Who's To Blame For Penguins Debacle?

[NJDevilsFan21]

Marc-Andre Fleury is responsible.

 

[Loseipeg]

Weak bottom 6 and garbage D sure didn't help. Letang looks washed up.

Letang has been washed for a while. Malkin and kessel only did well on the third line when bonino was taking 2nd line duties. 17 pens were one of the weakest/luckiest winners, the decline had already begun

 

[Oneiro]

Considering that they've never had real depth or a great defense compared to other cup winners, it's impressive it took this long for them to be toast. Their big guys need help and only drafting is going to get them to another run before 87 and 71 hang them up.

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

Nothing gold can stay.

 

[sbhatt]

Letang has been washed for a while. Malkin and kessel only did well on the third line when bonino was taking 2nd line duties. 17 pens were one of the weakest/luckiest winners, the decline had already begun

Blowing it up completely is the only answer then. It sucks for Crosby at 31 years old, but it has to be done.

 

[ColbyChaos]

Having a 30 million dollar blue line and trading away everyone fast for reknown speed skating champs Cullen, Jack johnson, and Nick Bjugstad

 

[dlawong]

Not trying to knock Gundbranson, but judging by how well Tanner Pearson played since the trade to Canucks, think that if Pens did not need to make that trade, he would have helped the Pens as his game is suited for the playoff.

Anyhow, it is time for Pens to pick up some good prospects in a very deep draft. If they are willing to trade up to grab a top 10 prospect (especially a D with high upside), they may be able to help improve their team.

Proud of the Isles as everyone on their team give all they have and never had a let down, even when they had two man down in the 3rd period.

 

[Loseipeg]

Blowing it up completely is the only answer then. It sucks for Crosby at 31 years old, but it has to be done.

Yup

 

[Ted Hoffman]

Nassau ice

If you're looking for great ice in the playoffs, forget it. If you want to be hoisting the Cup in June, you figure out how to deal with it and overcome.

Plus, that only excuses two (2) games. It doesn't explain Sunday when the Pens all but hoisted the white flag on home ice. I think Trotz did a hell of a job game-planning this series, but the lack of effort from Pittsburgh at times is just inexcusable.

 

[ThreeLeftSkates]

Oh well.

The nice thing about Pittsburgh is that they can come back next year and be serious contenders to win it all. I'm sure they need to make some tweaks here and there - but while Crosby/Malkin are still around i don't think it's that difficult to envision them winning another cup as early as next year

Tampa....is different. Never won and biggest choke job in NHL history. I don't even know what their fans are thinking now. At least Penguins seemed to battle and try really hard. To be fair i didn't watch all the games - but from what i saw they were much closer.

How many tweaks?
BTW a sweep is a sweep.

 

[seafoam]

Whoever assembled that blueline is to blame.

 

[895]

If you're looking for great ice in the playoffs, forget it. If you want to be hoisting the Cup in June, you figure out how to deal with it and overcome.

Plus, that only excuses two (2) games. It doesn't explain Sunday when the Pens all but hoisted the white flag on home ice. I think Trotz did a hell of a job game-planning this series, but the lack of effort from Pittsburgh at times is just inexcusable.

Mocking Pens fans who were saying the Isles conspired with the ice crew at Nassau to make the ice as shitty as possible to level the playing field.

 

[third man in]

I think most of the blame falls on JR. He took a fast, cup winning team and kept tinkering until they were slower and noticably worse. For seemingly no reason at that.

Adding JJ and Gudbranson didn't help and Mattaa sucks. Letang isn't what he was.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

Mocking Pens fans who were saying the Isles conspired with the ice crew at Nassau to make the ice as ****ty as possible to level the playing field.

I get that, it's an excuse they're trying to use. I'm just asking what the excuse is for the 2 games in Pittsburgh. Worn out from playing on the Nassau Coliseum ice?

 

[Pens x]

Rutherford and Sullivan ran this team into the ground over the last 2 years.

 

[ColbyChaos]

I get that, it's an excuse they're trying to use. I'm just asking what the excuse is for the 2 games in Pittsburgh. Worn out from playing on the Nassau Coliseum ice?

Isles fans in PPG Paints arena were just too loud obviously

 

[Gunnersaurus Rex]

I predicted the Pens would miss the playoffs this year. I missed that by 4 points but not far off considering they got swept in the first round.
This is not a debacle. This is a team that is on a steep decline. I will echo my prediction from last year and say right now that the Pens miss the playoffs next season.

 

[BrockLobster]

Oh well.

The nice thing about Pittsburgh is that they can come back next year and be serious contenders to win it all. I'm sure they need to make some tweaks here and there - but while Crosby/Malkin are still around i don't think it's that difficult to envision them winning another cup as early as next year

Not with that blue line...

 

[Faltorvo]

TIME caught up to the PENS

SC/EM/PK are not enough anymore to just power a series,, plus guentzel has nothing left to play for,, he got paid and THEN IT turns out ,,,,,,,,,he got terribly under paid as a 40g PPg player. 6m per LOLZ

 

[armyjoe]

Crosby had a bad series but he just scored 100 points and was one of maybe 3 to 4 players that absolutely carried the Pens into the playoffs. Malkin on the other hand had a terrible year

But as someone said, they just to be top 1 and 3 players, now they are "only" top 10.

 

[Derg12]

I blame the Islanders for playing sound defensive hockey in front of a goalie on a mission.

Trotz can take credit for everything I missed.

 

[Blue Blooded]

Rutherford. I'll give him some credit for the cups but I have a feeling Botterill was behind much of that success.

Rutherford's failed to replenish here and the team isn't as fast as it should be imo. I don't think that Sullivan has the tools to beat such a defensively fortified team like NYI, they probably would have lost to Columbus in similar fashion as well.

Rutherford all the way, with trading Hagelin and signing Johnson being the biggest mistakes.

Malkin was over the past three seasons a 2.99 P/60 5v5 player with Hagelin and a 2.27 P/60 5v5 player without him, an almost 25% lower scoring rate. While Hagelin-Malkin-Kessel was a great unit, X-Malkin-Kessel was not and Hagelin-Malkin-X almost as good as with Kessel.

While Hagelin's own scoring ability has declined his ability to drive possession has not and he was the perfect linemate for Malkin in that regard. Despite Hagelin's scoring issues this season for the Penguins, Malkin actually had a higher P/60 with him in 2018-19 (3.60) than the three year average.

 

[LittleSpoon]

I predicted the Pens would miss the playoffs this year. I missed that by 4 points but not far off considering they got swept in the first round.
This is not a debacle. This is a team that is on a steep decline. I will echo my prediction from last year and say right now that the Pens miss the playoffs next season.

You will probably be wrong again. But I like the consistency.

 

[Ncit3]

The Islanders being a better hockey team is to blame for the penguins debacle.

How dare we give credit to anyone that's not the top seeds. Obviously it's all about the fan favorites playing badly, not other teams playing well.

 

[Super Cake]

I honestly would kill to be in the Pens position even though they got swept. Winning 2 cups back to back is impossible these days and they did it. I am still waiting to see my first cup win.