When people thought he might of played tonight, I was reading Anisimov. But AA looked good tonight and for damn sure is more of an offensive threat than say, Rupp.
IMO Rupp has had two good games in a row. The Rangers arguably had their best game of the series tonight, at least in terms of offense. Hard to fight instinct and go with the same lineup, but I think the guys that skated tonight and the line combos give us the best chance to win Friday.
A few bad mistakes (blown coverage onthe 4th goal...McDonagh's silly attempt at a deke that lead to the 3rd goal, MAYBE Stepan and Del Zotto both going to hit Gionta on the first goal) and some bad bounces/breaks(no call high stick on Stepan that was a major factor in the Gionta goal happening, bad bounce on the 2nd goal, callahan somehow hitting the outside of the post on the powerplay, Gaborik missing a wide open net, etc.) did us in tonight. The effort was there, and they were making a living in the Devils zone all game.
Zucc needs to be in. With Dubi back and his excellent board play.....Rupp is expandable. Rupp OUT.....Zucc IN. That makes us more lethal offensively....and we WILL NEED THAT going into the ROCK.
i wouldnt mind that line but hagelin hasnt really been earning top line minutes this series, especially when he missed gionta coming from the bench on that 4th goal i cant see torts letting that slide. hagelin played great with mitchell earlier in the year i wouldnt mind seeing
anisimov stepan gaborik (proven chemistry)
krieder richards cally(our best 2 playoff forwards and the captain)
hags mitchell zucc(dont shoot me for throwing him on our third line when most ppl want him scratched)
dubi-boyle-feds(one helluva shut down line)
i feel like that lineup gives us alot of balance. I hate taking out prust especially for mitchell but i think it gives us alot of scoring depth and chemistry, we might as well dress 5 d and use him on the penalty kill since torts only gives his 6th d like 3 minutes a night any way lol
Last edited by nyrtrublue: 05-24-2012 at 06:18 AM.
i wouldnt mind that line but hagelin hasnt really been earning top line minutes this series, especially when he missed gionta coming from the bench on that 4th goal i cant see torts letting that slide. hagelin played great with mitchell earlier in the year i wouldnt mind seeing
anisimov stepan gaborik (proven chemistry)
krieder richards cally(our best 2 playoff forwards and the captain)
hags mitchell zucc(dont shoot me for throwing him on our third line when most ppl want him scratched)
dubi-boyle-feds(one helluva shut down line)
i feel like that lineup gives us alot of balance. I hate taking out prust especially for mitchell but i think it gives us alot of scoring depth and chemistry, we might as well dress 5 d and use him on the penalty kill since torts only gives his 6th d like 3 minutes a night any way lol
those bottom 2 lines just made me throw up.you seriously are putting Mitchell back into the lineup?really?and you're breaking up the Cally,Artie and Dubi line and moving Dubi down to the 4th line?
yeah hes probably not 100% and most likely not in game shape so dubi can ease his way back in. Im not a big mitchell fan but i think playing hags with him and zucc would get him going. Mitchell played very well with hagelin before torts moved him into the top 6, they have solid chemistry I dont think you can deny that. Add zuccs playmaking and skill to that line and i think theyd be solid. I could also see that being the 4th line and giving hags pp and pk time
zuc is not capable of playing this type of hockey after being out for so long. He is small and physical forwards would be preferred on lower lines in my opinion. Puck possession. Zuc gets rubbed off easily along the boards. Id rather play mitchell than zuc
I can't see Torts sitting anyone in the current lineup for Zuccarello at this point. But, what a story it would be if he plays and somehow comes up with a huge goal to force game 7.
Edit: actually, since Del Zotto plays as a forward most of his shifts anyway, Zuccarello can just take his spot! Problem solved!
Opponents have figured Hags and Stepan in the playoffs a long time ago - so getting a relativly unknown playmaker who plays with his heart on his sleve, doesn't back down, throws his body around, scores and makes tape to tape passes in dangerous areas can ONLY help at this point..
He NEEDS to be inserted tomorrow. It's actually a necessity. If we go down early, which we very well might, we need as much offensive potential as we can get. Torts needs to understand that, otherwise we may be looking at much of the same.
I can't see Torts sitting anyone in the current lineup for Zuccarello at this point. But, what a story it would be if he plays and somehow comes up with a huge goal to force game 7.
Edit: actually, since Del Zotto plays as a forward most of his shifts anyway, Zuccarello can just take his spot! Problem solved!
Actually, with the defensive lapses and missed coverages the 4th line had yesterday with the limited playing time they had, I can see Zucc in over Rupp. They need scoring and Zucc can help on the PP. Rupp has put in some OK minutes, but his biggest contribution was punching Brodeur.
i like the idea of playing zucc right now. adds another potential threat. either keep him to add threat to the bottom or put him in a top 6 role with kreider/stepan or richards...
I think Hagelin should be off the top line, because although he brings speed and hustle on that line, his production doesn't warrant top line minutes at this point. However, I would def keep him in the line up, and put Zucc in for Rupp. My reasoning is that since both will play 4th line minutes (6-8 mins), Zucc will be more valuable because he plays on the PP, and Rupp plays no special team minutes.
