RichieNextel305

Yep. And as much as rival fans want to act like he’s a plug who can’t play, they clearly don’t have fully functioning eyeballs. He isn’t terrible. He is always in on the forecheck. He has reach. He’s not stupid when the puck is on his stick. He keeps it simple. He’s not what they think he is. I’m not saying he’s the Second Coming. But for a guy his size and in his role, he’s not overmatched up here. And spot on with the first part too. Valiquette actually said it perfectly last night. This team can beat you on the ice or in an alley in a street fight. And they don’t get rattled. They know the job, they know the mission. Just a different feel. This is a game by game thing, and this team doesn’t like losing games.

I think the only way it goes down is if it’s a blowout and they just force the issue or start taking runs at our guys. But I also see the Rangers just letting them try and get under their skin, smiling, taking the PP’s and really making them pay.

Well the good thing is we should be done with McCauley and Sutherland now since they did the 1st 2 games. McCauley and Co. totally lost control of that game. You either swallow your whistle and call nothing or you’re ticky tacky. I don’t think anyone on the ice knew what constituted as a penalty last night. Just totally unprofessional, stupid, and quite frankly, dangerous. I don’t think anyone from either side could be pleased with the job of the officiating crew last night. And I honestly don’t know how the NHL can watch that and think they did a good job. It almost spiraled out of control. A joke.

This team has such a business-like, next game attitude. I fucking love it. Nothing rattles the cage. Giving up a first goal. Asshole officiating. Dirty play. Nothing. Just keep pushing. This mindset will take them places.

It was so bad. Both ways. I still can’t understand what I just watched.

Much needed win. Step on their throat. Best game they can play was tonight. Shame that the NHL lets clowns officiate because this got so out of hand and stupid. Great job by the Rangers. Horrible job by the NHL by letting sideshow circuses like McCauley have this much impact on a playoff game.

These officials let this game get out of hand. Just horrible work. Awful.

These officials let this game get out of hand. Just horrible work.

Trivia is Prucha.

20 minutes in, and I can safely say I have no clue whatsoever what these refs will or will not deem a penalty the remainder of the game. Just an absolute and utter joke from the league. This isn’t about dirty or not dirty. It’s what is or isn’t a penalty. And if you’re calling a tight game or ticky tacky shit. Because they let obvious shit go and then called ticky tacky shit. Both ways.

This league will be so much better when McCauley and Sutherland are gone. The absolute worst.

I don’t think it’s as much an issue with their gas tank as it is just a flat out mismatch. The Rangers are better than them in every single facet. And it’s not even by a small margin. It’s a big gap. Much of the talk entering this series was how they can smother you defensively, and how they would try to bore the Rangers to death. And how Charlie Lindgren has been on fire of late. Last I checked, the Rangers are defensively better. And the Rangers have the best goalie in the league since the All-Star Break; a goalie with a history of dominance, not some AHL-flub who caught lightning in a bottle. Play your game and this Ranger team can beat the Capitals into dust. Fast.

I don’t think they can. It’s not their game. If they open up things, they’re leaving the defense out to pasture against a team who feasts off the transition game. Used to say this about the Lundqvist-era Rangers against teams like the early-2010’s Caps: don’t make it a fast paced game. Same could be said for this Caps team against us. I mean if they want to go that way, it’s fine. I love our odds even more then. But, yeah, to your point at the end, just capitalize on your chances and rip this teams heart out. Our chances will be there, we know that.

I expect the Capitals to come out and try and clamp up more defensively and to play physical. I expect them to be a little overzealous and for it to lead to a Ranger PP. And we need to capitalize early, take the juice out of that bench and then get to work and squeeze the life out of them each and every single shift. Take this one. Learn to close teams out without it taking all 7. Or 6. Impose your will and dominate this team.