I don't see either team making the finals. There are at least two teams in each conference that are better than the respective conference representatives here.
But in a seven game series, I pick the Blues. The Rangers really tore up their roster to get Nash, who is not exactly Mr. team defense while St. Louis will just be gelled even more despite having less talent than the NYR.
People whine about any finals that don't involve their team.
The Rangers would win, they are stacked and play playoff hockey with some scoring especially with the addition of Nash. I'd love to see a NY vs LA final.
As a Devils fan, I can't see why people are calling the Rangers chokers. It seems like everyone was expecting Lundqvist to be in God Mode from the first round and not allow a single goal for two months, and when he doesn't live up to those outrageous expectations the team gets branded as losers. Doesn't make sense.
Just because you don't win the Cup does not make you a choker. Despite what their records say, New Jersey was the better team in the ECF. DeBoer was able to find weaknesses and exploit them, that's it. Lundqvist let in a few he might want to take back, but so did Brodeur. Whatever. Someone had to win the series. The Rangers aren't choke artists.
The Rangers are damn good, but they have their flaws like everyone else. I've been saying this for a few years now - they're VERY good, but they don't scare me. I look at the team and nothing jumps out at me screaming 'Holy ****, better watch out for these guys!' That being said, I take them over St. Louis.
You know this lockout is getting bad when Devils fans start defending and siding with the Rangers.
I think a STL-NY match up would be a matter of who cracks first and who makes the bigger mistakes at pivotal moments. I don't know much about St. Louis so I can only really speak about the Rangers here. On paper, yes, the Rangers may look stacked to the teeth with our top line and a pretty decent supporting cast, but us Ranger fans who watched them night in, night out can attest to how painful it was when Gaborik and Richards didn't immediately click and put up godly numbers. The defense can be suspect at times (see: Del Zotto, Girardi despite how much people love this guy, bottom pairing now that Sauer is pretty much done with hockey) and when the offense isn't clicking, it really isn't clicking. We'd be lucky to see them muster 1-2 goals across 2 games. This is usually because the bottom-6 are having problems doing much of anything and fall back on dump-and-chasing without properly backing that plan up (flimsy forecheck, little/no pressure). That's when we'd need Lundqvist to shine and keep us in those hard-to-score games. A Rangers win hinges on Gaborik's health and how Nash/Halpern/Pyatt effect the line up and chemistry. I won't even mention Asham because he would be benched for the entirety of playoffs.
I don't see either team making the finals. There are at least two teams in each conference that are better than the respective conference representatives here.
But in a seven game series, I pick the Blues. The Rangers really tore up their roster to get Nash, who is not exactly Mr. team defense while St. Louis will just be gelled even more despite having less talent than the NYR.
We traded a 3rd line center, Dubinsky who scores twice a month, and a prospect who played a handful of games with us and didn't register a point. Yeah we really tore up the roster alright. The only thing we tore was Howson a new one.
I think it would be a 50/50 toss up, honestly, but the Rangers always "choke" but were one game from the Finals last year while St. Louis got swept in the second round? I know there's more to it than that and the Kings were dominant, but I'm not sure how anything but a comparison of the players on each side is a valid addition to the argument here.
The Blues are good and all but I don't know why people crown them best team in the west over LA who just won the cup in dominating fashion. Neither team has really changed since either.
The Blues are good and all but I don't know why people crown them best team in the west over LA who just won the cup in dominating fashion. Neither team has really changed since either.
While I agree in that I doubt I would say St. Louis is the best team in the West currently, I think just the players like Pietrangelo, Perron (also being completely healthy now), Oshie and Berglund gaining that experience can help a lot. The Blues also finally got a legitimate scoring threat in Tarasenko, albeit he is a rookie so I don't know how much he can produce as a rookie.
I wouldn't consider them Cup contenders next year, but seeing them in a thread like this in a few years I wouldn't be too surprised. Although you never know what's going to happen in a few years.
The only team in the West that can compete with NYR is LA.
Would be nice to see NYR - LA final.
In the East, Boston, Pittsburgh, and maybe Philadelphia can compete with NYR, but NYR should still prevail. In the West, Vancouver, Minnesota, and maybe St. Louis can compete with LA, but LA should still prevail.
The Blues are good and all but I don't know why people crown them best team in the west over LA who just won the cup in dominating fashion. Neither team has really changed since either.
Noone is crowning them the best, this is just a matchup that was discussed alot last year before and during the playoffs.
Actually, most the of the discussion was people making fun of how boring it would be
We traded a 3rd line center, Dubinsky who scores twice a month, and a prospect who played a handful of games with us and didn't register a point. Yeah we really tore up the roster alright. The only thing we tore was Howson a new one.
Pretty much. Kredier has/had already replaced Anisimov or Dubinsky.
I really hope those guys do play well for CBJ, but come on man, if you trade Nash, you've got to go total rebuild.
We traded a 3rd line center, Dubinsky who scores twice a month, and a prospect who played a handful of games with us and didn't register a point. Yeah we really tore up the roster alright. The only thing we tore was Howson a new one.
If I'm trying to win a Stanley Cup, a third line center is quite possibly more valuable than any winger. Just ask SCF teams NJ and LA, the two teams that are 4 centers deep and roll 4 lines that can check or play. And how many key moments did Jarrett Stoll play in that run...we had him but were missing a talented winger in Simon Gagne but still dominated.
While I agree in that I doubt I would say St. Louis is the best team in the West currently, I think just the players like Pietrangelo, Perron (also being completely healthy now), Oshie and Berglund gaining that experience can help a lot. The Blues also finally got a legitimate scoring threat in Tarasenko, albeit he is a rookie so I don't know how much he can produce as a rookie.
I wouldn't consider them Cup contenders next year, but seeing them in a thread like this in a few years I wouldn't be too surprised. Although you never know what's going to happen in a few years.
I agree with all of that. And I would say that right now on paper and on ice, Vancouver is better if 100% healthy.
True but to be fair don't forget no scoring, no defense, no hitting, no heart, no talent, no coaching.
It went far beyond no Lundqvist. Those teams were brutal.
I'll give you that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by saffronleaf
The only team in the West that can compete with NYR is LA.
Would be nice to see NYR - LA final.
In the East, Boston, Pittsburgh, and maybe Philadelphia can compete with NYR, but NYR should still prevail. In the West, Vancouver, Minnesota, and maybe St. Louis can compete with LA, but LA should still prevail.
Pitt would win that series. NYR is not good against them. You would know if you watched those games last season. As for Boston and Philly, if we played them I would get really mad if we did not win in less then 6.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rorschach
If I'm trying to win a Stanley Cup, a third line center is quite possibly more valuable than any winger. Just ask SCF teams NJ and LA, the two teams that are 4 centers deep and roll 4 lines that can check or play. And how many key moments did Jarrett Stoll play in that run...we had him but were missing a talented winger in Simon Gagne but still dominated.
I find Boyle to be a perfectly fine third line center for the Rangers.
People whine about any finals that don't involve their team.
The Rangers would win, they are stacked and play playoff hockey with some scoring especially with the addition of Nash. I'd love to see a NY vs LA final.
and the blues aren't a staked team that plays playoff hockey?
if the rags play their shot blocking game like they did last season teams are going to start shooting with out a care for injury and they won't be anywhere close to as deep as the are to start a season
also, there is no way that the rags get past the isles next season
and the blues aren't a staked team that plays playoff hockey?
if the rags play their shot blocking game like they did last season teams are going to start shooting with out a care for injury and they won't be anywhere close to as deep as the are to start a season
also, there is no way that the rags get past the isles next season
anyway, they are both good teams and contenders, but how they look on paper is one thing how they perform is another. Without any kind of sample size (no hockey this season), it's impossible to speculate.
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Exhibit A as to how hockey doesn't matter on ESPN:
Last night an ESPN program was discussing how the Detroit Pistons needed a hero citing the heroes on the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions and no mention of the Detroit Red Wings. All this despite the Red Wings probably being the most succesful team in Detroit right now.
