RangersIn7

There are no easy games in the league, especially in the playoffs. But yes, they’ll be a heavy favorite no matter who they play, and they should win that series in 5 games tops. If it goes 6 it doesn’t kill you, but it shouldn’t go 6.

Gallant made plenty of mistakes and his style and approach to coaching isn’t conducive to actually win a Cup. But when they hired him, he was the coach they needed at the time.

I think that’s the ceiling too. It’s impossible to quantify but if he had a bunch of PP time this year you’re clearly looking a another 5+ goals and another 15+ points. He’d have been a 30+ goal, 70+ points this year.

I’d prefer Detroit in that we haven’t played a playoff series against them in nearly 75 years. But I’m ok with whoever. Really the most important thing is that they have a shorter series. It really makes things easier if you can play a short series early on.

Yes. It should.

He looks like that kid in HS who took advanced math classes at the local university but got his ass kicked every day

This is no gimme game. But finish this thing fucking strong! LGR!

Yeah. I get that. I’ll say I think Wennberg has been a good addition. I’d like to see more offense from that line more consistently, but I think he’s been very good defensively and was the right add. Less so on Roslovic, but he cost them next to nothing and was low-risk with a pretty decent potential for higher reward. It was a flyer and I can’t blame them for taking it. And the chapter isn’t finished yet with him. As for what they did vs what they could have done at the deadline, who knows? We have only some idea what the asking price was on other guys. Or how they would’ve fit. I look at Guentzel and how that’s worked in Carolina, and what they paid for him and it is a bit confounding. But… Rangers would’ve wanted him to move to RW, where he’s never really played. And I think Pittsburgh wanted a package from us that’s way different than what they got from Carolina. Plus, they had to pull a piece of pretty good quality of their roster to do it. And I think Pittsburgh is pretty high on both Koivunen and Ponomarev who are both prospects that look good and are potentially underrated. Both look like they have a strong chance to be good NHL players. So I think it might be that Pittsburgh ends up getting a good return there But it’s hard to project these things for sure.

They really try to avoid that type of thing now, league wide, in all the cities that have NBA and NHL teams in the same arena. Even in the regular season. It tends to make the ice not so good.

Well I can’t honestly see them treating him as anything but a serious option if he’s cleared and practicing. Your concern about him not having played in 6 months is a valid one though, and one that I share. Still though, I plug him in at RW next to CK and Zib. Hes played up there before in a limited basis (probably too limited IMO) and it’s looked pretty good. Hes the type of player they need I think. Speed and a good shot that isn’t reluctant to use it.

We see it cause we watch them every night. Fans of other teams just look at the standings and the stats and say, damn, I wish my team was at the top of the standings. We’d be saying the same shit about the players you mentioned… or (insert elite player here). MacDavid…Kucherov… doesn’t back check. Doesn’t play D. Makar… Hughes… Oh they turn the puck over too much. It’s cause we see them nightly.

5 goal game for Bedard in their final home game.

If he’s currently medically cleared, and practicing with full contact, he’s likely been symptom free and skating for a while. So it’s a fair shot he’s pretty close

This is a must win. LGR!

There’s no complexity to it Its simple and plainly seen

We were just talking. Put it where you want to. But you can’t deny that 3 point games with the phantom, loser’s point water down the value of playing 82. As does the number of automatic bids. You want people to value the regular season. Stop handing out automatic bids. Go from 6 to 4. It’s still half of each conference’s total bids. If you’ve won your division it should be incentivized. And the higher seeded teams should play lower seeded ones throughout. Theyve earned that.

I totally agree with you on point 3. But it still doesn’t make sense. But the NHL wants what it wants… though they are actually choosing an inferior system. I prefer 8 divisions vs 4 cause it limits automatic berths. The only automatic playoff berths you should experience, especially in the world of the constant 3-point games with the phantom, loser’s point, is as a division champion. Go to 4 divisions per conference. 4 automatic bids And allow the remaining 12 teams per conference compete for the remaining 4 playoff berths. They aren’t promoting division rivalries. In fact, they are stifling other rivalries from actually developing. And what I’d do, it actually makes sense from a geographical and travel standpoint.

If you add Atlanta and Houston then you need 2 more teams after that. 1 each in East and West.

It depends on the opponent and the matchups and situations. And they need their best players to be good

There’s no further expansion coming yet. If they’re adding a team, they actually have to add 2, then 2 more in short succession which they aren’t doing. Just realign to 4 divisions x 4 teams im each conference. Ive got a plan for that too. And an Arizona relocation to Utah makes it more logical too.

This is a dangerous game with the Flyers coming in having lost 8 straight games, 1-6-3 with only 5 points in their last 10. Flyers are due. Rangers really only need a point tonight. A win kills the Flyers though. LGR!

Hard to say. Id like to see 4 things amended in next CBA 1) Fix the playoff cap loophole 2) Allow guys under 20 in AHL. 3) Fix the playoff format and go back to 1-8 seeding and re-seed after each round. 4) Go to 8 divisions of 4 over 4 divisions of 8

Yeah. Personally I like the idea of the 20 guys you dress being cap compliant as the solution best of all. I think that’s probably the way to go.

Whatever the analytics say, they’re of significantly less importance in the playoffs because it’s: A) An extremely small sample size B) So much of the hockey you play is situational And, most importantly of all… C) Individual games and their outcome matter so much more. Example- You’re tied 1-1 in a series, and in game 3, you get out shot and out played but your goalie steals a game. Throw them out the window in the playoffs, where each game is it’s own thing and you just need to find ways to win.

You should be cap compliant in the playoffs. Period. However they achieve that is incidental.