Series Talk: PENS vs Montreal Canadiens Round 1 (Best Of Five) - Episode II: On a peur, très peur!

[BHD]

Nobody is bringing Sheary down. He does that on his own most games.

 

[Bingo71]

The line matchups are going to be one thing, but how is Julien going to try and irritate and agitate the Pens through the physicality that the Habs certainly have the advantage in?

If Price pulls a Halak or a 2013 Rask and frustrates the Pens offensively, how easily will the Habs be able to get under their skin physically and totally get them off their game.

The reality is that every single team that plays the Pens should employ this tactic and many to most do. During the back to back seasons, the core seemed to have finally learned how to let it roll off their backs and just play (I’m sure a lot of that had to do with them being able to score during those runs) but in the last two seasons they have seemed to reverted back to the days of letting punk agitators get them off their game, especially when they aren’t scoring. If this turns into a defensive battle of a series and the Pens get frustrated offensively, it probably wouldn’t take much to bulky them physically and really get under their skin...

 

[Tom Hanks]

Come on, man. Don't you know that Crosby gets all points against mediocre teams?

cc: @pixiesfanyo

Well we are playing a mediocre team so he should be fine

 

[Gurglesons]

The line matchups are going to be one thing, but how is Julien going to try and irritate and agitate the Pens through the physicality that the Habs certainly have the advantage in?

If Price pulls a Halak or a 2013 Rask and frustrates the Pens offensively, how easily will the Habs be able to get under their skin physically and totally get them off their game.

The reality is that every single team that plays the Pens should employ this tactic and many to most do. During the back to back seasons, the core seemed to have finally learned how to let it roll off their backs and just play (I’m sure a lot of that had to do with them being able to score during those runs) but in the last two seasons they have seemed to reverted back to the days of letting punk agitators get them off their game, especially when they aren’t scoring. If this turns into a defensive battle of a series and the Pens get frustrated offensively, it probably wouldn’t take much to bulky them physically and really get under their skin...

Why exactly do the Habs have a more physical team?

We are the bigger team and led the Canadiens in Hits Per 60 and were identical with them in Blocked Shots Per 60.

 

[Ugene Magic]

I'd argue that Jake being with whoever makes either Sid/Geno the first line.

Jake, Malkin, Rust isn't fair.. Jake , Crosby, Sheary probably still isn't fair. But you Slot Zucker with Sid and Sheary that's where things kind of even out.

 

[Kristopher Letang]

Qui a peur?

 

[Kristopher Letang]

Seeing Jake again gets me VERY EXCITED!

Beauner?

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Qui a peur?

À lire les commentaires du thread précédent... some people. Hence the joke

 

[Ryder71]

Beauner?

No, just girlishly flustered with anticipation.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

That’s mainly because as most of your comments it it is a loaded scenario. Your comparison is largely to bring down Sheary. See also what you’ve done in the past with Phil and Sprong.

If you're comparing 2 lines and don't discuss the weakest member of either line by far, you've done a pretty terrible evaluation.

Kessel and Sprong have no place in this conversation.

Because it's a nonsensical argument to make when we're talking about a team who has 3 fringe 1st/2nd liners as their top line.

We're not talking about Crosby going up against a McDavid-Draisaitl duo or an Ovechkin-Backstrom-Oshie line or even the Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak line. We're talking about the top line for freaking Montreal, a line that had 1 50 point player on a non-playoff team.

Yeah, that sounds real representative.

Another way to look at it is that they paced for 54, 60, and 74 points, one of them is a center that finished 7th in Selke voting, they know each other's tendencies well, and they have a quality defensive coach.

 

[Sorry]

Sheary is a poor mans version of Steve Sullivan, when he was on the Pens.

 

[Ryder71]

We have to wait nearly three months (from the time it was bantered about) to play a best of five series against the Habs. We'll be sick of them before TC even starts.

 

[Gurglesons]

Sheary is a poor mans version of Steve Sullivan, when he was on the Pens.

Nah. Sullivan was largely our PP QB that year and I’d argue more skilled than Sheary.

 

[EightyOne]

Y'all remember when we needed Kunitz to pot a double overtime goal against a clearly inferior on paper OTT team?

That was silly.

I'm sure a clearly on paper inferior MTL team won't be that challenging.

 

[CascadiaPenguin]

Y'all remember when we needed Kunitz to pot a double overtime goal against a clearly inferior on paper OTT team?

That was silly.

I'm sure a clearly on paper inferior MTL team won't be that challenging.

I get your point, but think you're being a bit too clever. Pens were second in the Metro that year, and Ottawa was #2 in the Atlantic. Ottawa had a structured, suffocating team 1-3-1 D, the kind of system that often drives the Pens batshit, and they beat the Bruins and Rangers before facing us. "Clearly inferior" Ottawa also won the regular season series against the Pens that year.

In no world should MTL qualify for the playoffs this year. But the Sens earned it in '16-'17. Montreal's play-in totally devalues the regular season, for sure, but this is the NHL and they do shit like this. That being said, if we can't beat the Habs, we have no room to talk about how great we are.

 

[EightyOne]

I get your point, but think you're being a bit too clever. Pens were second in the Metro that year, and Ottawa was #2 in the Atlantic. Ottawa had a structured, suffocating team 1-3-1 D, the kind of system that often drives the Pens batshit, and they beat the Bruins and Rangers before facing us. "Clearly inferior" Ottawa also won the regular season series against the Pens that year.

In no world should MTL qualify for the playoffs this year. But the Sens earned it in '16-'17. Montreal's play-in totally devalues the regular season, for sure, but this is the NHL and they do shit like this. That being said, if we can't beat the Habs, we have no room to talk about how great we are.

Just implying, a good coach/team strategy can neutralize the Pens if they don't play together.

They have played many games on ice at the same time, but not together.

It REALLY sucks that is is going to take so long to start.

 

[CascadiaPenguin]

Just implying, a good coach/team strategy can neutralize the Pens if they don't play together.

They have played many games on ice at the same time, but not together.

It REALLY sucks that is is going to take so long to start.

I agree, and hopefully the delay may work in our favor. Our early March team was kind of putrid. Let's hear it for the Boys of Summer!?

 

[Scandale du Jour]

We have to wait nearly three months (from the time it was bantered about) to play a best of five series against the Habs. We'll be sick of them before TC even starts.

I have been sick of them since birth.

 

[Peat]

We have to wait nearly three months (from the time it was bantered about) to play a best of five series against the Habs. We'll be sick of them before TC even starts.

I'm kinda over it now tbh. What's there to talk about.

We know we should beat them. We know we might not, because hockey's a fairly random sport and they're a well drilled enough team to cause us issues if we're not on top form. We pretty much know what the lines are going to be. What's there to actually discuss?

And this for three months? I can't even.

I have been sick of them since birth.

Well la di da, look at you Mr Hipster

 

[Scandale du Jour]

I'm kinda over it now tbh. What's there to talk about.

We know we should beat them. We know we might not, because hockey's a fairly random sport and they're a well drilled enough team to cause us issues if we're not on top form. We pretty much know what the lines are going to be. What's there to actually discuss?

And this for three months? I can't even.



Well la di da, look at you Mr Hipster

Well, being born in Quebec City has its perks

 

[HandshakeLine]

Well, being born in Quebec City has its perks

The best damn poutine in North America and all the maple syrup you can smuggle?

 

[Scandale du Jour]

The best damn poutine in North America and all the maple syrup you can smuggle?

Most European city in NA too. Vieux-Québec is beautiful.

Plus, we hate Montreal and the Habs. Makes us very cool, no?

 

[HandshakeLine]

Most European city in NA too. Vieux-Québec is beautiful.

Plus, we hate Montreal and the Habs. Makes us very cool, no?

It's definitely on my to-do list.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Y'all remember when we needed Kunitz to pot a double overtime goal against a clearly inferior on paper OTT team?

That was silly.

I'm sure a clearly on paper inferior MTL team won't be that challenging.

Whole lot of people trying to summon the next iteration of Cammalleri in here.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Y'all remember when we needed Kunitz to pot a double overtime goal against a clearly inferior on paper OTT team?

That was silly.

I'm sure a clearly on paper inferior MTL team won't be that challenging.

Come on, dude...

It is the NHL. These things happen often.

The team should prepare seriously and consider the Habs a worthy opponent.

That being said, we have the clearly superior team and should not be scared of them. If we lose or struggle, we should be worried.