We were a lock to make the playoffs. We had seven games against teams below us in the standings. That was the party line of the all wise lame stream media. Then a funny thing happened at The Wells Fargo Center. A castoff journeyman goalie named Steve Mason turned aside 38 Ranger shots, the Rangers did their usual first period no show and what do you know. A crippling 4-2 loss to the bottom feeder Flyers. And if you think the start was bad, how about no shots on goal in the last 5:34?
Who is to blame? The coach. He can't get the team up for a game that should have been a gimmee. The Rangers were 0-5 on the PP. Ryane Clowe got more PP time, 5:25, than Rick Nash, 5:00. The big three, Nash, Richards and Callahan were invisible. Zuccarello and Stepan were the goal scorers. Thank God we traded away Marian Gaborik. BTW, Columbus is now tied with Detroit for 8th place in the West.
We are now in a tie with the Jets at 46 points and we have a game in hand. We are three behind the Isles who destroyed the Florida Panthers last night. Florida is at the Garden tomorrow night. No sweat. They are the very bottom of the bottom feeders. Instead of making facial gestures the coach should map out some plans to come out of the gate charging.
After the game the usual quotes from an assortment of participants. "We have to respect the fact that every point can make the difference." Really? "I cannot explain it." Ask the coach. "There is no excuse for us not taking it to them from the start." We're saving our strength for the playoffs or the golf links.
The Flyers not only outscored his, they out hit us, 21-19, and blocked more shots, 19-14. Now that will get the coach's attention. Because it's not whether we win or lose as long as we block more shots than the other team. Instead of worrying about blocking shots the coach should be more concerned about a power play that is now 0-14. Yeah, Gaborik is gone. How is that locker room chemistry working now coach?
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Slow start again. We can't play 60 mins. Maybe we've played a full 60 mins twice this season. Why, why, why can't we come out with some desperation in such a big game, everyone asks why? I'll tell ya why, these guys r done playing for this coach. He wears them down physically and mentally and even when guys are confused as to why they can't muster up the effort its because they are beat down. Even guys like Cally, Girardi and Brad have not been themselves this season, Torts beats the hell out of them (his own words) since he's been here and they subconconciously don't want to kill themselves for the cause. Don't they care some may ask? Yes, yes they do. Very much so, in fact they care so much they put it all out there last year and mentally they are burned out. You can't do that to guys game in, game out, season after season, eventually you're just done. This coach can't keep cracking the whip and expect the horses to keep getting up, eventually they will break. Nobody can convince me these guys don't want to win and be the best they can, but somewhere in their minds they just don't have the energy.
It's a shame really we had so much talent and I felt we were very close to putting a contender on the ice. Now pieces have been traded, sent to the minors, released or not re signed all to fit the coaching style of mediocrity that torts demands. Well, mediocrity is what you have now coach so don't bitch you've got what you wanted.
Well said sister.
Yeah Pundit Marion Gaborik has 6 points in 7 games and is a plus 7 on CBJ so far. I have watched all of his games since leaving us and he looks like a player who has been freed from jail. He's flying, making plays, getting creative and he is looking more comfortable with each passing day. His coach has let him go and he has given him line mates and he has played him on the right side and he is starting to build his offense around his naturally talented all star winger, something Torts has failed to do since Gaborik's arrival in NY. People will ask me why or how did Gaborik accomplish 40 goal seasons under this coach if the system is to blame and the answer is simple: Gaborik is extremely talented and has played in very defensive systems since his arrival in the NHL so he's used to it, but that doesn't mean it comes easy. And clearly, he was done. Torts misused him all season in his game of deceit. Gaby had 9g 10a and was a minus 8 in 35 games, highly criticized for underachieving but was still 3rd in NYR scoring at the time of his departure. He is now a minus 1. Looks like his new coach figured out quite quickly how to use a 40 goal scorer. Guess it wasn't rocket science after all. Just stupid to water down your talent to please a coach.
Since the trade NYR record is 4-2-1 So that's 4 wins and 3 losses which makes us what? contenders? Nope. Average. In the standings we played 42 games and our record is 21-17-4. 46 points. Fighting for 8th in the East. What does that make us? Contenders? Nope. Average. And taking away talent means we are going backwards not forward in an effort to be what? Contenders? Nope. Average.
Sine the trade CBJ is 5-2-0. They played 43 games and their record is 20-16-7. 47 points. Fighting for 8th in the West. It might be their second playoff birth in their history. What does this make them? Contenders? Not quite. Average? Yes. But they are adding talent and thus moving forward with JD at the helm.
Sad, sad days for NYR indeed. Starting the season with Stanley Cup hopes and ending it identical to the Blue Jackets. No offense to the Jackets. The future is bright for them. And next season they will be in our conference and Gaby will get to play us. Smart move Glen. Add it to your long, long list.
Last nights game was more of the same. Rope-A-Dope for the first period and Pundit would say and now Scotty Hockey with a great post over the weekend. This time we got burned. Team is inconsistent, can't put 60 minutes together to literally save their lives, the power play is a mess... HALF of our forwards are different, still the same problems. When does management figure it out? You know I STILL have people defending this coach to me. Seemingly intelligent hockey fans too. Its truly unbelievable.
only solution is to hope rangers miss the plyoffs and keep missing them until idiot coach is gone
Jeanine and Jen it is always fun for me to check in here and get your take on things as we spiral downward.
Yes, how can the cumulative effect of all the shot blocking and rope-a-doping not have sapped the will and strength of our heroes.
Agree that all the needless wheeling and dealing has gutted what was once a Stanley Cup contender. As Mike says: if only they had a coach who would have just let them play, rather than micro-managing a toxic defense. Why not trust in Lundqvist to do his job and let the dogs lose? Instead Torts, the dog lover that he is, leashed his dogs, or thrashed, beat, and sent them back to the pound in Hartford.
Irony would dictate that Gaborik helps CBJ make the playoffs and the Rangers do not. Who every called his trade a win-win for both teams is going to regret saying that.
Yes, it was nice to see Scotty also use the rope-a-dope metaphor to describe what has become disagreeable's trademark strategy. Mike has used that term here in these three recent articles and several times last year to convey the punching bag feel that watching Rangers hockey has these days: Sixty Minutes! (4/12), Lundqvist "Saves" Rangers! (4/7), Caps Creep Closer (3/25). Wikipedia even gives the term its own page.
We are put in a tough spot rooting for this team to make the playoffs, and knowing that outcome will lock in another season of disagreeable. Ouch, that will certainly feel like taking one for the team in a soft spot.
Before the deadline I was hopeful that someone in Rangers management would step up and do what needs to be done but they are too selfish or to ignorant or too blind to do it. Its probably a combination of all. I'm tired of being let down. It's a shame. Last year the Rangers were in the process of building a contender and this year they began the process of tearing it apart before it could bear fruit. I even wrote a letter to Mark Messier asking him to save the Rangers yet again before they do something stupid like trading Gaborik, but Mark doesn't hold any real power at the moment. I just hoped. I don't even think they will fire him if the Rangers don't make the playoffs. He will convince them that this time he has no responsibility in the teams failure because of the lockout. He will contend that "camp Torts" is the staple of his so-called success and with out boot camp the season was doomed to failure. Since its obvious this dictatorship is his, Sather will keep him because Sather is just done and has no clue what moves to make without Torts telling him what to do. Sather will selfishly keep this coach as long as possible to preserve his own job and then as soon as the Rangers begin to fail next season and all the talk starts up about the coach, Sather will have to decide if kicking more players to the curb will save him or if firing the coach will save him. The only thing I know for sure is Sather will sacrifice our team, wins, or anyone, coach, players whoever to save himself. So we have to hope Dolan wakes up at some point and decides the Rangers winning would be good for his wallet and to accomplish that he needs new management and coaching. So which evil do we root for?
Last night Jeanine and I stayed up late to watch the Blue Jackets beat the Ducks in OT. We couldn't turn it off. The Jackets played so good all night. No points for Gaby but he was close a couple of times. His speed, his effort, his all around play has been great to watch. The jackets as a whole have been fun to watch. What a difference the coaching style makes. This team is going to be dangerous to us next season. If someone told me a month ago I would be having this much fun watching Blue Jackets games I would have thought they were nuts. Join the Battle! Go Jackets!
Jen, It's funny but I had checked out about 7 minutes of the Blue Jackets' game last night. I went to NHL.com and they give you like 5 free minutes of video viewing on their gamecenter.nhl.com. So I watched my 5 minutes of the 3rd period and then listened to the audio for a couple of minutes and with Anaheim leading 2-1 I clicked off and went to bed. Today I see that about 30 seconds after I turned the game off Columbus scored. Also, Dubi was voted 3rd star with 19:35 of ice time. Why can't we get players like that? Oh wait, we did have players like that.
JB
Yeah it's just nice watching a speedy, aggressive style of play like the Jackets. It's been great seeing Dubi and Gaby play freely, they have been working hard and you can see the team wants to win. I think Gaby joining the team has breathed new life into Dubi they seem excited to be on the same team again. Their coach actually speaks to them and trusts their judgement, imagine that?
Haha Jen, I like your join the battle tag... So funny. But like you say, Go Jackets!
Oh and it was my mistake on Gaborik, he did record an assist last night on the game winner along with 5 shots on goal in 19:58 of ice time. Looks like he's the point a game player he's always been. Hmmmm. Sather trading so many of our players to the same team is great for people like us because we get to see a good portion of our group playing great hockey together, but its probably not such a good move on the part of Rangers management since it exposes the coach for the idiot he is just as much as having to dump talent in order to fit his one size fits all failing approach to hockey.