Round 2: New York Rangers vs Washington Capitals Discussion Thread

[geschrocks33]

Wes McCauley and Kevin Pollock strike again, sorry Caps. No where near the boards, didn't get hit anywhere but in his back, and Girardi crumbles like a house of cards before laying there for a few seconds. It's a crosscheck but nobody goes down that easy, especially Dan "built from iron" Girardi. Result is GTG on a NYR PP that should have been 4 on 4 time. Sad to know that the Caps probably would have advanced in game 5 if it weren't for that waved off goal.

Caps just didn't get enough from there veteran 2-3rd liners. Backstrom the biggest culprit. Kuznetzov and Burakovsky were pretty fun to watch. They should be really good in a few years.

Now to see if Callahan heals up quickly enough to play his former team.

I'll use the same comment I used when someone said Stone dove after Subban chopped his wrist.

Let's let Mike Green full on cross check you in back, and we'll see if you go down or not.

[mooneyes]

Whats wrong with being anti Ranger! hate those lousy no good #$%#...lets give Ovy 4 consecutive power-plays to start the Game and see what happens!!
Oh well congrats Rangers, and Lunkhead mostly, their defensive system is too stifling, hopefully the Bolts can break through it and there are a few higher scoring games at least.

[geschrocks33]

Wes McCauley and Kevin Pollock strike again, sorry Caps. No where near the boards, didn't get hit anywhere but in his back, and Girardi crumbles like a house of cards before laying there for a few seconds. It's a crosscheck but nobody goes down that easy, especially Dan "built from iron" Girardi. Result is GTG on a NYR PP that should have been 4 on 4 time. Sad to know that the Caps probably would have advanced in game 5 if it weren't for that waved off goal.

Caps just didn't get enough from there veteran 2-3rd liners. Backstrom the biggest culprit. Kuznetzov and Burakovsky were pretty fun to watch. They should be really good in a few years.

Now to see if Callahan heals up quickly enough to play his former team.

Also see above. Guess what Cross-Checking gets you? 2 Minutes in the box

[the_nange]

Also see above. Guess what Cross-Checking gets you? 2 Minutes in the box

Did you see that high stick on Burakovsky on the first Caps PP? Did it get called? No. Did it happen? Yes. Why wasn't it called? In CBC's own rationale: those penalties don't tend to get called at this stage of the playoffs when it'd result in a 5-on-3. It's well know that refs pick and choose what to call at this stage to control the flow of the game.

That cross-check goes uncalled in the playoffs if the player didn't sell it. There was a point in game 2 of this series where Ovechkin was cross checked in the back in front of the net, and nothing was called. I wrote about it earlier this thread, you can go check. Now, nevermind all that since I never contend it isn't a crosscheck. How about reading what I wrote after?

Result is GTG on a NYR PP that should have been 4 on 4 time.

Reading comprehension. Good. I'm pointing out that it was embellishment, especially when Girardi laid on the ice waiting for a call, got up, and then skated off like nothing happened.

As for the "anti-Rangers claim", you can't dodge the fact that the NYR received generous officiating in the last 2 games of this series (even ignoring that Girardi call). That waived off goal in game 5 (that you agree was a good goal), then that botched icing in game 6 on the Nash goal, then how the NHL schedules 2 refs for game 7 where the NYR have never lost under ( 3-0 in this post season) - while the Caps have only lost under (0-2 in this post season). Ref stats provided by Scouting the Refs twitter account, so I didn't pull them out of thin air. It's not even "anti-Ranger" to claim NYR has benefited from officiating as I've read some of their local beat reporters AND fans agree with that claim.

the_nange c'mon, you can't be serious. Fine if you think Girardi "dove" which is kind of difficult when you get a stick in the back, but what about the missed call where an elbow puts Boyle out of the game and a stick to the face on Hayes where he loses a tooth! Refs were bad on both sides...simple as that.

Boyle went in low on that hit. Watch the replays. Jesse Spector of Sporting News (former NYR beat I'm sure you would know) put it best (paraphrased): Is it unfortunate that he got hit in the head? For sure. Does NHL want to eliminate hits like that? Yes. But is it a "dirty hit"? No. Here's a SNY article which says pretty much the same thing link . As for Girardi and Hayes, see my points above. Burakovsky didn't lose teeth but does that mean he didn't get smoked in the face by a stick?

Now let's address the goal in game 5 that was waived off. I will give you that it was a bad call, but at that point you still have 2 games to close it out....one at home...can't say a series was lost on one blown call. That's playoff hockey!

All the games in this series have been a 1 goal games. Blow one call like that and you literally change the flow of the game. Never mind it was an elimination game. Then go and mess up the icing call next game on Nash's 3-1 goal? Terrible officiating, we can agree there.

[mess0312]

Whats wrong with being anti Ranger! hate those lousy no good #$%#...lets give Ovy 4 consecutive power-plays to start the Game and see what happens!!
Oh well congrats Rangers, and Lunkhead mostly, their defensive system is too stifling, hopefully the Bolts can break through it and there are a few higher scoring games at least.

Nothing is wrong with hating the Rangers.......I just ask that you be upfront about it. The Lightning series should be interesting as Ben Bishop has never lost to us and typically Tampa has owned us over the past couple of years. I can't wait to hear the conspiracies if the Rangers win this one. That is my gripe, when the Rangers win there is always some external force that causes them to win, not simply that they played a great series or that Henrik carried them. It's always "if this had been called" the Rangers would have lost or if the refs "weren't so Pro-Rangers" we would have won. In my estimation, the calls have been bad both ways and bad refereeing has been a part of playoff hockey for years. I can "guarantee" (see what I did there?) that if the Rangers lose this series, I will not blame the refs for the outcome.

[Covet]

Nothing is wrong with hating the Rangers.......I just ask that you be upfront about it. The Lightning series should be interesting as Ben Bishop has never lost to us and typically Tampa has owned us over the past couple of years. I can't wait to hear the conspiracies if the Rangers win this one. That is my gripe, when the Rangers win there is always some external force that causes them to win, not simply that they played a great series or that Henrik carried them. It's always "if this had been called" the Rangers would have lost or if the refs "weren't so Pro-Rangers" we would have won. In my estimation, the calls have been bad both ways and bad refereeing has been a part of playoff hockey for years. I can "guarantee" (see what I did there?) that if the Rangers lose this series, I will not blame the refs for the outcome.

My dad calls it the "Jeter Effect" - some sort of witchcraft because he always gets a hit when needed and if it looks like he's going to be thrown out, the fielder will almost always seem to bobble the ball. So yeah, witchcraft.....

[mess0312]

My dad calls it the "Jeter Effect" - some sort of witchcraft because he always gets a hit when needed and if it looks like he's going to be thrown out, the fielder will almost always seem to bobble the ball. So yeah, witchcraft.....

Haha...I will have to remember that "NY Witchcraft".......That phrase explains everything!

[jagrnyr68]

There were bad calls both ways in this series. The delay of game against Sheppard was an obvious one that could be proven with video evidence. That call isn't subjective, like the Orpik hit on Boyle, which I thought was dirty, but others didn't. The delay of game call could have easily gotten the Caps back in the game considering they had the man advantage on top of pulling the goalie.

For Nash's goal, just because there isn't icing called doesn't mean the Caps should stop playing. Niskanen actually had plenty of time to move the puck out, there was nobody on him. He decided to go to Alzner and it bounced over his stick, and our forecheck + Nash's determination did the rest. Was it icing? Sure, but that goal could have been prevented by the Caps

I also find it irritating when the Rangers win and it can never be because they played a great game, it has to be because of the refs. I wonder if that was the case during the season too when we had 53 wins. All of that aside, it was an incredible series, and so far it's looking like the one with Tampa will be great as well. Caps are a great team with plenty of talent, and Trotz appears to be steering them in the right direction.