RichieNextel305

No Chytil in the rushes yet.

Sometimes that doesn’t even matter. I remember similar thoughts back in 2015 with Nash. He was worse in the playoffs than Bread but in 2014 he was brutal in the playoffs. He came in 2015 and had a monster year. And we wanted it to carry into the playoffs. He got a goal early against the Pens and we all were happy he got the monkey off his back. Ended up not being much of a help regardless. Bread just needs to play his game, regardless of whether or not he pots one early.

Listening to Checketts reasoning made a lot of sense. At the time, Gretzky was coming off a year where he was 3rd in the NHL in scoring, Leetch won a Norris, Richter was coming off a playoff in which he was maybe better than he even was in 1994 and we made this run, don’t forget, with Kovalev missing the entire run with a major knee injury. So we also had the prospect of him coming back, plus also Graves coming off a 30+ goal season. If Sakic ended up in the fold, they would have lost 5 1sts but it may have been worth it. The pivot was LaFontaine, who played well but was gone after less than half a season. If Sakic were there, the stench of Messier wouldn’t have been there really. And they likely end up with Pavel Bure a year later as a real all-in move, as by then I don’t think Smith would have been prospect hugging the way he did with Vancouver when he was available. Just a wild change of events. It was entertaining to see Checketts involvement with the Colorado backstory and how he and Charlie Lyons were able to put it all behind them after all those years.

2 minutes left in the history of the Arizona Coyotes. I hope NHL Network can do a live cut-in. Or TNT.

I’m glad I wasn’t alone in the volume department. I had to raise the volume almost all the way up to listen. When it ended and regular TV went back on, the wife had no clue why I raised the volume all the way up. Haha.

Haha. I hear you. I remember this all so well. It was the first time I’ve seen or heard Dave Checketts name in forever too. It was a smart play by the Rangers to do what they did, especially with no cap and the Rangers in the position they found themselves in after Messier.

Just finished. It was pretty good.

I’m about to watch this. Anyone seen it yet? Thoughts? Opinions? I’m pretty excited.

I remember watching the playoffs when he was in Columbus and remember thinking that he played good in the playoffs. I remember him having a big OT goal vs. Washington, producing against Boston, playing well against Tampa in the upset. So he can play well in the playoffs. He has before. And if he keeps this mindset and attacks the playoffs the way he attacked the regular season, he will again in the playoffs. With his newfound quick trigger when it comes to unleashing his shot, he doesn’t need as much time or space to be dangerous.

I’d have to agree. I said it earlier and I’ll say it again: the biggest enemies we can have in this series are ourselves and Lindgren. We need to jump this team early and often. Lindgren can be a pain. But I like our odds against him much better than I like theirs against Igor.

I’m not saying this *will* be a cakewalk. For sure, the Capitals can play a frustrating brand of hockey and pressure the Rangers and frustrate them through the neutral zone especially. But the problems Washington presents are a pin prick compared to the ones we present to them. That’s all I meant, really.

That’s looking at it from one angle, and that’s at the Caps. Look at it from theirs. Their one strength right now is arguably Lindgren. And he’s, at the very least, going to be matched by Shesterkin. The Rangers score more, defend better, have a better coach, have more depth, have better special teams. Rarely do you see a series that can be a walk in the park. But if this one isn’t for the Rangers, even as good as Lindgren is playing right now, then we don’t deserve to have any expectations.

The thing that could hurt the Rangers the most in this series, believe it or not, is themselves. The way they’ve played this year, they have earned the right for many to believe that this is a different team and a new mindset. But the truth is, until it’s seen, you won’t have that belief from everyone. This is a series that many believe they should runaway with. Just about the only thing that could truly hurt them here is if they give Washington life early on. You have to come out right from the opening draw on Sunday and leave no doubt. This is a series that can be beneficial because they need to, need to need to need to, preserve energy at some point. Not everything can be a 7-game marathon. I’m not looking by the Caps here. But, look at all of the other matchups in the East. They’re coin flips that can go 6 or 7. You’re gonna have 3 teams come out of this 1st Round beat up. The Rangers would be wise to jump out early, never let off the throttle and take advantage of this opportunity to beat a team they are just better than.