If you go out of your way not to get injured that's generally when it happens all the more.
Post-Game Talk: Cole's Plus/Minus: Pens vs. Rangers - The M&M Show
- Thread starter IcedCapp
- Start date
Tasty Biscuits
with fancy sauce
Jokinen has been mud in the shootouts this year, I don't know why Bylsma keeps on going to him over Neal.
Anyways, there's obviously a lot more important things to complain about with that game - lucky to get a point.
Gibbons has made some good plays, but I also noticed numerous times tonight his size really was a hindrance, in terms of reach in distributing the puck and also size for protecting the puck.
Anyways, there's obviously a lot more important things to complain about with that game - lucky to get a point.
Gibbons has made some good plays, but I also noticed numerous times tonight his size really was a hindrance, in terms of reach in distributing the puck and also size for protecting the puck.
Jaded-Fan
Registered User
Only 7 teams had had fewer power play opportunities this year than the Pens.
http://espn.go.com/nhl/statistics/team/_/stat/special-teams/sort/powerPlayOpportunities
23RD OVERALL IN OPPORTUNITIES.
**** the Refs, they can kiss my ass. Neal and the rest of the Pens should be flopping 30 times a game given what an joke these refs and this league has been all year.
CROSBY
MALKIN
One of the most skilled teams in the NHL.
Only ONE more PP opportunity than Buffalo, a team who has a bunch of 12 year old girls as forwards and the skill of a epilepsy seizure patient.
So damn right Neal should be diving.
MeticulouslyDishevel
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It seems that when Bylsma gets an idea in his head it takes root and cannot be displaced no matter how much evidence to the contrary. See: Adams and Glass, protecting the lead.
canadianguy77
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MeticulouslyDishevel
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Speaking Moistly
What a terrible image.
Yeah, it's kind of fascinating to see what he latches on to. It also never bit him in the ass until possibly tonight this season. This is also the man that put Dupuis in for the shootout. Remember when the announcer said #27 was going in for the shootout? Traumatic times.
See: Glass starting the game with Crosby. Orpik protecting the lead/tie. Orpik being out with Crosby's line. Glass ending the game with Crosby. Gladams adding defensive responsibility in general.
canadianguy77
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I swear that I actually witnessed 44 out there with the two-headed-monster tonight, even with Maata's stellar game. If that's not a joke, then I don't know what a joke is. Truly baffling.
Speaking Moistly
What a terrible image.
Yes, you did witness that. It's quickly becoming one of my biggest complaints. Martin I get, Maatta I get, Niskanen I get. Orpik, **** no. He sure as hell doesn't bring any defensive responsibility to balance out the offense he cripples.
But then there's not really a good time to put Orpik out.
Sidney the Kidney
One last time
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+For the next three weeks I'm actually looking forward to Orpik looking like hot garbage.
+Maybe after the Olympics, Kunitz will stop coasting and trying to preserve himself. He's been pretty bad since around the time he was officially announced to Team Canada.
+It doesn't MAATTA what you think!
+Maybe after the Olympics, Kunitz will stop coasting and trying to preserve himself. He's been pretty bad since around the time he was officially announced to Team Canada.
+It doesn't MAATTA what you think!
JimmyTwoTimes
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- Apr 13, 2010
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That wasnt really on my mind
No injuries is a plus. Good thing about olympics is our guys wont be wearing Pens jersys..that should keep them safe for the time being.
wgknestrick
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- Aug 14, 2012
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Our 4th line is sooooo terrible.
A great stat is that they only had a shots for % of 12% tonight. Only 88% of the shots taken while they were on the ice, were on our own goal. Who thinks this is a good plan for success?
http://www.extraskater.com/game/2014-02-07-rangers-penguins
A great stat is that they only had a shots for % of 12% tonight. Only 88% of the shots taken while they were on the ice, were on our own goal. Who thinks this is a good plan for success?
http://www.extraskater.com/game/2014-02-07-rangers-penguins
billybudd
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- Feb 1, 2012
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That Neal is going to be the first player suspended for diving since Jarkko Ruutu sort of surprises me. By all rights, Brown should have lost about 30 games in his career for that by now. Also, Jussi dives more and Zolgershnitzel dives a LOT more.
canadianguy77
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They've had one good shift in the last 4-5 games. It was early on against the Sabres and I was amazed because they controlled ONE shift. Every other shift that I've watched, they've been hemmed into their zone for most of it.
Jaded-Fan
Registered User
I did the math, and compared the scoring for the bottom six forwards of the Pens vs. top teams from the west like Chicago, St. Louis, Anaheim, and our bottom six really was noticably worse statistically as well as the eye test. Honestly, we have really only 5 forwards who do anything at all. Crosby, Malkin, Neal, Kunitz and JJ. And JJ is not really a set player, he is a tweener, sometimes top six sometimes bottom six. Really we are missing two top six wings and probably three bottom six forwards.
canadianguy77
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I kind of feel like Neal sort of put himself into these positions with the officiating because of his lack of emotional control. I've resigned myself to the fact that he'll remain a target of the refs until he pulls a Cooke and gets his **** together for at least a full season.
Sidney the Kidney
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Is the bolded a rhetorical question? Because the answer is obviously our coaching staff, who seem convinced they're shutdown players.
Tender Rip
Wears long pants
You have to work to draw penalties. Usually you get them by forcing the opposition out of their comfort zone in the offensive zone, or you beat them with speed in transition.
The former never happens unless it is our stars doing so, particularly Malkin who is big and strong enough to actually have an impact on the wall.
Again, this is yet another example of being poorly constructed. Not to say that we are not likely getting a bit too few PPs, but just like we are not built to take a lot of PPs, we are not built to win a lot of them either.
Look at the list of players drawing the most penalties/60 (who have played more than 20 games):
http://www.behindthenet.ca/nhl_stat...+3+5+4+6+7+8+13+14+29+30+32+33+34+45+46+63+67
Notice a trend as regards those players being on teams with an intense forecheck? Teams whose very definition of 'our game' is to harrass teams on the forecheck. Players, largely, who excel exactly at that. Not a lot of feathers there either...
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Jaded-Fan
Registered User
I certainly agree that for a team/system that supposedly is built to, in Disco's own words, get as much offensive zone time as possible, they this year especially spend very little time in the offensive zone. So for a lot of the team I agree with you.
But nobody works as hard as Crosby, and he has someone hooking/holding/tripping/tackling him pretty much the entire game, every game, and by your own list almost never gets a call. We saw it the entire game tonight, no calls. There is no excuse for how the refs call the game on Crosby.
+ now little break for some guys.
+Sid/Geno/Maaaatttaaa,loving this kid.
Someone can go tell sid that you are allowed to try something else in shootouts/breakaways.
+Sid/Geno/Maaaatttaaa,loving this kid.
Someone can go tell sid that you are allowed to try something else in shootouts/breakaways.
cygnus47
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There has to be something missing in the salary cap era. None of those teams have 4 top 6 as good as Sid - Kuni + Geno - Neal. Its impossible to afford a complete lineup without like...4-5 rookie contracts overperforming. We have a great top 6, an above average 3rd line (when healthy) and a below average 4th line. It's just the way it is, especially with Dupuis injured.
DegenX
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Was going to put this in the Olympic thread, but it's closed ...
Link to NBC Networks/US broadcast schedule
Link to NBC Networks/US broadcast schedule
Jaded-Fan
Registered User
Well for one, Kane and Toews have not hit their big payday yet. Which comes in about 16 months or so. Bob McKenzie a couple of months ago said that the expectation of each player is a contract around $12 million per year for each of them.
Crosby + Malkin = $18.2 million.
Toews + Kane = $24 million.
Let's see the bottom six then.
Sidney the Kidney
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I think Shero just needs to be more judicious about how he spends that money. Hanging onto Orpik, for example, or signing Scuderi when there are cheaper replacements in the system (full time duty for Despres, Bortuzzo, and Maatta) could have freed up a bit of cash. Combine that extra space with the money he paid Dupuis, and suddenly you're looking at $5 to $6 million for a top line winger.
For instance, in terms of player comparisons:
Dupuis ($3.75 million) + Orpik ($3.75 million) = $7.5 million
OR
Top six winger ($6.6 million) + Despres ($840k) = $7.5 million
So for the same combined $7.5 million, Shero could have got rid of Orpik and let Dupuis walk, and replaced them with Despres and a winger costing up to $6.6 million.
So it's not really a cap space limitation thing. It's how Shero chooses to spend his money on guys like Orpik, Dupuis, Glass, Scuderi, etc.
