Post-Game Talk: Game 3 - Matt Murray takes over as Pens defeat the Flyers

[billybudd]

As well as Sheahan is playing, we need to find him one NHL wing to play with. It's not easy to watch. Call up the best winger from WBS, put in Simon, anything at this point. Don't like Kessel with Geno at ES, screws up our 3rd and 4th lines. Just swap PH and Rust if you need PH with Sid, we need to get a 3rd line figured out before the next round.

Aston-Reese is tolerable at times there, but Kuhnhackl just may as well not even be on the ice for all the good he does Riley Sheahan.

Shame. I was texting my brother during the game that if Sheahan keeps playing like he has been, we won't miss Brassard in 15 months. JR's something else with this "buying low" stuff.

 

[chethejet]

Maatta has been walked this series. Ruhwedel has been decent and Oleksiak has his moments and offers that size an occasional hit that limits freedom to drive the net. Pens take the Flyers and await the winner of the Caps/Jackets series. That is a very physical series and hope it goes 7.

 

[Hockey Freak 7]

Opinions on Brassard overall game for the past month or two...

Sheahan LW for Brassard and Jorris 4C?
Jorris as wing?


It could happen.. I don’t know..​

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Dumb to try to gloat in another teams building, but god damn people are dumb, suck it up or give it back, don't try to "beat them senseless".

Yeah it's dumb. I mean I had Vancouver Canucks fans of all people try to attack me and my gf for no reason but that they were drunk and their team won, like that was it. We didn't even antagonize them, we lost, I was choked but I was like oh well, and we were leaving and these guys kept throwing popcorn at my gf and I was like ok lets go, then one threw a cup at us while we were walking out, security guard looks at me and shrugs.

Asshole fans are asshole fans, best to just keep walking and hope Karma deals with them. I also name my fists karma but I mean like actual karma.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Opinions on Brassard overall game for the past month or two...

Sheahan LW for Brassard and Jorris 4C?
Jorris as wing?


It could happen.. I don’t know..​

Brassard is very good and Sheahan has not been a good winger here. Keep our great C depth.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Brassard is very good and Sheahan has not been a good winger here. Keep our great C depth.

I don't even f***ing understand why people want to make him a winger now. The guy is a solid C. Having him as our 4C makes us a ridiculous team to play against.

I rather enjoy being a ridiculous team to play against when Sullivan gets his head out of his ass and actually coaches like he wants to win.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Opinions on Brassard overall game for the past month or two...

Sheahan LW for Brassard and Jorris 4C?
Jorris as wing?


It could happen.. I don’t know..​

Sheahan should never not be a C.

There's nowhere near enough pro's vs con's to make that a thing.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Sheahan should never not be a C.

There's nowhere near enough pro's vs con's to make that a thing.

Yup! You move him and Rowney and Jooris becomes your 4C and that line loses its stability and the line Sheahan goes to doesn’t gain much.

We have enough wingers for that not to happen. We’ll never have the “perfect” line up with the current roster for these playoffs but it’ll still be pretty good and taking Sheahan or Brassard away from centre goes away from that.

 

[PensandCaps]

Jake-Sid-Horny
Hags-Geno-Rusty
Aston Reese - Brassard - Sheary
Kuhn - Sheahan - Kessel

This would be the most balanced lineup and nobody can insulate Phil better than Kuhn and Sheahan. Both very responsible.

Lol wut.

 

[Clatartar]

Murray amazes me. You never get any of the jitters we're all used to from years of MAF being what he was... Spazzy.
Everything just gets swallowed up and any rebounds are sent into a waiting d man in the corner.

I still maintain that we should be running pairs and maybe rotating 3rd wheels.

Jake-Sid-
Hags-G-
-Brass-Phil
Sheary-Sheahan-

Logic puts Zar on the 3rd line, rust is an elite 4th liner, Horny just fits with Geno and Hags... if only we had a sniper to go with the 2 grinders on the first line.

Alternatively, Phil has looked his best with Sheahan recently, but that leaves Brass carrying his own line. We haven't had enough time with him to really get him comfortable with our wingers. We really have the pieces to have 3 first lines and a 3rd line. The only problem is it seems to be the pieces are for 2 different puzzles.

 

[Clatartar]

Murray amazes me. You never get any of the jitters we're all used to from years of MAF being what he was... Spazzy.
Everything just gets swallowed up and any rebounds are sent into a waiting d man in the corner.

I still maintain that we should be running pairs and maybe rotating 3rd wheels.

Jake-Sid-
Hags-G-
-Brass-Phil
Sheary-Sheahan-

Logic puts Zar on the 3rd line, rust is an elite 4th liner, Horny just fits with Geno and Hags... if only we had a sniper to go with the 2 grinders on the first line.

Alternatively, Phil has looked his best with Sheahan recently, but that leaves Brass carrying his own line. We haven't had enough time with him to really get him comfortable with our wingers. We really have the pieces to have 3 first lines and a 3rd line. The only problem is it seems to be the pieces are for 2 different puzzles.

 

[imouttahereEdWinger]

Chris Rooney started it off by reversing that HS penalty on Ruh.

It shouldn't need reversed. The referee shoudln't be calling something he didn't see. He couldn't possibly have seen a high stick. Do you know why? Because it never happened. That means he's not reffing what he is seeing. He either guessed at what happened or plain made it up.

 

[imouttahereEdWinger]

I personally think that the Flyers could have easily had 4-5 more goals so far this series if it weren't for him. That estimate might even be low too.

I too agree that if we played with an empty net we would give up more goals.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

It shouldn't need reversed. The referee shoudln't be calling something he didn't see. He couldn't possibly have seen a high stick. Do you know why? Because it never happened. That means he's not reffing what he is seeing. He either guessed at what happened or plain made it up.

I dont know..I see things that arent there all the time.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

It shouldn't need reversed. The referee shoudln't be calling something he didn't see. He couldn't possibly have seen a high stick. Do you know why? Because it never happened. That means he's not reffing what he is seeing. He either guessed at what happened or plain made it up.

Unfortunately, refs don't make calls on what they see. They make calls based on what they think they see.

 

[SEALBound]

Jake-Sid-ZAR/Sheary
Hags-Geno-Horny
Rust-Brassard-Kessel
Jooris-Sheahan-Sheary/ZAR

 

[JTG]

Matt Murray, Brian Dumoulin, Jake Guentzel, Connor Sheary, and Bryan Rust turn into different players when the games start to matter. Shero's guys may have taken a while to develop, but holy shit did he find guys who had ice running through their veins. Dumoulin is a borderline infuriating player in the regular season...he has been outstanding as he has in a majority of the playoff series he's played in.

We are very clearly missing the depth that we have had in years past. That being said, with Kessel sort of being in the middle of a cold streak right now, I'd play him with Sheahan. Sully has to do something to get Kessel and Brassard going, and I'm not sure playing them together is going to kickstart it. If those two reach Sid and Geno's level, we will be playing in June again.

 

[JTG]

Lol wut.

It looks insane, but I'd play Kessel with Sheahan right now. Absolutely. Something to get that bottom 6 rolling.

 

[The Old Master]

It looks insane, but I'd play Kessel with Sheahan right now. Absolutely. Something to get that bottom 6 rolling.

me too .... but then I would bring up sprong and play him with geno.

 

[Don'tcry4mejanhrdina]

Watching Crosby school Giroux makes me smile.

 

[NastyNick]

Crosby is definitely moving this team at even strength. Malkin and Kessel aren't getting much done there. My biggest concern right now is if Philly finds a way to neutralize Sid 5 on 5, and our PP goes soft again (it started to go that direction until Malkin's goal yesterday)... this series gets really tight. Gotta get Geno and Phil going at even strength. At least one of those two.

 

[vodeni]

Crosby is definitely moving this team at even strength. Malkin and Kessel aren't getting much done there. My biggest concern right now is if Philly finds a way to neutralize Sid 5 on 5, and our PP goes soft again (it started to go that direction until Malkin's goal yesterday)... this series gets really tight. Gotta get Geno and Phil going at even strength. At least one of those two.

First of all Geno is playing fine, he was all over it yesterday in second and third...and you don't need to get Geno going, if Sid is neutralized that means they are putting their best checkers there which would allow our second or third line to create...for all this to happen the key is to slide Phil somewhere where he does not drag his line down, Any line with him on, is a two forward line, very little possession...it stil maybe the best playing himm with Geno, cause hags and Geno can at least keep it even with their defensive effort

 

[ColePens]

Watching Crosby school Giroux makes me smile.

When he went forward on the 4 on 4 and Giroux was so far behind the play he even missed Dumo, too, was like a college player playing against a child. Just complete domination. Pushing the puck forward like that at the NHL level from center ice is insanely difficult. He made it look easy.

 

[Vujtek]

Guentzel still isn't credited with an assist to Dumoulin's goal. He tipped the puck after the faceoff to Crosby and should get secondary assist. Hopefully NHL fixes it.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Phil is what he is at this point. He's injured, and it shows. If he wasn't riding an insane ironman streak, I'm sure he'd be out of the lineup. You just have to hope the good plays come through more often than the bad/injury-riddled plays.

I'd roll with Jake and ZAR on Sid's wings, Hags and Hornqvist for Geno, Rust and Kessel with Brassard and Sheahan centering Sheary and whomever on the 4th. We live and die by the big guns, so trying to fabricate pseudo-depth when we just don't have very good options for those 4th line wingers is not something I'm interested in.