Yeah, Marty got the win to even the series, but if you watched you noticed that only one team showed up to play the game and that team wasn't in the road whites. So this is what happens when you are playing goal for the New York Rangers and your name is Henrik Lundqvist. You have given your team two shutout wins and when push comes to shove the team can't help Lundqvist.
The coach claims the team isn't tired, but when asked a relevant question he states, "we never had the puck." So how does one go about getting the puck? You fight for it and you skate for it. Skate for it? There was no skating, no movement, no flow, no cohesion and no goals. Want proof of that? The Devils had five power plays and scored one goal. We had one power play and naturally didn't score. You are not going to draw penalties and get power plays if you are not aggressive and not skating.
Why weren't the Rangers skating? No one was hurt, so that's out. No one on the Rangers is lazy, so that's out. The coach insists the team is not tired, but with last night's performance or lack of, there is a strong case made for a tired team. The best legs on the Rangers last night were Kreider, Mitchell and Hagelin. You figure out why.
So now the template continues, win one, lose one. However, this is game five which is pivotal. We can't lose this one and go to the Rock down three to two in games. There is no Mark Messier on this Ranger roster. Another Mattieu, Mattieu, Mattieu could show up but if we don't show up tomorrow night at game zero, and skate, skate, skate we will spend the summer talking about the what ifs.
oh boy. The story of the series is basically this: its a miracle the series is tied. So I guess its fitting the coaches new strategy for scoring goals is now "pray." Yes that was his response to the media asking him how he plans to get the top 6 going he adds: "I don't know what else to tell you. We're going to keep on trying to play, pray and hopefully something good happens to them." Now when I said this man doesn't know anything about offense I was clearly mistaken. That's the best strategy anyone could possibly come up with. Surely Jesus Christ can score a few goals, right? or maybe the other deliverer of Ranger miracles Henrik Lundqvist can net a few. After all he is the first second and third star of the series on the Rangers side.
Truth, they are a tired bunch. There isn't a soul on the earth who can convince me that these guys don't have the heart. They talk about getting off to a better start and I know they mean it. They are running on fumes. The players ARE praying. They pray Henrik gets them to the 3rd period so they can muster up enough to steal the games at this point. We're going into game 5. Another long series. Coach doesn't help by giving the Devils added incentive to win as he did with his big mouth prior to game 4, then coming unglued in third... oh boy.
I hear Zuccarello and Dubinsky both had a full practice today. Maybe they will get into game 5 if they are ready and help out. I know they are injured but they have had some rest. Maybe they give us fresh legs and provide the miracle coach is praying for.
Pray. Now that's what I call a thin playbook.
Deboer 2, tortorella 0. Point that finger all you want John. You're being out-coached. You're making maniacal decisions. You are the only one in the way of the rangers getting to the stanley cup. Don't ruin it fonzi.
Oh, and uh, Rupp is it? You sucker punched a goaltender you won a stanley cup with. Unreal, man.
First the BS salute in the classic (uh yeah, jaromir jagr kind of brought the rangers organization back from the dead) and now this?
Trying to do your best Sean Avery impression, I presume? Finally figured out you had no hockey skill whatsoever, so you thought you'd be that feisty "tough" guy last night to get some brownie points with the fans. Nope. Not working big boy. There's only one man who can successfully do what you so poorly have tried to do this year, you guessed it: Sean Avery.
Pathetic. WE STILL WANT AVERY
LGR! balls to the wall tomorrow, I agree we cannot go back to jersey down 3-2
I am happy that I was so busy today that I had almost zero time to think about Game 4.
Sometimes I use the term 'that was painful' when describing something that did not leave me satisfied. It's become a figure of speech for me. Game 4 actually was painful. I don't think I had a single good feeling about the Rangers' prospects after 5 minutes in. Seriously, my optimism was drowned.
I am dubstruck by just how bad the team was. No way they cannot be better. The will be better. They have to be better.
Go Rangers!
PS
Oh yeah, almost forgot to say - dumping the puck to Maaarrty and watching him do stuff with it ain't working. He has 4 assists already this playoff, why not let him skate it out and try for a goal?
The fact that a team in game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals could look so inept was very "painful."
I pray they were just "tired" because that is something they can bounce back from.
It will be a minor miracle if this team pulls itself together beats NJ and then goes on to beat LA.
I wonder if NJ putting the Rangers out of their misery saves the Blueshirts the embarrassment of getting steamrolled in the finals?
Would you rather lose to NJ in 6 or 7, or go on and lose to LA in 4 or 5?
I'm thinking sure lets try and get to the finals. Anything could happen, a key injury, suspension, etc could change the future timeline, which I think is pretty dark if not altered by some sort of shock.