Post-Game Talk: BOBROVSKY, YOU'RE BACK ON THE CASE! Pens - 4, Blue Jackets - 3

[mpp9]

Yeah, Stempniak would be the logical choice since he was producing on Sid's line. Gibbons and Sutter work off each other very well and then have Beau on that line. Hell, you can see the chemistry Sutter and Gibbons have when they're on the PK together.

Hopefully it ends up that way. But it seems Sid wants speed. And Gibbons is fast as ****.

 

[AjaxTelamon]

Don't you worry, Glass will get his shifts with the 3rd line. Bennett is going to continue playing less than every forward outside of Vitale.

Crosby: 26
Malkin: 27
Sutter: 25
James Neal: 26
BB: 22

You clearly have to limit the TOI of these grizzled vets.

 

[Shockmaster]

Hopefully it ends up that way. But it seems Sid wants speed. And Gibbons is fast as ****.

When speed is more important than winning puck battles or finishing, there's a problem.

 

[mpp9]

When speed is more important than winning puck battles or finishing, there's a problem.

I'm going to try and be positive for the remainder of the postseason. If this is what Sid prefers, then fair enough. One would hope he's committed to seeing it work.

With this setup, we need Sid to at least play his matchup to a draw in every series. And have the 2nd and 3rd lines carry the ES scoring. We need Sutter's line to be more dangerous than CSK were.

I'd say the one benefit to Beau playing LW with Sutter is that if Juice starts playing lazy hockey again, Beau simply takes his spot having already played some games on LW and Juice moves down.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I don't think there's any question that what Crosby wants on his line is not necessarily effective in the playoffs. His most effective PO run was with Guerin on his wing, he scored 15 goals, Guerin 7. So he can play with different types of players than fast guys who just jam things up in the O zone.

To me, it's on Sid to adjust his game to playing with better players, or as RRP points out, what is the point in even trying to acquire or develop anyone better for Crosby? Let's just build a great 2nd and third line, and then Crosby can come out with a couple of plugs and try to shut down the Giroux's of the world. That's how DB matches up lines anyways.

To Ogre's point, yeah Stemp should be out there. He's the closest thing we have to Dupuis.

It's odd Sid hasn't asked for that, actually

Stemp was there and doing well. That's the best Crosby's line looked all season. But they removed him for BB. That tells me Shero and DB want BB to play with Crosby. Why else would you make that move?

It just seems strange they did that, then BB lasts one period of the playoffs on Crosby's line. Then DB comes up with some incoherent answer as to why it was done. It smells fishy to me, and Crosby's own words suggest he wants a faster player there than BB.

I think the third line will be a huge ace for this team if they are kept together, but Gibbons has already struggled with Crosby. So since Crosby doesn't seem to want BB on his line and Gibbons is a temporary thing, Stemps going back there seems the most logical.

Gibbons and Sutter have some chemistry, so the third line may be just as effective with the switch.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

I understand Sid likes to play a fast game. I get that, but if it's costing Stempniak or Bennett a spot on the top line in favor of someone like Gibbons, that ain't right. Bylsma needs to sack up and play the best lines available. It's not like Kunitz is exactly Grabner out there anyway. He's been playing like garbage for months, so maybe it's time to try out:

Bennett - Crosby - Stemniak
Kunitz - Malkin - Neal
Jokinen - Sutter - Gibbons
Engelland - Vitale - Adams/Glass/Megna

 

[Malkin112*]

Rob Rossi ‏@RobRossi_Trib 9m
Letang said he showed lack of respect to teammates with penalties, agreed with coach decision to cut ice time #pens

 

[Fleury3434*]

Am I the only one who doesn't really care who Crosby plays with? I mean yeah last game was a off game for him but he still created chances. Crosby can produce with anyone on his line so I'm not really worried about it. And why would you change the Malkin line! That line has been awesome all year (and it seems the juice has something to prove this playoffs and he knows that.

With bB and stempniak on the third line with sutter, our top three lines look LEGIT...I'd rather sacrifice gibbons and put him with the best player on the team and have a legit third line but that's just me...you put BB or stempniak with Crosby now your third line is BB SUTTER GIBBONS OR GIBONS SUTTER STEMPNIAK...it balances out the lines and seem to work last game...I hate dan bylsma just as much as everyone sometimes but damn give the guy some credit. He coached a good game last game

 

[penguins2946*]

For once, we actually have a good 3rd line. I really like that top-9. As much as people don't like him for his size, Gibbons has been a gem for us this year. No one thought he could be a top-9 NHL player this year, but look at him now. I've been pleasantly surprised with how a lot of our young forwards have developed this year, mainly Megna and Gibbons.

If we would get a 3C like Kesler at the draft, a Gibbons-Kesler-Dupuis line would be crazy fast and good. Hell, throw in Megna for either one of them and it's still nice.

 

[Shady Machine]

Am I the only one who doesn't really care who Crosby plays with? I mean yeah last game was a off game for him but he still created chances. Crosby can produce with anyone on his line so I'm not really worried about it. And why would you change the Malkin line! That line has been awesome all year (and it seems the juice has something to prove this playoffs and he knows that.

With bB and stempniak on the third line with sutter, our top three lines look LEGIT...I'd rather sacrifice gibbons and put him with the best player on the team and have a legit third line but that's just me...you put BB or stempniak with Crosby now your third line is BB SUTTER GIBBONS OR GIBONS SUTTER STEMPNIAK...it balances out the lines and seem to work last game...I hate dan bylsma just as much as everyone sometimes but damn give the guy some credit. He coached a good game last game

Let's just play Crosby with Gladams then!!

 

[TheSniper26]

It's not about appeasing complementary players though...it's the question of whether giving Sid exactly what he wants is what will get the best out of him. All signs point to Sid wanting Dupuis on his RW. Do you believe Dupuis was our best RW option last year, and will be moving forward?

Do I think Dupuis, on his own, is better than some of the other options we've had? No, I don't. But I'm a guy on the internet and I'm not about to think that I know better than Crosby himself what works for him.

That's not to say that I think none of our opinions have merit, but I think we need to keep some perspective here. Crosby is the best player in the league. He averages over 100 points a season. He practices regularly with these guys every day. What he does clearly works and I think it's fair to say he has a little more insight about what works for him than HFBoards posters.

Literally no one is saying that.

I really hate posts like this(and you're one of the better posters here). Just because maybe nobody has said those exact words doesn't mean that it's not implied in the discussion. People are talking about how it's Sid's "fault" that BB is not on the top line. It's been mentioned numerous times that Crosby is "the only guy BB doesn't work with". What else should be taken from those comments? It's pretty clear that people here want Crosby to alter his game in a way that meshes better with BB. There's nothing wrong with that opinion, I just disagree with it.

I think you build around Sid and Geno. If Sid needs speedy wingers that can finish, you get them(I'm not sure Kunitz even applies anymore). KCD didn't work in the playoffs, but that isn't an indictment of the speed-on-the-wings formula. It just means that Dupuis couldn't hit water from a boat and Kunitz hasn't looked like the speedy wrecking ball that he used to be in years. If Geno needs a sniper and puck retriever, you do it(still waiting on that puck retriever). What you don't do is just acquire a bunch of guys at random and hope Sid/Geno can alter their games enough to make it kind of work.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Having a legitimate third line is nice, but not when you have Gibbons on Sid's wing. Sorry. Nothing against the kid, but he's not a scoring line player for this team. I don't think a Jokinen - Sutter - Gibbons line is a bad third line, and the guys that are allowed to move up make our top six much stronger.

Kunitz-Crosby-Gibbons
Jokinen-Malkin-Neal
Bennett-Sutter-Stempniak

vs

Bennett-Crosby-Stempniak
Kunitz-Malkin-Neal
Jokinen-Sutter-Gibbons

I like the latter, to be honest. Kunitz isn't playing his best hockey, and might benefit from a change. Stempniak can play a Dupuis-like role on Sid's line; digging for pucks and playing a generally ugly game but with finish, and Bennett can be the set up guy who can create on his own.

 

[AjaxTelamon]

Am I the only one who doesn't really care who Crosby plays with? I mean yeah last game was a off game for him but he still created chances. Crosby can produce with anyone on his line so I'm not really worried about it. And why would you change the Malkin line! That line has been awesome all year (and it seems the juice has something to prove this playoffs and he knows that.

With bB and stempniak on the third line with sutter, our top three lines look LEGIT...I'd rather sacrifice gibbons and put him with the best player on the team and have a legit third line but that's just me...you put BB or stempniak with Crosby now your third line is BB SUTTER GIBBONS OR GIBONS SUTTER STEMPNIAK...it balances out the lines and seem to work last game...I hate dan bylsma just as much as everyone sometimes but damn give the guy some credit. He coached a good game last game

Ok, let's assume we're good with Crosby just going out and doing the best with what he has and trying to win the Selke. His line can't be a cumulative -5 or - 6 as it has been far too often recently.

 

[pensfan71]

I'd be all for dropping Kunitz to Geno's line and running

BB-Sid-Stemps
Kuni-Geno-Neal
JJ-Sutter-Gibbs

It's a pretty good top 9

 

[Kristopher Letang]

I'd be all for dropping Kunitz to Geno's line and running

BB-Sid-Stemps
Kuni-Geno-Neal
JJ-Sutter-Gibbs

It's a pretty good top 9

Alright now find Bylsma's hfboards account .

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Having a legitimate third line is nice, but not when you have Gibbons on Sid's wing. Sorry. Nothing against the kid, but he's not a scoring line player for this team. I don't think a Jokinen - Sutter - Gibbons line is a bad third line, and the guys that are allowed to move up make our top six much stronger.

Kunitz-Crosby-Gibbons
Jokinen-Malkin-Neal
Bennett-Sutter-Stempniak

vs

Bennett-Crosby-Stempniak
Kunitz-Malkin-Neal
Jokinen-Sutter-Gibbons

I like the latter, to be honest. Kunitz isn't playing his best hockey, and might benefit from a change. Stempniak can play a Dupuis-like role on Sid's line; digging for pucks and playing a generally ugly game but with finish, and Bennett can be the set up guy who can create on his own.

Those lines make a lot of sense, but Kunitz is attached to Crosby's hip. It's like creating lines without Glass or Adams.

Getting Crosby away from Kunitz would force him to play a different game IMHO. Some would argue it's a stupid thing to do, others like myself want to see Crosby with totally new linemates, just to see what happens.

I personally think Crosby has a mindset that this is how he has to play to be at his best, so it feels foolish to question him. But when this style seems to dictate that he plays with lesser talent simply because they skate fast, I'm not sure how it can't be openly questioned either.

Again, we have had a HOF winger and a talented #1 pick get passed over in favor of Dupuis and Gibbons. Typing it out again has to be as weird for me to type as it is for people to read, but it has happened.

 

[Shady Machine]

I really hate posts like this(and you're one of the better posters here). Just because maybe nobody has said those exact words doesn't mean that it's not implied in the discussion. People are talking about how it's Sid's "fault" that BB is not on the top line. It's been mentioned numerous times that Crosby is "the only guy BB doesn't work with". What else should be taken from those comments? It's pretty clear that people here want Crosby to alter his game in a way that meshes better with BB. There's nothing wrong with that opinion, I just disagree with it.

I think you build around Sid and Geno. If Sid needs speedy wingers that can finish, you get them(I'm not sure Kunitz even applies anymore). KCD didn't work in the playoffs, but that isn't an indictment of the speed-on-the-wings formula. It just means that Dupuis couldn't hit water from a boat and Kunitz hasn't looked like the speedy wrecking ball that he used to be in years. If Geno needs a sniper and puck retriever, you do it(still waiting on that puck retriever). What you don't do is just acquire a bunch of guys at random and hope Sid/Geno can alter their games enough to make it kind of work.

I agree with everything you said here. I guess my concern was that you were implying that some people wanted Crosby to change his game, to his detriment, for the betterment of Bennett. Maybe I read too much into what you said, but most posters weren't saying that.

The issue seems to be that Shero and DB, and presumably Crosby, are satisfied with Dupuis as the other winger next to Kunitz. I have a problem with that.

In terms of changing his game, I think it was more around seeing the benefit that a player like Bennett can bring. Sid doesn't have to make monumental changes to his game to make a Kunitz-Sid-Bennett like successful, but he can't play at hyper speed all the time. Since they didn't have much time to build chemistry, maybe it is best for now to replace Bennett with a Dupuis style winger. Longer term, they need to either find a skilled Dupuis, although those are hard to come by, or Sid is going to have to make slight alterations to his game.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Do I think Dupuis, on his own, is better than some of the other options we've had? No, I don't. But I'm a guy on the internet and I'm not about to think that I know better than Crosby himself what works for him.

That's not to say that I think none of our opinions have merit, but I think we need to keep some perspective here. Crosby is the best player in the league. He averages over 100 points a season. He practices regularly with these guys every day. What he does clearly works and I think it's fair to say he has a little more insight about what works for him than HFBoards posters.

The pros are all clearly better suited to their jobs than we are, but that doesn't stop us from questioning their dubious decisions. Bylsma has an exceptional resume, but we still collectively facepalm when Glass and Adams get 13 minutes each in a playoff game.

People here wanted DB's head on a pike when they thought keeping Dupuis on Sid's line and moving Iggy to Malkin's LW last year was his idea alone. It was counter-intuitive. He was the skilled RH shot winger that we'd been pining for to help in games when dedicated defensive teams keyed in on Sid. Instead, Dupuis stayed, the line faltered, and DB was vilified further.

It's starting to look like Crosby had a lot more influence on that decision than previously thought. So what makes it a better idea now? What has earned Sid the benefit of the doubt when it comes to speedy, talent-impaired wingers?

 

[NeedleInTheHay]

You most certainly don't tell the best player in the world to change his game, you find players that accommodate him best. If Crosby feels he plays a better game with Dupuis/Gibbons then so be it.

Ideally they get Kane in the offseason but it ain't happening now.

 

[pensfan71]

You most certainly don't tell the best player in the world to change his game, you find players that accommodate him best. If Crosby feels he plays a better game with Dupuis/Gibbons then so be it.

Ideally they get Kane in the offseason but it ain't happening now.

When was that ever going to happen...

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

You most certainly don't tell the best player in the world to change his game, you find players that accommodate him best. If Crosby feels he plays a better game with Dupuis/Gibbons then so be it.

Ideally they get Kane in the offseason but it ain't happening now.

And when quality opponents neutralize him while his wingers skate around really fast, you just shrug your shoulders, I guess.

 

[Shockmaster]

You most certainly don't tell the best player in the world to change his game, you find players that accommodate him best. If Crosby feels he plays a better game with Dupuis/Gibbons then so be it.

Ideally they get Kane in the offseason but it ain't happening now.

But what happens when that doesn't work? Keep on doing it anyways?

 

[DegenX]

Looking like Foligno will be back for tomorrow's game, too

On Thursday, #CBJ coach Todd Richards said Nick Foligno would not play on Saturday in Pittsburgh. Now, there's a pretty decent chance of it. @Aportzline

 

[Jag68Sid87]

This is really dumb. Gibbons and Crosby don't work well together. Gibbons doesn't play well on right wing. Why try to force-feed something that doesn't work?

It's amazing to me, Crosby could actually be even better if he occasionally played a bit slower. For instance, when he has the puck go full speed to gain the line, but then curl and pause, and pick up a trailing winger. It's a play all the great playmakers make.

He can play with anyone, so this insistence to play at top speed all the time is dumb.

 

[DoktorZaius]

I feel like if Sid really wants Dupuis on his RW, we should throw Megna in there. The guy has sick wheels, ferocious forechecking, is big enough that he's a legit net-front presence and he has enough snarl to stick up for Sid a bit. He's not going to wow you with his playmaking, but this guy is designed to play straight-line, north-south hockey with speed and grit.