Post-Game Talk: Devils 4, Penguins 3 - For Want of a Point

[Ogrezilla]

I don't think that's the main issue. Could it contribute to some degree? Sure, but it's not an overriding variable IMO. I think the main issue is piss poor gap and zone coverage along with too many turnovers.

Caused by the loss of Ian Cole?

 

[Ryder71]

Caused by the loss of Ian Cole?

I think Cole is much better in D ZONE coverage than most of our defense, And wouldn't get walked around as much as some so yeah, that can adversely affect the chances we give up.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I think Cole is much better in D ZONE coverage than most of our defense, And wouldn't get walked around as much as some so yeah, that can adversely affect the chances we give up.

But what about the other 43 minutes a game where he wouldn't have been on the ice anyway? It's not like it's just ruhwedel getting destroyed or something. Everyone on the team is playing worse defensively.

 

[Gurglesons]

The hypocrisy here is so rich and so absurd it needs to be mentioned. Kris Letang is one of the most erratic, unreliable, brain dead defensemen this team has ever had the displeasure of employing! I mean my lord you're calling Cole unreliable? Do you realize how ridiculous you sound when you champion a guy like Letang? That's like a 500lb fat guy criticizing a 300lb fat guy. It's so preposterous. You don't have to like Cole, but he's far more reliable defensively then that two cent brained prima donna Letang. Holy cheese and crackers, like!

I mean, our coaching staff has trusted Letang and Dumoulin to average more time on the PK than Cole.

Also, once again, it’s silly to put up Ian Cole versus Letang, they are completely different players. And the fact that you said he’s the most erratic player to ever play D for the Penguins is also completely Silly. He was an integral part of three cup runs. One with one of the most notoriously demanding coaches in the league.

I’ll take a bet, Cole will not play out his contract if he signs for more than 3.5 mil with term. Or he’ll get like a two year contract at best this off season.

 

[Ryder71]

But what about the other 43 minutes a game where he wouldn't have been on the ice anyway?

But maybe it's a cross ice pass on the PK he blocks. Maybe he bodies a guy like Kreider off the puck instead of getting Schooled. Theres key sequences in games where he would help mitigate a key scoring chance or two. Look at last years playoffs, heck look at how he and Oleksiak did when paired together. There's ample evidence to support that argument.

 

[Ogrezilla]

But maybe it's a cross ice pass on the PK he blocks. Maybe he bodies a guy like Kreider off the puck instead of getting Schooled. Theres key sequences in games where he would help mitigate a key scoring chance or two. Look at last years playoffs, heck look at how he and Oleksiak did when paired together. There's ample evidence to support that argument.

Or maybe he'd be the one who turns it over. Or maybe he'd be in the box watching our pk get scored against. Or maybe hed be eating nachos in the press box. There's ample evidence to support that too.

Cole is solid. I like him and I'd be happy to still have him. Bit hes a 3rd pairing dman who played 17 minutes a night. Replacing him with ruh is not the biggest reason why we are suddenly giving up an extra goal per game now compared to a month ago. It's one of many factors.

 

[Ryder71]

I mean, our coaching staff has trusted Letang and Dumoulin to average more time on the PK than Cole.

Also, once again, it’s silly to put up Ian Cole versus Letang, they are completely different players. And the fact that you said he’s the most erratic player to ever play D for the Penguins is also completely Silly. He was an integral part of three cup runs. One with one of the most notoriously demanding coaches in the league.

I’ll take a bet, Cole will not play out his contract if he signs for more than 3.5 mil with term. Or he’ll get like a two year contract at best this off season.

And I'll take a bet that Letang will make more bonehead plays that makes most people shake their heads pretty much every game he plays. And I didn't say he's the most erratic, just one of them, which he is. You don't know from one shift to the next if he'll make a great 90 ft pass that leads to a goal, or if he'll cough up the puck in front of our goal leading to a goal against. He's the embodiment of Unreliable and Erratic. And for you to suggest that about Cole takes some nerve. lol

 

[Gurglesons]

And I'll take a bet that Letang will make more bonehead plays that makes most people shake their heads pretty much every game he plays. And I didn't say he's the most erratic, just one of them, which he is. You don't know from one shift to the next if he'll make a great 90 ft pass that leads to a goal, or if he'll cough up the puck in front of our goal leading to a goal against. He's the embodiment of Unreliable and Erratic. And for you to suggest that about Cole takes some nerve. lol

It’s not a suggestion. It’s a clear cut trend that has gotten Ian Cole scratched nearly every year of his NHL career. You’re opinion of Cole is as clouded as mine is regarding Letang.

 

[Ogrezilla]

And I'll take a bet that Letang will make more bonehead plays that makes most people shake their heads pretty much every game he plays. And I didn't say he's the most erratic, just one of them, which he is. You don't know from one shift to the next if he'll make a great 90 ft pass that leads to a goal, or if he'll cough up the puck in front of our goal leading to a goal against. He's the embodiment of Unreliable and Erratic. And for you to suggest that about Cole takes some nerve. lol

Cole is very inconsistent. That's what keeps him a 3rd pairing d who gets scratched at some point every year.

 

[Ryder71]

Or maybe he'd be the one who turns it over. Or maybe he'd be in the box watching our pk get scored against. Or maybe hed be eating nachos in the press box. There's ample evidence to support that too.

Cole is solid. I like him and I'd be happy to still have him. Bit hes a 3rd pairing dman who played 17 minutes a night. Replacing him with ruh is not the biggest reason why we are suddenly giving up an extra goal per game now compared to a month ago. It's one of many factors.

So where we're at is that we weight Coles departure differently. We agree there are several reasons for our defense and PK suffering. But maybe you believe there are three or four reasons that are equally an issue. Where as I weight the loss of Cole and the fact we didn't replace him as the primary reason.

 

[Ogrezilla]

So where we're at is that we weight Coles departure differently. We agree there are several reasons for our defense and PK suffering. But maybe you believe there are three or four reasons that are equally an issue. Where as I weight the loss of Cole and the fact we didn't replace him as the primary reason.

Yes, apparently.

 

[Tom Hanks]

We have 6 D that are good enough? How many do you think we'll actually need throughout the playoff grind? My guess is it will be seven or eight? What about you?

Which column do you take?

Letang Hainsey
Dumo Dumo
Schultz Schultz
Maata Maata
Oleksiak Cole
Hunwick Daley
Ruh Ruh

 

[Ryder71]

Cole is very inconsistent. That's what keeps him a 3rd pairing d who gets scratched at some point every year.

I'll say this, when it matters most he's accorded himself rather nicely. And if I remember correctly he was a key cog in the 5 on 3 kill in game six in NASH which helped propel us to a 2hd straight cup. When the game was on the line he came through, and that's what matters most. He's a reliable playoff performer.

 

[Gurglesons]

Which column do you take?

Letang Hainsey
Dumo Dumo
Schultz Schultz
Maata Maata
Oleksiak Cole
Hunwick Daley
Ruh Ruh

The left one all day?

 

[Ogrezilla]

I'll say this, when it matters most he's accorded himself rather nicely. And if I remember correctly he was a key cog in the 5 on 3 kill in game six in NASH which helped propel us to a 2hd straight cup. When the game was on the line he came through, and that's what matters most. He's a reliable playoff performer.

And last time letang was in the playoffs he finished 3rd in conn smythes votes.

 

[Gurglesons]

I'll say this, when it matters most he's accorded himself rather nicely. And if I remember correctly he was a key cog in the 5 on 3 kill in game six in NASH which helped propel us to a 2hd straight cup. When the game was on the line he came through, and that's what matters most. He's a reliable playoff performer.

So are a lot of players. Like Brassard, who we had to give up Ian Cole to get.

 

[Ryder71]

It’s not a suggestion. It’s a clear cut trend that has gotten Ian Cole scratched nearly every year of his NHL career. You’re opinion of Cole is as clouded as mine is regarding Letang.

This is the thing, it's not that I love Cole, but it's incrdibly rich to call him unreliable when you champion Letang. I like Cole similar to Scuderi, Hainsey or Roberts. Coles better, but I don't love the guy, I just see such a player as necessary. And if we replaced him with another similar guy, Great. It's not just losing Cole, it's that we hurt our depth on D and tinkered with our chemistry.

 

[Tom Hanks]

So where we're at is that we weight Coles departure differently. We agree there are several reasons for our defense and PK suffering. But maybe you believe there are three or four reasons that are equally an issue. Where as I weight the loss of Cole and the fact we didn't replace him as the primary reason.

But you ignore when Cole was scratched we had the best PK stats and GA of the season. So maybe there are a number of factors but you can’t see beyond that.

Maybe shots aren’t the only thing Cole blocks.

 

[Ryder71]

And last time letang was in the playoffs he finished 3rd in conn smythes votes.

And I hope he returns to that form, but I doubt that happens.

In any case Letang isn't a reliable player in the playoffs. Some good, some very bad, but generally erratic. 2016 was the exception and not the norm.

 

[Ogrezilla]

And I hope he returns to that form, but I doubt that happens.

In any case Letang isn't a reliable player in the playoffs. Some good, some very bad, but generally erratic. 2016 was the exception and not the norm.

But letangs good is so so so much better than Cole's good. His bad isn't any worse either, he just plays more against better players.

 

[Gurglesons]

And I hope he returns to that form, but I doubt that happens.

In any case Letang isn't a reliable player in the playoffs. Some good, some very bad, but generally erratic. 2016 was the exception and not the norm.

It really wasn’t. This is probably the worst stretch we’ve seen with Letang outside of 2012.

Letang has pretty much been one of the more consistent players in the playoffs with the Pens his entire career.

 

[Ryder71]

But you ignore when Cole was scratched we had the best PK stats and GA of the season. So maybe there are a number of factors but you can’t see beyond that.

Maybe shots aren’t the only thing Cole blocks.

We were at our best when Cole was paired with Oleksiak, we had the best goal differential at that time I believe. Both were contributing points and shutting down the opposition. If you looked at our defense at that time we were solid in pretty much every facet.

 

[Ryder71]

But letangs good is so so so much better than Cole's good. His bad isn't any worse either, he just plays more against better players.

Yeah, I don't agree. I don't remember Cole turning the puck over in dangerous areas of the ice to the level or degree Letang does. I think you're remembering Letang wrong. His bad has cost us a lot of games over the years. And while Coles best isn't in the class of Letangs I don't remember him single handedly costing us games.

 

[Ryder71]

It really wasn’t. This is probably the worst stretch we’ve seen with Letang outside of 2012.

Letang has pretty much been one of the more consistent players in the playoffs with the Pens his entire career.

I hope Letang plays lights out in the playoffs, I really do. I'll call you the grand poobah, I mean I'll bare ass it down liberty. But I seriously doubt he shores things up. I hope to the lord that I'm wrong. Because his play scares the hell out of me!

 

[Ogrezilla]

Yeah, I don't agree. I don't remember Cole turning the puck over in dangerous areas of the ice to the level or degree Letang does. I think you're remembering Letang wrong. His bad has cost us a lot of games over the years. And while Coles best isn't in the class of Letangs I don't remember him single handedly costing us games.

If nothing else I guarantee we've lost a game or two on the back of a stupid Cole penalty and pp goal against.

Just so I'm clear, would you rather we have Cole on this team right now or letang?