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Game 3 was a coin flip. Game 4 the Devils were better but a winnable game for the Rangers. Last night was bad, but that's 5 out of the 6 games that have been there for them (and for the Devils I would argue too, I think their only truly bad game was game 2). Obviously I'm happy but it's hard to count the Rangers out considering that and their multiple elimination comebacks last year. T-Bone fucked around with this message at 15:51 on Apr 28, 2023 |
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Apr 28, 2023 15:36
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Honestly, with missing a top 4 defenseman in cernak, hedman nursing some sort of rib injury, and two rookies playing the right side with freaking bogosian, I can’t be mad at the bolts for losing this series. But I do want to see a game 7 either way.
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Apr 28, 2023 15:41
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schmid played 18 games in the regular season with a .922 and looked steady and calm in high pressure situations obviously these last 3 games were outlier good but there's a reason the devils fanbase was losing their minds over the absurd ""backup controversy"" between him and mackenzie blackwood (22 gp, .893). playing blackwood as much as we did probably cost the devils the division
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Apr 28, 2023 15:43
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Wonderllama posted:Honestly, with missing a top 4 defenseman in cernak, hedman nursing some sort of rib injury, and two rookies playing the right side with freaking bogosian, I can’t be mad at the bolts for losing this series. But I do want to see a game 7 either way. I'd prefer not to have to watch a game 7 if you could arrange that?
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Apr 28, 2023 16:00
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Glambags posted:We'll have to see if the rangers figure out Schmid next game (they wont). He's been solid no doubt but pretty small sample size. One cool thing is that if the rangers lose game 6 maybe they get booed off the ice at msg. hot rookie goalie is basically a playoffs cheat code there's no book on them it's exactly what carried Murray to back to back cup wins
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Apr 28, 2023 16:05
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T-Bone posted:Obviously I'm happy but it's hard to count the Rangers out considering that and their multiple elimination comebacks last year. apart from anything else shesterkin is capable of stealing 2 games, he was unbelievable in the third period yesterday
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Apr 28, 2023 16:15
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Rangers really nailed the pre-scouting on the Devils and Blackwood especially, but it has become apparent that Gallant isn't good at making adjustments in-series, similar to how Jon Cooper put a masterclass on him in the conference finals last year. Gallant considers himself "motivator in chief" and leaves the details to assistant coach Mike Kelly, which seems to leave them in a spot where they get outcoached nearly every time in the playoffs. The motivation didn't seem to be there, either, as the team seemed to look defeated pretty early in the game, and they were losing nearly every battle in the third period, where they were outshot 2-20 after going into the period down 3-0.
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Apr 28, 2023 16:16
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I feel like I'm watching Lemaire/Robinson era Devils with just how stifling they've been through the neutral zone. They've really clamped down, and Schmid has obviously been on point and a breath of fresh air. Great call by Ruff
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Apr 28, 2023 16:44
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shyduck posted:Great call by Ruff He's about due for another apology chant from the fans
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Apr 28, 2023 16:47
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I personally don't get the hate for Ruff after the season they've had. He seems to make good decisions and the team has been incredibly resilient this year. That's at least a little bit on the coaching staff.
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Apr 28, 2023 16:50
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ThinkTank posted:He's about due for another apology chant from the fans Lindy Ruff is a good coach gosh darn it
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Apr 28, 2023 16:53
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Going down to essentially 3 lines has been a really good move too, their top 10 forwards are all driving play right now and handling the workload well. Personally I might sit Lazar (who barely plays 5v5 and didn't even play on the PK last night) and go 7 D, with Luke Hughes in there. That would give them real flexibility if they need offense or PP help when they're down. But I get not changing a lineup when you've won three straight. Also their starting 6 D have been great so it would be hard to find Luke many minutes. Bahl has been great this series (and really since the trade deadline), he has gone from a maybe #7 guy to a real part of this team's future. I think he has 2nd pair upside and makes losing Mukhamadullin (who I'm still very high on) and Okhotiuk (who I'm not convinced will ever be more than a #7) much less impactful to their system.
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Apr 28, 2023 17:01
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Chad Sexington posted:I know the Devils are winning with a team game, but Akira Schmid looks like the playoff goalie they needed I know you’re all going to mock me for this considering I harped on it last night and we didn’t do jack poo poo, and don’t get me wrong it’s good on Schmid for making the initial saves and you can’t argue with that save percentage. But holy smokes does he throw pucks everywhere. I’m really hoping it’s a break the seal sort of deal and once we get one things start to quickly unravel for Schmid (yes I know we have already scored on him and things haven’t unraveled). It just blows my mind that we haven’t managed to punish him yet. The rebounds are substantial. I think a lot of it has to do with what the Rangers did to the Devils in game 1-2, rangers aren’t really getting anywhere near the middle of the ice. Jovial Cow fucked around with this message at 17:08 on Apr 28, 2023 |
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Apr 28, 2023 17:06
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Yeah the Devils D around their own net has been insane. Not sure if it's intentional to the goalie they're in front of, or just typical playoff amping up (I much more suspect the latter). It's like you said though, exactly what the Rangers did in games 1-2 in front of their net (and really games 3/4 too tbh). I do think a lot of his rebounds have actually been not that bad from a danger pov, like Martin Brodeur style deflection where it's going to a place where there aren't any Rangers, but there have certainly been a few there for the scoring. To me the book on the Devils defensively is that if you cycle from low to high they're vulnerable because of how hard they collapse in front of their own net. It requires a patient Carolinaesque grinding style but I think that's how you break them down.
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Apr 28, 2023 17:14
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Boy did the Jets come right out of the gate last night like they'd already given up. A really astonishing no-show.Ginette Reno posted:I'm not too concerned about who wins this playoffs but man I hope Toronto doesn't go out like this again. That's just too depressing. Toronto is absolutely going to go out like this again! SilvergunSuperman posted:Lol yeah, leafs are well known for major changes after catastrophic fuckup after catastrophic fuckup. My absolute favorite part is the part where Keefe will still be there, yet again, next year.
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Apr 28, 2023 17:23
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Jamwad Hilder posted:On the other hand, it will be extremely funny if it happens again. Imagine the firesale if they screw this up, it could be incredible. Matthews has a NMC for the last year of his contract, so the firesale would happen fast!
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Apr 28, 2023 17:35
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You know how the Leafs played in Game 7 last year? That's how they're going to play in Game 6 this year. And Game 7, of course. It's completely in their heads. It was incredible that they just ran the whole thing back after last year.
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Apr 28, 2023 17:36
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Eric the Mauve posted:You know how the Leafs played in Game 7 last year? That's how they're going to play in Game 6 this year. And Game 7, of course. It's completely in their heads. It was incredible that they just ran the whole thing back after last year. 2022 Maple Leafs game 7 full blown panic attack was the funniest thing. I can't wait for tomorrow night.
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Apr 28, 2023 17:41
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T-Bone posted:Yeah the Devils D around their own net has been insane. Not sure if it's intentional to the goalie they're in front of, or just typical playoff amping up (I much more suspect the latter). I feel like they played notably better in front of Schmid even in the regular season. might be coincidence, but maybe there's something psychologically helpful about having a goalie who reliably makes initial saves? lets you focus more on cutting off passes / clearing rebounds
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Apr 28, 2023 17:47
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Just laughing this morning about the fact that the Leafs basically lost on an outright horrendous goal that any goalie should have saved 10/10 times
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Apr 28, 2023 17:50
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Eric the Mauve posted:You know how the Leafs played in Game 7 last year? That's how they're going to play in Game 6 this year. And Game 7, of course. It's completely in their heads. It was incredible that they just ran the whole thing back after last year. People have given me poo poo in this forum for two straight years for ranting that the Leafs can’t just run it back and something major needed to change after those losses, funny how things work out. One thing that sticks out to me is that the widely publicized tactical approach of the team to take shots from distance with traffic just… went away in that game. Obviously you take the scoring chances you can get and the Leafs had much better ones than Tampa, but there were so many instances of guys hesitating at the points and working pucks low when they’ve been successful getting pucks on net quickly from distance and getting sticks on it. It really felt like a lot of the Leafs players went back to overthinking trying to make perfect plays instead of the Carolina-style shoot and retrieve that had been working for them.
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Apr 28, 2023 17:51
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I have confidence in the Leafs, they'll close it out down in Tampa tomorrow night.... but holy gently caress if they lose that one are they ever screwed. The franchise may actually be cursed.
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Apr 28, 2023 17:52
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thehoodie posted:Just laughing this morning about the fact that the Leafs basically lost on an outright horrendous goal that any goalie should have saved 10/10 times This has been a big part of their collapses every year, there’s a whole list of terrible laughers that Leafs fans can rattle off from every series.
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Apr 28, 2023 17:52
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Starsfan posted:I have confidence in the Leafs, they'll close it out down in Tampa tomorrow night.... May?
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Apr 28, 2023 17:53
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Koopa Kid posted:People have given me poo poo in this forum for two straight years for ranting that the Leafs can’t just run it back and something major needed to change after those losses, funny how things work out. Not me my friend. I've been onto the fact Sheldon Keefe doesn't know what he's doing for 2+ years now. and Shanadubas too for that matter. Everyone involved in management is incompetent.
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Apr 28, 2023 17:54
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Jovial Cow posted:I know you’re all going to mock me for this considering I harped on it last night and we didn’t do jack poo poo, and don’t get me wrong it’s good on Schmid for making the initial saves and you can’t argue with that save percentage. But holy smokes does he throw pucks everywhere. The only player going to front of the net, for most of the game, was Trouba. I'm not sure why the Rangers can't seem to do this. Devils defense is big and they've pushed the Rangers around, but they've put basically no pressure on a rookie goalie. It's astounding how little the team has been able to adjust their strategy when they're getting caved in.
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Apr 28, 2023 18:10
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Glambags posted:We'll have to see if the rangers figure out Schmid next game (they wont). He's been solid no doubt but pretty small sample size. One cool thing is that if the rangers lose game 6 maybe they get booed off the ice at msg. If they repeat that third period last night they're getting booed off the ice in the first period. Legitimately pathetic. I don't ever want to see that stupid "No quit in NY" slogan again because they quit big time last night. https://twitter.com/MollieeWalkerr/status/1651995869812600835?s=20 New line combos. Gallant is scrambling, and once again making the stupid move of not putting Kakko on the 1st line. Panarin on the third feels too high. Theres a primal cranky HFboards poster inside of me that's beginning to get sick of him not showing up in the playoffs (aside from that OT goal against Pitt last year, he's been basically invisible).
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Apr 28, 2023 18:11
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Matt Zerella posted:No, quit in NY
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Apr 28, 2023 18:14
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secret volcano lair posted:I feel like they played notably better in front of Schmid even in the regular season. might be coincidence, but maybe there's something psychologically helpful about having a goalie who reliably makes initial saves? lets you focus more on cutting off passes / clearing rebounds
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Apr 28, 2023 18:14
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Yeah it's definitely more of a subconscious confidence thing rather than any kind of intentional style. Also, Jack had his worst game of the series last game and Meier still doesn't have a point despite driving play heavily at 5v5. Would be nice to see them have big game 6s. To be fair to Meier he made a nasty move that Igor absolutely robbed him on, what a save that was: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBpfyhXK4DY&t=290s
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Apr 28, 2023 18:18
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Matt Zerella posted:Panarin on the third feels too high. Theres a primal cranky HFboards poster inside of me that's beginning to get sick of him not showing up in the playoffs (aside from that OT goal against Pitt last year, he's been basically invisible). He'll skate away from puck battles rather than engage, and the Devils pressuring everyone has rendered him ineffective. You'll see flashes of effort from him, but it feels like he's been intimidated out of existence.
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Apr 28, 2023 18:20
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I think part of what hurts Artemi in the playoffs is his game is mostly structured around being contrarian if you will. He’s usually a reliably good breakout pass because he figures out where the holes are on the ice, and in the regular season he might find himself in a one on one or one on two situation where he can breakout and hit a trailer. The problem is the devils are absolutely swarming and no rangers are really playing the transition game besides him, everyone else is scrambling to get back to help the D, so when bread does break up ice and he looks around for help he’s got a devils D sort of just backing up holding the middle, one pressing him to the side, and then the devils forwards backchecking are beating other rangers forwards up the ice because they’re kind of circling whereas the rangers forwards were sort of stationary with no momentum trying to hold the middle of the ice. He doesn’t really have a lot of options to go anywhere with the puck. I think it’s a system matchup issue as much as an Artemi issue. He just gets isolated a lot.
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Apr 28, 2023 18:39
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*player with 20 points in 28 with his free agent team and 46 in 55 over his career* this loving bum put him on the 4th line! Meanwhile - Trouba 0, Laf 0, Trochek 1, the entire bottom 6 basically 0, and Zibs the same 2 that Panarin has. Definitely though move Panarin down the line up.
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Apr 28, 2023 18:45
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Not trying to gloat (seriously I'm not!) but the Rangers just really aren't a great 5v5 team, especially when they face good playoff compeition. They were did last in xGF at 5v5 last year in the playoffs, and they're dead last again this year. They have some excellent finishers which allows them to overcome some of that (and of course, Igor), but I think Gallant's strategy of making the game an absolute slog at 5v5 and waiting for PP opportunities is a good one if they can get back to it. If they're going to win the series it's likely off of better special teams and goaltending, which they're quite capable of, their goaltending and special teams are generally insane, perhaps even more insane with Kane/Tarasenko (although those guys certainly haven't helped them at 5v5).
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Apr 28, 2023 18:48
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tarbrush posted:It's great! And did not look at all likely after the shitshow of game 1 Game one and first period of game 2. poo poo seemed to change like night and day between periods one and two of game 2. In my head some  poo poo went down in the locker room. For Morale.
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Apr 28, 2023 19:11
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thehoodie posted:Just laughing this morning about the fact that the Leafs basically lost on an outright horrendous goal that any goalie should have saved 10/10 times Just went back and watched. Bahahaha. It's funny I am rooting for former Caps like Siegenthaler and Orlov but Samsonov I really enjoy seeing eat poo poo.
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Apr 28, 2023 19:13
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rex rabidorum vires posted:*player with 20 points in 28 with his free agent team and 46 in 55 over his career* this loving bum put him on the 4th line! Meanwhile - Trouba 0, Laf 0, Trochek 1, the entire bottom 6 basically 0, and Zibs the same 2 that Panarin has. Definitely though move Panarin down the line up. Listen, we're trying real hard to pretend Laf is massively talented and going to live up to his #1 status any day now and definitely not just an adequate middle six guy, don't gently caress it up okay!?
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Apr 28, 2023 19:18
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T-Bone posted:Yeah it's definitely more of a subconscious confidence thing rather than any kind of intentional style. But we have Nico playing at an elite+ level right now. https://twitter.com/ToddCordell/status/1652001044224782359
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Apr 28, 2023 19:36
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mcmagic posted:But we have Nico playing at an elite+ level right now. Yeah I saw this posted a few days ago: https://twitter.com/BlueSeatBlogs/status/1651278809449070592 There's also this! https://twitter.com/cmasisak22/status/1651997533986758656 He had two incredible chances last night (both of which Shesterkin just made good saves on). Mercer broke though in game 5, hopefully it's Meier's turn in game 6. He has also been a huge piece of poo poo at every possible opportunity including basically trying to break Igor's leg. Feels kinda weird for the team to look so good given that it's going to game 6 and the Devils won a coinflip game that would have put them down 3-0, but really hard to complain about basically anyone right now. Even Bastian is doing a good job on the PK. As I said before I don't really get the point of Lazar if you're only playing 10F at 5v5 if and he's not even going to PK, especially with a weapon like Luke Hughes in the pressbox, but that's about it really. T-Bone fucked around with this message at 20:04 on Apr 28, 2023 |
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Apr 28, 2023 19:47
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Chad Sexington posted:Just went back and watched. Bahahaha. One thing I will say is that there’s definitely something off with Samsonov physically right now, his right leg movements look very strange and he’s been slow to recover from sticking that leg out since the last couple weeks of the regular season, he’s not 100% at all. But he’s also pretty clearly got the yips something bad, and maybe knowing that he can’t move around as well is contributing but nothing about a groin should prevent someone from closing their glove and that’s been one of his problems. Keefe is leaving him out to dry both by running Holl out to gently caress up in front of him all night and by indulging him in playing at all with his various obvious problems.
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Apr 28, 2023 21:38
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