Post-Game Talk: 2 points closer to the playoffs

[Fordy]

i guess i'll ask it again. is guentzel for bunting the new neal for hornqvist?

 

[DesertPenguin]

God I love and hate this team simultaneously.

Also Michael Bunting rules. Haters be damned.

I miss Jake and always will, but Bunting is the type of scrapy player this team needed. There's my modern day Kunitz I've been asking for.

 

[Turin]

i guess i'll ask it again. is guentzel for bunting the new neal for hornqvist?

No.


Because Koivunen, Ponomarev, a 2nd and Lucius > Nick Spalling

 

[Lustaf]

View attachment 847147

Playoff odds up to 40% now

0.1% winning the cup still.


Niiiiiiiiiiiiice

 

[Empoleon8771]

i guess i'll ask it again. is guentzel for bunting the new neal for hornqvist?

I think the Guentzel deal is going to end up being a massive win for the Penguins long-term, just because Guentzel probably won't be returning to Carolina and Bunting and Koivunen look like they can be legitimate contributors for a while for the Penguins.

 

[DesertPenguin]

Bunting’s been great, but I wouldn’t mind having a Guentzel, too

Dubas needs to roll up to his house with a heartfelt apology and a truck full of money this summer. All will be forgiven.

It would be hilarious if they somehow finished 3rd in the division after how much of a mess this year has been

An interesting discussion to have: how does this team making the playoffs change your views of this season?

Which would match them up with the Canes and Jake in the first round. It's too good not to happen.

 

[BillyOcean]

Jeff Carter out multiple times on the PK and in the last 5 mins. It's like you're playing a permadeath video game, sweat it out for every level, get to the last one, and then you give your 7 year old daughter the controller.

 

[reino]

If this isn't shot at Jarry. LOL

 

[ncm7772]

No words. Great to see HCMS has been preparing them all season (eye roll emoji) to play to their capabilities!

 

[IcedCapp]

If this isn't shot at Jarry. LOL

I remember a time when every Mike Sullivan press conference sounded like an intelligent breath of fresh air…. Now he sounds like a dollar store trinket that spits out sports-related fortune cookie sayings.

 

[Turin]

If this isn't shot at Jarry. LOL

Things nobody has ever said about Jarry.

Anybody who's ever played a sport with a goalie knows you want a goalie who gets livid at themselves once and a while. Jarry's on autopilot no matter how shit his game becomes.

I remember a time when every Mike Sullivan press conference sounded like an intelligent breath of fresh air…. Now he sounds like a dollar store trinket that spits out sports-related fortune cookie sayings.

At least he didn't start out that quote with "I thought" for once.

 

[ChaosAgent]

+++++++++Geno
+++Bunting, Rakell, Karlsson
+Rust
+The game in general
+Ned at the end

-----Ned 2nd-4th goals. Awful
------PK

 

[Syrinx]

I remember a time when every Mike Sullivan press conference sounded like an intelligent breath of fresh air…. Now he sounds like a dollar store trinket that spits out sports-related fortune cookie sayings.

"playing the right way"

 

[AjaxTelamon]

I miss Jake and always will, but Bunting is the type of scrapy player this team needed. There's my modern day Kunitz I've been asking for.

We haven't even tried to replace that element since PH left. Was ZAR really the last actual attempt to get a guy who would consistently go to dirty areas? Because that was a half assed attempt.

Very nice to see them finally address it, even if Bunting is not the perfect player especially defensively, it's still a step forward.

 

[Lustaf]

I was wrong about Bunting sucking.

Respect, takes something to admit when you're wrong.

 

[Gurglesons]

I remember a time when every Mike Sullivan press conference sounded like an intelligent breath of fresh air…. Now he sounds like a dollar store trinket that spits out sports-related fortune cookie sayings.

It’s wild how far he has fallen from that perspective. Used to think the world of him.

 

[vikingGoalie]

What a game....

1. Geno's parents must be at all games here on
2. Bunting is exactly the player we needed.
3. What a difference not having mental midget jarry in net. That 3rd goal against clipped rusts stick otherwise it hits his blocker. Jarry would've melted down afterwards.
Compare their attitudes last season jarry blamed injuries. Some post games this year he's blamed everything but himself. Ned that islander game he said it was his fault and he owned it. Even if it wasn't all his fault. That is the type of goalie you want.
4.only negative. Quit putting Carter out to cover stamkos on the pk.

Lastly that is a scary power play Tampa has

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Bunting baby!!!

@Gurglesons approves of this message

 

[ChaosAgent]

Also, Drew O'Connor has become a vital player on this team. Sid's line is now much faster and more defensively responsible. It lacks the firepower, but O'Connor shows skill in bursts.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Also, Drew O'Connor has become a vital player on this team. Sid's line is now much faster and more defensively responsible. It lacks the firepower, but O'Connor shows skill in bursts.

Yeah I'm not crazy about O'Connor on L1 but it's clearly working, so why try to mess with it? He can also be a stopgap until Yager or Koivunen takes his spot hopefully next year.

I really like their 1st and 3rd lines right now. If they can upgrade on Rakell for Malkin's RW, I'd really like their entire top-9 in general.

 

[DrDangles]

We haven't even tried to replace that element since PH left. Was ZAR really the last actual attempt to get a guy who would consistently go to dirty areas? Because that was a half assed attempt.

Very nice to see them finally address it, even if Bunting is not the perfect player especially defensively, it's still a step forward.

We're only allowed to have one guy like that at a time, even though it's obvious that this team has desperately needed more of it for years now.

I miss Tanev

 

[Syrinx]

Here we go Nashville, here we go

 

[DrDangles]

Yeah I'm not crazy about O'Connor on L1 but it's clearly working, so why try to mess with it? He can also be a stopgap until Yager or Koivunen takes his spot hopefully next year.

I really like their 1st and 3rd lines right now. If they can upgrade on Rakell for Malkin's RW, I'd really like their entire top-9 in general.

Koivunen or Yager could literally average a goal per game in preseason and there would still be no way Sully would start them on L1.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Also nice to see Sid get his 40th out of the way. I figured he'd go in a big season ending slump and fall short.

(Bet the NHL somehow takes the goal away from him by tomorrow)

 

[Empoleon8771]

Koivunen or Yager could literally average a goal per game in preseason and there would still be no way Sully would start them on L1.

I wouldn't expect either of them to take the role out of pre-season, I meant later in the year.

Start with:

O'Connor-Crosby-Rust
Bunting-Malkin-XXXXXX (upgrade on Rakell)
Smith-Eller-Puustinen

And hope that at least one of Yager, Koivunen or Ponomarev can take one of these top-9 roles by the trade deadline next year.