Post-Game Talk: Pens 2, Sens 0 - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Firing MJ

[Dipsy Doodle]

What's with the Guentzel criticism? The guy's done nothing but look good at every camp and score at a PPG in the NCAA his first two years.

I might be wrong, but I don't recall anybody here raising hell over us not drafting Duclair at the time either.

 

[Ogrezilla]

This is what Fehr has to say on the subject of winger vs pivot:



https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-transition-to-center-finished-for-eric-fehr/

Is there any chance we just go super deep and let Fehr and Bonino both play center with more balanced time for the forwards? Basically instead of 4 tiers of ice time we would have two lines play 2nd line minutes and two lines play 3rd line minutes. At least for the regular season. I don't know if that seems like a good idea or overthinking.

 

[madinsomniac]

You're such a tease!

Sounds like pretty much any soft tissue injury.

Or a bad case of crabs....

 

[JTG]

Just curious, what's the transit situation to and from the arena?

There is no public transit. But even if there was, I park about 4 blocks away from the arena, I live 35 mins away with no traffic, and from when I stood up at my seat until I walked into my front door it took me an hour and 20 mins.

At that rate, it may be more wise to wait until the end of the game to let traffic dissipate.

Absolutely correct. I said the same thing last night. "If 10,000 people leave the game early, is it still worth leaving the game early?"

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

What's with the Guentzel criticism? The guy's done nothing but look good at every camp and score at a PPG in the NCAA his first two years.

I might be wrong, but I don't recall anybody here raising hell over us not drafting Duclair at the time either.

Eh... nothing serious, really. Mostly having some fun. Maybe he comes out of nowhere. I doubt it. He's an all-finesse college midget that should have been taken on a flier in the 7th round. Not in the third. Shero didn't seem to have many ideas about what he was even looking for in forwards other than "Skill-ish NCAA waterbugs who I don't have to worry about for at least four years. Preferably from the United States. Because Freedom."

And I can't claim I ever made a peep about Duclair.

Unrelated but I remember YOU making a peep about Pulkkinen, though. Which is looking like a good call.

(We took Kuhnhackl, by the way.)

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Is there any chance we just go super deep and let Fehr and Bonino both play center with more balanced time for the forwards? Basically instead of 4 tiers of ice time we would have two lines play 2nd line minutes and two lines play 3rd line minutes. At least for the regular season. I don't know if that seems like a good idea or overthinking.

I think we have to see how the roster looks then. Knowing this org chances are injuries may reveal an easy answer.

We also have to see how the lines look. If they are actually functional, then Fehr will have to work his way into the lineup starting on the fourth line. Bonino is known to disappear and ghost it from what Nuck fans said, so when he does, Fehr can jump into that role. A little competition is a good thing... unless you are Chris Kunitz.

I'm hoping they have trouble finding a spot for Fehr when he first comes back TBTH.

 

[JTG]

Not exactly the environment for a hockey game, I guess. I'm not much of a heckler or loud, in general. But I like hearing the crowd, ya know? It was nice to at least hear a "Lets Go Pens" chant start up briefly after a particularly good shift by Malkin on both ends of the ice, last night.



Well... yeah.

I feel like this really should be heeded by more people at the actual games, though. Not that I'm necessarily advocating mass drunken irresponsibility. Though, I mean... good times. But as a guy who occasionally has to get up and perform in front of people... a well-lubricated, half-rowdy crowd DOES make a big difference to the performers.

The new thing with Pens fans is, "I'm not a loud hockey spectator, but I want it to be a loud arena." I'm fine with it being sort of dull. I don't particularly think crowd noise really helps much as these guys aren't calling plays or anything where the noise could hinder them. I do believe the crowd gets loud when there is something to cheer for. It got loud last night for bits and pieces of action. It's by no stretch a Winnipeg though where it's nuts all game long.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

The new thing with Pens fans is, "I'm not a loud hockey spectator, but I want it to be a loud arena." I'm fine with it being sort of dull. I don't particularly think crowd noise really helps much as these guys aren't calling plays or anything where the noise could hinder them. I do believe the crowd gets loud when there is something to cheer for. It got loud last night for bits and pieces of action. It's by no stretch a Winnipeg though where it's nuts all game long.

I guess I don't really need it to be loud and raucous all the time. And the crowd does still get up enough to at least start some occasional chants. So that's cool.

It just seems like a very overall sterile environment. People always talk about good live events being "electric." It seems very much the opposite at CEC. Which is kind of funny owing to the name.

I'm sure they are still raking in the cash... so I guess that's all that matters.

 

[tom_servo]

Absolutely correct. I said the same thing last night. "If 10,000 people leave the game early, is it still worth leaving the game early?"

Maybe people aren't trying to beat the traffic. Maybe they're just bored. Perhaps trying to get a seat at the bar or something.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I think we have to see how the roster looks then. Knowing this org chances are injuries may reveal an easy answer.

We also have to see how the lines look. If they are actually functional, then Fehr will have to work his way into the lineup starting on the fourth line. Bonino is known to disappear and ghost it from what Nuck fans said, so when he does, Fehr can jump into that role. A little competition is a good thing... unless you are Chris Kunitz.

I'm hoping they have trouble finding a spot for Fehr when he first comes back TBTH.

true story.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Eh... nothing serious, really. Mostly having some fun. Maybe he comes out of nowhere. I doubt it. He's an all-finesse college midget that should have been taken on a flier in the 7th round. Not in the third. Shero didn't seem to have many ideas about what he was even looking for in forwards other than "Skill-ish NCAA waterbugs who I don't have to worry about for at least four years. Preferably from the United States. Because Freedom."

It's all good. I know Shero went bananas with his college fetish (and got more than his share of low-ceiling duds in the process), but Guentzel's hockey IQ and craftiness always stuck out to me in those summer scrimmages.

He might flame out. But I think he's still a good bet for a 3rd round pick. It's not like the 3rd round of that draft yielded a bunch of prospects I'd rather have right now.

And I can't claim I ever made a peep about Duclair.

Unrelated but I remember YOU making a peep about Pulkkinen, though. Which is looking like a good call.

(We took Kuhnhackl, by the way.)

TBH, unless a 17-18 year old was a potential lotto pick or played in an international tourney, I probably didn't see him but was rooting for the Pens to draft some goddamn Euro skill for once sight unseen (Youtube clips aside). Can't recall if that was the case with Pulkkinen, but it definitely was for Kucherov and Gusev, haha.

 

[JTG]

Maybe people aren't trying to beat the traffic. Maybe they're just bored. Perhaps trying to get a seat at the bar or something.

What bar? There's not much around the arena. Souper Bowl, Milano's and Red Ring. Of course you could walk downtown and stuff like that. I just don't see any excuse to leave a game early - ESPECIALLY a 2-0 game with 6 mins left to play. And it's not even like last night wasn't a decent game to watch. It had some lulls, but it was entertaining for the most part.

 

[Jacob]

What's with the Guentzel criticism? The guy's done nothing but look good at every camp and score at a PPG in the NCAA his first two years.

I might be wrong, but I don't recall anybody here raising hell over us not drafting Duclair at the time either.

Anytime someone drafted later turns out to be better the armchair GMs throw a hissy fit online.

 

[DanielPlainview]

Uhh public transit? This is America.

I'm curious how many people didn't realize the city had a rail system until they extended it to Heinz Field.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Anytime someone drafted later turns out to be better the armchair GMs throw a hissy fit online.

I think there are times when it's warranted, like if there was an obvious choice at a position of need that we passed on, or a poster specifically singed out a player as a target before the draft.

Duclair though? Looks like a steal in hindsight, but in 2013 he had just 50 points in 50 OHL games and I don't remember him being big on anyone's radar here. I might be wrong.

Conversely, whenever we steal a player like Despres or Maatta, it often seems to be couched in terms like "he fell to us", as if it's pure luck whenever we do it but great scouting when anyone else does it.

 

[JTG]

I'm curious how many people didn't realize the city had a rail system until they extended it to Heinz Field.

I would love to see Pittsburgh develop a rail system that doesn't just service the South Hills. It would drastically reduce congestion downtown during peak times during the day, and for events at night.

 

[IcedCapp]

I would love to see Pittsburgh develop a rail system that doesn't just service the South Hills. It would drastically reduce congestion downtown during peak times during the day, and for events at night.

You want functional mass transit? You a commie or something?

 

[IcedCapp]

Winnik is such a good bottom-six player when there's not an aquatic mammal on his chest.

 

[JTG]

Winnick was so bad here. So very bad.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Winnik is such a good bottom-six player when there's not an aquatic mammal on his chest.

But he wasn't very good here, and he didn't have an aquatic mammal on his chest here.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

TIL that IC thinks penguins are mammals, or that birds are. I couldn't say which.

 

[IcedCapp]

But he wasn't very good here, and he didn't have an aquatic mammal on his chest here.

Oh, ****, I swear I meant to type animal. I'm... Drunk?

Anyhow.. Uh, changing the subject... Winnik is so good everywhere but Pittsburgh.

TIL that IC thinks penguins are mammals, or that birds are. I couldn't say which.

I'm genuinely embarrassed by that. As a dbag who has little more than his superior intellect going for him, such a mistake is unforgivable

 

[tom_servo]

For what it's worth IC, if you had told me that penguins were mammals, I would have believed you.

I choose to forget about the Winnik rental. Wipe it clean from my memory please. No rentals this year either. If the playoffs are still a thing around here, I'd prefer, no, demand to go in without that much risk.

(Consider that Daniel Sprong is a second-rounder, and we've been giving them up like candy for years. Nope. I'd rather not think about it.)

 

[IcedCapp]

For what it's worth IC, if you had told me that penguins were mammals, I would have believed you.

I choose to forget about the Winnik rental. Wipe it clean from my memory please. No rentals this year either. If the playoffs are still a thing around here, I'd prefer, no, demand to go in without that much risk.

(Consider that Daniel Sprong is a second-rounder, and we've been giving them up like candy for years. Nope. I'd rather not think about it.)

Penguins are hairy!!!

 

[KrisLetAngry]

So who is the better player, Sprong or Kapanen ?

Right now I'd lean Sprong.

But Kapanen if he reaches his potential has a lot of skill.