*** 2021-22 Eastern Conference Finals: Tampa Bay Lightning (A3) at New York Rangers (M2) - (TBL WIN 4-2) ***

[NoGoal]

Shesterkin should have to leave for concussion protocol.  If he's going to react like that to head contact, then he should be required to leave the ice and be checked.

Edited June 2, 2022 by FireDillabaugh

[Alexandron]

18 minutes ago, FireDillabaugh said:

Tampa was gassed.  Cirelli needs to get that puck out of the zone.

 

Defense got too flat and allowed that open lane for the pass to Chytil.

Tampa had pretty long break before these semifinal series. Practically, it is going to be a competitive duel between 2 talented goalies. And the winner, probably will win a Stanley Cup too. It does not seem for me goalies from Western Conference (Smith and Kuemper) are comparable to these goalies. Interesting, one goalie(Vasilevsky) won 2 Stanley Cups and a gold at World Championship and the other goalie (Shesterkin) won a gold at Olympic Games and 1 Gagarin Cup. Overall, extremely difficult prediction for both semifinal but very intriguing series.

[CorkyM]

No, I don’t think Tampa has found their game yet. But wait………………

[Alexandron]

25 minutes ago, Gritty Fanatic said:

Having a long period off between series is not always the best. The Rangers are not far off from game play while the Lightning have had 9 games between game play. It may take the Lightning a bit to get back into the game time action after that layoff and for them it better be in the Game 2 or they will find themselves possibly down 2 games to zilch heading back to Tampa. 

 

Another thing is they are dealing with Shesterkin and not Bobrosky and Campbell. Tampa is a very quality team that can come back,but it is going to be a lot more difficult against Shesterkin then the goalies in the previous rounds. 

Completely agree.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

36 minutes ago, Gritty Fanatic said:

Having a long period off between series is not always the best. The Rangers are not far off from game play while the Lightning have had 9 games between game play. It may take the Lightning a bit to get back into the game time action after that layoff and for them it better be in the Game 2 or they will find themselves possibly down 2 games to zilch heading back to Tampa. 

 

Another thing is they are dealing with Shesterkin and not Bobrosky and Campbell. Tampa is a very quality team that can come back,but it is going to be a lot more difficult against Shesterkin then the goalies in the previous rounds. 

I will agree that Shester is the best goalie the Bolts have faced to this point, but at the same time, I say to you, that not only is Shester susceptible to pressure (Bolts haven't completely taken it to him yet), as was shown by teams in the earlier rounds, but, while the Bolts ARE dealing with a better overall goalie this season in this round, one could argue the Rangers and Shesterkin are facing one of the better all around offenses as well.

This is no anemic Hurricanes squad, and no hit or miss offense like the Penguins showed.

I'll worry a bit more if the Rangers take G2 as well, but right now, I'll chalk this one up to the TB layoff (with props given to the Rangers for making the Bolts have a bad night), but I think the Champs will be much better in G2.

Lightning DID get some quality chances this game. Would have been more worrisome if the Rangers would have completely shut them down...and whatever mistakes the Bolts' team defense has made, ARE correctable. 

I gotta give it to the NY fans though..
The "Igor is better" chant was cute.  

[Alexandron]

I think Vasilevsky was not focused enough for this game. He should stop at least a half of those goals.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Nikita Kucherov will definitely need to up his game and stop showing frustration on the ice.

Non chalant play, blind passes, smacking sticks against the ice when plays don't go his way...all that has to go away.
I would think someone in the locker room would bring his attention to that.

Kuch is a world class hockey player. He just needs to play like it, not like a guy who expects to just show up and teams will shrink away because he is Kucherov.
I want to see more from that man because I KNOW he's got it.

[Dumpster Hockey]

7 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

I will agree that Shester is the best goalie the Bolts have faced to this point, but at the same time, I say to you, that not only is Shester susceptible to pressure (Bolts haven't completely taken it to him yet), as was shown by teams in the earlier rounds, but, while the Bolts ARE dealing with a better overall goalie this season in this round, one could argue the Rangers and Shesterkin are facing one of the better all around offenses as well.

This is no anemic Hurricanes squad, and no hit or miss offense like the Penguins showed.

I'll worry a bit more if the Rangers take G2 as well, but right now, I'll chalk this one up to the TB layoff (with props given to the Rangers for making the Bolts have a bad night), but I think the Champs will be much better in G2.

Lightning DID get some quality chances this game. Would have been more worrisome if the Rangers would have completely shut them down...and whatever mistakes the Bolts' team defense has made, ARE correctable. 

I gotta give it to the NY fans though..
The "Igor is better" chant was cute.  

You could say that Vasilevskiy who is also one of the top goalies in the league also shut down one of the best offenses in the Florida Panthers in sweep fashion just the round before. So top goalies can do some amazing things many times. 

 

I also think that Tampa also had a bad game and they will improve because they are a much better squad then they played tonight. This series is going to be a fantastic series and I predicted the Rangers in 7 and I believe it will need all 7 games. 

 

The "Igor is better" chant was cute and on this night he was the better of the two goalies. We shall see how that goes the remainder of the series. 

[3 Palmateers]

Tampa without Point isn't that intimidating unless you're the other Florida hockey team.

 

Pretty remarkable hearing during the broadcast that the Rangers had more goals on Vasilevskiy halfway through the 2nd, than the Panthers did the entire series. 

 

We saw this start vs. Toronto. Tampa rocked 5-0...but they had Brayden Point. They don't this time around. 

 

Feeling tremors in the force and feeling the Rangers in the Finals just like the NHL would want. 

 

 

[Brewin Flames]

That was Tampa's bad night....now they regroup.

 

.

[Brewin Flames]

 

[GratefulFlyers]

I expected the Rangers to win last night and I figured Vasilevskiy would end the night with an .882 Save%...Riiiight... But seriously he did fit right in with TB's overall effort. Stamkos had a good game but he may be the only TB player who did.

 

I was surprised the layoff effect lasted all game (if that's what it was). NY is playing extremely well but 6 goals past Vasilevskiy! Then again the Leafs put up 5 and blanked the Bolts in G1 so I guess TB fans can relax. Give the Rangers full credit they took advantage of what the Bolts gave them and they gave them a lot!

 

I'm sure TB will have their legs and their timing back on Friday and we'll see a much better effort from them. 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 2, 2022 by GratefulFlyers

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

19 minutes ago, GratefulFlyers said:

I expected the Rangers to win last night and I figured Vasilevskiy would end the night with an .882 Save%...Riiiight... But seriously he did fit right in with TB's overall effort. Stamkos had a good game but he may be the only TB player who did.

 

I was surprised the layoff effect lasted all game (if that's what it was). NY is playing extremely well but 6 goals past Vasilevskiy! Then again the Leafs put up 5 and blanked the Bolts in G1 so I guess TB fans can relax. Give the Rangers full credit they took advantage of what the Bolts gave them and they gave them a lot!

 

I'm sure TB will have their legs and their timing back on Friday and we'll see a much better effort from them. 

 

 

 

 

 

Plus, for G2, there is the added intrigue of Andrei Vasilevskiy's record in the playoffs following a loss... 18-0.
Do the Rangers blemish that? Or does "the best goaltender on the planet" make it 19 straight? 

I know which one I WANT....  

[GratefulFlyers]

The best goaltender on the planet is facing the other best goaltender on the planet (well, this year’s anyway) and if the Rangers stay true to form they’ll be in desperation mode on Friday night. For good reason too because it seems to me if they don’t take the first 2 at home their chances of winning the series drop dramatically (regardless what the odds actually are). I base that on how much better TB has played while moving along to the Conference Final. The Rangers have too but not as much as TB has elevated their game. I’m not sure that means anything but it sounds good! And it’s true.

 

So… G2…I’m sure TB will also be thinking “desperate hockey” but I give the Rangers the edge at home. 

[Brewin Flames]

Emergence of ‘kid line’ is game changer for Rangers

By Adam Gretz Jun 2, 2022, 3:22 PM EDT

 

Sarah Stier, Getty Images

•  

 

There are a lot of reasons the New York Rangers are in the Eastern Conference Final and already sitting with a 1-0 series lead over the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

 

At the top of that list is the play of all-world goaltender Igor Shesterkin. He is the franchise player, having a Conn Smythe caliber run, and is in the running for almost every individual award he could possibly win as a goalie.

 

They are also getting a dominant performance from their power play, led by veterans Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.

 

But there is another factor at play, and it is perhaps the most encouraging for the Rangers’ long-term outlook. It is the emergence of what is being referred to as “The Kid Line” (we need a better nickname for this, people) of Filip Chytil, Alexis Lafrenière, and Kaapo Kakko.

 

The trio became a thing late in the regular season, and then really started to get consistent playing time in the playoffs. They were the Rangers’ best line in the First Round against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and have progressively gotten better each game.

 

They were sensational on Wednesday night against Tampa Bay, with Chytil scoring a pair of goals. That gives him five goals over the Rangers’ past three games, and seven for the playoffs overall.

 

So far this postseason that trio has spent 115 minutes of 5-on-5 hockey together as a line, and it has been one of the Rangers’ best.

 

The Rangers are above the 50 percent mark in terms of total shot attempt share, scoring chances, high-danger chances, and expected goals, while also outscoring teams by a 9-5 margin with them on the ice. Those numbers on their own without any additional context are strong.

 

But when you consider what the rest of the Rangers’ lines have looked liked during 5-on-5 play you get a sense for just how important they have been for the team.

 

 

When none of those three are on the ice, the Rangers’ goal differential drops down to 22-19, while their possession numbers absolutely plummet.

 

When The Kid Line is sitting on the bench, the Rangers’ expected goal share at 5-on-5 drops down to just 37 percent, while their shot attempt and scoring chance share all sit in the 30-38 percent range. Those numbers are not great.

 

In terms of actual offensive production, The Kid Line scores 4.91 goals per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play this postseason.

The rest of the Rangers are at 2.59 goals per 60 minutes.

 

All of this is significant for two reasons.

 

The first is that it is giving the Rangers a chance to win it all this season. At the start of the season their lineup was extremely top-heavy with Artemi Panarin, Zibanejad, and Kreider carrying the bulk of the offense.

 

They badly needed more scoring depth.

 

They addressed that at the trade deadline by acquiring Frank Vatrano and Andrew Copp, among others. But Vatrano and Copp immediately went into the Rangers’ top-six to further strengthen their top two lines.

 

At the time, I wrote that it made players like Lafrenière and Kappo (and especially Lafrenière) major X-factors for the Rangers this season. If they could take a big step forward in their development, it would create a deeper team and give them more potential impact players.

 

They are starting to get that level of play.

 

If your team is to have any chance of winning a Stanley Cup it is going to need three or four lines that can all score. Your superstar players are not always going to be there offensively and a lot of times the top lines can cancel each other out. That means it can come down to whose third and fourth lines can make a difference.

 

The Rangers are getting that with this trio.

 

But the other important development here is what this means for the Rangers’ long-term outlook.

 

All three players (Chytl, Lafrenière, and Kappo) have always been significant parts of the Rangers’ rebuild and have been expected to be cornerstone players.

 

Especially Lafrenière and Kappo. They are aged 22, 20, and 19 respectively and they were all high first-round picks, including a No. 1 (Lafrenière) and a No. 2 overall pick. They have shown flashes of the potential that made them such high picks, but it has not always come together at the same time.

 

Kappo does everything well in terms of driving possession creating chances, but it has not always turned into goals for him.

 

Lafrenière has had scoring surges, but struggled to find consistency and get playing time.

 

Chytil has been a combination of both (doing everything right, not getting the results).

 

Now that all of them are together and getting a chance to make a difference, they are starting to become the players the Rangers hoped they would become.

 

Not every top pick immediately enters the NHL and becomes a superstar from the first day. Sometimes there is a learning curve and a process that goes into it before everything clicks. It is starting to click for them.

 

If this turns out to be the turning point for them as players and it starts a real upward trajectory that is going to not only give the Rangers a better chance this season, it is also going to significantly impact their long-term outlook beyond this season.

[Alexandron]

On 6/1/2022 at 9:42 PM, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

I gotta give it to the NY fans though..
The "Igor is better" chant was cute.  

I am sure that this chant was really disturbing Vasilevsky during the game#1.  I will not be surprised to hear the chant  for Vasilevsky "Andrei is better" at Tampa in game #3 and #4 out of Tampa fans. These chants usually are disturbing any player. No questions, for the Lightning team will be very difficult to win these series and should be focused a lot during the game. Rangers is a tough team to beat.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

1 hour ago, Alexandron said:

I am sure that this chant was really disturbing Vasilevsky during the game#1.  I will not be surprised to hear the chant  for Vasilevsky "Andrei is better" at Tampa in game #3 and #4 out of Tampa fans. These chants usually are disturbing any player. No questions, for the Lightning team will be very difficult to win these series and should be focused a lot during the game. Rangers is a tough team to beat.

 

I highly doubt the chants are disturbing to most players. You don't become a professional, especially a professional expert at what you do, by paying attention to fan taunts.

Usually, the players that let that sort of thing get to them don't last long in the league.
Vasilevskiy, obviously, is here to stay. So is Shesterkin for that matter.

I mentioned the chant only in sarcasm, as in, "Yea, have your fun....lots of series left".
IF the Rangers win this series, those fans will have the last laugh.
If they don't, they will look as silly as they sounded....though I even doubt they'd care.  

[mkscrewy]

Vasilevsky hasn't lost back to back games in how many serieseseseses?

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

5 hours ago, mkscrewy said:

Vasilevsky hasn't lost back to back games in how many serieseseseses?

 

In total games played after a loss in the playoffs, he stands at 17-0.
Hoping for 18 tonight.

 

Edited June 3, 2022 by TropicalFruitGirl26

[Brewin Flames]

All this did was piss them off...

 

Predicting a Tampa win tonight.... 4-1

[GratefulFlyers]

Rangers deliver another beatdown ... Vasilevskiy gets pulled midway thru the 1st ... 6-1 is your final.

 

Or not...

 

edit; jeez what a horseshit call that should've been nothing c'mon Roony this is PO hockey!

Edited June 4, 2022 by GratefulFlyers

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

If the Lightning do make a comeback in this series, they will have certainly earned it.

Rangers are looking fast, in sync, and confident.
The young players on the Rangers are playing like this is a backyard pond game.....too young to truly know how big these moments are (yet), and probably don't care.

That is a compliment to them.
Their so-called Kid Line reminds me a bit of the Bolts' Triplet Line of Kucherov, Palat, and Tyler Johnson....whom no one knew too much about, teams didn't respect them, and they made teams pay.

Chytil, Kakko, Lafreniere are doing similar.
Looks very good for NY long term.

[CorkyM]

Sunday and Tuesday at the Lightening. It is very possible that Tampa could even it. The Rangers are really looking good, now. But the Lightning are just too good to be swept………..I think. And Tampa Bay scores late!

Edited June 4, 2022 by CorkyM

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

1 minute ago, CorkyM said:

Sunday and Tuesday at the Lightening. It is very possible that Tampa could even it. The Rangers are really looking good, now. But the Lightening are just too good to be swept………..I think. 

 

I think the Rangers continue to play on the road same way they do at home. No reason for them to change...it's working.

The big advantage TB will have at home (if it really is one) would be last change, giving Jon Cooper the chance to get the match ups he wants.
Maybe he can assign certain guys to shut down that 3rd line of NY's.

Big maybe though.
Truth is, the Rangers  have three legit scoring lines....and that is something the Bolts themselves should understand very well. At their best, TB has three, sometimes four lines that can produce.

I am seeing LOTS of uncharacteristic sloppiness overall in execution and coverage from the Lightning.
Passes to no one in particular (thinking a teammate was going to be in a given spot), not attacking the net to draw penalties like they normally do, not collapsing properly around Vasilevskiy, and firing too many pucks from behind the red line when skating it upwards a bit would be more beneficial.

Kudos to NY for causing those headaches for Tampa Bay, granted. I've always been one that says, "If a team is having a bad game, bad series, whatever...the OTHER team has a lot to do with it"

But the bottom line is, if the Bolts want to continue on as champions they are going to have to find a way to counter what the Ranges are doing and just execute better. It's as simple as that.
If not, their reign may come to an end this series.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Well, Game 3 just became a must-win for the Lightning.

They do that, we got a series again....if not....well, I know the Rangers still gotta win 4, but it will be almost impossible for even the Lightning to win 4 straight from these red hot Rangers.