Rangers vs. Panthers: I Hate This Team
This team doesn't scrape the bottom of the barrel. This team isn't the bottom of the barrel. This team isn't below the bottom of the barrel. This team doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence with barrels.
- I really can't express how stupid this team is. On every level. Weeks of not trying in November and December tanked the season. A series of "hey, if we win these games we might push ourselves into the playoffs" contests where the team amassed a total of five high danger scoring chances in four games combined. And now, when the points don't matter, and you losing actually is better in the long run, they not only win but come back from multiple goals down to win, against a really good team.
- Spare me "the Panthers were resting players and weren't playing hard." I know, and I get it. But you saw this team lose to the Philadelphia Flyers who also had nothing to play for and had a far worse roster, and on Sam and JD night. These guys are just awful.
- Laviolette was forced to insert Gabe Perreault and Brennan Othmann back in the lineup, but still managed a good ol' FU at Chris Drury (or the fans? or the team? I'm really not sure) by sitting Brett Berard for reasons. Othmann played less than 13 minutes. Gabe at least played 16 minutes. But you gotta get Vincent Trocheck his 18 minutes a night, Chris Kreider his 15 minutes a night, and ride J.T. Miller and Artemi Panarin for 17 minutes for no reason.
- I also want to say tthat hose of you who are now jumping on the "OK, it's strange Laviolette is just not playing kids despite the year being over" are way too late to the party. You wanted to mock me for being upset about this with Arthur Kaliyev, Zac Jones, Berard, et al. in January when all was lost and want to get mad now? Little too late, buddy.
Brett Berard being a healthy scratch tonight is infuriating.
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) April 14, 2025
Don’t tell me it’s because the Rangers need a center while also scratching Carrick. Rempe could go into the middle for his 8:00 of ice time.
There’s no acceptable explanation.
- Juuso Parssinen had a goal and an assist to make a total of five points in the last three games he's played. I guess he's another one we should have been playing a little? Maybe?
- More on the kids after the jump.
