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

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

53 minutes ago, Math said:

 

Yeah if they got a third in a row in the context of a 30+ league with salary cap, revenue sharing and all that stuff to even things out, that would be pretty insane.

 

Yesterday on the TVA evening show, to the question asked to former goalie Eric Fichaud: "Will it be right to call the Lightning a dynasty if they win the cup?" -- "They are already a dynasty..."

I can get behind that!

And many talk about how "it started" with the first Cup following the sweep debacle at the hands of Columbus....well, I say, it started well before that.
Sure, the Lightning didn't win, but they had some damned good teams, with some of the core guys on there now, who lost to eventual Cup winners in the years leading up to their first Cup win since 2004.

They lost to the likes of Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Washington since 2011 in the years those teams won it all.
I'd like to think those were the 'learning years'. Where hard lessons had to be absorbed...and yet, the teams still provided me with a great product on the ice.

I don't know when this current ride ends, but I am assured, that for the rest of my life, I can say, "My team gave me some elite hockey to enjoy in my lifetime"
And I don't plan on taking that for granted because I know how long some fanbases have waited and are STILL waiting for even a shot at ONE Cup!

[Captain Lando]

1 hour ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

 

You keep saying, round after round "your team was outplayed"....yet they keep winning.

If it were the Blues, you'd be all about how 'loaded' they are...how they have 'weapons'....how 'they know how to win'.
And yet...the Blues are sitting at home now and the Bolts are continuing to play....like they have for the last two playoff seasons.
Well, the Lightning are 'loaded', have 'weapons', and 'know how to win'. 

Someone, somewhere will beat Tampa Bay. And I am sure you will be there to let everyone know that "you knew that was going to happen".
Wonderful.
In the meantime, enjoy the history you are witnessing. There is a very special core group at work there, doing great things, and with a chance to do something no one has done in nearly 40 years.

AND, even if they lose this year, it doesn't diminish what they've accomplished, nor the fact they are still young and good enough to make another run for the next two or three seasons on top of it.

Your Buffalo Sabres are in the same division as the Lightning. The Sabres can take LOTS of notes on how the Lightning built a winner...and I am sure they are.
Remember this: stiff competition in a division breeds tougher teams overall in the division.
Bolts set a standard other teams are wanting to meet or exceed....bottom line: They are freaking GOOD at what they do...so much so that even when "teams outplay them", they still find ways to win.

It is obvious that the Lightning are stacked, but it is more than just that with this team. They have gelled as a unit and that is something that should be commended upon the Jon Cooper and the coaching staff. Not every team with fantastic players work well together, especially in pressure games. The Florida Panthers are a recent team that fits this example. Full of talent, but could not put it together when it counts.

 

The Lightning know exactly how to work together as a unit of 23 players to get the job done and that is why they are so successful not only in the regular season. but also in the playoffs. They are also successful when a key player goes down with an injury. Case in point,(no pun intended) Brayden Point and others step up and work together to get the job down. This is what makes this team a champion. Yes, I called them a champion as that is what they are and I am not a fan of them at all. Credit is due where it is due.

 

This is why I want my team, the Colorado Avalanche who I also see as a team who plays as a unit of very talented players go up against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Finals. I want all the opportunity to say we dethroned the champs from the top. That is what would really put a cherry on top of all of this. Also I want Brayden Point back on the ice along with Nazim Kadri and Andrew Cogliano so both teams can go at this at full strength. No excuses at the end. 

 

Let's get this on and GO AVS GO!!!!

[pilldoc]

5 hours ago, mkscrewy said:

https://twitter.com/ScottKaplanOn/status/1535107815014076424?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1535107815014076424|twgr^|twcon^s1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wtsp.com%2Farticle%2Fsports%2Flightning-fan-sucker-punched-rangers-fan-madison-square-garden%2F67-c9ac9d05-9c4b-4034-bcd4-13f484196ac2

 

announcer: "This is bad, but remember Philadelphia fans, though, Bob. They boo'd Santa in '68!"

 

Disgusting on so many levels ..... Glad they arrested the dude who sucker punched him.

 

 

[pilldoc]

5 hours ago, mkscrewy said:

https://twitter.com/ScottKaplanOn/status/1535107815014076424?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1535107815014076424|twgr^|twcon^s1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wtsp.com%2Farticle%2Fsports%2Flightning-fan-sucker-punched-rangers-fan-madison-square-garden%2F67-c9ac9d05-9c4b-4034-bcd4-13f484196ac2

 

announcer: "This is bad, but remember Philadelphia fans, though, Bob. They boo'd Santa in '68!"

 

5 hours ago, JR Ewing said:

 

Oh, man... The sound of his head hitting the floor was so bad.

 

 

2 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

 

I saw that video and was completely disgusted by what I witnessed.

What jerseys were being worn by whom is so freakin irrelevant, it's not even funny.
What I saw was a criminal act of violence...one that the thug who perpetrated it will likely get away with.

Karma has a way of settling with people though....that other guy will pay somewhere down the line, and probably in a way he didn't expect.

Have read various takes on that incident...from serious takes, to poke fun takes, to downright just plain wrong takes.
Some were saying stupid things like, "That's why Florida fans should stay south"....yadda, yadda.

I can pretty much guarantee that there are thugs in 'soft Florida' that would do things in Alligator Alley to some lost New Yorkers who would be unfortunate enough to meet them there.
And you know what? Those Floridians would be just as disgusting human beings as the one who assaulted that one guy at the game.

North, South, East, West...no matter the state/province, U.S., Canada....people can be such animals.
Doing dumb chit over a freakin sporting event.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/34070111/new-york-rangers-fan-given-life-ban-madison-square-garden-abhorrent-assault-tampa-bay-lightning-supporter

 

Madison Square Garden says it has banned a New York Rangers fan for life after he was seen punching a Tampa Bay Lightning fan in the face following Thursday's Game 5.

 

A Madison Square Garden statement Friday called the incident an "abhorrent assault," saying the Rangers fan also attacked a second person who tried to intervene.

 

"We are cooperating fully with law enforcement as this is now a criminal matter. The assailant will also be banned from The Garden and all other MSG venues for life," MSG said in its statement. "All guests -- no matter what team they support -- should feel safe and respected in The Garden. This has and always will be our policy."

 

Police confirmed to multiple outlets that a 29-year-old Staten Island man had been arrested on two counts of assault, disorderly conduct and harassment. There had been an interaction between the Rangers and Lightning fans before the punch was thrown, police said.

 

 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

@pilldoc

Just nuts how some people will act over a spectator sport.

I know I said earlier that people "can be such animals", and while that may hold water, I also must say there are many people that will also do the right things and know how to behave.

First of all, kudos to those fans that tried to help the guy that got hit. They saw what I saw...NOT a rival fan, but a human being assaulted.
Second, I HAVE been to rival arenas/stadiums (wearing opposing gear!) and have been treated well by the venue workers and fans......of course, wearing rival gear got me some ribbing, but I knew THAT going in!

My husband took me on getaway weekends to both Chicago and New York on two different summers, and I followed the MLB Minnesota Twins to the South Side of Chicago to play the White Sox....fans were pretty awesome to us, even with us wearing Minnesota jerseys at their ballpark.

Also showed up at Yankee Stadium following the TB Rays on a road trip, again, New Yorkers gave us a bit of grief, harmless stuff, but our experience there was very nice as well.

In hockey, have been to Minnesota's Xcel Energy Center for Wild games many times when the Lightning are in town...wearing my Vinnie LeCavalier sweater and outside of some incredulous Wild fans asking, "You know about hockey!?", or "What? No Stamkos jersey?", or even "Your guys aren't that good", it's been all good.

I mean, even the bit of crap we got was all in good fun.
I probably confused some of them because we were Wild season ticket holders at one point, always showed up in Wild gear....only time I dressed in opposing gear is when the Bolts come to town.

But anyways, hoping that one fan is fine. He should press charges.
Last I checked this was still a nation where anyone from any state was free to go to any other state and do whatever they wanted as long as they weren't breaking any laws.

[Captain Lando]

16 minutes ago, pilldoc said:

 

 

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/34070111/new-york-rangers-fan-given-life-ban-madison-square-garden-abhorrent-assault-tampa-bay-lightning-supporter

 

Madison Square Garden says it has banned a New York Rangers fan for life after he was seen punching a Tampa Bay Lightning fan in the face following Thursday's Game 5.

 

A Madison Square Garden statement Friday called the incident an "abhorrent assault," saying the Rangers fan also attacked a second person who tried to intervene.

 

"We are cooperating fully with law enforcement as this is now a criminal matter. The assailant will also be banned from The Garden and all other MSG venues for life," MSG said in its statement. "All guests -- no matter what team they support -- should feel safe and respected in The Garden. This has and always will be our policy."

 

Police confirmed to multiple outlets that a 29-year-old Staten Island man had been arrested on two counts of assault, disorderly conduct and harassment. There had been an interaction between the Rangers and Lightning fans before the punch was thrown, police said.

 

 

Glad many fans got that on video with their phones so the police can have so much evidence to arrest that idiot for assaulting that guy. That guy should be put behind bars.  Absolutely disgusting. It is a ####ing game!!!!!

Edited June 10, 2022 by Captain Lando

[Math]

14 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

In hockey, have been to Minnesota's Xcel Energy Center for Wild games many times when the Lightning are in town...wearing my Vinnie LeCavalier sweater and outside of some incredulous Wild fans asking, "You know about hockey!?", or "What? No Stamkos jersey?", or even "Your guys aren't that good", it's been all good

 

If you go to Vegas, you'd hear more like "Who the hell is Lecavalier ?" or "What team is it?", and in Arizona: "A football jersey with long sleeves? Weird... By the way, the season hasn't started yet."

 

Otherwise, I had the same experiences when I go to Montréal and Ottawa with my Stars gear. Everything is all fine and let's be honest, they don't really care about the Stars. It's especially nice in Ottawa (despite the ****** location of the arena) where it's affordable and very family-friendly. I'm planning to go to either NY or Boston next season and I've head Bostonians can be a bit "challenging" but we'll see. At least it won't be like Habs fans going there and where there's more hatred between those two teams.

 

Anyway, it's much more friendly here in North America than in Europe for instance, where things can turn really ugly between rivals. I've quite often been close to brawls inside and outside arenas, and it was quite wild, really like in the "Slapshot" movie, especially between the 1980s to the 2000s.

[Captain Lando]

37 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

@pilldoc

Just nuts how some people will act over a spectator sport.

I know I said earlier that people "can be such animals", and while that may hold water, I also must say there are many people that will also do the right things and know how to behave.

First of all, kudos to those fans that tried to help the guy that got hit. They saw what I saw...NOT a rival fan, but a human being assaulted.
Second, I HAVE been to rival arenas/stadiums (wearing opposing gear!) and have been treated well by the venue workers and fans......of course, wearing rival gear got me some ribbing, but I knew THAT going in!

My husband took me on getaway weekends to both Chicago and New York on two different summers, and I followed the MLB Minnesota Twins to the South Side of Chicago to play the White Sox....fans were pretty awesome to us, even with us wearing Minnesota jerseys at their ballpark.

Also showed up at Yankee Stadium following the TB Rays on a road trip, again, New Yorkers gave us a bit of grief, harmless stuff, but our experience there was very nice as well.

In hockey, have been to Minnesota's Xcel Energy Center for Wild games many times when the Lightning are in town...wearing my Vinnie LeCavalier sweater and outside of some incredulous Wild fans asking, "You know about hockey!?", or "What? No Stamkos jersey?", or even "Your guys aren't that good", it's been all good.

I mean, even the bit of crap we got was all in good fun.
I probably confused some of them because we were Wild season ticket holders at one point, always showed up in Wild gear....only time I dressed in opposing gear is when the Bolts come to town.

But anyways, hoping that one fan is fine. He should press charges.
Last I checked this was still a nation where anyone from any state was free to go to any other state and do whatever they wanted as long as they weren't breaking any laws.

It is my belief that most fans will be cordial when another fan supporting another team or another teams jersey is visiting their building. Most fans don't want to risk assault charges. This New York Rangers fan who assaulted the Tampa Bay Lightning fan was nothing more than an Idiot Thug. I can see some ribbing and fun bantering, but never assaulting someone.  You also saw once the Tampa Bay fan was knocked out that several New York Rangers fans came to his assistance and were calling out to the authorities the guy who did the assault. Those people are real fans and not ###hole thugs. The sad thing is you never know when there might be one ###hole thug in the crowd. 

[Captain Lando]

I really and truly honestly want to believe that the Rangers are going to win this game 6 and we are going to have a game 7 on our hands. Not that I want the Rangers to win this series as I don't really care which team comes out in the end, but I want the series to be extended as long as it can go. I want both of these teams to beat each other up and get as tired as possible so that when it comes to playing in the Stanley Cup Finals my team the Colorado Avalanche who are resting now for the most part will have at least a little advantage going in. 

 

Do I think this is going to happen, I doubt it.

 

What the Rangers really need to do and it is very simple is they need to aggressively out shoot the Lightning and put the puck on the net 40 to 50 times making Vasiliveskiy work extremely hard. To do this they also need to make sure when these shots are coming that Tampa's goaltender doesn't have the best sight line of the puck and redirects are happening quite often. So basically not many soft shots. 

 

On the defensive end for the Rangers to get the job done they pretty much have to do quite the opposite of what they have to do on the offensive side. Limit the Lightning to getting shot to the net by blocking shots, clearing out the Tampa players in front of the net so Shesterkin can see the shots coming. 

 

This is the formula for getting the win tonight for the Rangers. Easier said then done though. 

[GratefulFlyers]

During the reg season the Rangers lost 3 in a row only twice, once in early Nov and again right before the POs. Now they're facing 4 in a row and TB looks ready to make it happen tonight. There's no shame losing to the champs and if it does it won't be a failure of vision, of management. The Rangers are only 3 years out from the letter asking for patience while they rebuilt with younger, faster players. Three seasons later they're in the Conference Final. They got some luck along the way but "you make your own luck" rings true. They took the risks - risks my fav team won't take - and most of them paid off in a big way.

 

 

 

 

[Captain Lando]

Jon Cooper has announced that Brayden Point may be a game time decision for playing in tonight's game 6.  

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

39 minutes ago, GratefulFlyers said:

During the reg season the Rangers lost 3 in a row only twice, once in early Nov and again right before the POs. Now they're facing 4 in a row and TB looks ready to make it happen tonight. There's no shame losing to the champs and if it does it won't be a failure of vision, of management. The Rangers are only 3 years out from the letter asking for patience while they rebuilt with younger, faster players. Three seasons later they're in the Conference Final. They got some luck along the way but "you make your own luck" rings true. They took the risks - risks my fav team won't take - and most of them paid off in a big way.

 

 

 

 

 

Well said...
But SOMEONE on this site kept hitting me over the head with "Rangers swept Tampa in the regular season!"  

Because, as we ALL KNOW, regular season records accurately predict what happens in a 7-game match up series.

At any rate, series isn't done and while I will admit to feeling really good about Tampa Bay's chances to skate away with the Prince of Wales trophy, I also know this G6 is almost, ALMOST, a must win for them because, as they say, "anything can happen in a Game 7".

I know the Champs will try their best to get this done tonight. The Rangers will do their best to resist that.
I am pretty sure the next flight the Lightning take, they'd like it to be for Denver, CO...NOT New York, NY.

[Captain Lando]

35 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

I am pretty sure the next flight the Lightning take, they'd like it to be for Denver, CO...NOT New York, NY.

The boys in Colorado are waiting for whomever it will be. 

[GratefulFlyers]

5 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

I also know this G6 is almost, ALMOST, a must win for them because, as they say, "anything can happen in a Game 7".

 

yep and double yep. I'd cut it even finer, delete the ALMOSTs and say it is a must-win for Tampa. If they lose G6 tonight the momentum shift coming into NY will be unstoppable for the Rangers and they'd a good bet to take G7. But first things first. TB has to feel pretty good about G6 on home ice; the odds are all on their side and they're on a 3-game roll. But your boys better get it done tonight. They (almost) have to!

[Captain Lando]

12 minutes ago, GratefulFlyers said:

 

yep and double yep. I'd cut it even finer, delete the ALMOSTs and say it is a must-win for Tampa. If they lose G6 tonight the momentum shift coming into NY will be unstoppable for the Rangers and they'd a good bet to take G7. But first things first. TB has to feel pretty good about G6 on home ice; the odds are all on their side and they're on a 3-game roll. But your boys better get it done tonight. They (almost) have to!

Did we not count out the New York Rangers when they were in this exact same position against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes? What happened in those series? The Rangers rallied and won the final 2 games and won the series 4 games to 3. Now the Tampa Bay Lightning is a whole other beast of a team they are dealing with so this challenge is going to be a lot more difficult, but I can't count them out quite yet. If the Rangers somehow win this game tonight, I fear the same could happen that happened in the first two series. 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

24 minutes ago, GratefulFlyers said:

 

yep and double yep. I'd cut it even finer, delete the ALMOSTs and say it is a must-win for Tampa. If they lose G6 tonight the momentum shift coming into NY will be unstoppable for the Rangers and they'd a good bet to take G7. But first things first. TB has to feel pretty good about G6 on home ice; the odds are all on their side and they're on a 3-game roll. But your boys better get it done tonight. They (almost) have to!

 

Yea, I am not looking for the Champs to mess around.
Lots of ways to look at it.... they get it done tonight, everything else is moot.

However, if they end up losing, and since anything can happen in a G7, then yea, Rangers fans have to be feeling good.
Another HOWEVER, is... you could look at it as the Bolts have 2 shots to get it done...failing today, they can adjust and approach it again the following game, putting the onus on NY to HAVE a to win twice.

And the Lightning already proved they can get things done when put into a hostile environment in a must win game: See: Toronto, See: winning IN Toronto.

But that is getting way ahead of everything (thankfully us fans can afford to do that...not the players!  ).....get it done today, and all those scenarios go 'bye bye' and then the focus is on the Finals.

I will admit, a small hard headed part of me would LOVE to see TB fall short today....only to rip out the hearts of the Big Apple dwellers Monday night on their own ice!
But that hard headed part of me won't be posting on here. Hard headed me sometimes likes to play with fire too....but my flame retardant jumpsuit is in the cleaners...  

[GratefulFlyers]

I said before it started this series is meant to go 7 but G5 threw a twist into it. I figured we’d see home ice wins only but TB proved me wrong and the way they did it was impressive. They dominated the Rangers, took away space in the neutral zone, killing any chance for a speedy entry, and that pretty much shut down the Rangers attack.
 

I’m still rooting for a G7 but I won’t bet on it. 

[Captain Lando]

3 minutes ago, GratefulFlyers said:

I said before it started this series is meant to go 7 but G5 threw a twist into it. I figured we’d see home ice wins only but TB proved me wrong and the way they did it was impressive. They dominated the Rangers, took away space in the neutral zone, killing any chance for a speedy entry, and that pretty much shut down the Rangers attack.
 

I’m still rooting for a G7 but I won’t bet on it. 

I am cheering for a game 7 for 1 reason and one reason only. That is for more hockey between these two clubs and more opportunity for them to beat up on each other. 

 

My Avs are resting and await the winner. 

[Captain Lando]

Kaapo Kakko a healthy scratch. 

Edited June 12, 2022 by Captain Lando

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

1st period
Puck dropped.
Game ON!!

Go Bolts Go!

[FD19372]

The Lightning have had a lot of zone time, in the 1st period. Hit a post, too. Shesterkin has been pretty busy. The Rangers have to tilt the ice, early on, in their favor..or there won't be a return to trip to MSG. They need way more possession time in Game 6.  The Lightning have to be happy, with the way they're playing at the moment. Aggressive, and most importantly...with the puck.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

3 minutes ago, FD19372 said:

The Lightning have had a lot of zone time, in the 1st period. Hit a post, too. Shesterkin has been pretty busy. The Rangers have to tilt the ice, early on, in their favor..or there won't be a return to trip to MSG. They need way more possession time in Game 6.  The Lightning have to be happy, with the way they're playing at the moment. Aggressive, and most importantly...with the puck.

 

Lots of ice time, putting some good shots on Shester...with nothing to show for it.
As a fan of the Champs, that worries me a bit.

They may have things under control...but I'd like to see some results for their work....like now!  

[Captain Lando]

To Gallant: Can you tell us why you decided to sit Kaapo Kakko tonight? 

 

Gallant's response: Nope

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Bolts owned most of that period, however, where it counts, the Rangers hold even.

I'd call that period mildly disappointing for Tampa Bay not coming up with anything.
For NY, I'd call it a 'win', despite being outplayed, they didn't get scored on and that is all that should matter to them.

They will make adjustments, the Champs will have to counter adjust.

[FD19372]

6 minutes ago, Captain Lando said:

To Gallant: Can you tell us why you decided to sit Kaapo Kakko tonight? 

 

Gallant's response: Nope

Well, his replacement, Hunt has a lot of willingness to go to the net, in traffic. Maybe Gallant is thinking he needs more dirty goals, to survive this game. It won't matter though...obviously...if they can't get more consistent zone time, and the puck.