Penguins/NHL
Penguins – Rangers Part IV?
The New York Rangers pushed their winning streak to six games with a 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night. With the win, New York, Columbus and Pittsburgh all sit with 75 points entering Tuesday’s action.
Throwing out what the point totals might say, what most coaches and scouts all seem to be in agreement of — the Eastern Conference is the Washington Capitals/Pittsburgh Penguins and then everyone else. —
Be careful what you wish for: Rangers’ sixth straight win might not be cause to celebrate https://t.co/YXpNzrs9ZX via @nypostsports
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) February 14, 2017
The Rangers best path for a deep playoff run is surely going to be earning the top wild-card and going through the Atlantic.
The Penguins internally believe the Rangers pose a slightly tougher matchup this season than last but there’s only one team they worry about right now and it’s the Washington Capitals. In Washington, it’s likely the same thing.
Those two organizations believe they’re on a collision course once again and whoever comes out, likely represents the Eastern Conference.
Two months to still go but (if the playoffs started today) I polled three scouts on the more favorable matchup for the Penguins in a second-third place first round series.
It was unanimous: 3-0 Columbus as the easier matchup for the Penguins.
The Blue Jackets do give the Penguins personnel some problems in how they’re built to go with their style, but Columbus doesn’t have many believers that they can be a threat to the Penguins.
“Columbus is a year away,” one scout said of being a legit threat to knock off the Penguins. “Still a team in a learning process. New York knows how to win and you always have to be aware of that [come playoff time].”
“They [Columbus] rely so much on ‘Bob’ and I don’t trust him,” said another scout of Sergei Bobrovsky. “Rangers [this season] are less reliant on Hank needing to be great.”
A third scout: “Pittsburgh’s center depth would overwhelm Columbus. Would be over in five.”
Were the Penguins and Rangers to meet again for the fourth straight post-season, the Achilles Heel for the Rangers in beating the Penguins four times is Henrik Lundqvist is not the Lundqvist from a couple years ago and the Penguins would still pose a number of problems to a suspect Rangers blueline like they did in Games 3-5 last spring.
But, what scouts contend, is to beat the Penguins over a seven game series, you have to look at teams that are fast but most importantly ‘explosive’ offensively [hide] in getting outplayed for a substantial stretch but can score 3 goals in a 10 minute stretch out of nowhere to change the dynamic of a game.
The Rangers are much quicker than last year and have that kind of explosiveness where if they would get home ice, we would likely to be seeing a much more competitive series than last spring.
“Even lacking that franchise centerman, [New York’s] forward group is built to beat the Penguins,” a scout said. “They just couldn’t skate with Pittsburgh last year. That was a tired, slow hockey club. Now they can and they’ve always posed those net-front issues [to Pittsburgh] that are still there. Problem I see they need two [Kevin] Shattenkirk’s on the backend before I’m ready to put them up in the class with Washington, Pittsburgh.”
LATEST BUZZ
[1.Sheary slightly ahead of schedule]
[2.Pens considering waivers for Fehr]
[3. Going young with 4th line]
— 1. The Penguins have received some encouraging news on how Conor Sheary is progressing. Doctors believe his timetable for a return will be in the three-to-four week range tops and not in the six week range. Sheary skated again tomorrow. He is regarded as being slightly ahead of schedule.
— 2. Eyeing cap space, the Penguins are considering waivers for Eric Fehr prior to the deadline if a trade doesn’t come together soon, sources confirm. Fehr has been made available to all 29 teams. Toronto was scouting him last month. Minnesota, Edmonton, Columbus among playoff teams in the market for a 4th line center.
— 3. Decision to scratch Fehr will have Pittsburgh going with a fourth line of Tom Kuhnhackl – Carter Rowney – Josh Archibald. There’s going to be a window here for Archibald to jump a few on the depth chart before Carl Hagelin gets back. Hagelin skated today in a non-contact jersey.[/hide]
Murray sucks…….Simply Dusty
According to the same group… Fleury sucks and Murray sucks…. Sheary is a product of Crosby… Malkin sucks, is a power play specialist and the PP would improve by taking Geno off…. highlights is enough to scout players and so on lol.
The 3 dumbest posters….Samantha, Yogurt and last but not least Simply Dusty.
why am i dumb? i say st.bleury stinks and he does. i said he was a backup all along and he is. do me a favor and tell me where st.bleury sits among the stats leaders.
Go back and review your posts. The dumbness just flows. Joke.
You really need to ask this fraudski?
you do have to admit, malkin takes seasons off. there is no reason for that guy not to score 40 every season.
Scored 40 or more exactly twice in his entire career…. injury being a factor his average over 82 games is 38. Consider the slow down from returning from injury and you have a guy that would probably average 40 a season if he stayed healthy every year. Despite being streaky and somewhat enigmatic, statistically he pretty much meets your stupid standards
Malkin sucks…..retarded smelly French Frog named Same
Member that time Kessel wasn’t shit?
Ya, we didn’t miss him at all hey retard?
Malkin would have scored…
If only pens can play this good in front of fleury
You mean like Letang taking a stupid pointless call that would have prevented a board play?
Funny how French coaches get fired and find jobs right away.
At the expense of another French coach? You’re even Steven right now dumbass… oh and Malkin just scored
Where is Hartley right now?
Hartley will be Vegas coach along with MT as his assistant just like the old days in juniors
There’s a better chance they both get arrested with prostitutes in Vegas
Don’t worry they won’t be arrested with you
Is that an insult?
Penguins power play nearly seven points better with Geno than without. Who was the genius that figured we could improve the power play by taking him off it?
Sam, can you explain the statistics pertaining to Crosbys production with Malkin in the game vs when he is out? And how the power play may be the biggest reason?
Sutter faking injuries so he doesn’t have to play vs Pittsburgh
Malkin faked injury so he can extend his all star vacation
which one of those two scored tonight?
If I can get the compare piece to work on my iPad I’ll draw up the Hero Charts of Sutter and Bonino side by side… should shut sammich up hard lol. It’s not even close and Bonino, by most accounts, hasn’t been good lol
fack
Pens need Bobby Holik
Yeah and his massive salary
You think theyd’ have learned their lesson hiring all of these frogs.
That’s implying the Canadiens actually know what they’re doing.
Touche SV.
Julien back nice
This must be confusing as fuck for you… spent the last two years massaging Therriens balls with your mouth while everyone told you he has to go but they add the other one lol. Sammich was drooling all over Therrien and Roy but gets a guy whose best years were in Boston lol
Same’s boy Therrien got canned
bonino should be the next one to get healthy scratched. that dude is a ghost and he effed up the power play big time the other night. he was a turn over machine. and to think, people were saying he was a 5 million dollar center after the playoffs last year. he was awesome in the playoffs, but come on, he needs to produce at least 15 goals during the regular season.
Who said this? I recall people wanting to move on from him because his performance could have earned him a big raise on the open market.
You’ll have to excuse our little yogurt – he doesn’t pay attention to what people really say, because he’s too busy blind hating fleury for wrecking his shitt cave.
Simply Dusty made the same dumb post yesterday. He hangs with Same and Yogurt. They are the evil access of Stupid.
….unless the pens fall to the top wildcard spot and get to play the atlantic.
the nhl is so goofy with it’s playoff format. the jackets or the rangers are going to the conference finals depending on which team gets the wildcard against the atlantic. meanwhile, 2 of the top 3 teams in the NHL will be bounced in the 1st or 2nd round. way to go NHL!
fleury’s gimp hitting you with some knowledge!
What is your fix? The old method still allowed divisional leaders to make it in and sometimes this same concern was an issue. It is the nature of the beast. Sometimes one conference is much stronger than the other meaning 7 and 8 are vastly better in one conference than the other. In fact sometimes the 9, 10, 11 teams in one would be better than the 7, 8 in the other. What is your suggestion that would correct this? You can ***** and call out the NHL all you want but at the end of the day if you… Read more »
pens should also place st.bleury on waivers. free up that waste’s cap hit as well
You redefine “butthurt” you little catcher you.
“sheary skated again tomorrow”
despite this news, he is only regarded as being slightly ahead of schedule.
Pens failed to report that Sheary had his leg amputated after his last injury, so “skating’ is considered a positive.
Reminds me of an episode of Red Dwarf