*** 2021-22 Playoffs Opening Round: Pittsburgh Penguins (M3) at New York Rangers (M2) - (NYR WIN 4-3) ***

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

 

Season Series:  Rangers took it, 3-1-0

Is there still another Cup in the aging, but not-quite-ready-for-pasture core of Crosby-Malkin-Letang?
Do the up n coming Rangers finally shed that label and become legit Cup contenders starting with this series?

Goaltending may play a huge role here as NY's Igor Shesterkin has looked every bit the part of the Vezina candidate....though still looking very pedestrian on some nights, while Tristan Jarry, not regarded particularly as a top tier goalie, has held his team and stolen more games probably than many realize....even though he has looked pretty ordinary himself down the stretch a few times.

Pitts definitely would have the Cup experience edge, even if it was quite some time back now, but the young Rangers, with their vets and some hired guns with Cup experience brought in, may be up to the task of dealing with their overall more experienced division rivals.

All Pittsburgh vs New York general commentary goes right here!

Edited May 16, 2022 by TropicalFruitGirl26

[Math]

Goalies: 

Defense: 

Offense: 

Special teams (PP/PK): 

Coaching: 

Mental: 

Experience: 

Robustness: 

Depth: 

 

That one bugs me. I'd say Rangers in 7.

[Trash Queen]

The Rangers are my team and I am taking them all the way. They are a solid all around team that can go a long way. 

 

Rangers in 6. 

[B21]

I cast my annual "Pens' Opponent In 4" vote.  

 

Like Bob Dylan said, "the times they are a changin'...".  I think this is the swan song for this group.  Crosby will be a Pen for life. Probably Letang, too.  But...longtime President Dave Moorehouse just resigned. My guess is Fenway Sports Group really wants to put their mark on this franchise now and to me...gut feeling...that means Malkin does not get resigned.  If that's the thought process, I can't argue. That's $9,500,000 million in cap space that could be spent elsewhere...on younger players, future core, etc.  They go for it until Crosby can't go anymore. 

 

[Buffalo Rick]

RANGERS EASY

[mojo1917]

I haven't liked the way the Pens played down the stretch.

The games I've watched they've played alright but didn't finish.

Especially v Edmonton. 

I won't ever bet against them though. 

I think the Rangers are alright, but I haven't been able to buy into the idea they are suddenly the chalk.

They're young and have a goalie playing out of his mind .

I think the Pens win this series on experience.

I think there isn't much daylight when comparing talent and the Pens have been here before.

I can see the Rangers being unprepared for playoff style hockey. 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

3 hours ago, mojo1917 said:

I haven't liked the way the Pens played down the stretch.

The games I've watched they've played alright but didn't finish.

Especially v Edmonton. 

I won't ever bet against them though. 

I think the Rangers are alright, but I haven't been able to buy into the idea they are suddenly the chalk.

They're young and have a goalie playing out of his mind .

I think the Pens win this series on experience.

I think there isn't much daylight when comparing talent and the Pens have been here before.

I can see the Rangers being unprepared for playoff style hockey. 

 

Very nicely articulated.

I was also thinking something along the lines of what you posted, but also thinking of the many reasons why the Rangers could pull it out as well.
Not quite the pick'em series the Wild and Blues I feel are, but still can be a close series for different reasons.

Pens did wobble down the stretch while the Rangers picked up some steam, though still not enough steam to catch Carolina.
And I feel the Rangers could possibly have matured since last season with their own in house players and with the help of experienced guys brought in, that they would be able to match Pittsburgh, at least somewhat, on the experience front.

Unless Tristan Jarry plays like a Vezina candidate, the Penguin defense suddenly becomes Ebeneezer Scrooge, and the Pens offense explodes (all possible by the way), I am going to cautiously go with the upstarts in this case, and call a Rangers win in 7.
But in order for NY to do that, the REAL Igor Shesterkin has to show up, and not that imposter that looks like him but lets in soft goals....

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

I didn't catch the reason why Tristan Jarry isn't in net for Pittsburgh, but Casey DeSmith, in his first playoff start, is looking damned sharp.

Rangers are all over the Penguins in the offensive zone and have had some real good set ups and chances where they should have scored, but DeDmith has been positionally sound, calm, and not at all behaving like a journeyman who has never started a post season game.

Can this continue?

Pens are gonna want to relieve some of that pressure on DeSmith by playing on Shesterkin's side of the ice, but at least their goalie is up to the task so far.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

All that pressure finally caught up to the Pens. They took a penalty, and paid for it as the Rangers scored a PP goal.

Lots of hitting going on, mostly from Reaves on Pens players, particularly young John Marino! Ouch!
Reaves has  hammered him at least two or three times already.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Great competitive game by these teams, but, the Rangers score with just over 3 minutes left in the game by storming the net.

Could be a back breaker goal.
Pens need to come up with something quick.

Oh wait...Pens challenging for goalie interference?

Lots of bodies around the Pitts net...

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

And NO GOAL it is!
Wow!

So game continues at 3-3

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Pens, Rangers knotted at 3 now in double OT....and backup Casey DeSmith, who played great in place of the normal starter Tristan Jarry, now exits with some sort of ailment... third string Louie Domingue is now thrown into a double OT situation against the Rangers...wow!

[SaucyJack]

21 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

wow!

Watching this now-triple OT nail-biter is more fun than humans should be allowed to have.  (If you’re neutral, that is.)

[Math]

The winner of this game will be the winner of the series.

[SaucyJack]

I started watching midway thru 1st OT.  About 10 times I thought a scoring chance looked good enough to end it.

 

Agree, Math, lots on the line now emotionally.

 

P.S. FanDuel had this series even-Steven.  -110 for either squad to advance to the next round.  They apparently pegged it right.

Edited May 4, 2022 by SaucyJack

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

16 minutes ago, SaucyJack said:

Watching this now-triple OT nail-biter is more fun than humans should be allowed to have.  (If you’re neutral, that is.)

 

Nearly midnight in NYC!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Pittsburgh takes the long, drawn out Game 1, triple OT, 4-3....with Louie Freakin Domingue in net after coming in at the double OT point!

[SaucyJack]

11 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Nearly midnight in NYC!

Your juju worked; guaranteeing an ending before everyone at MSG turned into pumpkins.

[Brewin Flames]

6 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Pittsburgh takes the long, drawn out Game 1, triple OT, 4-3....with Louie Freakin Domingue in net after coming in at the double OT point!

 

 

When he went in, right away i thought the pens were toast....wrong.

[Tomdog]

8 hours ago, SaucyJack said:

Watching this now-triple OT nail-biter is more fun than humans should be allowed to have.  (If you’re neutral, that is.)

That is spot on. Awesome OT, pretty clean game played rockem sockem hard. 
Both teams with excellent chances finished with an excellent goal. 
To bad every game isn’t like that. 

[mojo1917]

10 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

And NO GOAL it is!
Wow!

So game continues at 3-3

It was the right call.

Heck of a game.

Chris Krieder has improved his game seemingly exponentially. 

I wonder if he's made a big commitment to fitness.

He looks dangerous every shift and his skating is a big part of that.

Edited May 4, 2022 by mojo1917

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

2 hours ago, Brewin Flames said:

 

 

When he went in, right away i thought the pens were toast....wrong.

 

Yea, and it wasn't like he wasn't tested.... Rangers went after him almost right away!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

21 minutes ago, mojo1917 said:

It was the right call.

Heck of a game.

Chris Krieder has improved his game seemingly exponentially. 

I wonder if he's made a big commitment to fitness.

He looks dangerous every shift and his skating is a big part of that.

 

Funny thing is, I remember some seasons back the Rangers were contemplating trading him as they figured he'd be worth more as a trade chip for a rebuild.
Made the right call by keeping him as PART of the rebuild.

Vancouver was/is in a similar situation with JT Miller...they want to partially reconstruct, but stay competitive and have toyed with trading Miller.
Like Kreider, Miller is a jack of all trades type player, and a tough, grindy, sandpaper guy as well (again, like Kreider), and I think he would best serve the Canucks staying put, trading some other large contract, and then see what they can build....like the Rangers did with Kreider.

Also, hate to say it, because I've felt Ryan Reaves is just a big bully on the ice, but Reaves has been hella effective, more so since joining the Rangers.
He seems to pick his spots better and he certainly was giving the Penguins defense the business all game long.

[mojo1917]

@TropicalFruitGirl26

Did Gallant and Reaves paths cross in Vegas?

Could be they both learned from their first go 'round.

 

I agree completely about Reaves on the Rangers, the eyeball test graded him highly in last night's game.

John Marino has the contusions to prove it.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

39 minutes ago, mojo1917 said:

@TropicalFruitGirl26

Did Gallant and Reaves paths cross in Vegas?

Could be they both learned from their first go 'round.

 

I agree completely about Reaves on the Rangers, the eyeball test graded him highly in last night's game.

John Marino has the contusions to prove it.

 

I had to look it up to be sure, but yes, Girard Gallant did indeed coach Reaves when both were in Vegas.