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Monday, April 21, 2014

Richards likes Rangers’ playoff experience but says Flyers were more desperate in Game 2

Among the things Brad Richards likes about this current Rangers’ team is the playoff experience in the room.

There are still several players left from the team that went to the 2012 Eastern Conference final, Richards included, even if the coaching staff has changed. He said the acquisition of Marty St. Louis, who, like Richards, won a Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2004, only adds to the experience.

“Maybe I used confident and that’s not the exact word I meant but I think that helps your confidence when you’ve been through a lot of these,” said Richards, referencing an earlier interview in which he said the Rangers were a more confident team. “You lose in the conference final but it still helps your experience and confidence level going into next year.

“It’s the same as any team that would be going into the playoffs multiple years,” Richards added. “If you get to a conference final, it shows you a lot about how you have to win and that’s all I was meaning by that.”

Experience aside, Richards also said the Rangers did not make the necessary improvements from their Game 1 4-1 win to their 4-2 loss in Game 2. At the same time, maintaining an even keel, win or lose, is how the Rangers are approaching Game 3.

“It comes down to maybe a little execution, game plan,” Richards said. “Really, they were probably a little more desperate than we were for some reason (in Game 2). They felt like they had to win that game and I’m not saying we didn’t feel like we had to win it but for some reason, after we got up 2-0, we maybe let off a touch and that’s what we’re going to have to realize. We could have lost the game by playing a perfect game, too. It’s not about just that but the intensity level and the level of play has to keep going up and it has to jump up a lot more than it did from Game 1 to Game 2 than it did for us. That’s our main focus, it’s got to be better.”

“Game 1 was pretty good, we battled, we won puck battles and got some of those second and third opportunities,” Brian Boyle added. “Not so much in Game 2 so we need to get back to that.”
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Meanwhile, at the Flyers’ practice at Voorhees, the improvement the home team in Games 3 and 4 wanted to make was not give the Rangers as many power-play opportunities.

The Rangers were 2 for 6 in Game 1 and 1 for 6 in Game 2.

“It’s something we have to fix,” Vincent Lecavalier said. “If we are more disciplined we can get more five on five. More power plays and create more and get more opportunities. Playoff hockey, like any games, a lot of them are one-goal games and tight games.”

“Let’s just say we don’t want to give them six power plays a game,” Flyers coach Craig Berube added. “We’ve got to be better. You are going to get penalties in the game. You can’t take emotional, dumb ones and careless penalties. They are going to hurt us.”

The six power plays didn’t sink the Flyers’ effort in Game 2 as the Rangers converted once, leading to some laments that they failed to capitalize on the chance and, by extension, failed to get the win.

“We’ve got three power play goals in two games,” Richards said. “I know it could have won us a game last night but when you really put it into perspective, if you said you’d get three power play goals in the first two games, you’d probably take it. The difference is last night we probably could have done something good to get a second power play goal and maybe that changes the game. We’re going to keep working on it. I think the one in the third was the worst one of the series so far, we didn’t get any shots. Second period, besides maybe a little traffic where he didn’t see it, we had some good scoring chances on it. We’re getting set up. It’s so many of them last night, the ones we didn’t score on probably become more prevalent but we still scored a big goal to go up 2-0 and we’re going to keep working on it and we’re very confident it’s going to have to be a big part of this series and we’re going to be able to do it.”

Posted by Andrew Gross on 04/21 at 09:01 PM

DaveB - from a number of articles ago, I liked your idea of calling a truce and everybody getting behind our boys for the playoff run.

Good to see the team speaking with confidence: BR is right, they have the experience to win this series. Flyers showed that the Rangers are going to have increase the compete level (sorry for the Torts phrase). If they do that, we certainly have the depth to take the Flyers.

Will be a fun night in the Wells Fargo Center / Spectrum II /Wachovia center or whatever they call their home arena..

LGR !!

Posted by marty from rfc on 04/22 at 04:16 AM

2 games in. no need to panic. although I Would like to see the power play connect more.

Posted by benniesays on 04/22 at 05:14 AM

Playoff outcomes are often decided by goaltending and Lundquist has got to be better than he has shown so far.

Posted by Tom Mac on 04/22 at 12:28 PM

Lundquist is not a problem T-Mac .. 2 goals in the first ten minutes of period one and none the rest of the way was the issue in game two ... Intensity/urgency was also somewhat lacking .. if you watch some of the other series, you see all out war and FULL effort from EVRYBODY…
EVERY SHIFT ...
NYR has always been very proud even in defeats.. too F’n proud!! Sayin they coulda won is meaningless as is saying we have the experience edge on them ... means NOTHING now .. Shiow me the effort! Show me the desire ! They already were shown the money !!
time to kick it up a notch, stay disciplined, stick to the game plan and execute it ... NO bad penalties…

Posted by Ranger Rick on 04/22 at 12:36 PM

Larry Brooks ‏@NYP_Brooksie:

“In a series featuring Crosby and Malkin, Dubinsky has been the most compelling player on the ice”

We never should have traded him.

Posted by JJ on 04/22 at 01:49 PM

That ain’t the real jj ....
but the fact of is that Dubinsky has been a real stand out and I think he’s been part of just about every Blue Jackets’ goal…
Dubi almost got last night’s game into OT with a great end to end rush and a push to the front of the net ..

Posted by Ranger Rick on 04/22 at 01:56 PM

Posted by marty from rfc on 04/21 at 11:16 PM

so much for a truce when 1 of those who posts under multiple names uses mine at 8:49

the words coward and troll come to mind

Posted by JJ on 04/22 at 01:57 PM

he’s back in the news for the wrong reason ....
I say 3 games the league will hit him for 3 games for the hit and 1-2 additional for the repeat offender portion.
5 games ought to get his attention.
Maybe 8 really would.. the rest of the first round would seem apptopriate. Soo unfair to the injured player…

I do have to say though, Dubinsky is shutting me up, his grit and all around play would fill the missing ingredient this team doesn’t have.

Posted by JJ on 04/22 at 02:08 PM

Posted by JJ on 04/22 at 09:08 AM

you did the same bs a few yrs ago. are you bothering me. yes.

BUT

you are also bothering most others here as well

do you care

it seems that you sure don’t since you care little about anybody else. just about cowardly attacks in misguided attempt at vengeance

i am watching your boy as much as i’d be watching the isles if they were in the playoffs. rooting against but not watching. 2 more and he can go home

coward

Posted by JJ on 04/22 at 02:28 PM

That was a great last second rush by Dubinsky, but Paul Martin looked just ridiculous on that play. Roenick called Dubinsky a “monster’ the other day. Lol. He was done here as long as Torts was around, but he would have thrived under this coach.

Posted by alan on 04/22 at 02:36 PM

Alan,

stop believing the hype about your boy. Next thing we know you’ll refer to him as a “kid” still as well. The only reason he didn’t score at the end of the game was because Pittsburgh didn’t have an empty net.

Posted by JJ on 04/22 at 02:41 PM

Posted by alan on 04/22 at 09:36 AM

he’s now in his salary surge since in 1 yr he gets to hit lotto. so he’ll be wanting the max deal from columbus say 8 yrs and at least cally money of what he was looking for.

once he gets it - it could well be a case of buyers remorse as his motivation will lessen dramatically

so lets see its game 3 vs philly but the troll lucas has succeeded in making this all about his boy.

2 more games and his summer starts. can’‘t wait

Posted by JJ on 04/22 at 02:41 PM

imposter at 9:36

Posted by JJ on 04/22 at 02:42 PM

I’m not sure who the clown is that’s impersonation JJ, but give it up already. Heaven knows I’ve had plenty of disagreements with JJ over the past few seasons, but it’s time to grow up and get off his back! All you’re doing is ruining this blog for everyone else.

Posted by Rich on 04/22 at 03:04 PM

If Nash would just put as much effort as Dubi, we would have the better player.

Posted by RON on 04/22 at 04:04 PM

Its making it very difficult to ignore the regular JJ;s posts now that there is another one. So yes, please stop.

Regarding Dubi,he is an easy guy to route for. Its been cool to see him have success in these past few games. That loss had to be tough to swallow for columbus.

Posted by Thewaitingisover! on 04/22 at 05:28 PM

Posted by Thewaitingisover! on 04/22 at 12:28 PM

ignoring somebodies posts does not include constantly saying you are ignoring their posts.

at least where i come from.

as long as you don’t say that (a big as long as evidently) and as long as you don’t scapegoat i am doing my best to interact with you to the least extent possible

About

ANDREW GROSS covers the New York Rangers for The Record and Herald News, having joined the North Jersey Media Group in November 2007. Gross also covered the Rangers and New York Jets, as well as St. John’s basketball and Army football, for Gannett Newspapers and The Journal News (N.Y.). He graduated from Syracuse University in 1989 with a degree in newspaper journalism.