GDT: Delusional Crappy Team A @ Delusional Crappy Team B (7:30pm, ESPN+/Hulu)

[Holtbyisms]

Yeah it was way over the top

Reminded me of a particular scene from Saltburn...

 

[twabby]

What this is really telling us is that if you play with Phillips, you won’t play much.

If they absolutely had to bench Phillips and Lapierre (which they didn't), they didn't have to also bench Strome. They could have moved him between Ovechkin and Wilson rather than letting Kuznetsov play 19 minutes.

 

[RedRocking]

If they absolutely had to bench Phillips and Lapierre (which they didn't), they didn't have to also bench Strome. They could have moved him between Ovechkin and Wilson rather than letting Kuznetsov play 19 minutes.

I mean, Strome isn’t so great in his own end if you’re protecting a lead. They seem to trust Kuzy at the dot more in tough situations. And occasionally Kuzy will give a shit and make a solid defensive play.

Am I off-base with that impression? Do the numbers support Strome being a decent defensive center?

Dowd, CMM and even Kuzy seem like better options.

 

[DWGie26]

I mean, Strome isn’t so great in his own end if you’re protecting a lead. They seem to trust Kuzy at the dot more in tough situations. And occasionally Kuzy will give a shit and make a solid defensive play.

Am I off-base with that impression? Do the numbers support Strome being a decent defensive center?

Dowd, CMM and even Kuzy seem like better options.

I don’t have the stats, but eye test tells me they deploy 4th line most in Dee zone, and then 2nd line second most.

I think Strome has been good defensively and great on the forecheck. But maybe he struggles in the Dee zone draws or possession.

 

[HandsomeTom43]

Outside of a few plays, the Sandin-Bear pairing actually gave up quite a bit. Bear had a turnover and had to take a penalty on Malkin. It actually wasn’t a great game from him but I’ll allow it for game #2

I won’t say this is incorrect. I was speaking from the context of people who were critical of the Bear signing/contract.

To me Edmundson was the worst defensemen overall although he made some plays. JC with his warts was the best dman in the ice tonight for either team. Sandin is good with the puck but he made a few lazy passes. I think he and Bear both would be better split up. Jensen was also solid.

Strome was invisible. I saw his ice time wasn’t high and it makes sense. Mantha looked solid for driving some plays. We really tried to stop scoring after it became 4-3. Hate that approach but it worked.

Pens were fortunate, if they didn't score with 4 seconds left its a laugher. I had so much fun though, and it's always a pleasure to see an Ovi goal at this point. I'll reiterate, the Pens definitely have more skill with the puck. What's unfortunate about Carbs system--to me--and many of you on here know hockey more astutely than me, is that if one person slacks off in transition, it can easily be going the other way, and his system relies a lot on trust and knowing where to be on the ice.

The 2nd PP was straight-up dogshit. No one did anything positive. The Ovi goal on the first PP was kind of like a Hail Mary. Our lack of speed is apparent too, but Pitt isn't too far behind. We're probably the slowest team in the league, and we weren't very physical tonight, but we don't have to be. I'm happy with our coach, and I'm happy we won't turn into a team that tanks for a decade to get good again. We're lucky, even spoiled. Our guys are playing meaningful hockey into 2024 and no one would have predicted this 2 years ago. If Patches can integrate well and add 10 goals and 25 points we maybe able to seal a playoff sport.

 

[RedRocking]

I don’t have the stats, but eye test tells me they deploy 4th line most in Dee zone, and then 2nd line second most.

I think Strome has been good defensively and great on the forecheck. But maybe he struggles in the Dee zone draws or possession.

Plus Kuzy is still better at the Ovi set face off play, so he gets those OZ starts.

Also, Strome isn’t used on the PK, and Kuzy is (I’m assuming those TOI numbers weren’t just 5v5).

 

[trick9]

Nice win.

It gives me great pleasure to saw Penguins feel the need to sign Tristan Jarry until 2028, they are stuck with him, Rust and Rakell until then. Ryan Graves doesn't expire until 2029. Now please just sign Guentzel until 2032 too.

 

[John Price]

 

[tycoonheart]

First period caps were awesome! Saw some good and bad from everyone. Malenstyn was so good tonight. To me the best player on the ice.

They were good, dominant even, up until they took the penalty in the 2nd which lead to the PP goal for the Pens. The new lines were actually working up until that point. After that, they kind of fell apart, like how the game against the Rangers went. When the other team pushes, they kind of struggle. Has happened often enough.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Crosby is still so damn good. He’s a genius on the ice. Malkin, on the other hand, looks old as shit.

That might have been Kuznetsov’s worst game I’ve ever seen. Aside from one nice play in the defensive zone every other time I saw him on the ice he was doing something wrong or getting beat for a loose puck. He is unplayable, just waive him at this point.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Other thought: I love Carberry but he has some weird deployment tendencies. I don’t remember seeing Strome at all during the third and Kuznetsov seemed to be his anchor. I don’t get it.

And the fancies back up the eye test on this one.

 

[um]

Kuznetsov and Malenstyn should never be leading this team in ice time. That’s just bonkers.

 

[twabby]

I don’t have the stats, but eye test tells me they deploy 4th line most in Dee zone, and then 2nd line second most.

I think Strome has been good defensively and great on the forecheck. But maybe he struggles in the Dee zone draws or possession.

Strome is probably one of their strongest possession forwards while Kuznetsov is their weakest.

It worked out last night but I'm not really seeing how benching their best forward for the final 15 minutes of a tight game makes sense especially when Kuznetsov had a bad game for Kuznetsov's own low standards.

 

[Midnight Judges]

I hate watching Carbery's dump and turtle, but they have held onto leads so I guess it's somehow effective?

 

[zappa4ever]

3rd pd shifts...
Perhaps Strome is nursing something and isn't 100%
Perhaps Carbs thought the other 3 lines were "on" and didn't trust Strome/LilPhilito/Hendrix to hold the line esp with GCRakell being sent out every other shift the whole 3rd
Carbs basically deployed OV/Kuz/Wilson everytime GCR left the ice and had either Pro/Mc/Martha or Dowd line to play v GCR

G/C/Rakell TOI in 3rd... Guentzel 10:29 Crosby 9:56 Rakell 9:18

and y'know how ppl complain about OV's PP TOI?
Sid was on for 5:08 of 5:39 PP time

 

[StrikingDistance]

Alternate caption: She just checked Kuzy's TOI.

Maybe Carbs is giving Kuzy 'one last chance' again to step-up? Showcasing him? Punishing the fans who appreciate good hockey?

 

[RedRocking]

They were good, dominant even, up until they took the penalty in the 2nd which lead to the PP goal for the Pens. The new lines were actually working up until that point. After that, they kind of fell apart, like how the game against the Rangers went. When the other team pushes, they kind of struggle. Has happened often enough.

They really struggle against a strong forecheck since their zone exits are so painfully clumsy. Then they just dump and retreat, barely trying to establish a forecheck of their own.

It’s frustrating because it’s so easy for other teams to tilt the ice on the them. They need more consistent possession in the OZ, but at times it just looks like they don’t have the horses to quickly turn defense into offense (or it’s Kuzy happily handing the puck over in the NZ).

 

[Midnight Judges]

They really struggle against a strong forecheck since their zone exists are so painfully clumsy. Then they just dump and retreat, barely trying to establish a forecheck of their own.

It’s frustrating because it’s so easy for other teams to tilt the ice on the them.

And yet they've held onto leads effectively and won a relative lot of games that way.

It's like Dale Hunter all over again.

 

[Calicaps]

And yet they've held onto leads effectively and won a relative lot of games that way.

It's like Dale Hunter all over again.

It's not that bad. Their issue has been their second periods. When they play poorly in the second and give up leads or nearly so, like yesterday, they play the "safe" third. But when they've played strong second periods and extended leads/played in the OZ--or when they are down--they mostly don't turtle.

 

[HandsomeTom43]

They obviously played better in the 3rd. They were a lot tighter defensively. In the first everyone was always in the right spot and we got a few bounces. In the second, the Pens tilted the ice and guys got lazy everywhere. Our passing lanes are tight in this system and everything has to be crisp. It was in the first it wasn’t in the second. We established the zone twice in the third that I can remember and had a few good shots. Darcy really only needed to make 2 or 3 tough saves in the third, defense and possesion was much better but as previously stated they didn’t even try to score really.

On my previous post, I had said that Kuzy played inspiring hockey, that was a bad autocorrect. I meant uninspiring. He was noticeably atrocious with the puck. At this point I don’t think work ethic has much to do about it he was just bad with it. Defensively he made some plays, but I agree he was out there way too much.

 

[JohnCarlsaurus]

And yet they've held onto leads effectively and won a relative lot of games that way.

It's like Dale Hunter all over again.

I was just thinking this.

Narrow wins, blowout losses. But it worked well enough for that 2012 team to make the playoffs and win a round. Hopefully this team can do the same or better

 

[g00n]

TBD, imo