Post-Game Talk: Domination | Penguins 6, Capitals 2

[JWells16]

Just joined the boards today and just finished reading the caps game thread Went from 'we're unstoppable' to life threatening and everything in between. Love it!

What. A. Game.

The coaching change has been huge for this team and they are really settling into a good form. Not at all perfect but it's in the right direction. I was worried about this 9 game division challenge but wow have they tore through it!

Now they don't play until Thursday

Keep 'er Going Boys!

Yea, the GDTs are a roller coaster of emotion...

Welcome to the boards!

 

[td_ice]

Isabelle Khurshudyan
‏@ikhurshudyan
There won't be a hearing for Caps defenseman Mike Weber after his boarding of Bryan Rust in last night's Penguins game.

You have to be kidding.

Probably cause it was Rust.

League offices probably said, "who?......nah....no action required."

 

[MrBrightside]

Yeah but no we need to...you know...remove plays like from the game. Oh but no hearing. No fines. No nothing.

Just tells him he can push it that much further the next time. DOPS is a joke.

Especially since you know Weber was targeting Rust after the earlier scrum. What a joke. But you know, Weber is a garbage player, so actually having to play him is probably the best punishment for the Caps.

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

Garage league.

 

[ColePens]

Just further proof they have no real intentions on making the game safer.

 

[billybudd]

What a great weekend. Phenomenal work from this team.

Just makes me hate Mike Johnston even more. How that guy turned a team with the kind of talent this club possesses into one that looked like an expansion team trying to score goals, is beyond me.

Not to take anything away from Sullivan, but Johnston didn't have the same players. Hagelin, Daley, Rust, Kuhnhackl, Schultz, Wilson, Sheary vs. Perron, Scuderi, Bennett, Plotnikov, Warsofsky, Dupuis (with a heart condition), Porter...that's a 33% roster turnover and every one of the "now" guys has more of a positive impact on the game. Consider that Kuhnhackl had 3 points yesterday whereas Plotnikov was a healthy scratch for the Coyotes and looks like he won't score that many goals in his entire North American career.

Sullivan's got them buying into a team identity (one part Cullen, one part Hornqvist, one part Hagelin), which Johnston never did, but make no mistake that the actual roster, itself, has better players now than in October--and not a few better players, a lot of them.

 

[Coastal Kev]

Amazing that the Pens are getting this all done without having Kevin Porter in the lineup.

 

[billybudd]

I thought Ian Cole was really good tonight

I'll eat crow on him if he keeps playing like this. He's been rock solid since Schultz got here.

 

[BHD]

I don't know why I am shocked about Weber not getting anything, but I am.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

Let me guess. Weber has no history of suspension and calls from DoPS? Because you have to ****ing do your jobs for that to happen, you nimrods. And Rust got up and looked fine.

 

[CanadianPensFan1]

Twas indeed a good game (though I only listened to snippets) and the team has been playing better as of late.

I understand the excitement but ... I just. Until they can show me that they can maybe win a few games in the playoffs .. maybe a round or two, they are falling into San Jose/St Louis territory for me. Regular season awesome and playoff disaster.

 

[Shady Machine]

Ah yes the NHL and their "concern" for player safety. I was listening to the game in the car and the ole 29er said something like "what is going to take for these players to stop these dangerous plays? The league has suspended people and taken away tens of thousands of their salaries and it hasn't made a difference". There's an obvious answer to this question and it's lack of severity and consistency of punishment.

You intentionally ram a dude's head into the boards? Automatic 10 games regardless of who you are and who you hit. That would stop the **** real quick.

Cross check a guy in the head? Same thing. 10 games.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

Ah yes the NHL and their "concern" for player safety. I was listening to the game in the car and the ole 29er said something like "what is going to take for these players to stop these dangerous plays? The league has suspended people and taken away tens of thousands of their salaries and it hasn't made a difference". There's an obvious answer to this question and it's lack of severity and consistency of punishment.

You intentionally ram a dude's head into the boards? Automatic 10 games regardless of who you are and who you hit. That would stop the **** real quick.

Cross check a guy in the head? Same thing. 10 games.

Yeah, it's consistency and making the punishment bad enough that they'll all be afraid of doing it. No player is going to be "tough" when they're worried about losing a season's worth of pay after a few incidents. They all know that there's a really good chance that they'll get away with their garbage or get a slap on the wrist.

Or make them all go to morgues or spinal cord/traumatic brain injury rehabilitation centres every season. See how they view things after that.

 

[steveg]

I was going to link that article as well. Everyone should read the whole thing. Great analysis.

Indeed; thanks for sharing, shureshot...

 

[WayneSid9987]

Listening to Sully on Marek vs Wysh right now.

Pretty good interview.

-said he's simplified things systematically
-that when it's time to defend, the team buys in and bares down to do the job
-said he knows this team is good on the rush but they want to create offense as well with thier pressure forecheck
-said he gives the skill guys the latitude to do whatever they want on the rush cuz they are skilled enough
-Marek asked about letting guys leaving the zone early compared to MJ's everyone back system.
-Sully said no, it's not that simple he's ok with certain guys stretching the zones but it's all about calculated risks
-said Sid is really leading the charge in the room with the young guys
-talking about practice now.
-Sully says they want to practice fast and with pace so it transfers

-being asked about Oshie punching Sid
-Sully "for me, it's just hockey. but for me it's about using our competitive advantage and not being dettered. other teams have other identities. we can't play other peoples game. we have to play ours. thought last night was a perfect example. stayed focused and responded right."
-said they've had practice with it lately

-Dumo update
-"i have not spoke with training staff today BUT i believe it's a day to day injury"

 

[spcastlemagic]

-said Sid is really leading the charge in the room with the young guys

This is really all I've ever wanted to hear.

 

[UnderratedBrooks44]

Not to take anything away from Sullivan, but Johnston didn't have the same players. Hagelin, Daley, Rust, Kuhnhackl, Schultz, Wilson, Sheary vs. Perron, Scuderi, Bennett, Plotnikov, Warsofsky, Dupuis (with a heart condition), Porter...that's a 33% roster turnover and every one of the "now" guys has more of a positive impact on the game. Consider that Kuhnhackl had 3 points yesterday whereas Plotnikov was a healthy scratch for the Coyotes and looks like he won't score that many goals in his entire North American career.

Sullivan's got them buying into a team identity (one part Cullen, one part Hornqvist, one part Hagelin), which Johnston never did, but make no mistake that the actual roster, itself, has better players now than in October--and not a few better players, a lot of them.

No question about it. Johnston wasn't the answer regardless, but the roster is almost night and day in certain aspects.

 

[HandshakeLine]

The problem I always had with Pens teams hyping their speed and skill before was it was always kind of half-assed. Like they had one or two super fast guys and then a lot of average or below average speed in the bottom 6 and on the blueline.

Having speed and puckmoving skills throughout the roster really changes things.

 

[td_ice]

Thanks so much for the rundown OG.

 

[ThaKloned]

Ah yes the NHL and their "concern" for player safety. I was listening to the game in the car and the ole 29er said something like "what is going to take for these players to stop these dangerous plays? The league has suspended people and taken away tens of thousands of their salaries and it hasn't made a difference". There's an obvious answer to this question and it's lack of severity and consistency of punishment.

You intentionally ram a dude's head into the boards? Automatic 10 games regardless of who you are and who you hit. That would stop the **** real quick.

Cross check a guy in the head? Same thing. 10 games.

That would mean the NHL would have to get rid of their wheel-o-ban

But seriously, I agree with the ole 29er. He's said it many times. Will it take a death on the ice to get them to change their ways? Let's hope not.

 

[WayneSid9987]

Thanks so much for the rundown OG.

No problem.

 

[thecore]

The problem I always had with Pens teams hyping their speed and skill before was it was always kind of half-assed. Like they had one or two super fast guys and then a lot of average or below average speed in the bottom 6 and on the blueline.

Having speed and puckmoving skills throughout the roster really changes things.

This is true. Not even the 08 or 09 teams that this much speed in the bottom 6. We had the likes of Satan, Adams. Guerin and Sykora were slower than anyone in our current top 6 minus maybe Hornqvist.

Also, Gill, Scuderi and Eaton are all slower than anyone except Maatta.

 

[Zen Arcade]

The Caps fan inferiority complex is going strong on the main board.

 

[zero8771]

No problem.

yes thanks. great stuff

 

[HandshakeLine]

The Caps fan inferiority complex is going strong on the main board.

It's hard being a perennial paper tiger.