How do the Pens do it?

Riptide

Registered User
Dec 29, 2011
38,887
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Well, let's put this into perspective, the Hawks went:

2012/13 - Cup
2013/14 - WCF game 7 OT vs. LA (Cup champs)
2014/15 - Cup

So really, they were one single goal away from making it to the finals in 2013/14 which was a year everybody thought the Western Conference was winning regardless. So to say they were hypothetically 1 goal away from winning three Cups in a row, is that really THAT much different than if Pitt wins three in a row? They were competitive all 3 years.

Sure if one wants to talk about hypotheticals. We'll find out in a couple of months if PIT can actually win 3 in a row. But then they've already done what Chicago couldn't - win back to back. So maybe start there before talking about they were "hypothetically" 1 goal away from winning 3 in a row. :laugh:
 

vippe

Registered User
Mar 18, 2008
14,234
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They're clutch. That's it. The greatest feat u can have as a team.

They get great goaltending when it matters.
They get goals when it matters.
They compete.
Obviously, they have the superstars who can take over a game at any time.

I think they have been equaled or even bested in lots of series but they always persevere, they can win even if they dont play at their best.

As much as I despise the Pens.. they truly are great.

With that said, I hope they dont win a single game for the rest of thes season ;P
 

COHawk

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Sep 16, 2015
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Sure if one wants to talk about hypotheticals. We'll find out in a couple of months if PIT can actually win 3 in a row. But then they've already done what Chicago couldn't - win back to back. So maybe start there before talking about they were "hypothetically" 1 goal away from winning 3 in a row. :laugh:
The whole point of the thread is asking how Pitt has done it without a retool. Cup or not, Chicago did not retool in 2013/14.
 

PenguinSpeed

Registered User
Oct 4, 2017
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Sure if one wants to talk about hypotheticals. We'll find out in a couple of months if PIT can actually win 3 in a row. But then they've already done what Chicago couldn't - win back to back. So maybe start there before talking about they were "hypothetically" 1 goal away from winning 3 in a row. :laugh:


-Thats almost as bad as me saying the Penguins would win 5 Stanley cups in a row if Mario Lemieux never had Hodgkins Cancer or disc problems in his back . The woulda, coulda, shoulda, but didnt excuse.
 
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COHawk

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Sep 16, 2015
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-Thats almost as bad as me saying the Penguins would win 5 Stanley cups in a row if Mario Lemieux never had Hodgkins Cancer or disc problems in his back . The woulda, coulda, shoulda, but didnt excuse.
Read the post above you.
 

puckIuck

Registered User
Jan 11, 2018
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today is 4/20, time for you to tone it down a bit

the canucks in 2011? declining western conference LMAO like it was already said the pens have the most cups in the last 30 years, but hey stick to your own "facts"

the 2017 pens were a goal away from losing to ottawa and went to 6 against an incredibly thin preds team [mike fisher :laugh:] so yes those '11 nucks would've dismantled them and again that's just one team.
 

GordieHowsUrBreath

Nostalgia... STOP DWELLING ON THE PAST
Jun 16, 2016
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the 2017 pens were a goal away from losing to ottawa and went to 6 against an incredibly thin preds team [mike fisher :laugh:] so yes those '11 nucks would've dismantled them and again that's just one team.

the canucks needed 7 games to beat a gutted hawks team in the first round, and they NEVER won a cup while the pens are going after 3 in a row LOL
 

GordieHowsUrBreath

Nostalgia... STOP DWELLING ON THE PAST
Jun 16, 2016
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you think a sissy like this is going to outduel crosby, malkin, kessel, letang, and murray LMAO

 

PenguinSpeed

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Oct 4, 2017
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the canucks needed 7 games to beat a gutted hawks team in the first round, and they NEVER won a cup while the pens are going after 3 in a row LOL


-The Canucks did indeed go to 7 games in the SC Finals. They also got outscored 25-8 in that series and were completely blown out in all 4 losses. They also needed overtime wins to even make the series respectable. Boston annihilated them statistically
 

CanadianPensFan1

Registered User
Jun 13, 2014
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No bad contracts and have had a pipeline of young talent come through the past 3 years. (Dumoulin, Rust, Guentzel, Sheary, Murray, Kuhnhackl) Simon, Sprong, Aston-Reese should play bigger roles next year to keep the trend going.

And JR has made a number of brilliant trades. Kessel, Daley, Hagelin, Brassard.

While I agree with All of this, the big one that gets overlooked is .. contracts. There are no bad contracts on the pens .. outside of Matt hunwick, which at 3mil, isn't so bad. Maybe letang depending on the day.

They have 3 major superstars (sid, geno, kessel) on contracts well below the league average for their production. A stud goalie on an ELC. Good solid young wingers are good contracts.

Sure in a year or two, there might be some trouble when these ELCs turn into bigger contracts. But for now, it's a pretty awesome position to be in.
 

PenguinSpeed

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Oct 4, 2017
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While I agree with All of this, the big one that gets overlooked is .. contracts. There are no bad contracts on the pens .. outside of Matt hunwick, which at 3mil, isn't so bad. Maybe letang depending on the day.

They have 3 major superstars (sid, geno, kessel) on contracts well below the league average for their production. A stud goalie on an ELC. Good solid young wingers are good contracts.

Sure in a year or two, there might be some trouble when these ELCs turn into bigger contracts. But for now, it's a pretty awesome position to be in.


-We are getting pretty much our entire team back next year with additional cap room. We also have are first and seconds in 2019 and 2020 to select or trade. Basically what everyone sees us do this year in the playoffs is going to look near the same next year.
 

puckIuck

Registered User
Jan 11, 2018
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the canucks needed 7 games to beat a gutted hawks team in the first round, and they NEVER won a cup while the pens are going after 3 in a row LOL

whether or not they beat the canucks is peripheral to my point. the 2011 nucks and 14 kings are far better than the blue jackets, bolts and caps teams the pens faced the last 2 years.
 

PenguinSpeed

Registered User
Oct 4, 2017
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whether or not they beat the canucks is peripheral to my point. the 2011 nucks and 14 kings are far better than the blue jackets, bolts and caps teams the pens faced the last 2 years.


-Cup is ours.


giphy.gif
 
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Church Hill

I'd drink it
Nov 16, 2007
17,817
2,808
The Hawks are among the luckiest cup winners ever. Their contract management and personnel decisions have been absolutely horrendous. They lucked into some talented players at the right time and beat inferior competition to win. Their "retools" are really just them suffering the penalties of their poor decisions. The penguins have been the model organization for years now. They make good decisions about their roster and don't give out stupid contracts. That's how you maintain a contender.
 

Luigi Lemieux

Registered User
Sep 26, 2003
21,437
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Win the 2005 draft lottery
As teams like Edmonton and Buffalo are showing, it takes more than drafting high to put together a perennial contender and multi cup winner. Not saying the pens haven't been lucky though by landing Crosby and Malkin, because they have been.
 

NeedleInTheHay

Registered User
Mar 26, 2008
7,006
1,102
Well, let's put this into perspective, the Hawks went:

2012/13 - Cup
2013/14 - WCF game 7 OT vs. LA (Cup champs)
2014/15 - Cup

So really, they were one single goal away from making it to the finals in 2013/14 which was a year everybody thought the Western Conference was winning regardless. So to say they were hypothetically 1 goal away from winning three Cups in a row, is that really THAT much different than if Pitt wins three in a row? They were competitive all 3 years.

The pats were a couple plays away from 2 more Super Bowls, but it doesn’t really matter, does it?
 

TomasHertlsRooster

Don’t say eye test when you mean points
May 14, 2012
33,360
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-2014 LA was tough? They won 3 game 7's, 1 game 7 in overtime, and 3 overtime games in the Stanley Cup Finals. That was the flukiest run ever and a joke Champion. They came out of the pathetic 3 bid playoff league Pacific division, had a measly 100 points from a 3 bid division, and had one of the worst offenses for a Stanley Cup winner All Time.

-This board is a pure comedy. The last 2 years the Western Conference chest beaters were all high and mighty with how great the Sharks and Preds were. Then they met the Penguins and got killed. Year 3, who comes out of the West? I Guarantee if they get killed by the Pens they stink. The salt against the Pens is at all time highs

I'm not salty against the Pens. The Penguins of 2016 were near one of the best NHL teams ever, but the 2017 Penguins were about as flukey as the 2014 Kings; maybe even more. You talk about the Kings' forward group but they had a superstar center in Kopitar. The Penguins #1D was Brian Dumolin in 2017.
 

GordieHowsUrBreath

Nostalgia... STOP DWELLING ON THE PAST
Jun 16, 2016
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whether or not they beat the canucks is peripheral to my point. the 2011 nucks and 14 kings are far better than the blue jackets, bolts and caps teams the pens faced the last 2 years.

you have no proof or reason to think this other than personal bias

pens back to back cups and counting, canucks ZERO

14 kings with that same core can't win more than one playoff game since that fluky cup, where they needed 7 games in each series including against a sharks team worse than the sharks team the pens owned
 

Luigi Lemieux

Registered User
Sep 26, 2003
21,437
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A steady stream of AHL talent is extremely important. Pens are actually the active playoff streak holder in both the NHL and AHL, at 12 and 16 seasons respectively.
 

GordieHowsUrBreath

Nostalgia... STOP DWELLING ON THE PAST
Jun 16, 2016
2,044
588
I'm not salty against the Pens. The Penguins of 2016 were near one of the best NHL teams ever, but the 2017 Penguins were about as flukey as the 2014 Kings; maybe even more. You talk about the Kings' forward group but they had a superstar center in Kopitar. The Penguins #1D was Brian Dumolin in 2017.

that "superstar" forward group just got swept by an expansion team
 

Sidney the Kidney

One last time
Jun 29, 2009
55,516
46,232
I'm not salty against the Pens. The Penguins of 2016 were near one of the best NHL teams ever, but the 2017 Penguins were about as flukey as the 2014 Kings; maybe even more. You talk about the Kings' forward group but they had a superstar center in Kopitar. The Penguins #1D was Brian Dumolin in 2017.

As a fan of a team who understands the importance of a guy like Vlasic, I'd thought you guys maybe more than any other fanbase would appreciate what a guy like Dumoulin brings to the table. A team can do much worse than have Dumoulin on your top pairing.

(No, I'm not saying Dumoulin is on par with Vlasic. I'm simply referring to a guy being great at the parts of the game that don't necessarily show up in the stat sheet)
 

Luigi Lemieux

Registered User
Sep 26, 2003
21,437
9,057
I'm not salty against the Pens. The Penguins of 2016 were near one of the best NHL teams ever, but the 2017 Penguins were about as flukey as the 2014 Kings; maybe even more. You talk about the Kings' forward group but they had a superstar center in Kopitar. The Penguins #1D was Brian Dumolin in 2017.
2016 was more dominant, but 2017 was more impressive imo. How many teams can lose their #1 dman and goalie heading into the playoffs, completely shape shift their style, and still go on to win the cup?
 

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