C'mon man, now you sound like a Montreal Canadians fan, the refs have always and will always make bad calls. You overcome them...how about Nash show up and play like the top NHL forward that he is being paid like. The fact is the Rangers were not deep enough and did not have enough difference makers to win it this year. I hope next year they go out and get some better two way players, that's what it takes to win the cup these days. A deep roster filled with two way players. I rooted for the rangers to win, but every true hockey fan saw the writing on the wall. This was not about the media and what they thought of the Kings, it's about the Kings and their proven track record in the playoffs this year, they were up to any challenge that they came up against. I think that the rangers need another center and winger, keep Richards and just put him on the third line to give you depth. Getting rid of Richards will just put them where they were, not enough depth. Roll out 4 good lines with speed and size and king Henry will take care of the rest.
The Rangers just couldn't get out of their own end reliably and every third or fourth Kings possession turned into a shooting gallery at Lundqvist. The Rangers really have to handle the puck better in their own end.
Removed, they did lead. The Rangers played fantastic in the playoffs though. They were going to be the underdog in Stanley Cup Finals and held up strong to the Kings in all by one game. Just couldn't bury the chances they had in OT or the very end of regulation.
The refs don't make those insanely bad calls or no-calls and we are probably up 3-2 in the series after last night.
great ride guys. If you want to blame some Rangers, their names are Nash Richards, Girardi and Staal. But the Kings are the better team and more importantly, know how to win close games. we need a number 1 center---bottom line. And we need a guy who can qb the PP.....lets see what the off season brings
Nash and Richards. Primmadonnas. Too bad we mortgaged the future for this game. Oh well. Don't think we'll be abck here anytime soon
Easier said than done to overcome bad calls. If you are going to give a good team like the Kings a few extra goals that they didn't deserve during the course of a series, they will make you pay. They are a good team that pounced on the mistakes of the refs, but to say that it didn't have a huge impact on the series is ridiculous.
Maybe because it was a Friday night ending, but I feel like when NY teams lose they are always over criticized, the stars are ripped if it isn't their fault, and the media has a field day. But this time, I don't know, it feels like this Rangers team is being really appreciated and respected for what they did and how close they came. They had their chances, it didn't happen, but man looking back it was an incredible run. From a poor start, to playoffs, two game 7s, back against the walls a lot, the team was great fun to watch even though it was frustrating at times. Also when I read this thread, I feel like I'm learning more about hockey so that's awesome!
This is true but the ice was tilted in their favor for 40 minutes a game. That's what sunk the Rangers. You just can't let the other team live in your zone for two out of every three minutes and really it felt worse that that.
Fantastic run Jon...great run....GREAT TO BE A RANGER FAN this year...really enjoyed it. Could care less about the "they weren't good here or there" as Ranger fans, we had a great run...a better run then any Jet team has given us in many a moon. They are building something and Im sure A.V. now knows what he needs to continue the success. A.V. has shown real growth since his loss as a Canucks coach. Great to be a Ranger fan...really enjoyed it.
The rangers had leads in multiple games in the series, they did not have the players or depth to close out the games. Both teams played multiple game seven series, with the one exception, rangers against Montreal 6 games. What about the 2 goal leads that the rangers could not hang on to? Where we watching the same game? Did not Kreider have a break away? What about the 2 power plays the rangers had in the second OT? I was rooting big time for the rangers, but they had plenty of chances between the game tying goal and the game winning goal by the kings, that had nothing to do with the refs.
I'm not so sure about them building something. The Rangers are not built for the long term, or the short term. Nash is signed for $8 million for the next four seasons and is way overpaid. Richards is signed for $7 million per for 6 years and is going to need to be bought out. St. Louis is almost 40, will be paid $5.5 next year and then is a free agent. Stepan, Hagelin, Brassard, Kreider, and Zuccarello will all be free agents this year or next and all will be looking for big money unless the team signs them to cap friendly contract, which is not likely and is not Sather's strength. So the Rangers have three high- priced overpaid forwards who did not produce, a group of young players who need to be signed this year or next, and the need to fill almost two full lines with other players. As for the defense, Girardi (who looked awful this postseason), McDonagh and Klein are signed long term for a total of $13.5 million. Staal will be paid $4 million next year and then is a free agent who will want a big payday (hello Carolina for reunion with brothers?). Lundqvist is 32 and is owed $8.5 million for the next 7 years. He should be good for another 4 years or so, but the Rangers are in deep trouble if he starts to break down. The Rangers have over $30 million (half the cap) tied up in 6 players who are aging and/or not worth the money. They will have tough decisions and will need to shell out some serious cash to keep players like Stepan, Hagelin, Brassard, Kreider, Zucc, and/or Staal. If they sign 4 of the 6, it will cost over $5 million per a year. That leaves about $15 million for 10-11 remaining players. This team does not look like a long-term winner to me unless they find gold in the system or are able to fleece teams with deals like the Gomez for McDonagh trade ( which is not likely).
Great season and great playoffs, Rangers fans! Before the playoffs started, I decided to cheer for the Rangers since the Caps didn't make it and Henrik Lundqvist is my favorite non-cap. They had a great run. The Kings were the better team, but the Rangers showed they were better than people think. You could even say they were a few bounces from leading the series 3-2 right now or even winning it themselves 4-1. I don't know if the Rangers will return to the SCF next year, but they should definitely be in the mix.
Man.... So close. 3 of 5 games end in OT, 2 in double OT. That series could have easily taken a much different direction if not for a few unlucky plays and some costly mistakes. And I'm going to say the Rick Nash / Gaborik swap failed miserably. We should never have brought Nash in and we should have kept Gaborik. It's obvious which guy is a post season winner, and which guy had virtually no impact on the playoffs. Dolan fails again. We could have won it all. And nobody should ever doubt Lundqvist again. Michael Kay putting blame on him the other day before that last game was absurd. The guy played his ass off in these games, and we got dominated in shots taken, yet almost every game was a 1 goal game.
