Post-Game Talk: Cole's Plus/Minus: Penguins vs. Leafs in a Pond Hockey Game

[Mr Jiggyfly]

ya, he's a keeper for sure. I am happy to say I was wrong about BB being a good fit for Neal and Geno. Neal just needs to play a bit more along the boards to make it really work.

I was a lot more pleased with Neal yesterday. He was winning a number of battles and crashing the net. That's all I want to see. He doesn't have to be Tocchet Redux to be effective.

For those wondering about the BB/Martin goal, I think Martin's shot bounced off Reimer and hit a Leaf skate, then bounced into the net before BB touched it. I don't have a slow mo of the replay though.

Neal skates to BB to congratulate him and he kind of shakes his head and points at Martin. He must of said something between periods maybe and they changed the goal.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I was a lot more pleased with Neal yesterday. He was winning a number of battles and crashing the net. That's all I want to see. He doesn't have to be Tocchet Redux to be effective.

For those wondering about the BB/Martin goal, I think Martin's shot bounced off Reimer and hit a Leaf skate, then bounced into the net before BB touched it. I don't have a slow mo of the replay though.

Neal skates to BB to congratulate him and he kind of shakes his head and points at Martin. He must of said something between periods maybe and they changed the goal.

ya I agree. Just saying in general that's what he'll need to do all the time with BB on the other wing instead of Kunitz.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Nothing is ever "clogged up." Hell, I sat there and watched Toronto possess the puck for probably 3/4 of that overtime.

A majority of the PP goals the last two games were directly related to screens in front by JVR and Simmonds.

These guys aren't even being contested or boxed out in front. That part looks schematic, but I have no idea really. Both Orpik and Letang stood in front of JVR last night. The theory is you block the shot before he gets the puck... But I never liked that strategy. You need to move him out of there or at least make him hurt for being there.

That is why Bort needs to play... He is very good at battling in front of the net and shielding his goalie with his big frame. The few times he was allowed to PK he was making life miserable in front for guys.

 

[Fire Shero*]

+ Geno and Neal played well at even strength
+ Crosby
+ Koon
+ ginger man

- Shero for creating the worst 4th line I've seen on the pens in years and a very weak 3rd line.
- the penalty kill - they were solid last year which leads me to believe its the players, not the coaching. Again, Shero's fault
- goaltending is that 7 straight games allowing 3 more goals?
- Orpik

 

[Lomez]

Forget the "we need a winger for Sid" mantra. The current top six will be fine. What we need is to retool the fourth line, a stay-at-home, slot-clearing, asskickin' d-man, and, more than anything IMHO, a new goalie.

Other than that, we'll be fine.

 

[Fire Shero*]

Forget the "we need a winger for Sid" mantra. The current top six will be fine. What we need is to retool the fourth line, a stay-at-home, slot-clearing, asskickin' d-man, and, more than anything IMHO, a new goalie.

Other than that, we'll be fine.

I agree that we need the changes you suggested but I'd love to get Crosby an upgrade over Dupuis. Obviously Shero can't undo all of his mistakes and totally retool the team at the deadline, I think he will ultimately acquire a veteran defenseman and a decent winger, but by no means an Iginla or Perry impact type.

 

[Whakahere]

I was a lot more pleased with Neal yesterday. He was winning a number of battles and crashing the net. That's all I want to see. He doesn't have to be Tocchet Redux to be effective.

For those wondering about the BB/Martin goal, I think Martin's shot bounced off Reimer and hit a Leaf skate, then bounced into the net before BB touched it. I don't have a slow mo of the replay though.

Neal skates to BB to congratulate him and he kind of shakes his head and points at Martin. He must of said something between periods maybe and they changed the goal.

I saw an over head of that goal. BB didn't touch it. his stick was lifted and the defender hit it into his on net. It was an own goal. The funny action was after the goal the defender knew it and did a quick practice what he wanted to do ... but overall we had two goals in this game that were pretty flukey

 

[JTG]

A majority of the PP goals the last two games were directly related to screens in front by JVR and Simmonds.

These guys aren't even being contested or boxed out in front. That part looks schematic, but I have no idea really. Both Orpik and Letang stood in front of JVR last night. The theory is you block the shot before he gets the puck... But I never liked that strategy. You need to move him out of there or at least make him hurt for being there.

That is why Bort needs to play... He is very good at battling in front of the net and shielding his goalie with his big frame. The few times he was allowed to PK he was making life miserable in front for guys.

I think it's a new school of thought, I think. When I played, I was always taught that you stick the guy, move him out of the way, and box everyone out. You don't let guys get to your net. Now it seems more like, "well if you're going to stand in front of my goalie, I'm going to stand in front of you." I never agreed with that way of playing. I still think every defenseman should be like Ulf and make it completely miserable to occupy any square inch in the box.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I agree that we need the changes you suggested but I'd love to get Crosby an upgrade over Dupuis. Obviously Shero can't undo all of his mistakes and totally retool the team at the deadline, I think he will ultimately acquire a veteran defenseman and a decent winger, but by no means an Iginla or Perry impact type.

"all of his mistakes", haha.

 

[maxpenguins6630]

I saw Bennett play about 2-3 games but yesterday was an awesome game. Bennett has great vision and excellent with the puck. He always find open area to skate with the puck or place the puck. He always thinks pass first. From what I had read when we drafted him I wasn't convinced, but Bennett is not a liability defensively. He pays attention to details and he is rarely caught off position. Stick and body always in good position. He is not afraid to go in the corners as well. If his progression continues he's gonna be special.

As for Despres, he is so hard to knock off the puck. He has good wheels and protects the puck real well. I don't understand when Bylsma talks about consistency... Well to get consistency Despres is a young player and he needs to play. It's a must for this team to trade Després. He will be a top 3 d-man soon. Right now there is nothing on the market to trade Despres for unless we get a young proven winger a la Neal... Not a kind of Setoguchi...

 

[Darth Vitale]

I could not have asked for more from Bennett to this point. I love watching the kid play.

Like Jig said, that long area saucer for Geno was a beauty, not to mention his pass that nearly sent Neal on a breakaway. He's creating chances left and right, and he isn't even attempting high-risk plays to do it.

A young, skilled RH shot wing cost-controlled at under a mil for the next 3 years. It's like some sort of wonderful dream.

So, so true. I had originally thought a trade deadline rental could allow Kunitz to rejoin Malkin and Neal, but if Bennett can play like this consistently, that's such a huge boost for the roster.

As many others have suggested, if the Pens can go into the playoffs with a third line of Cooke-Sutter-Dupuis, that will be a great sign. Obviously that doesn't fix the issues cropping up defensively or on the PK as of late, but it would at least be a step in solidifying the team as a contender.

Yah that saucer pass did it for me. I knew right then we had a good player on our hands and not someone who had made some lucky-but-nice plays prior. That required vision, timing and skill that are not common among rookies. Helluva pass.

 

[deakka]

I saw Bennett play about 2-3 games but yesterday was an awesome game. Bennett has great vision and excellent with the puck. He always find open area to skate with the puck or place the puck. He always thinks pass first. From what I had read when we drafted him I wasn't convinced, but Bennett is not a liability defensively. He pays attention to details and he is rarely caught off position. Stick and body always in good position. He is not afraid to go in the corners as well. If his progression continues he's gonna be special.

As for Despres, he is so hard to knock off the puck. He has good wheels and protects the puck real well. I don't understand when Bylsma talks about consistency... Well to get consistency Despres is a young player and he needs to play. It's a must for this team to trade Després. He will be a top 3 d-man soon. Right now there is nothing on the market to trade Despres for unless we get a young proven winger a la Neal... Not a kind of Setoguchi...

He must meaning he wants Despres to be consistantly bad - as Orpik!

 

[Coach Travis]

**** Iginla, we need to go balls out for one or two awesome D-men at the Trade Deadline. No way we get out of the first round with how we're playing in our backend right now.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I think it's a new school of thought, I think. When I played, I was always taught that you stick the guy, move him out of the way, and box everyone out. You don't let guys get to your net. Now it seems more like, "well if you're going to stand in front of my goalie, I'm going to stand in front of you." I never agreed with that way of playing. I still think every defenseman should be like Ulf and make it completely miserable to occupy any square inch in the box.

Ya I hate this new "box out the puck" philosophy. In the past you learned that if you want to move the big boys, you put your stick between his legs and leverage him out of the way or give him a few shots to the back of the leg, tie up his stick, push his helmet in front of his eyes, cross check him into shot lanes, whatever you gotta do to make life difficult for being there.

I know the rules have changed and you can't have all out wars like Ulf's day, but you can still make it hard on these guys, like Bort was doing. At least let Despres uses his big body in front if Letang and Orpik won't. It isn't like the PK could get much worse.

Something has to change, because guys are just camping out in MAF's crease with no real consequences.

 

[Darth Vitale]

**** Iginla, we need to go balls out for one or two awesome D-men at the Trade Deadline. No way we get out of the first round with how we're playing in our backend right now.

This is probably true depending on who we get certain by the second round we'd have problems with our existing D. Ideally 1 skilled winger and 1 hard-nosed D who is not slow / old, would be the best of all possible deadlines. Winger allows us to make our 1st and equally important out 3rd line much better (Kennedy to 4th or traded, Dupers to 3rd), and D makes us less soff.

 

[Ogrezilla]

"all of his mistakes", haha.

meanwhile, there is a thread where Tanner Glass is being listed as his biggest mistake. If that's even close to true, he's doing a damn fine job

 

[Darth Vitale]

And on that note... on to discussing today's game.