I recently got a new job.
In my previous employment, I would often work at 5:00 at night, waking up sometime around 11 in the morning. Sometimes, I would go to bed at 2 a.m. then wake up at 11:30, sleeping over 9 hours.
I would actually be more tired when I woke up then when I went to sleep. I would feel... groggy. Sometimes, I would work better on short rest (say, 4 a.m. - 10 a.m.) than an entire night's rest.
I think that's what happened to the Rangers tonight. They played Calgary on short rest, and played well. They just couldn't beat that hot goalie.
Tonight, they had too much rest. Imagine if I slept all of Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday? I would've been lost on Thursday.
I probably would've given up a goal 19 seconds into the game. I probably would've taken a penalty a minute later. I probably would've shown up only for the last 15 minutes of the 3rd period. I probably would've taken lazy, offensive-zone penalties. I probably would've relied on my incredible goaltender to save our hides against a weaker team. I would've let a player playing for the first time in 3 weeks get a goal and 2 assists.
I also probably would've put an APB out on Sean Avery. Has anyone seen him? A healthy Sean Avery without the edge is just like any other player. I miss having an abrasive forward who turns games in our favor. Has he impacted any game except the Toronto game at MSG where he scored two goals? Has he been himself? Knee injury? A fear of taking penalties? Something's up, and it's not helping the Rangers.
I probably would've cut this short, too.
Dude, hurt or not, Kovalchuk is a ridiculously good player, and dont forget we have a guy like that also who can be hurt for long streches and just step back in and produce. Hedberg stood on his head and made some big point blank saves (two or three on Prospal alone). However, for large stretches of this game the Rangers played in reverse. Like you said, stupid penalties, bad/missed calls (no suprise) and uninspired play killed them this game. Ms Rosie thinking about his fat paycheck rather than hustling back to the crease to cover on that 4th goal was pathetic and epitomized the dumb mistakes this team has been making. They need a 7th d-man to put the fear of the press box in him and anyone else in that d-man who corps chooses to dog it like that. -Dan
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