Post-Game Talk: | Pens vs Stars | loss | Cant play 60min

[Buddy Bizarre]

Just gotta keep playing like this honestly. If they can keep playing like this the rest of the way they'll get in. Good efforts the past two.

If they revert to old habits, they're out.

The past 2 games I've been pleasantly surprised at what I'm seeing. The intensity from this team definitely changed. They could play like this and go 0-82 and I'd be ok with it.

The refs absolutely blew chunks. I mean when you could call a penalty on either team nearly every shift, you wonder where the line is as a player that gets you whistled. I mean so much nonsense, cross checking, tripping, interference in front of the Dal net it wasn't even funny.

Need more from #71. Lazy play on the GWG. Pretty sure we’re at double digits in plus minus. Lazy effort all over the rink.

No confidence to shoot on the 6 on 4. No 5 on 5 goals in the last 13 games.

Line 2 doesn’t look very good now that Zucker isn’t carrying that line on a hot streak.

#71 wanted to come back. I want to go to the playoffs.

Funny how you were awol a few weeks ago along with your "rooting for the name on the back, Sid Crosby" when he did his own disappearing act.

How amateurish and shortsighted of you

 

[Pens1566]

What the hell happened to JB? He used to be a real good beat reporter too, but he's turning into Yohe.

They're all turned into creatures of access.

 

[HandshakeLine]

They're all turned into creatures of access.

It's really sad. JB was a great beat guy back in WB/S.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

They won the first faceoff, for starters. Crosby loses soooo many PP faceoffs.

You could easily argue that Carter should have replaced Rust on the 6 on 4. It's hard to win 3 straight draws (Sid lost the last one). Carter could have taken the FO then be the net front guy...he's certainly a better screener than Rust

 

[Andy99]

I got some bad news for you...they will get killed by Caps tomorrow

I definitely believe the Caps are gonna win…they’ve been playing well lately and Carlsson is back…they also have better goaltending than us lol, which is not hard to have

I think the Pens played well. You can't win every game, but at least they showed up and put effort into it.

Thoughts:
- I really like the Letang - POJ paring. I know it probably won't stick, but can hope. Gives you a hint of where we could/would be if we had gotten someone like Chychryn.
- Rust....if only he skated a few more feet.
- Malkin....was good on the forecheck, but something was missing from his game. Maybe he's getting tird .
- Crosby...showing more greatness.
- Sully actually didn't give Carter too much ice time... 8:33! That was a miracle.

Announcers said at one point that Pens were the 2nd worst teams when it comes to scoring off the rush. We rely to much on the cycle to score, and don't have a counterpunch off the rush threat we used to have during our last cup years.

Because our top scorers are old…lol

 

[Nakawick]

The team performed above my expectations given our personnel on D with so many injuries. I thought we played well against Dallas especially on the back to back. The effort seems to be there and the bottom 6 is playing better. If they can keep up their level of overall play, they should get in. Need to string a few wins together.

 

[Andy99]

Good article…nothing we probably couldn’t have guessed just watching with the eye test lol

From The Point: Pretender or sleeping giant? How many championship boxes do Penguins check?

Are the Penguins the flawed, inconsistent pretender most outsiders think they are? Or does a deep dive into the numbers reveal a potential sleeping giant? One...

www.post-gazette.com

 

[Ryder71]

The 35 year old centers aren’t the problem with this team. The problem stems from an incompetent GM and a coach 3 years past their shelf life.


When you refuse to trade a first round pick, you end up with a guy like Granlund.

Trading a first round pick would not have Salvaged the season, and put us even further behind the eight ball for the future. Absolutely no way we should have traded our first rounder. We're going to have many dismal years over that next half decade or so, trading more young assets is not the way to go. Remember my dear sweet precious friend this team has not won a playoff series since 2018, you think about that now. The team is much older but not necessarily wiser. The party is over and unfortunately it's been over for quite some time now, let go!

 

[Zbynek]

Well, Florida lost to Toronto last night so there's that. Need CBJ to beat NYI tonight. I mean they scored 4 straight against us, anything can happen.

 

[Ryder71]

It's really sad. JB was a great beat guy back in WB/S.

I think you would be the type of person that would cave in as well. You seem like a company man to me, you'd just want to fit in and not ruffle any feathers. LOL

 

[Ryder71]

Well, Florida lost to Toronto last night so there's that. Need CBJ to beat NYI tonight. I mean they scored 4 straight against us, anything can happen.

But let me ask you something, what does it say when you have to rely upon other teams to do your bidding for you?

 

[MrBrightside]

 

[Fogel]

That is probably why Sullivan is preaching the process is working, not the end result.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

just maybe, it's not the goalies.

Seriously. If we're constantly talking about how they're generating a bunch of HDC and can't score, at some point it goes beyond "they ran in to a hot/good goalie".

It's this team. They have the worst shot selection I've ever seen in a team that's supposedly got high-end skill.

 

[Pens1566]

"We're just unlucky is all"

 

[BusinessGoose]

Side note for another told you so. After 2017, I asked for the Pens to keep MAF and trade Murray. Why? Not because I was a MAF fanboy, I stated that Murray's body type would break down as he aged and they would be selling HIGH. A couple of hard, RIGHT decisions after the cup in 17, and this current team is challenging once again for another cup run.

Boy, you would have looked silly if they did that.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Seriously. If we're constantly talking about how they're generating a bunch of HDC and can't score, at some point it goes beyond "they ran in to a hot/good goalie".

It's this team. They have the worst shot selection I've ever seen in a team that's supposedly got high-end skill.

Yeah, I've beat that drum enough. The board seems to finally be on the same page in regards to this team's biggest flaw. Good enough for me.

The problem's identified. Next best thing to talk about is how to solve it moving forward.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

tbh, I don't know what we would have gotten for that 1st that would have been a good move. Sounds like we couldn't match the prices for Miller or Chychrun even with the 1st included.

Couldn't or wouldn't? From everything I've read it's the latter.

There you have it. Generation is not the problem.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

That is probably why Sullivan is preaching the process is working, not the end result.

But how many times have we seen this movie? "Well we just couldn't finish"
I swear it's been since 2019...it's the same excuse. At some point that repeated issue just isn't gonna cut it

 

[AuroraBorealis]

to watch my team in a competitive play off series, is that too much to ask, the way Sid and Geno are playing there should not be zero doubts that that is a reasonable achievement...now why this looks like a big task now is story for another day

Sid and Geno have won enough. They've given you and I enough over the years. 3 Cups. 17 straight playoffs. Their era is a success story. We should be satisfied and looking at what's best for the team from here.

This is not a year that should be discarded for sentiment and pretending. They are not good enough to beat the beasts of the East consecutively. They need to stop f***ing around and to start making strides as an organization again.

 

[vikingGoalie]

so this is how it goes with Jarry, we get a stellar game from him against colorado, and poof he's off to injury land.
good job riding our inconsistent and oft injured duo into the mountain again sleepy. CDS was pretty good against dallas not gonna fault that performance.

Heck i think there was like one, maybe even two shifts that granlund took early on against dallas where he was actually noticeable in a good way. I guess 5M gets you a decent shit once a game. I really don't see what anyone saw in him that made them go we need to strap ourselves to that 5M cap hit for 2 more years.

 

[Ryder71]

That is probably why Sullivan is preaching the process is working, not the end result.

The end result is really all that matters though in the scheme of things. That's why fancy stats are overrated. What matters is winning and losing.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

so this is how it goes with Jarry, we get a stellar game from him against colorado, and poof he's off to injury land.
good job riding our inconsistent and oft injured duo into the mountain again sleepy. CDS was pretty good against dallas not gonna fault that performance.

Heck i think there was like one, maybe even two shifts that granlund took early on against dallas where he was actually noticeable in a good way. I guess 5M gets you a decent shit once a game. I really don't see what anyone saw in him that made them go we need to strap ourselves to that 5M cap hit for 2 more years.

Granlund screened on POJ's goal.
He actually fought hard for the territory before the shot, initiating the battle in front.

So it was nice to see him do something useful, even if he didn't get on the scoreboard.

 

[Pancakes]

The end result is really all that matters though in the scheme of things. That's why fancy stats are overrated. What matters is winning and losing.

If you play well you put yourself into the best position possible to get the result. Unfortunately there's a great deal of luck involved in hockey, and goalies are a thing.

I don't think that makes fancy stats overrated. The teams that make the playoffs are by and large teams that rate well in those stats. There's the occasional exception, but not a lot of them.

 

[Smasher]

Announcers said at one point that Pens were the 2nd worst teams when it comes to scoring off the rush. We rely to much on the cycle to score, and don't have a counterpunch off the rush threat we used to have during our last cup years.

They just can't finish. They had maybe 4 odd-man rushes and a few other great chances from the slot in the first period alone with nothing to show for it.