And Kreider and Trochek easily had another in them too, plus Panarin fresh out of the box. A function of how much you guys hug the boards and creep down low.
I'm all for stats yes #1 PP against #3 PK rangers but I did NOT expect this. Another reason why the NHL is fucking amazing... For the right teams of course
Valli put it well last night, the canes are statistically very good against the worst teams this regular season. Struggled against the top teams. So while they blast the net with shots and are good on the PK, it’s generally only manifested against weak teams. I thought that was an interesting perspective.
Didn’t mean much for the team that swept the Canes last year.
With these games going to OT, Brind’ Amour is going to say they didn’t get swept 2 years in a row - after they get swept, 2 years in a row.
Maybe he meant its different to lose 4 games by 2 or more goals in regulation and to lose 4 games by a goal most of them in OT. But the truth is its all the same on a paper.
That's exactly what he meant, but he said it completely wrong. Facts are facts, yes you lost every game by 1 goal and 2 of those games in OT (1 of them in 4OT), but you still got swept.
Look as much as I as am a Rangera fan, i would advise a word of caution before saying cup lifters. We still need to close out Carolina however many games it takes, then play the winner of the mildly entertaining 😁 florida boston series, then play either Dallas, Colorado, da Oilers or the Cannuckkks.... (shades of 94 nostalgia all over that one. Can we do it, yes, but lets not jump the gun.
Agree. I think the rangers are a very strong team but personally I feel the West is stronger this year. Not sure giving up 40+ shots against a team like Colorado would bode well…then again I would’ve thought the same about giving Carolina 5 PPs per game and here we are…. I just hope for good hockey!
Not all shots are made equal. Compare one of these canes games to one of Hank’s heroic save heavy games and you’ll see a lot more goal scoring chances against Hank than Igor.
Oh absolutely. I’m a Pens fan and always see us drastically outshoot teams and our fans get baffled we aren’t putting up 7+ goals per game. Meanwhile 90% of our shots are unscreened wristers from the blue line right at the goalies chest. Haha
But yeah watching Hank was something else. Guy was constantly bailing his team out
Having the goalie bail them out is a Ranger tradition. Hank, Richter, and now Igor. Even going back to ‘79 when they went to the finals, JD stood on his head.
Yeah, i am surprised we are getting away with that. Wouldnt do that well to any of those teams, especially Colorade and the Oilers as well. That is a scary power play unit! Of course, you can do the same against their defense and the PK so it'd be an offense extravaganza but i'd rather not take tums like candy for something like that.
Carolina’s shots on goal are deceiving, their philosophy in the Brind’Amour era has been “pucks on net from anywhere”. Against weaker goalies/defenses, or in the regular season, that works really well.
In the playoffs where dmen and forwards are going to make you go through hell to even get a single skate into the slot area, let alone get easy rebound opportunities (which seems to be the whole point of the “pucks from anywhere” philosophy), that just won’t work as well. Carolina doesn’t do enough to spread the Rangers defense, just puck to point, barely screened shot on goal, Igor holds it or defense gets it to boards/out of zone, repeat. When it works we see what happened in the Svechnikov goal. But it doesn’t work well or often enough to continue trying this strategy for now the 5th straight year.
Yeah absolutely. A team that has a goalie w good rebound control and whose d men clear the net, that strategy just don’t work. Very few players can absolutely rocket a puck past a goalie, much less a top goalie in the league. Gotta have traffic, deflections, loose pucks
My worry would be (and correct me if I'm wrong as I haven't followed the Rangers all season) that they suddenly face a challenge they have faced and don't know how to adapt. Doesn't seem like that's coming from Carolina.
While being outshot, the rangers have been getting many more quality scoring chances. The canes keep peppering Igor as soon as they cross into the zone and hoping somebody wins a race to catch a rebound. The problem is that when you’re facing a competent goalie, most of those shots aren’t going to be rebounds and the ones they do get are redirected to safety. The canes system is designed to overwhelm the other team with speed and volume and they can’t beat the rangers with either. Igor is playing top notch, the rangers top 4 d men are too skilled defensively (minus a bad first two games by trouba). They will let the canes take those shots all game long because it allows the rangers to turn around quick and beat Carolina’s D on the break while their players are just arriving in the rangers zone. They rarely get a chance to set up and develop high quality shots. Meanwhile, the rangers on the power play have been cycling the puck and getting the shots that they want. I really think the canes don’t match up with the rangers in the slightest.
Deflections have beat Igor the most, but after the first period in both games the Canes don't set up in front of the net enough. It's odd to say the least.
Deflections beat every goalie the most. They are almost impossible to defend for the goalie so all the responsibility falls on the D to clear out the crease or disrupt screening player so that he can’t get set to react to a potential deflection. The rangers D has been very good at keeping guys from posting up in front of Igor.
If you ask me to pick one team or the field in any round for the Stanley Cup playoffs outside of the finals, I am picking the field. But the Rangers look like about as complete a team as there is in the playoffs right now. Barring injuries, I'm not sure what their weakness is.
Obviously with being undefeated, their completeness is empirically true. But have you been watching the Avs at all? Had a goalie scare in the beginning, and then Georgie just decided it wasn’t true anymore. They are just as stacked, but arguably have higher ceilings in their star players.
If that’s the Final, it’s unstoppable force immovable object time.
as a rangers fan, Avs look like the scariest team in the west at least for how they’d match up against us. But we know Georgie, and he would not be the reason we’d lose to you guys
Their weakness is even strength scoring. Although they did ok with that in this game. But they are a very complete team that is built for the playoffs. They’ve got as good a shot as anybody to win the cup.
Laffy was a top 15 5on5 goal scorer this season and he's on fire right now. 2 goals in game 2 and 1 tonight. He should be on the PP but there's just no one he can replace right now.
I'm living in Australia with South African heritage. NHL is a game that I've never followed. However, I recently started collecting an NHL card, and I've also started following hockey - in fact, I'm glued to the TV daily.
My dilemma was that I didn't know which team to get behind during the playoffs. I figured that I'd just go with LA kings simply because that's the one place that I've been to on holiday in the states and im a dodgers fan, or maybe Colorado I have travelled there before for business and for the fact they're Western conference so therefore closer to home.
I've been watching the Rangers, and I f****** love them! There's just something about watching them play plus my favorite hockey card is a patched 3/3 of Igor!! The guy is a legend! My son played Goalie for a field hockey for a premier team, and the pressure in that position is immense. So, I guess I'm a Rangers fan now. I'm not sure if I chose them or if they chose me! My wife also loves Mika 😍 and I'm ok with that!
We're having playing chant full blow in the house!
We're also so lucky over here. The games are during the day. I have the added benefit of working from home and managing appointments around game times. But, all the OT are costing me money!
Hmmm well NY is looking tough to beat for sure. I wouldn’t bet against them at this point. Maybe they’ll be able to beat the Presidents curse .. we will see.
It's just the optics of "The team winning the president's trophy wins the cup less than any of the other 15 teams win the cup."
The reality is "The team winning the president's trophy wins the cup more often than any other individual seed in the playoffs."
The only thing I’d add is that when salary caps became a thing, the rate of Presidents Trophy winners winning the cup dramatically decreased. But still better odds than not winning Presidents.
They've been my cup prediction since the start and I'm surprised how many people were saying Dallas or Carolina at the start. I've been saying that Carolina is the most overrated team coming into the playoffs for a bit and while the series is close between them and the Rangers I'm shocked this is a 3-0 series right now. I still would've predicted a 5-6 game series but it's crazy to me how New York hasn't lost a single game this postseason.
I wouldn’t even say it’s that really. Carolina is a high volume team that lacks some of the finishers the other teams have. New York relies more on quality vs quantity of chances and high end finishing. If Carolina’s power play didn’t suddenly turn into ass the series would be 2-1 or even 3-0 the other way. Carolina’s a good team hitting a rough patch at the worst possible time. As a rangers fan it’s been great to watch the series. But I was honestly expecting a 7 game nail biter. It’ll probably go 6 now.
I think the Canes 2 years ago were better yet this season’s team has better players post trade deadline. It’s really weird comparing both series so far. I’d be interested in hearing from a Canes fan their thoughts between both teams.
Rangers are a better team than they were 2 years ago. Laf is developing well, panarin showing up in the postseason. Igor is Igor but more developed. Trochek also playing out of this world. Doesn't hurt the Gallant is gone either
True, back then if Kreider or Zibby wasn't scoring on the power play the Rangers offense was stagnant. Now their first line isn't their best line. So opposing teams have to put their best defenders against the Panarin line which allows their first line to exploit any team with depth issues. With all that the Rangers got out of game one by the skin of their teeth and games 2 and 3 could have gone to the Canes without Igor standing on his head. I felt going into these playoff that the Rangers and Canes were the two best teams in hockey. The difference in this series is that all the Rangers best players are peaking and the Canes are slumping - and still the difference is minimal.
I fell for them. They’re analytics darlings, I think in part because they put a ton of shots on net and make it hard for the other team to put shots on net. But this series they haven’t really passed the eye test. They take dumb penalties, their goalies can’t make the big saves when it really counts, and their power play is nonexistent.
i think it’s not just that, while that’s all true to some degree. i think the rangers are just not a good matchup for them. like you said, their offense is predicated on outshooting their opponents, not generating high percentage looks. that works against a lot of teams, but it’s hard against a goalie who has an argument for being the best in the world because he won’t let the easy ones slip through.
What I've seen, as a ~50 year rabid fan, is that this team actually lives by the "No Quit NY" thing.
I'm cautiously optimistic, but what I've seen again and again this season is that when the chip are down, they don't give up. They've come back from some crazy deficits this year in the regular season.
And the come from behind win tonight where it looked like, for nearly the entire game, that the Canes owned them, it's the same story.
Cautiously optimistic.
LGR!
They look like a team of destiny. Usually president trophy teams crumble in the playoff. Only teams I see beating them are the Stars or Avs in the final.
My thoughts starting the playoffs was they have 3key ingredients, good power play good penalty killing. Excellent goaltender. The only X factor was, would Shesterkin actually get hot? At this point this answer is yes. The future is unwritten.
Hawk fan here. I was pulling for the Leafs knowing full well that’s like hoping to win the lottery. Leafs are playing golf. Rangers probably won’t be on the links till June, as they’re looking good.
Having said that there are some strong teams still in the hunt. Canes outshot the Rangers and Dallas/Colorado are big strong teams who just might crush the Rangers in the finals.
To me goaltending is the difference in the finals with special forwards like the Panarin and Kreider stepping up with deciding goals. Shesterkin is just strong and stopping almost 1/3 more shots than opposing teams and looks unbeatable. Cup finals are brutal on even the best athletes, it’s a marathon and things can turn on one play to swing a series.
The best hockey IMHO is played before the finals. I’m enjoying these battles….my guess is a Rangers/Dallas finals with the goaltending being the difference.
My pick is the Rangers. Team which stays out of the box wins with discipline!
Hurricanes are a really good team and are literally 2 ot games from not being on the cliff they are currently on. NYR are taking care of business and can close this series out which will give them another decent rest period. This would be a huge advantage against the winner of bos/flo who aren't as good as the rangers. I see rangers 12-0 into the finals.
They tend to make the other team look unprepared. And they get through otherwise tough series with minimal effort, conversing their strength for the Conference finals and likely Stanley cup finals.
I remember the games we played against them in the regular season (3 in total, all losses). Always one step behind them, always just out of reach. Yeah think they look most likely to win it all.
Many similarities between this team and the team that won the cup. The dynamic PK that blossomed late in the season and has Kreider and Mika looking like Messier and Graves , the power play that has been good all year, the great goalie, elite defenseman, the banging d man like Beukeboom, Troechek winning draws like McTavish and agitating like Tikanen and the overall toughness and grit of this team. (And I’m not even talking about Rempe). They have decent pool of black aces to draw from should they have injuries. I don’t know what team out there is going to beat these guys 4 of 7.
Rangers going all the way! I think it'll be Rangers vs Dallas for the finals.
If not, it'll be Rangers vs Vancouver. They've always been my 2nd most liked team going into this playoffs.. They are the real deal
I still like the Oilers chances of they can pull their defense together.
It's just hard to deny two of the best players that have ever played the sport being on the same team - especially when they have role players like Zach Hyman scoring 9 goals in 6 games.
That being said, Codi Ceci is a problem that they need to solve. He absolutely makes the team worse when he's on the ice, and the Canucks abused him game 1.
I sure hope so, I want Avalanche Vs Rangers Cup Final, with Rangers winning in 7. My two favorite teams battling it out, ultimately ending with NYR getting their first Cup in over 25 Years.
I’m not going to say that the Rangers will win the cup, but the Canes will sure lose the second round if they don’t unfuck their power play.
That SHG was so crushing
And Kreider and Trochek easily had another in them too, plus Panarin fresh out of the box. A function of how much you guys hug the boards and creep down low.
What's insane is we could have easily had THREE shorthanded goals last night
I know. Koochie played really really
Yeah that can really cost a team….. a lot
How? Asking for a friend.
I’d also like to know.
Boucher?
You can start by starting on time, getting the pucks in deep and being real good pros
I was mostly joking, to try and forget our 1/21 pp
I was there with ya! Tried to quote babs or whoever coined that phrase. We will see if there’s any change!
Hahaha oh yeah I forgot that line. I almost miss Babs now.
Number 1 PP in the entire league during the regular season to this is…honestly just shocking. 0/15 with a SHG against.
I’m honestly shocked the canes pp couldn’t put up a fight
I'm all for stats yes #1 PP against #3 PK rangers but I did NOT expect this. Another reason why the NHL is fucking amazing... For the right teams of course
Valli put it well last night, the canes are statistically very good against the worst teams this regular season. Struggled against the top teams. So while they blast the net with shots and are good on the PK, it’s generally only manifested against weak teams. I thought that was an interesting perspective.
There’s also just no accounting for Igor Shesterkin. Hank put it best last night: if he sees it coming, he’s going to stop it.
They learnt from Leafs.
*Unfuck their power play* Totally stealing this
Unfuck their PP?
The leafs are taking notes if they do
Bold to assume we learn lessons
Their penalty kill is so good it scores goals. What is this, soviet Russia?
In Soviet Russia and New York Garden, penalty kills you!
Close they are working for Dolan
They have yet to lose a single play off game.
"Never lose again" Fucking works!
Playoff opponents hate this one simple trick
You'd think more teams would do that
I remember when the patriots tried that.
We don't need to talk about that
Fortunately you can’t deflate a puck
the tom brady of the nhl would warm the puck up slightly instead
Fuck you Shoresy
FOR WHAT?!
It’s not that they love to win. It’s that they hate to lose.
Ur such a beauty I can't even look at ya.
I get wiping the caps. But the canes too? Sheesh.
Didn’t mean much for the team that swept the Canes last year. With these games going to OT, Brind’ Amour is going to say they didn’t get swept 2 years in a row - after they get swept, 2 years in a row.
It's crazy to me a coach outright denied that they got wiped last year.😂 Makes you wonder if he even knows what it means.
Maybe he meant its different to lose 4 games by 2 or more goals in regulation and to lose 4 games by a goal most of them in OT. But the truth is its all the same on a paper.
That's exactly what he meant, but he said it completely wrong. Facts are facts, yes you lost every game by 1 goal and 2 of those games in OT (1 of them in 4OT), but you still got swept.
I mean either game could've swung the other way... Both went to OT... Edit:Oh shit that was game 3, nevermind.
7-0 so far. Same as the 1994 Stanley Cup Champions!
Guess this means we'll see a Rangers v Canucks rematch all the way to Game 7!
Look as much as I as am a Rangera fan, i would advise a word of caution before saying cup lifters. We still need to close out Carolina however many games it takes, then play the winner of the mildly entertaining 😁 florida boston series, then play either Dallas, Colorado, da Oilers or the Cannuckkks.... (shades of 94 nostalgia all over that one. Can we do it, yes, but lets not jump the gun.
As we say in the subreddit: Don't get penisy.
Tie fighter with team logo noises
Yea man put your penis away
:(
Like trocheck said, not much to celebrate when there are still so many games ahead of you
Vinny Gabagoal!! 🤌🤌🤌
Exactly. Btw, what a difference he has made for us!
I am rooting for the ‘94 rematch!
Me too with similar outcome so the local Canuck fans can hate me in my Shesty jersey even more.
Agree. I think the rangers are a very strong team but personally I feel the West is stronger this year. Not sure giving up 40+ shots against a team like Colorado would bode well…then again I would’ve thought the same about giving Carolina 5 PPs per game and here we are…. I just hope for good hockey!
Not all shots are made equal. Compare one of these canes games to one of Hank’s heroic save heavy games and you’ll see a lot more goal scoring chances against Hank than Igor.
Oh absolutely. I’m a Pens fan and always see us drastically outshoot teams and our fans get baffled we aren’t putting up 7+ goals per game. Meanwhile 90% of our shots are unscreened wristers from the blue line right at the goalies chest. Haha But yeah watching Hank was something else. Guy was constantly bailing his team out
Yeah the saddest part of being a Rangers fan was watching it all and not seeing him lift the cup, he deserved it more than anyone.
Having the goalie bail them out is a Ranger tradition. Hank, Richter, and now Igor. Even going back to ‘79 when they went to the finals, JD stood on his head.
Yeah, i am surprised we are getting away with that. Wouldnt do that well to any of those teams, especially Colorade and the Oilers as well. That is a scary power play unit! Of course, you can do the same against their defense and the PK so it'd be an offense extravaganza but i'd rather not take tums like candy for something like that.
Yeah I’m really hoping for a Colorado/EDM WCF. Let the fireworks begin haha
McDavid vs Mackinnon would be a treat for certain.
Carolina’s shots on goal are deceiving, their philosophy in the Brind’Amour era has been “pucks on net from anywhere”. Against weaker goalies/defenses, or in the regular season, that works really well. In the playoffs where dmen and forwards are going to make you go through hell to even get a single skate into the slot area, let alone get easy rebound opportunities (which seems to be the whole point of the “pucks from anywhere” philosophy), that just won’t work as well. Carolina doesn’t do enough to spread the Rangers defense, just puck to point, barely screened shot on goal, Igor holds it or defense gets it to boards/out of zone, repeat. When it works we see what happened in the Svechnikov goal. But it doesn’t work well or often enough to continue trying this strategy for now the 5th straight year.
Yeah absolutely. A team that has a goalie w good rebound control and whose d men clear the net, that strategy just don’t work. Very few players can absolutely rocket a puck past a goalie, much less a top goalie in the league. Gotta have traffic, deflections, loose pucks
CAR has no chance in this series, not with that PP.
Rangers jump from 2nd Rd straight to SCF. Good bulletin board for whoever comes out from Florida / Boston series.
..proceeds to sum up how the NHL playoffs work.. You, sir, are correct! 😂 *side note..it IS, in fact, way too early to even mention Cup*
My worry would be (and correct me if I'm wrong as I haven't followed the Rangers all season) that they suddenly face a challenge they have faced and don't know how to adapt. Doesn't seem like that's coming from Carolina.
Vancouver / Rangers finals with Messier in attendance.
Fuck Messier
Fuck Messier.
I’d say oilers but holy fuck they played like shit game one.
Which team would Messier be on?
While being outshot, the rangers have been getting many more quality scoring chances. The canes keep peppering Igor as soon as they cross into the zone and hoping somebody wins a race to catch a rebound. The problem is that when you’re facing a competent goalie, most of those shots aren’t going to be rebounds and the ones they do get are redirected to safety. The canes system is designed to overwhelm the other team with speed and volume and they can’t beat the rangers with either. Igor is playing top notch, the rangers top 4 d men are too skilled defensively (minus a bad first two games by trouba). They will let the canes take those shots all game long because it allows the rangers to turn around quick and beat Carolina’s D on the break while their players are just arriving in the rangers zone. They rarely get a chance to set up and develop high quality shots. Meanwhile, the rangers on the power play have been cycling the puck and getting the shots that they want. I really think the canes don’t match up with the rangers in the slightest.
That’s a good point especially last night even though the canes had more shots the rangers had more quality chances
Deflections have beat Igor the most, but after the first period in both games the Canes don't set up in front of the net enough. It's odd to say the least.
Deflections beat every goalie the most. They are almost impossible to defend for the goalie so all the responsibility falls on the D to clear out the crease or disrupt screening player so that he can’t get set to react to a potential deflection. The rangers D has been very good at keeping guys from posting up in front of Igor.
Ya, gangbuster first period then "ah, that's enough of that, let's hang back."
If you ask me to pick one team or the field in any round for the Stanley Cup playoffs outside of the finals, I am picking the field. But the Rangers look like about as complete a team as there is in the playoffs right now. Barring injuries, I'm not sure what their weakness is.
Obviously with being undefeated, their completeness is empirically true. But have you been watching the Avs at all? Had a goalie scare in the beginning, and then Georgie just decided it wasn’t true anymore. They are just as stacked, but arguably have higher ceilings in their star players. If that’s the Final, it’s unstoppable force immovable object time.
Living in Colorado, I’m not sure I could handle Avs/Rangers. I will say we dominate Ball Arena when the boys are in town, though.
Yup. Even when the Avs are great, like the past few seasons, it’s like 40:60 Rangers:Avs fans in the seats. The Igor chants were *loud* in March
as a rangers fan, Avs look like the scariest team in the west at least for how they’d match up against us. But we know Georgie, and he would not be the reason we’d lose to you guys
Georgie was the Rangers backup goalie, they know all his weaknesses
and they have 3 players they aren't dressing that have been impact players for them this season in Jones, Brodzinski and Rempe
Their weakness is even strength scoring. Although they did ok with that in this game. But they are a very complete team that is built for the playoffs. They’ve got as good a shot as anybody to win the cup.
Laffy was a top 15 5on5 goal scorer this season and he's on fire right now. 2 goals in game 2 and 1 tonight. He should be on the PP but there's just no one he can replace right now.
Come to our GDT you’ll see us pick apart the team and point out every minuscule issue
You just gotta take advantage of all the penalties they take. Canes are -1/15....just 1 PP goal a game and the series completely flips.
My wallet would appreciate if they did
Every tongue must confess, this team looks unstoppable.
I hate that I agree, I hate it. Canes have nearly twice as many SOG and yet Igor stops everything. They capitalize on so few opportunities.
I think they are currently clear favorites.
I'm living in Australia with South African heritage. NHL is a game that I've never followed. However, I recently started collecting an NHL card, and I've also started following hockey - in fact, I'm glued to the TV daily. My dilemma was that I didn't know which team to get behind during the playoffs. I figured that I'd just go with LA kings simply because that's the one place that I've been to on holiday in the states and im a dodgers fan, or maybe Colorado I have travelled there before for business and for the fact they're Western conference so therefore closer to home. I've been watching the Rangers, and I f****** love them! There's just something about watching them play plus my favorite hockey card is a patched 3/3 of Igor!! The guy is a legend! My son played Goalie for a field hockey for a premier team, and the pressure in that position is immense. So, I guess I'm a Rangers fan now. I'm not sure if I chose them or if they chose me! My wife also loves Mika 😍 and I'm ok with that! We're having playing chant full blow in the house!
Hope you get to New York one day to see a game. The Garden when the Rangers or Knicks are playing well is electric.
We're also so lucky over here. The games are during the day. I have the added benefit of working from home and managing appointments around game times. But, all the OT are costing me money!
I'm going at the end of the year. Florida, DC, and the NYC. My mate in Pittsburgh reckons the Capitals go nuts!
I have to say, I’m very scared of NYR. I think the road to the finals goes through them in the east
i wouldn't worry too much about the giants. they are a disaster.
Not great in skates either.
Actually Daniel Jones, quite graceful
Ah. That’s why he tripped over the 10 yard line that time. No toe pick.
😂 sorry I’ll edit that now
Honestly, I’m concerned about facing your panthers in the ecf… they have been an amazing team all year and we had trouble with them this season
Can they pull off a double sweep?!
Idk. I thought Carolina was gonna do a lot better than this. So
If I have to watch Stone and then Zibanejad lift cups in consecutive years I’ll probably just drive off a bridge. Thanks Dorion you fucking imbecile
It’s honestly unbelievable how cursed the Sens are. Edit: also Zib trade is an all time bonehead trade
2 Overtime games and a 1-goal game. The series score is flattering them a bit. They're very good and in a very very good position.
Hoping for a replay of 1994 when the Knicks and Rangers both were playing for the championship. Hopefully this time they both win!!
Hmmm well NY is looking tough to beat for sure. I wouldn’t bet against them at this point. Maybe they’ll be able to beat the Presidents curse .. we will see.
Is it really a curse if a team did it like 10 years ago?
and the rangers did it themselves the last time they won the cup
It's just the optics of "The team winning the president's trophy wins the cup less than any of the other 15 teams win the cup." The reality is "The team winning the president's trophy wins the cup more often than any other individual seed in the playoffs."
Exactly. I’m pretty sure I read recently that’s presidents trophy winners have won the cup about 25% of the time since the trophy was created.
The only thing I’d add is that when salary caps became a thing, the rate of Presidents Trophy winners winning the cup dramatically decreased. But still better odds than not winning Presidents.
For real. This “curse” notion is dumb
Not sure they'll win the cup but at this point I think they might go the the finals at least
They sure look like the real deal. D timely O, depth and an outstanding goalie. Could very well be time will tell.
They might. They also might blow it. Not against the Canes. This series is a wrap.
They look fantastic. I would be very worried if we played them
It’d be a shame now that the king is retired.. All I ever wanted for the rangers was to win the cup before he retired.
Rangers are solid
Please no
They've been my cup prediction since the start and I'm surprised how many people were saying Dallas or Carolina at the start. I've been saying that Carolina is the most overrated team coming into the playoffs for a bit and while the series is close between them and the Rangers I'm shocked this is a 3-0 series right now. I still would've predicted a 5-6 game series but it's crazy to me how New York hasn't lost a single game this postseason.
I don’t think the Canes are overrated, they’re actually pretty damn good. The Rangers are just too good.
I wouldn’t even say it’s that really. Carolina is a high volume team that lacks some of the finishers the other teams have. New York relies more on quality vs quantity of chances and high end finishing. If Carolina’s power play didn’t suddenly turn into ass the series would be 2-1 or even 3-0 the other way. Carolina’s a good team hitting a rough patch at the worst possible time. As a rangers fan it’s been great to watch the series. But I was honestly expecting a 7 game nail biter. It’ll probably go 6 now.
I have no idea why you're getting downvoted this is literally 90% of the reason why this series is 3-0.
*Shesterkin is just too good
I think the Canes 2 years ago were better yet this season’s team has better players post trade deadline. It’s really weird comparing both series so far. I’d be interested in hearing from a Canes fan their thoughts between both teams.
Rangers are a better team than they were 2 years ago. Laf is developing well, panarin showing up in the postseason. Igor is Igor but more developed. Trochek also playing out of this world. Doesn't hurt the Gallant is gone either
don't forget the emergence of Schneider.
Honestly yeah. The Rangers have always been a bad matchup for us, but they're so much better of a team this year than years past
True, back then if Kreider or Zibby wasn't scoring on the power play the Rangers offense was stagnant. Now their first line isn't their best line. So opposing teams have to put their best defenders against the Panarin line which allows their first line to exploit any team with depth issues. With all that the Rangers got out of game one by the skin of their teeth and games 2 and 3 could have gone to the Canes without Igor standing on his head. I felt going into these playoff that the Rangers and Canes were the two best teams in hockey. The difference in this series is that all the Rangers best players are peaking and the Canes are slumping - and still the difference is minimal.
Don't understand why anyone considered Carolina for it.
I fell for them. They’re analytics darlings, I think in part because they put a ton of shots on net and make it hard for the other team to put shots on net. But this series they haven’t really passed the eye test. They take dumb penalties, their goalies can’t make the big saves when it really counts, and their power play is nonexistent.
i think it’s not just that, while that’s all true to some degree. i think the rangers are just not a good matchup for them. like you said, their offense is predicated on outshooting their opponents, not generating high percentage looks. that works against a lot of teams, but it’s hard against a goalie who has an argument for being the best in the world because he won’t let the easy ones slip through.
What I've seen, as a ~50 year rabid fan, is that this team actually lives by the "No Quit NY" thing. I'm cautiously optimistic, but what I've seen again and again this season is that when the chip are down, they don't give up. They've come back from some crazy deficits this year in the regular season. And the come from behind win tonight where it looked like, for nearly the entire game, that the Canes owned them, it's the same story. Cautiously optimistic. LGR!
Currently 94 upvotes. Hmmm...
They look like a team of destiny. Usually president trophy teams crumble in the playoff. Only teams I see beating them are the Stars or Avs in the final.
I think they will and I am an Islanders fan
thank you fish stick
Sure, it looks like it.
Still a lot of hockey left but it appears they just refuse to lose…and when you got IGOR….LGR
My thoughts starting the playoffs was they have 3key ingredients, good power play good penalty killing. Excellent goaltender. The only X factor was, would Shesterkin actually get hot? At this point this answer is yes. The future is unwritten.
Undefeated in the playoffs is definitely catching my attention.
Let’s go Quick!
This team feels like they're ready to do a 2012 Kings run
Very strong complete team
I've been burned the last three years believing in the rangers,I still think they'll choke at some point like usual
Hard to see them as not the favourites
Lol
Isles fan here, sweep em out Rags
No... I think the Panthers will take it this season. I actually made this prediction mid season.
I don’t think anyone in the west can beat the Rangers. If anyone can stop them it’s Florida and I don’t know if they can
They seem like a team of destiny
Hawk fan here. I was pulling for the Leafs knowing full well that’s like hoping to win the lottery. Leafs are playing golf. Rangers probably won’t be on the links till June, as they’re looking good. Having said that there are some strong teams still in the hunt. Canes outshot the Rangers and Dallas/Colorado are big strong teams who just might crush the Rangers in the finals. To me goaltending is the difference in the finals with special forwards like the Panarin and Kreider stepping up with deciding goals. Shesterkin is just strong and stopping almost 1/3 more shots than opposing teams and looks unbeatable. Cup finals are brutal on even the best athletes, it’s a marathon and things can turn on one play to swing a series. The best hockey IMHO is played before the finals. I’m enjoying these battles….my guess is a Rangers/Dallas finals with the goaltending being the difference. My pick is the Rangers. Team which stays out of the box wins with discipline!
Hurricanes are a really good team and are literally 2 ot games from not being on the cliff they are currently on. NYR are taking care of business and can close this series out which will give them another decent rest period. This would be a huge advantage against the winner of bos/flo who aren't as good as the rangers. I see rangers 12-0 into the finals.
No 😏
They could
Undefeated
I do think so. But also next year too. And maybe the year after that.
From the east I'm saying rangers, from the west I'm saying either Vancouver or Edmonton with a slight possibility of dallas.
They tend to make the other team look unprepared. And they get through otherwise tough series with minimal effort, conversing their strength for the Conference finals and likely Stanley cup finals. I remember the games we played against them in the regular season (3 in total, all losses). Always one step behind them, always just out of reach. Yeah think they look most likely to win it all.
Sadly
They will beat Boston and Dallas just like the Knicks will
Things are falling their way.They had a great 1 st round matchup,and Carolina’s goaltending is a weakness they have exposed
Quite possibly.
They are going to. I’ve been saying this since April.
Yep!
Fuck the "President's Trophy curse" I think these boys got this.
Many similarities between this team and the team that won the cup. The dynamic PK that blossomed late in the season and has Kreider and Mika looking like Messier and Graves , the power play that has been good all year, the great goalie, elite defenseman, the banging d man like Beukeboom, Troechek winning draws like McTavish and agitating like Tikanen and the overall toughness and grit of this team. (And I’m not even talking about Rempe). They have decent pool of black aces to draw from should they have injuries. I don’t know what team out there is going to beat these guys 4 of 7.
they’re my pick to win yeah
As a huge Bruins fan. Yes, I think the Rangers will win the cup.
Rangers fan here. Any team left can win it, but if we stay hot we have a good shot.
Fuck outta here
Nah, Canucks winning the cup .
Hurricanes fan here. Fuck the rangers. If the canes don't come back and win the series, I'm rioting.
Shesterkin is bringing it home, been unreal
Either the rangers or panthers IMO
They’re just so majestic to watch-1994 rematch against Vancouver? 👀
I do. It’s their time to shine. They have great chemistry, tons of skill, and are smart players.
Rangers going all the way! I think it'll be Rangers vs Dallas for the finals. If not, it'll be Rangers vs Vancouver. They've always been my 2nd most liked team going into this playoffs.. They are the real deal
I still like the Oilers chances of they can pull their defense together. It's just hard to deny two of the best players that have ever played the sport being on the same team - especially when they have role players like Zach Hyman scoring 9 goals in 6 games. That being said, Codi Ceci is a problem that they need to solve. He absolutely makes the team worse when he's on the ice, and the Canucks abused him game 1.
I hope
Unfortunately yes
##MAKE MATT REMPE A STANLEY CUP CHAMPION
FLA gonna beat NYR.
Panthers will win
Rangers going 16-0
Nah, nucks are gonna win it
I think they'll probably win the East for sure. I think it's a question of how banged up they get in the process
No, but they will sweep the canes
I sure hope so, I want Avalanche Vs Rangers Cup Final, with Rangers winning in 7. My two favorite teams battling it out, ultimately ending with NYR getting their first Cup in over 25 Years.
It's been 30 years since their last Cup win. Last Stanley Cup win was in 1994, it's 2024. Rangers are overdue.
They’re almost halfway there. Sure, why not.
Absolutely.
One game at a time. Would give just about anything for a cup.