1. #23001
    The Insane draynay's Avatar
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    Zuccarello seems to be playing well, but one guy busting his butt isn't enough against the Kings playing their best game of the post-season. Lundqvist looks sharper in the third.

  2. #23002
    Elemental Lord Reg's Avatar
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    Quick steals one for the Kings and played amazing. None of the bounces went the Rangers way, and the ones that did Quick came up huge. Two paddle saves on what looked like open net goals, Zucs in the crease with the puck but loses it in his skates, quick coverups on rebounds. Top it off with a dead PP and a loss of neutral zone battles, and Rangers are toast in this game.

  3. #23003
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    That's how I saw this series playing out, I just don't think New York can a serious threat vs L.A. especially after losing those first 2 close ones. Don't want to call it over before its over, but I think this one is pretty much in the bag.

  4. #23004
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    Jon Quick on top of his game is the best goalie in the NHL.

  5. #23005
    The Insane draynay's Avatar
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    I wondered, before the series started, if the Kings were destined to be the villains in the Marty St. Louis Story, which I was comfortable with, the Kings would make good villains. Things didn't go well for St. Louis tonight. The refs were a lot better than in game 2, some penalties missed, but nothing worth mentioning, they called things pretty tight and didn't screw up everything imaginable like they did on Saturday.

  6. #23006
    No, Zeoni.. it's over. Don't give Reg false hope There is no way that team is winning 4 straight against LA. Did they even get a shot with 4 or whatever minutes of empty net?

  7. #23007
    The Insane draynay's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by VanillaO View Post
    No, Zeoni.. it's over. Don't give Reg false hope There is no way that team is winning 4 straight against LA. Did they even get a shot with 4 or whatever minutes of empty net?
    I think they might've in the closing seconds, but nothing in the preceding 4 minutes.

  8. #23008
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    Quote Originally Posted by VanillaO View Post
    No, Zeoni.. it's over. Don't give Reg false hope There is no way that team is winning 4 straight against LA. Did they even get a shot with 4 or whatever minutes of empty net?
    That was more of a never say never type thing

  9. #23009
    The Insane draynay's Avatar
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    and don't people be calling it lopsided or embarrassing, it wasn't until 170 minutes into the series that the Kings ever had a lead in a game, the Rangers don't have anything to be embarrassed about

    - - - Updated - - -

    I just read that it was the first time they'd had a lead in 249 minutes going back to the Chicago series. Two years ago the Kings coasted by and dominated everyone, this year everything has been an immense battle.

  10. #23010
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    To be fair, it's been a long season for these guys with the Olympics in there. I imagine a lot of guys are just absolutely gassed right now.

  11. #23011
    Very interesting:

    Number cruncher: Bigger isn’t always better
    [...]
    “Shorter players may perform better for a longer period of time due to experiencing less strain on impact and less wear and tear on their joints,” noted Philippe Renaud, a biomechanics researcher at McGill’s Ice Hockey Research Group. Renaud added that the laws of physics suggest the shoulders, hips, knees and ankles of a player such as Francis Bouillon, who is 5’8”, receive much less torsional amplitudes as those of a player standing at 6’6”. Not only do taller players put more stress on their bodies while pivoting and braking, but the longer length of their limbs also puts them at greater risk for a catastrophic injury while making an open-ice check or taking a hit along the boards.
    [...]
    Full article: http://canadiens.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=721759

    The article focuses mostly on how the size of the players impacts the length of their career. Shorter players seem to have a longer career due to less injuries. It's a fascinating discovery and I am curious how further research in this field will impact the scouting in the NHL's future.
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  12. #23012
    Elemental Lord Reg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by draynay View Post
    I think they might've in the closing seconds, but nothing in the preceding 4 minutes.
    Even with all the shots they had earlier, the Rangers just felt flat. They didn't come out in the first with speed like they usually do. The Kings did the same, but they weren't the ones down 2 games. I think through the first period, there was only a total of 7 shots combined. The intensity didn't show up until the second and then flattened again towards the end of the third. The Rangers can't win unless they are making those stretch passes and winning neutral zone battles. The fight was just out of them for 35-40 minutes of game 3.

    The lines should have been juggled for game 3. If they do it tomorrow night, it's too late. DomMoore should be bounced up to center the second line. Put Hagelin and St. Louis together with DomMoore centering. Make the first line Nash, Kreider and Stepan. And please, take Richards off the damn point on the PP. And I may sound crazy, but throw Nash in there on point and cycle him down if necessary. Nash needs to get back to his wrister and stop trying to big body and finese his way through a tough LA defense.
    Last edited by Reg; 2014-06-10 at 02:40 PM.

  13. #23013
    The Insane draynay's Avatar
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    I think if any of us could figure out how to fix Nash we'd be wearing a tie standing next to Vigneault on the Rangers bench.

  14. #23014
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    Anaheim, Chicago and Sharks would have annihilated Rangers. In my opinion Rangers might not even be a top 10 team. Theres nothing to be a shame of because the skillcap between the two teams is just to big.

    Kings are undoubtedly a top 3 team in the league whereas Rangers are not even close.

  15. #23015
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    Scouts always take a look at size. But the first round picks are usually meant to fill an immediate gap, the second and third rounders are meant for the future development. Anything afterwards can be seen as a gamble. There are always exceptions to the rules, bigger players who are made of steel and smaller guys made from glass.

  16. #23016
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    Similar to the NBA, the West is just so much better than the East. Only unfortunately for the NHL there's no Miami Heat in the East to at least give a great Finals. You thought maybe Boston was that, but they are getting pretty long in the tooth at key areas.

  17. #23017
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    LA and Chicago are the class of the league right now, I feel bad for some of the teams that are really good but just can't rise up to their level. St. Louis in particular, they just have no answer for the Kings, and they played 4 overtime games against Chicago but couldn't find a way to match them. San Jose has gone 7 games against LA the last two years, and the Ducks just cannot fight their way out of the second round regardless of how good their regular seasons go. Its no coincidence that Chicago and LA met in back to back conference finals, and if the Kings had been healthier last year it would've taken 7 games for Chicago to beat them, I still think Chicago would've won, they could do no wrong last year, but I felt we were deprived of seeing the best matchup in the league because of the King's injuries. At least we got it this year.

  18. #23018
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stommped View Post
    Similar to the NBA, the West is just so much better than the East. Only unfortunately for the NHL there's no Miami Heat in the East to at least give a great Finals. You thought maybe Boston was that, but they are getting pretty long in the tooth at key areas.
    Boston with Seidenberg can compete with L.A. imo. I think L.A. > Chicago by a small margin > Boston > Anaheim > San Jose > St Louis. Those top 3 are really close teams with tons of depth and amazing goaltending. They're above everyone else and everyone else in the league is a bit further behind those other 3 I mentioned imo. Every team outside those 6 have glaring issues and everyone outside the top 3 have noticeable issues holding them back.

    Mike Modano (Madano? Fuck who cares shitty American playeR) tweeted something along the lines of the Cup Finals were already played in the WCF which I 100% agree with, what a series.
    Last edited by Zeoni; 2014-06-11 at 12:28 AM.

  19. #23019
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zeoni View Post
    Getting swept in this series isn't embarrassing. Games 1 and 2 both went to OT, the 2nd going to 2 OT periods. That's how close they are to making this a 2-0 series lead in their favour. They're also facing the deepest team in the NHL right now who has no weakness'. They are never truly out of the game because they can roll 4 lines for 60 minutes and have tremendous top end talent. Rangers are pretty deep themselves but their best players aren't performing how a teams best players should. Time and time again you see that energy 4th line getting more chances than Nash and Richards ect. The 2 players making the most money this season aren't New York's 2 best players which is why they're losing. L.A. is just a dominant team with amazing goaltending when it matters, are one of the best coached teams in the league, and are just plain huge. I think someone on the radio was saying they have 1 player under 6 feet, 3 under 6'1" and everyone else are taller.

    If this does end up being a sweep, it's been one of the most entertaining sweeps in recent memory. Games 1 and 2 were just amazing, especially the 2nd game's overtime. This 3rd is closer than it should be, Lundqvist weak on the first goal and St Louis made an awful redirection on the 2nd goal. Lucky bounce on the 3rd.

    I'm of the opinion that It doesn't matter how close the game were, if you get swept in a long series, it's embarrassing. Rangers need to win a game and save some face, or every scum bag Bruins or Canadians fan will be chirping all off season about how they could have represented the Eastern Conference better. Who could blame them, sure they had a couple tight games on the road, but they lost them both, and they just got shut out on home ice. It happens again and it'll have been possibly one of the worst Cup Finals in recent memory, I mean when was the last sweep in a Finals? Some time in the 90s... because I really don't recall.
    Last edited by Fahrenheit; 2014-06-11 at 12:22 PM.
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  20. #23020
    Quote Originally Posted by Fahrenheit View Post
    It happens again and it'll have been possibly one of the worst Cup Finals in recent memory, I mean when was the last sweep in a Finals? Some time in the 90s... because I really don't recall.
    Yes, the 90's have been a "Sweep Fest" in the Finals: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?id=5844
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