SUNRISE, Fla. — It’s impossible to compare hockey from the ’70s to the game played today, but it has to be said that the Panthers copied the strategies of Zen master Fred Shero and the Broad Street Bullies, who terrorized the league 50 years ago.
They commit borderline penalties, if not obvious penalties, almost every time, just like the Flyers did. They overpower the refs, just like the Flyers did. They provoke the refs to send a parade to the penalty box. The refs can’t stand it.
As No. 73 came off the bench to join the celebration after Alex Wennberg’s game-winning goal in overtime gave the Blueshirts a 2-1 lead, did you miss Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s totally unprovoked slash and Matthew Tkachuk’s totally unprovoked high cross-check on Matt Rempe?
They flapped and dove and performed with style, as did Evan Rodriguez, who writhed on the ice for up to two minutes after being knocked inside and then taken to his back by Jacob Trouba’s forearm, with a lucky miss on the captain’s elbow.
They flapped and dove, as Sam Reinhart did when he went down and remained down for so long after making contact with Trouba and Mika Zibandged along the wall, that the referee called the play off even though the Blueshirts had launched an undermanned one-man rush midway through the first period.
“They thought the player was injured to the point that they had to stop the game,” coach Peter Laviolette said of the Kelly Sutherland-Eric Farratt team.
He was not injured.
I asked LaViolette if that was okay.
“I don’t think my opinion matters at this point,” he said.[But] That’s why I want to see the show continue.”
I don’t blame Paddy Tutts or head coach Paul Maurice for their approach. There is a certain charm to it. They’re playing to their strengths. They’re doing everything they can. Either the league isn’t prepared to deal with it or the league doesn’t see the evil in it.
Ok, so the Rangers need to use every weapon they have to counter this offense. Sure, they need to score on the power play, but the PPG is not going to stop the Panthers from winning their designated round. The Rangers have no choice but to fight with all they have.
As Marv says, let me introduce you to the captain of the baseball team.
Trouba’s game-changing hits over the last few years have been with his elbow tucked in, but when he loses he seems to tend to stick his elbow out as a defensive measure. It’s not an effective move, it’s dangerous and if the captain hits someone in the head, Trouba could miss a few games.
He didn’t hit a ball on Sunday (and was fined $5,000). In fact, when someone asked Trouba about his “elbow,” he promptly replied, “forearm.”
The uproar that this incident generated was outrageous. Where was the commensurate outcry when Dmitry Kulikov tried to decapitate Wennberg in the first period of Game 2?
“Listen, we need that physical presence. [Trouba] “He always brings that,” Laviolette said. “We’re in a competitive series and we need guys that play hard and play physical, and he’s a guy we can count on to do that.”
“There are some things I don’t necessarily agree with. [from Game 2] “He went to the penalty area, but that’s the reality of it. The physical presence he brings to the team is something we need in our group.”
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This isn’t just a physical battle. The Rangers are playing an uphill battle against a pack of predators. You can argue the Panthers’ massive shooting advantage is deceptive, but there’s no denying that the Blueshirts are struggling and getting beaten in their own half.
The back end has absorbed blows, including from Adam Fox, who has been dealing with leg pain and looking weaker by the day since taking a leg-to-leg collision from Nick Jensen in Game 4 of the Washington series. Zibanejed has already struggled against bigger, more physical opponents.
The Rangers are two wins away from the final but six away from the Cup. After 30 years and a 1-for-84 record, the magic number is six, not two. So I asked Laviolette if he could prioritize the bigger picture over a mindset of the club’s next game when deciding his lineup.
If Fox would benefit from a rest, I would have thought it might be advantageous to bench him for one game in favor of Zach Jones to give the No. 23 a better opportunity to perform at his best, but I can confidently say there is no sign of that happening.
“What we’re looking at is [Game 4]the situation at hand will affect what is best. [Tuesday] “And I believe that’s what we have to focus on,” Laviolette said. “Our intention is to go ahead and play some more after that, but right now it’s going to be a decision to try to win the game tomorrow.”
The Panthers are the hunters, the Rangers have the option to not be the bounty hunters. They push high when the opposition comes high. Rempe moves freely. That was 70s hockey. That’s the kind of hockey the Rangers need to play to survive.
