Playoffs Rangers-Hurricanes Round Two — General Series Thread

[Art20c]

This one would be tough. Carolina is better team now than they were when we played them during the regular season. I watched their 1st round and to me it looked like they handled isls very easy. This one definitely will not be walk in the park. 

[Pete]

Just now, Art20c said:

This one would be tough. Carolina is better team now than they were when we played them during the regular season. I watched their 1st round and to me it looked like they handled isls very easy. This one definitely will not be walk in the park. 

So are the Rangers. 

[RJWantsTheCup]

If ever there was evidence the league needed to change the playoff format no matter who wins this series one of the top two teams in the confernece will be out after the second round.  

Edited May 1 by RJWantsTheCup

[RichieNextel305]

I wouldn’t say they handled the Islanders easily. The Islanders choked away Game 2, something they did frequently across the season. They beat the Canes in Game 4, and in Game 5 shit the bed in the 3rd period with another 2 goals given up in under 10 seconds.

 

I’m not saying it was a 7-game war. But the Islanders caused problems and scored some goals against them.

 

This is going to be a hard series. No doubt about it. These were the 2 best teams in the East this season. 

[Kick save and a beauty]

<conflicted>

 

I voted Rangers in 6 but then I remembered the whole "will never lose again" thing.

[CanesFanRandy]

we meet again. Canes in 7!

 

To address an earlier post, Pesce is expected to be back for this series BTW.

 

NOT looking forward to your annual takeover of our arena however. We have actual season ticket holders that will be pulling for the Rangers! LOL

[Ranger Lothbrok]

My head says Canes, but that's largely because that's what I've been hearing basically since October when every pundit on Earth was picking them to win the Cup. Those same pundits had Vancouver as a lottery team and us as a bubble team behind the Devils in the Metro, so who knows. 

 

They're analytics darlings. Corsi Canes and all that. They have a chip on their shoulders from two years ago. The top end talent they were lacking in 2022 has been fixed. 

 

My feeling is this: Igor is going to have to outright steal 2 if we're gonna win, which he's capable of doing. This is probably going 7. 

 

The good news is that we'll have had a week to shake off bruises without getting rusty. That's huge (that whole stat of "no team has ever gone to 7 games in Rounds 1 and 2 and won in the conference finals" that doomed us preemptively in 2012). We're over that hump, should be full pedal to the metal rest of the way. And you have to like the locker room rhetoric. Total tunnel vision, they have their eyes on the prize. 

 

No shot this resolves in our favor in less than 7 though. Canes could sweep or do it in 5. I doubt we can. The shifts off and seemingly lazy mistakes could have easily stretched the Caps series to 6 or 7, despite people making it sound like we dominated. Bear in mind we were only up by 1 in Game 4 when Igor had to stop a point-blank chance where the Caps player had an egregious amount of time and space to keep it tied. Everyone was caught looking. Do that against Carolina and it WILL be in the net. 

 

It's winnable, but nowhere near easily winnable. The eternal pessimist in me says Canes in 6. 

Edited May 1 by Ranger Lothbrok

[Dem]

6 hours ago, Valriera said:

Biggest factor here is extra rest and being healthy. If we figure out how to get into their zone and be physical we could potentially take this series in four or five - Carolina already hurting on the backend and they are already not a heavy team. 
 

I think the key will be breakouts and making sure we take the body every chance we get 

Agree. Rangers need to manhandle these bitches. 

[Albatrosss]

15 hours ago, BrooksBurner said:

Head says Canes in 6, maybe 5.

 

Heart and hope says Rangers in 6, maybe 7.

what does your dick say?

[Pete]

37 minutes ago, CanesFanRandy said:

we meet again. Canes in 7!

 

To address an earlier post, Pesce is expected to be back for this series BTW.

 

NOT looking forward to your annual takeover of our arena however. We have actual season ticket holders that will be pulling for the Rangers! LOL

Report is they expect Pesce to play games in the series, but they're not sure at what point. And how good will he be when he comes back from an ankle injury? Good enough to get away from Rempe? We'll see!

[Dem]

39 minutes ago, CanesFanRandy said:

we meet again. Canes in 7!

 

To address an earlier post, Pesce is expected to be back for this series BTW.

 

NOT looking forward to your annual takeover of our arena however. We have actual season ticket holders that will be pulling for the Rangers! LOL

Prob not looking forward to Rempe taking him back out again either lol

[Phil]

What's the over/under on number of Canes defenders Rempe knocks out of this series — 1.5?

[BrooksBurner]

4 minutes ago, Albatrosss said:

what does your dick say?

It says hello to your wife

[Dem]

Just now, Phil said:

What's the over/under on number of Canes defenders Rempe knocks out of this series — 1.5?

I'd say that's a fair #

[Ozzy]

1 minute ago, Phil said:

What's the over/under on number of Canes defenders Rempe knocks out of this series — 1.5?

 

I'll take the over!

[BrooksBurner]

3 minutes ago, Phil said:

What's the over/under on number of Canes defenders Rempe knocks out of this series — 1.5?

Have to see if Rempe even plays…this is kind of an anti-Rempe matchup here.

[Valriera]

He should play game one, after that I think we will see but part of the way you beat the canes is you take advantage of the fact that they’re little bitches

[Br4d]

3 hours ago, BrooksBurner said:

Just running down the list:

 

Special Teams: Even (2 years ago: Rangers, modest edge)

Depth: Even (2 years ago: Canes, big edge)

Faceoffs: Even (2 years ago: Canes, big edge)

Physicality: Even (2 years ago: Canes, modest edge)

5v5: Canes, big edge (unchanged)

Goaltending: Rangers, big edge (unchanged)

Scoring Talent: Rangers, slight edge (2 years ago: Rangers, big edge)

Coaching: Even (2 years ago: Canes, slight edge)

 

I think the Rangers completely closed the gaps on depth/faceoffs/physicality/coaching, and the Canes closed the gap on special teams and narrowed the gap on scoring talent w/ the Guentzel add and progression of Jarvis/Necas. The Rangers were sizable underdogs two years ago and Igor stole it. This time around is a closer matchup in every department except two, and those two haven't changed at all from 2 years ago: 5v5 and goaltending. We talk all of the time about how the Rangers shouldn't pay Shesterkin his next contract because it's not how you build a Cup winner, and that teams should spend the money on the rest of the team because if the team is playing the right way at 5v5, then the goalie matters less. The reason for that is that, more often than not, great 5v5 play matters more than paying a great goalie. The Canes have that edge. They will have the puck in the Rangers' end of the ice more in this series. They will generate more chances, and they have a more cohesive forecheck. This is all pretty guaranteed to happen. This is why the betting odds will favor the Canes, and it should, but it's not a lock. The Rangers will need Shesterkin to be the difference again, and he's capable.

 

The Rangers are going to have to spend whatever they need to spend to keep Igor.

 

He's the reason they can play half-assed at 5v5 and still win.

[Br4d]

22 minutes ago, BrooksBurner said:

Have to see if Rempe even plays…this is kind of an anti-Rempe matchup here.

 

18-2-1.

 

Even Laviolette is going to have to look at that set of numbers and wonder if he can bench Rempe and still win.

[Karan]

2 hours ago, RJWantsTheCup said:

If ever there was evidence the league needed to change the playoff format no matter who wins this series one of the top two teams in the confernece will be out after the second round.  

 

I've been advocating for a while to go back to the playoff matchups based on 1-8 seeding, if anything just to create more variety in the matchups, and also to allow the top teams to fight it out in the conference finals. But looks like the NHL is dead set on fabricating these divisional "rivalries" so unfortunately it's probably here to stay.

[Karan]

2 hours ago, Blue Heaven said:

All 3 possible game 7s would be in the Western Conference, wouldnt affect the Eastern Conference at all so the NHL/ABC/ESPN can get Game 1 of Rangers/Canes nationally.  

Toronto/Bruins vs. Panthers can start their Game 1 on Monday (if Toronto/Boston goes to a Game 7 on Saturday).

Western Conference can start their Game 1s on Tuesday.  

 

I couldn't recall if the NHL was in the habit of waiting until a round entirely completed before starting the next round.

[Zuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuc]

23 minutes ago, Valriera said:

He should play game one, after that I think we will see but part of the way you beat the canes is you take advantage of the fact that they’re little bitches

Game 1 at home he has to play. If they lose or get heavily outplayed then you might look to change things, but you don’t change anything after a sweep.

[Phil]

41 minutes ago, BrooksBurner said:

Have to see if Rempe even plays…this is kind of an anti-Rempe matchup here.

 

It is, but given how much of a physical impact he had in the first series, how can you take him out right away? I have a feeling he plays until they lose.

[Albatrosss]

2 minutes ago, Phil said:

 

It is, but given how much of a physical impact he had in the first series, how can you take him out right away? I have a feeling he plays until they lose.

i want to see fear in Skjei's eyes when he sees Rempe bearing down on him

[Phil]

4 minutes ago, Albatrosss said:

i want to see fear in Skjei's eyes when he sees Rempe bearing down on him

 

I want to see pain in his face after the first time he gets trucked. Then next shift, I want to watch the Canes just give the puck up and not go into the corners at all.