Pre-Game Talk: All Purpose Off Day Thread | This wasn't what I meant by a balanced defense ...

[Peat]

Also some of those games were against Montreal and they were totally on the "Not a big deal" list

*shrugs* Its kinda besides the point anyway. A couple of wins/losses doesn't really swing the needle from being competitive here.

Yeah that's about what I expected. Our record against good teams seems to be about the same as it is against bad teams, right? It all adds up to us being a bubble playoff team as currently constituted.

Our record against last place teams is horrendous. If we got the same results against the whipping boys that we do against the best, we'd be comfortably in.

 

[ncm7772]

Pens need to go 18-8-1 over the next 27 games to hit 100 pts. Not saying that's the cliff, but it might be nice to not barely make it in the playoffs.

Need to start winning sooner than later.

Unfortunately, I honestly don't believe the team is good enough to actually do that. If this team can go .500 the rest of the way I'll be borderline shocked.

 

[ncm7772]

Our record against last place teams is horrendous. If we got the same results against the whipping boys that we do against the best, we'd be comfortably in.

That's what's so infuriating about this season.

 

[ChaosAgent]

Unfortunately, I honestly don't believe the team is good enough to actually do that. If this team can go .500 the rest of the way I'll be borderline shocked.

But I'm at the point where missing the playoffs may be better than limping in as an 8 seed and getting destroyed 4-1 in the first round. If we miss the playoffs Mario and Burkle will be far more likely to mandate big changes to the team, the front office and the coaching staff.

 

[WayneSid9987]

The best we can hope for with JS back is Olli/MP eat the tougher minutes while keeping their heads above water doing so and they drop JJ way down in QoC+minutes.

Since we know they're gonna dress him, they should also get him back on the left side of the ice but they won't and it'll likely be MP/Olli-JJ as the 3rd pair.

No doubt it's just gonna suck really hard to have him in and a Riiko or MP not dressing.

Had my way, i'd give JS the best help i can give him with his re-entry in the lineup:

MP/Riiko-Letang
Dumo-Schultz
Olli-MP/Riiko

But if you have to give him anyone other than Dumo it should be anyone BUT JJ.

 

[Will Hunting]

Yeah, Sullivan is not gonna bench him. At this point, injury of Johnson is the only thing that can help. I have never wished an injury to our players, not even Craig Adams. But it´s really the only way how to correct this defense. And I hope he feels fantastic, has a safe life and all. But having him on the ice is really a killer.

 

[WayneSid9987]

Yeah, Sullivan is not gonna bench him. At this point, injury of Johnson is the only thing that can help. I have never wished an injury to our players, not even Craig Adams. But it´s really the only way how to correct this defense. And I hope he feels fantastic, has a safe life and all. But having him on the ice is really a killer.

Doubt he benches him to start but the fact remains his TOI is dropping and Riiko will be the one waiting in the wings to play vs just Ruh.
The leash will/should be very short.

 

[Peat]

But I'm at the point where missing the playoffs may be better than limping in as an 8 seed and getting destroyed 4-1 in the first round. If we miss the playoffs Mario and Burkle will be far more likely to mandate big changes to the team, the front office and the coaching staff.

The good news is I don't think they're going to treat a 1st round embarrassment (or even a 2nd round one) as all that different to not even making the playoffs.

The bad news is I don't think they're going to change the front office, who I don't think will change the coaching staff all that much, although I think the team could see a lot of shake up.

The worst news is the team will half get its crap together and make the Conference Finals only to lose, changes will be minimal, and we'll go through this all over again next year. Nostrapeatmus has spoken.

 

[Pancakes]

Sullivan is not going to be gone unless there's several years in a row of mediocrity. Quenneville won three Cups with Chicago and it took two first round exits, a year without the playoffs, and then another bad start in order to get rid of him.

Sullivan is not quite as respected as Quenneville but he can't be far off. It will probably take missing the playoffs this year (or stinking up the joint in them) and then doing the same again next year before Sullivan is gone.

So then if we take that as an assumption then my belief is that the most extreme change you might see is moving Kessel, and that if that does happen it will be an off season move. For this year unless we go into a huge swoon just before the deadline I can't see anything extreme happening. But honestly we aren't that far off from that point. If we keep losing and a few weeks from now we're 5-10 points out, then yeah maybe some crazy stuff goes down.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Some good news at least. Well, good until Blueger is out and the 4th line ends up Simon-Cullen-ZAR.

 

[WayneSid9987]

Looks like they're gonna try Bjugs on LW...
Dumb when Rust should be the LW on that line.



Blueger out. Not a good move imo.
And JS still ain't ready...DAMN!

ETA:
I guess Bjugs can do some Rust like things on the forecheck so it isn't all bad but prefer putting Rust there and Horny or Bjugs can play with Sid.

 

[Pancakes]

Blueger being out over Cullen is so silly. Blueger has been a positive possession player despite being buried in starts. Bleh.

I honestly don't mind Garrett Wilson staying in though. He has played well. He really has. Like, legitimately.

 

[WayneSid9987]

 

[NMK11]

Looks like they're gonna try Bjugs on LW...
Dumb when Rust should be the LW on that line.



Blueger out. Not a good move imo.
And JS still ain't ready...DAMN!

ETA:
I guess Bjugs can do some Rust like things on the forecheck so it isn't all bad but prefer putting Rust there and Horny or Bjugs can play with Sid.

Do we know if Bjugstad has ever played LW before or is he exclusively RW? This was one of my negatives of the trade if they're planning on McCann being the 3C. We were already crowded at RW and we get another RW. Oh well, hope it works.

 

[PensandCaps]

Blueger being out over Cullen is so silly. Blueger has been a positive possession player despite being buried in starts. Bleh.

I honestly don't mind Garrett Wilson staying in though. He has played well. He really has. Like, legitimately.

Why would Cullen sit. He's been great.


It's a goddamn joke that Blueger is sitting for Wilson and even Simon. Simon sucks of late. I'd trust Blueger in the playoffs waaaay more than Simon.

 

[PensandCaps]

Do we know if Bjugstad has ever played LW before or is he exclusively RW? This was one of my negatives of the trade if they're planning on McCann being the 3C. We were already crowded at RW and we get another RW. Oh well, hope it works.

Can always make McCann the LW and Bjugstad the 3C.

 

[molon labe]

"On paper" there should be absolutely nothing wrong with our forwards. Theoretically it should be one of the best forward groups in the league. For whatever reason, though, while the individual pieces are good, they don't seem to have much chemistry aside from Sid/Jake.

Guentzel - Crosby - Hornqvist
Rust - Malkin - Bjugstad
Pearson - McCann - Kessel
Blueger - Cullen - Simon/ZAR

Mix and match where necessary, but that's enough pieces that every line *should* be good. Yet apart from Crosby/Guentzel and some promising play from Blueger/Cullen, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of clicking going on.

The old adage of the game not being played on paper holds weight in more than one conversation. People dismissed our team quite heavily leading to the cup in 2016 if y'all remember....the chemistry pushed the speed to levels of undeniable greatness.

Recognize when things are not working and adapt. It appears that no amount of line shuffling will make a difference to this group. Some guys just work well together and some don't. Brassard would be a great point of debate on the matter.

Here's to wishing Bjugs works with Geno. Without Hagelin - the Geno/Phil show simply doesn't work.

 

[GregR]

It's gonna be funny when they play 2D on the power play and still give up a shortie.

 

[NMK11]

Can always make McCann the LW and Bjugstad the 3C.

I'd lean that way, but the word from the org is that they think Bjug is the wing and McCann the center. Which is just odd to me.

 

[PensandCaps]

Don't get Hornqvist on line 4. Simon nor Pearson should be playing ahead of him.

 

[turd]

One of Sullivan’s greatest deficiencies is that he doesn’t trust young guys that he has never coached. He coached Rust, Guentzel, Sheary, Kuhn, etc. He trusted them. He never coached Sprong or Blueger (at least I don’t believe so), and he doesn’t play them even if they deserve spots in the lineup. It’s very frustrating. Very Bylsmagic of him.

 

[Pancakes]

Why would Cullen sit. He's been great.


It's a goddamn joke that Blueger is sitting for Wilson and even Simon. Simon sucks of late. I'd trust Blueger in the playoffs waaaay more than Simon.

Yeah I could see benching Simon. He's been bad lately.

 

[WayneSid9987]

The 2 PP d pairs worked with both pp forward units, btw.

 

[The Old Master]

Can always make McCann the LW and Bjugstad the 3C.

next game

 

[WayneSid9987]