Post-Game Talk: Devils 6, Penguins 3 - Penguins Hate On @ScandaleduJour on His Birthday

[Honour Over Glory]

I don’t know much about Dzingel but sounds good. Yeah Ferland is going to cost more and likely a rental unless he worked really really well with Malkin and wanted to stay (we’d probably be moving Pearson out in the summer then).

I like Pearson, I want to start with just letting people know, if there is a way to keep him, I hope they do because we need more solid wingers and Pearson is also a product of the rut that Geno is in and the trash that Brassard is because the latter has been infectious in the worst way possible for so many players and the former is just in the worst rut of his career.

I wonder if the team doesn't flip Pearson at the deadline in a package for something else or even for Ferland or Dzingel and then there's the cap to sign at least Dzingel or Ferland if JR makes more moves.

@KIRK - But if you get our most dynamic and fantastic right winger in Rust with Geno, I think a guy like Dzingel is the perfect compliment to the other side, just a lot of speed that establishes a forecheck and has the speed to create space for Geno and be his puck hounds, not puck hound, but hounds.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

It's actually 3 months now.

And, much as addimg Ferland or Dzingel would help Geno, the RW absolutely needs to be Rust.

It won't be.

Dzingel, Malkin, Rust...

If we got Dzingel...I'm not sure how our wingers would shake out. Someone gets shafted to the 4th line.

Guentzel, Crosby, Hornqvist/Simon
Dzingel, Malkin, Rust
Pearson, Cullen (wish it was Blueger), Kessel
Aston-Reese, Sheahan, Simon

 

[KIRK]

Dzingel, Malkin, Rust...

Sullivan would **** it up, and we both know it.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Sullivan would **** it up, and we both know it.

I know, but for a brief moment, I had hope....I had hope man.

 

[KIRK]

I know, but for a brief moment, I had hope....I had hope man.

A little hope in this place is a dangerous thing.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

A little hope in this place is a dangerous thing.

 

[Chuck Norris Trophy]

I think Geno played pretty well considering his wife stole his baby.

Is there something I have completely missed..?

 

[AlphaMikeFoxtrots]

Is there something I have completely missed..?

she was in Moscow for ~6 weeks before the break for work and had the kiddo with her. r*ssi made sure to let everyone know she abandoned Geno

eta: clarification on who was rumored to be abandoned

 

[AlphaMikeFoxtrots]

Wrt the game, nice of the depth scoring to show themselves, and no shutout!

I miss the second half of December.

 

[Chuck Norris Trophy]

she was in Moscow for ~6 weeks before the break for work and had the kiddo with her. r*ssi made sure to let everyone know she abandoned Geno

eta: clarification on who was rumored to be abandoned

Haha okay, totally missed that one. Classic Rossi

 

[Empoleon8771]

I only watched for about the first 10 minutes, but from what I saw, literally every forward line looked disorganized last night. Was that the way the rest of the game was played too? Rust looked bad on LW from what I saw and Brassard kept falling over as the 3rd line didn't generate much.

Riikola looked really solid in the time I saw him though, was showing some talents both offensively and defensively and his fancy stats finally matched what I saw on the ice. I'm really hoping Schultz gets back soon, especially if Johnson is out for any extended period of time.

 

[Smasher]

Riikola looked really solid in the time I saw him though, was showing some talents both offensively and defensively and his fancy stats finally matched what I saw on the ice.

I liked his game too. It's nice to finally have a defenseman with a heavy slapper who can actually hit the net.

 

[Icarium]

Good news is we won't play NJD in the playoffs. Bad news is we might not make the playoffs.

Not much use pointing fingers at individual players since everybody was bad but my goodness, Letang's inability to pass the puck for a one-timer on the PP drives me crazy. He has so much talent and is so bad at this. Not that it would have made much difference in this particular game, mind you, but it's incredibly annoying. Chicago got a new coach and their PP is deadly now because it doesn't rely on pure talent any more. Would be nice if we could do something like that - not by firing Sully, don't get me wrong, but by changing something, anything. We keep conceding shorties and losing momentum on the PP, scoring when the game is out of reach or when we lead by a few is little consolation.

 

[Angrrus]

Last game before the 9 day break: Murray allows 4+ goals, Pens superstars score next to nothing.

First game after the 9 day break: Murray allows 4+ goals, Pens superstars score next to nothing.

Somebody tell these guys that the preseason is already over.

Because as things are now, they will have a lot of trouble even making playoffs, let alone competing for the Cup.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Last game before the 9 day break: Murray allows 4+ goals, Pens superstars score next to nothing.

First game after the 9 day break: Murray allows 4+ goals, Pens superstars score next to nothing.

Somebody tell these guys that the preseason is already over.

Because as things are now, they will have a lot of trouble even making playoffs, let alone competing for the Cup.

Murray didn't play against Vegas, DeSmith did.

 

[EightyOne]

 

[Angrrus]

Murray didn't play against Vegas, DeSmith did.

Ah yes. Thanks bud. My bad. I was thinking that he allowed 4 in two of his 3 starts on the WC trip.

Doesn't really affect my main point much, though.

 

[Angrrus]

Unfortunately even I can't hasten Shultzs return. Would if I could though.

His presence didn't make much of a difference last year.

This roster needs much much deeper changes than that.

 

[Angrrus]

The Pens gave up very little 5 on 5.

Scoring chances were 25 to 13

High danger scoring chances were 10 to 2

I don't remember the Pens giving up fewer then 2 high danger chances all year.

I can't blame the team when they don't give up anything and the other team has 4 goals after 2 periods.

I guess some scoring from the highest-paid guys might have helped.

 

[Angrrus]

The team needs to improve now. It’s hard to get in a groove when you know that the team you have isn’t the team you’re gonna be. cheesedanish is right that terrible Murray returned from the dead on this one, but it was still a bad effort since they were playing a bad team at home.

He returned from the dead at the start of the West Coast trip, and never left ever since.

 

[ncm7772]

I only watched for about the first 10 minutes, but from what I saw, literally every forward line looked disorganized last night. Was that the way the rest of the game was played too?

Worse. Awful all night. Even the first line. Malkin/Kessel/Hornqvist were absolutely abysmal.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Hahaha, well of course...naturally.

Even @Scandale du Jour can't salvage his fellow francophone Brassard, but he'll always have Tanger.

I am this close to calling Brassard a Franco-Ontarian. You know... that ungodly thing Claude Giroux is

 

[Angrrus]

Sid questioning team's effort.

He should start by looking at the stat sheet and questioning his own effort.

 

[ncm7772]

competing for the Cup.

Might as well get that thought out of your head. They're going to have to battle just to make the playoffs.

Not trying to be purposely negative, you sympathizing folk, just my opinion based on observing them this season.

 

[2wayPlay]

Things are as bad as they appear. I guess I shouldn’t be totally surprised when the off-season additions are a career -347 Jack Johnson and 48 year old Matt Cullen what did we expect?

5 biggest issues I see are

Sully and JR lost their way. What made us great in 16 and 17 was speed and youth and for some reason we got away from that. It’s almost like Tom Wilson made us try to get tough and add grit when really we already had the recipe for success.

Geno turns into a complete non factor. I mean guys go through slumps besides Baseball Hockey is an incredibly difficult sport to have offensive success. But this Last 2 and a half months from Geno screams way more than just a slump. He is slow, disengaged and overall lathargic night in night out. Could this be the beginning of the end for him? Would be an unreal quick fall from grace.

Matt Murray is so inconsistent. Which is strange because consistency and composure seemed to be his best attributes through his first couple years. Now it seems as though he can either pitch a shutout or give up 6 any given night. He’s all over the place and very hard to trust. But some of it has to do with issue 4

This Defense sucks. Besides Dumo and Letang pairing the defense to be nice is awful. Sure Rikolla and Petersen have shown flashes as young players but are probably better suited as backups or number 6 with limited mins. Maata and JJ are such liabilities most nights it’s painful to watch. Schultz can make a difference but the guy who should be scratched won’t be so the effect won’t be as great.

Lastly I would say secondary scoring and or lack of organizational depth. This somewhat ties into Sully and JR losing their way but it also may tie into the fact that our farm team has nobody to bring up? I don’t follow the AHL enough to give a reasonable decision but the fact that guys like Bluegger have not even gotten a look is head scratching when most of our bottom 6 give us 0. Sheehan Wilson Brassard Cullen are all guys that have done 0 to deserve an everyday sweater.

Sometimes things are not as bad as they seem or as good as they seem but I’m afraid unless JR makes 1 or 2 A plus moves they might just be that bad and an end of the era.