E.L. wrote:
And the Devils are coming back to Earth, meaning all three New York Metro area teams could miss the playoffs. Sure the league is loving that.
Schneider is out, isn't he? I think any team would drop without their #1 goalie.
I don't know. I always hear people saying the league wants major market teams in the playoffs. Personally, I find it so much more interesting when small market teams do well. I expect large market teams to do well. The Cap should have leveled that, but people still talk about large markets being better for the league. Does nobody think Vegas is going to generate a shitload of interest in the playoffs? If my team isn't going deep in the playoffs (not since 93!), I want to see an underdog make it all the way. I loved seeing how fans in Nashville reacted. I don't want to see the same teams from large markets.
Any time the Isles beat the Rangers, it's better than other wins because it shuts up the Ranger fans around here. But this time, it feels like it's a tease. The Isles are still on the outside looking in, and all the teams ahead of them have games in hand. There's also the Ranger Hangover thing, which is sure to be real tonight, because Halak made FIFTY saves again last night, so there's no way he's playing tonight. Greiss would have been waived by any other GM in the league, but since Snow extended him, he's got to stick with him. Snow can't admit mistakes. And I'll admit I thought Greiss could take over the #1 job. But hey, I don't get paid to be a GM. I'm a dumbass fan on the hindernet.
BTW- Anders Lee wrote on Twitter that he can't accept the money from the GofundMe page. He said he appreciates that fans have the right to express their feelings, but Snow drafted and signed him, so there's no way he can accept money, even for a charity event, that comes from people calling for Snow's job. He was far more eloquent than that. He pointed out that all the current Isles were brought in by Snow. I think Lee is missing the point, as that's half of what has fans pissed. lol. Chimera, Ladd, Seidenberg... All guys the fans want off the team. But I get Lee backing his teammates and GM.
I have no idea how the Rangers got 50 shots. The Isles seemed to dominate the game from start to finish. They wound up with 35 shots, most of which seemed like real scoring chances. Halak made some great saves, but I would have never guessed he stopped 50. One save off of the franchise record 51 saves in a shutout by an Isles goalie- Glen Healy vs the Canucks in 1990. And this was the Isles first shutout of the year! That's sad.
Hurricanes tonight. Isles will get their asses handed to them. Greiss will be in net, so they can count on him saving a solid 83% of shots. The Hurricanes got whooped by the Devils last night, so they'll be looking for revenge. Plus, if the Isles win in regulation they would leapfrog the Hurricanes, so I expect the Hurricanes to play with some serious desperation.
And here's a brilliant one- Doug "Dead" Weight all but benched Barzal in the 3rd period. 4 shifts according to one Isles blog. Weight said something like "he’s a talent, but he’s got to be better in his own zone and needs to dump the puck in because this time of year its hard to skate the puck in the ozone."
That’s pretty much saying "Kid, stop being so good. Play more like I did. Forget your ‘skills’ and play a grinding game! Dump it in, and take your 180 lb ass into the corner against that D-man who’s got 5" and 55 lbs on you. Hit him! Didn’t get the puck? Get back up and chase after him, and try to hit him again! No ref is going to call you for hitting from behind if he’s skating away. They will? Okay, then slash him in the leg… But this whole ‘puck control’ and ‘possession’ shit has got to stop. You keep up these possession rates and you’re gonna need an, an, an existentialism (sic) or something. Say it with me kid. Demons. Aren’t. Good. Feel better? Alright, get the water bottles. It’s time to practice some good ol’ Dougy Dumps. No, kid. They’re not in the bathroom. Oh. You were just getting water. Gotcha."
And if you're wondering how Barzal played- he only assisted on all 3 Isles goals...