GDT: #23|Pens vs. Flyers|Sat, Mar. 6 @1:00PM - Game 3: The Return of the Jedi

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Darren McCord

Registered User
Dec 15, 2015
9,367
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Part 3: The Return of the Jedi(s)

1 copy.jpg


Pittsburgh.png
VS.
Philadelphia.png

Sat, Mar. 6 - 2021 @1:00PM (PPG)
Network: ATTSN-PT,NBCSP


Projected Line Ups

Rebels

zar.jpg


Guentzel-Crosby-Rust
McCann-Malkin-Kapanen
ZAR - ZAR- Binks
Lafferty- Jankowski- Rodrigues

Pairings
Dumo - Letang
Petts - Marino
Matheson - Ceci

Goalies
Tristin Jarry
Casey Desmith



The Empire

DarthGritty.jpg


Van Riemsdyk - Couturier - Voracek
Laughton - Hayes - Konecny
Lindblom - Giroux - Aube-Kubel
Bunnaman - Patrick - Raffl

Pairings
Provorov - Braun
Sanheim -- Gustafsson
Hägg - Gostisbehere

Goalies
Brian Elliott
Carter Hart




Let's Go Pens!

targeting_computer_in_blog_4.gif



be nice its my first GDT and I am still sad from Thursday :(
 

AuroraBorealis

Back-to-back hater
Oct 16, 2018
18,978
16,488
Vancouver, British Columbia
No balls if they lose.

Btw... Letang’s last 12 games:
5 goals
8 assists
13 points
+7

But he sucks tho.
Arguably Pens MVP this season, especially if you consider his impact on all those 3 on 3 OT's. He's had a long stretch here of solid passing/decision making in the D and neutral zones. Doing a great job of getting us going north. Reminiscent of 2018-19 where he really cleaned things up and was on pace for Norris candidacy before getting derailed by injury.

Hope he keeps it up. We're gonna need everything to make the playoffs.
 

TheGuiminator

I’ll be damned King, I’ll be damned
Oct 23, 2018
1,971
1,654
Let's see what lineup Mike "Arrogant" Sullivan has in store for today's afternoon game.

Meh, nevermind...
It's gonna be the same old, same old, as usual (surprise!).
Hell, they could lose 5 games in a row like Thursday's and you still won't see any change.
It's not on Crosby or Malkin if this team sucks, it's on Mike Sullivan who's unable to optimize his resources when 87 is in the lineup - like breaking up a recipe for success in GMR.

It seems like this coach has this weird phobia of seeing Malkin's line producing more than Crosby's, so he makes sure to cut off Malkin's legs to prevent it. At the end, when you hold back a top player on your team, you'll likely affect the whole team in the process.

Get ready to see some more non-sense coaching decisions, cause we all know Sullivan is not going anywhere this season!
At this point, I don't even think it's incompetence or stupidity from the coach, it's ego my friend!​

Rant over.
 

metalan2

Registered User
May 30, 2008
9,442
2,962
If lineup is the same, I'm not even gonna watch. So I guess I'm not even gonna watch.

I'm getting close to the point of actively rooting for Pens to lose so Sullivan will get fired like I did for Mike Johnson.
 

MeinerEiner

Registered User
Dec 9, 2013
1,248
949
Cologne
I was thinking about Sully and his coaching stuff and I don’t understand how a whole crew of coaches can not be aware of a situation. I mean I never played hockey but I played professional Team Handball so I think I have a decent understanding of coaching and team tactics in general. Going back to the last game, Pens were playing like the first humans after the 3:0 and the whole coaching stuff did absolutely nothing to get them back on track. A player plays bad, Rust and Pettersson come to my mind, you better talk to them and if it’s not working you better bench them. It’s as easy as it gets. Send a message to your team. All of these players are proud and will show a reaction to being benched.

Secondly, your team played an awful game and the other team made a big comeback and is pushing for the winning goal. You have a faceoff in your own zone. Who do you want to take the faceoff? The guy who wins ~44 % or the guy who wins 56%? Call a timeout, make a plan how to play the last few minutes and get at least a point, knowing you’re a powerhouse 3v3. I honestly don’t get it.

There are many problems with this team but this seems like a huge one. The whole stuff is not aware of situations and how to react.
 

AuroraBorealis

Back-to-back hater
Oct 16, 2018
18,978
16,488
Vancouver, British Columbia
I was thinking about Sully and his coaching stuff and I don’t understand how a whole crew of coaches can not be aware of a situation. I mean I never played hockey but I played professional Team Handball so I think I have a decent understanding of coaching and team tactics in general. Going back to the last game, Pens were playing like the first humans after the 3:0 and the whole coaching stuff did absolutely nothing to get them back on track. A player plays bad, Rust and Pettersson come to my mind, you better talk to them and if it’s not working you better bench them. It’s as easy as it gets. Send a message to your team. All of these players are proud and will show a reaction to being benched.

Secondly, your team played an awful game and the other team made a big comeback and is pushing for the winning goal. You have a faceoff in your own zone. Who do you want to take the faceoff? The guy who wins ~44 % or the guy who wins 56%? Call a timeout, make a plan how to play the last few minutes and get at least a point, knowing you’re a powerhouse 3v3. I honestly don’t get it.

There are many problems with this team but this seems like a huge one. The whole stuff is not aware of situations and how to react.
I see Sullivan's problem like this:

He creates narratives for himself to simplify his job and provide structure. This limits his flexibility and willingness to adapt during difficult times. Boxing himself in. It takes something monumentally bad to force him to concede that his preconceived notions of what works are wrong.
Here's some examples:

- There are set pairs on the first 3 lines that he is married to, either because they've had success in the past or those were the pairs he decided on in the off-season. One winger on each of these lines can be rotated to provide a spark. He will only break this structure if forced by injuries. That's why we saw GMR, and why they were disbanded the moment Sid returned. It goes against his policy.

- Sully decided in the off-season that his PK'ers are Tanev, Blueger and a few 4th liners (Jank, Sceviour) who must be used there to fill their ice-time quota. He commented on this a few weeks ago. He's not capable of acknowledging that maybe they should lose that privilege due to shit play. It's one of the league's worst PK's, and his mindset is STILL "These are my chosen boys. What do I have to do in practice or say to them to make it work? We'll just keep working on it every day and try to get better..." That's why you haven't seen Kapanen get a chance, no matter how bad it is and how strong Kap was at it in Toronto. You won't in the future either. He doesn't fit the prerequisites.
They allowed yet another PP goal last game, and the Flyers could have had more easily. Jarry stoned them. Pens were letting them encroach into the high danger areas more easily than I've ever seen. Even when Sully watched the tape back, it still won't be enough to sound the warning bells in his mind.

- PP is much the same story. He has his core 5 guys, who all were part of the Cup runs. Locked in. Kap only got a chance there when Sid was out. Zucker and Matheson weren't even a consideration. Doesn't matter what either of those 3 guys bring. It will remain in tact until injuries happen. Rank 26 be damned.

- What about D-pairs? Remember when Dumoulin-Letang were attached at the hip in 2017-18 when both were goddamn awful? Remember how long that went on? Even if POJ played Victor Hedman level and complimented Letang better than any one he's ever had before, that spot would still be Dumo's when he returns. They are the preset #1 pair. In Sullivan's mind, Dumoulin is an extremely reliable, stay at home D who compliments Letang perfectly and allows him to play his game, right? Sure, that's been true in the past. But what if Dumoulin is awful for the remainder of the season? What if his injuries significantly hamper his play? Do you think that would make any difference? Do you think there's anything that could possibly happen to make him reconsider if it's still effective? No chance in hell.
And Sullivan is currently hunting for his established 2nd pair. He didn't have a preset one because we let go of a few blue liners in the off-season and that jumbled up the system. But the process is underway.
Ruhwedel has been labeled as his #7 this year. Doesn't matter how well he played. Riikola is his #8 or #9. Taxi squad material. POJ only got to play because of injuries. Doesn't matter that he was one of our best D in camp. Pettersson has been offensive to watch as a viewer the last stretch, but who cares? He's not a candidate to be removed. Locked in.

In Sullivan's first two years he wasn't rigid like this. He had a fresh perspective of this team. The bias hadn't set in yet. Performance actually dictated lineup decisions. You didn't get your spot cemented just by virtue of the coach assigning you roles for the long haul. You had to earn it and if you sucked you were removed.

Over time he's steadily veered away from that accountability, and funnily enough the Penguins performance has followed the same trajectory.
 
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Pens x

Registered User
Oct 8, 2016
16,185
7,959
+Sceviour isnt playing
-Rodrigues is back

We need to acquire two more forwards if we are going to be gutless and keep Sully.

Let’s go Pens. 1-3 vs the Flyers is bad.
 
Last edited:

chethejet

Registered User
Feb 4, 2012
8,293
1,790
Excellent GDT. Key game here no matter how many view this roster and coaching. Player have to know losing the 3 game series at home is a killer. But I sense and have been feeling after the cup runs the drive just isn't there to pay any real price to go for it again. What ever chemistry was devleoped for the cup runs, it is over.
 

Andy99

Registered User
Jun 26, 2017
50,038
32,212
honestly, I feel it doesn’t even matter what they do in this game because, if they win, the next game they will lose or they’ll give a point to their opponent, and if they lose, the next game they will win—making any 2 points irrelevant to their overall standings in the division...they will just tread water as the #5 in the division until Hextall gets his head out of his ass, and frankly, they deserve it...watching this team is like waiting for Godot...
 

metalan2

Registered User
May 30, 2008
9,442
2,962
I see Sullivan's problem like this:

He creates narratives for himself to simplify his job and provide structure. This limits his flexibility and willingness to adapt during difficult times. Boxing himself in. It takes something monumentally bad to force him to concede that his preconceived notions of what works are wrong.
Here's some examples:

- There are set pairs on the first 3 lines that he is married to, either because they've had success in the past or those were the pairs he decided on in the off-season. One winger on each of these lines can be rotated to provide a spark. He will only break this structure if forced by injuries. That's why we saw GMR, and why they were disbanded the moment Sid returned. It goes against his policy.

- Sully decided in the off-season that his PK'ers are Tanev, Blueger and a few 4th liners (Jank, Sceviour) who must be used there to fill their ice-time quota. He commented on this a few weeks ago. He's not capable of acknowledging that maybe they should lose that privilege due to shit play. It's one of the league's worst PK's, and his mindset is STILL "These are my chosen boys. What do I have to do in practice or say to them to make it work? We'll just keep working on it every day and try to get better..." That's why you haven't seen Kapanen get a chance, no matter how bad it is and how strong Kap was at it in Toronto. You won't in the future either. He doesn't fit the prerequisites.
They allowed yet another PP goal last game, and the Flyers could have had more easily. Jarry stoned them. Pens were letting them encroach into the high danger areas more easily than I've ever seen. Even when Sully watched the tape back, it still won't be enough to sound the warning bells in his mind.

- PP is much the same story. He has his core 5 guys, who all were part of the Cup runs. Locked in. Kap only got a chance there when Sid was out. Zucker and Matheson weren't even a consideration. Doesn't matter what either of those 3 guys bring. It will remain in tact until injuries happen. Rank 26 be damned.

- What about D-pairs? Remember when Dumoulin-Letang were attached at the hip in 2017-18 when both were goddamn awful? Remember how long that went on? Even if POJ played Victor Hedman level and complimented Letang better than any one he's ever had before, that spot would still be Dumo's when he returns. They are the preset #1 pair. In Sullivan's mind, Dumoulin is an extremely reliable, stay at home D who compliments Letang perfectly and allows him to play his game, right? Sure, that's been true in the past. But what if Dumoulin is awful for the remainder of the season? What if his injuries significantly hamper his play? Do you think that would make any difference? Do you think there's anything that could possibly happen to make him reconsider if it's still effective? No chance in hell.
And Sullivan is currently hunting for his established 2nd pair. He didn't have a preset one because we let go of a few blue liners in the off-season and that jumbled up the system. But the process is underway.
Ruhwedel has been labeled as his #7 this year. Doesn't matter how well he played. Riikola is his #8 or #9. Taxi squad material. POJ only got to play because of injuries. Doesn't matter that he was one of our best D in camp. Pettersson has been offensive to watch as a viewer the last stretch, but who cares? He's not a candidate to be removed. Locked in.

In Sullivan's first two years he wasn't rigid like this. He had a fresh perspective of this team. The bias hadn't set in yet. Performance actually dictated lineup decisions. You didn't get your spot cemented just by virtue of the coach assigning you roles for the long haul. You had to earn it and if you sucked you were removed.

Over time he's steadily veered away from that accountability, and funnily enough the Penguins performance has followed the same trajectory.
You nailed it.
 

metalan2

Registered User
May 30, 2008
9,442
2,962
honestly, I feel it doesn’t even matter what they do in this game because, if they win, the next game they will lose or they’ll give a point to their opponent, and if they lose, the next game they will win—making any 2 points irrelevant to their overall standings in the division...they will just tread water as the #5 in the division until Hextall gets his head out of his ass, and frankly, they deserve it...watching this team is like waiting for Godot...
Exactly.

Unless we see some actual lineup changes.

If we don't, which I'm sure we won't, it's honestly better to cheer for them to lose.
 
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