Game was 1-1 for most of it, then Toronto scored two quick goals in the 3rd and that's how the game ended.

Last night they face Montreal and it's a heavyweight bout. Top 2 teams in the league go head to head.

Montreal scores on their first shot. Toronto plays like total ass but again, they somehow hang in there and tie it in the 2nd.

Toronto comes out swinging in the 3rd and again they score two goals 42 seconds apart and win the game 4-2 after a late Habs goal and an empty netter.

This is not a trend I want to see continue. I am choosing to chalk it up to injuries and the Leafs finally figuring out how to defend/control possession, but it's not going to keep resulting in wins and can go south super quick.

I watched the first and second periods of the Sens/Jets game. Sens were looking good. Skated well, and had a ton of shots on goal. The game got away from them after they allowed the first goal. Helly was solid for the Jets.

The difference in both teams is that the Sens are just not ready obviously. Stutzle is fun to watch. He is an excellent skater. He wants the puck, he creates plays, and works hard. Very very good to see in such a young player. He is the future leader of the team.

Another entertaining game against the Bruins. Rangers played well just could not buy a goal. Halak was tested more so in the first period, but not much after that. It was a defensive game by both teams. Hard for anyone to create quality chances. And,, a lot of physical play especially in the second period. Apparently Marchand and Zibanejad were playing games with each other during warm up. Zibanejad needs to get his game back before wasting time and not focusing on the game like that.

Their powerplay strategy has to change. Last minute and a half on the powerplay and empty net the Bruins held on to the puck along the boards until there were 15 seconds left. Kreider makes a horrible pass, and the game is over. That is unacceptable and embarrassing.