GDT: GAME 4 Play-Ins Penguins "at" Canadiens 4PM!!!

[The Great Mighty Poo]

Heres my sizzling hot take: The pens will win this series and make it to the second round atleast. Sully will shake up the line-up a bit and it will be enough for a while.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

I'll be getting take out from a location restaurant right before the Pens game. Nachos, wings if they have any, and a growler fill of beer.

But which place do I get it from? I love both of the places' nachos nearly equally. One place I know for sure has wings and their draft list online - a draft list I don't care too much for. The other place I'm not sure if they have wings, but I can add meat to the nachos. And their draft list isn't listed, but they've had some good choices when I've gone before.

What a conundrum.

For those in Pittsburgh, this is a Dive (Lawrenceville) vs. Fire Side Public House (East Liberty) decision.

 

[Andy99]

Heres my sizzling hot take: The pens will win this series and make it to the second round atleast. Sully will shake up the line-up a bit and it will be enough for a while.

Better to lose now...

 

[Big Poppa Pump]

Now, if they make more lineup changes, we'll be cooking with gas...

Zucker - Crosby - Horn
Guentzel - Malkin - Rust
McCann - Rodrigues/Blueger - Tanev
Lafferty - Rodrigues/Blueger - Sheary

Letang - Dumo
Marino - Pettersson
Ruhwedel - Riikola

Jarry

PP
Rust - Horn - Malkin - Crosby - Letang

 

[ownal]

Now, if they make more lineup changes, we'll be cooking with gas...

Zucker - Crosby - Horn
Guentzel - Malkin - Rust
McCann - Rodrigues/Blueger - Tanev
Lafferty - Rodrigues/Blueger - Sheary

Letang - Dumo
Marino - Pettersson
Ruhwedel - Riikola

Jarry

PP
Rust - Horn - Malkin - Crosby - Letang

ZAR out of the line up? Yes!

 

[Empoleon8771]

If I had to make a guess for what lineup changes beyond the goalie swap the Penguins would make, I'd say Ruhwedel in for Johnson (yes, Ruhwedel will be on LD), McCann back in for Lafferty and maybe Guentzel and Zucker swapped (but I doubt that). I think that's about all they'll do, though. Marleau won't be scratched because of his veteran-ness, Sullivan won't break up the 4th line and Sullivan won't scratch Schultz.

I think it's very likely that any more changes made beyond that will be changes that this site doesn't like. Like Zucker sliding to RW1, Marleau sliding up to LW2 and Sheary sliding down to LW3.

 

[cvrle1]

You literally just proved my point, so thank you. You're one of the people who's incapable of understanding nuance that I was exactly referring to.

I don't understand how it's hard to understand the thought of "Riikola is better than Johnson, but Riikola himself sucks and replacing Johnson with Riikola probably wouldn't have changed the outcome in game 3", but alas you're in that group who somehow can't.

And you didnt get what I was saying. Replacing JJ with Riikola would have made a difference not just in game 3 but whole series as well. Because you are Riikola hater you think otherwise and thats why people think what they think when you mention him. Thats the whole point.

 

[Empoleon8771]

And you didnt get what I was saying. Replacing JJ with Riikola would have made a difference not just in game 3 but whole series as well. Because you are Riikola hater you think otherwise and thats why people think what they think when you mention him. Thats the whole point.

No, because I know Riikola's flaws as a player and realize that he has shown nothing to suggest he's an effective player.

He's an OFD that doesn't produce that makes boneheaded defensive plays all of the time. He stinks. That's not me being a Riikola hater, that's me realizing reality when it comes to him. And your analysis is so shallow that it's basically just "if you replace a horrible player with a better but still bad player, the Penguins would win!".

Like I said, you're just in the group that's incapable of understanding nuance. It's so black and white, Riikola is better so just replacing Johnson with Riikola guarantees success.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

ZAR out of the line up? Yes!

As boring and vanilla as I think ZAR is, now is not the time to remove him from the lineup. Removing him from the "4th" line now just leaves the Pens with two "reliable" lines (being Crosby's and Malkin's). Taking ZAR away from Blueger and Tanev makes them severely less effective, which is not what is needed right now.

 

[NewAgeOutlaw]

Jarry is going to have to be Hasek if JJ-Schultz is still a thing.

 

[Empoleon8771]

As boring and vanilla as I think ZAR is, now is not the time to remove him from the lineup. Removing him from the "4th" line now just leaves the Pens with two "reliable" lines (being Crosby's and Malkin's). Taking ZAR away from Blueger and Tanev makes them severely less effective, which is not what is needed right now.

I don't know about this part, because I've been pretty disappointed with the 4th line so far, but yeah I really don't see what Lafferty did in game 3 that suggests he should be in over ZAR in this game.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

I don't know about this part, because I've been pretty disappointed with the 4th line so far, but yeah I really don't see what Lafferty did in game 3 that suggests he should be in over ZAR in this game.

Lafferty had a good start to Game 3, but then made far too many mistakes. He was then got less than 2 minutes in the second and I have no idea how few he got in the third. Sully is looking for reliability, which is something neither Lafferty nor (likely) Riikola will provide at this point in time.

Which is also why I, unfortunately, think Marleau won't be scratched. But watch him have a big game today.

 

[Bingo71]

Let’s see if the team shits the bed for Sid’s birthday...

 

[Gurglesons]

Lafferty had a good start to Game 3, but then made far too many mistakes. He was then got less than 2 minutes in the second and I have no idea how few he got in the third. Sully is looking for reliability, which is something neither Lafferty nor (likely) Riikola will provide at this point in time.

Which is also why I, unfortunately, think Marleau won't be scratched. But watch him have a big game today.

Lafferty missed an assignment that led to a goal in like his second shift?

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

 

[Randy Butternubs]

I'll be getting take out from a location restaurant right before the Pens game. Nachos, wings if they have any, and a growler fill of beer.

But which place do I get it from? I love both of the places' nachos nearly equally. One place I know for sure has wings and their draft list online - a draft list I don't care too much for. The other place I'm not sure if they have wings, but I can add meat to the nachos. And their draft list isn't listed, but they've had some good choices when I've gone before.

What a conundrum.

For those in Pittsburgh, this is a Dive (Lawrenceville) vs. Fire Side Public House (East Liberty) decision.

All, this is important. Please let me know what I should do.

 

[Andy99]

Now, if they make more lineup changes, we'll be cooking with gas...

Zucker - Crosby - Horn
Guentzel - Malkin - Rust
McCann - Rodrigues/Blueger - Tanev
Lafferty - Rodrigues/Blueger - Sheary

Letang - Dumo
Marino - Pettersson
Ruhwedel - Riikola

Jarry

PP
Rust - Horn - Malkin - Crosby - Letang

My lineup would be
Zucker-Sid-Sheary OR Sheary-Sid-Horny (those are winger pairs that mesh, and you could also double shift Sid on a L3 of Sheary and Horny..
Jake-Geno-Rust
McCann/Sheary-ERod- Horny/Zucker
BART

Same top four
Ruh-Schultz (both will have to take turns on off side)

 

[Big Poppa Pump]

Taking ZAR away from Blueger and Tanev makes them severely less effective, which is not what is needed right now.

Wow.

Trust me, Blueger and Tanev don't need ZAR.

Tanev is being wasted on that 4th line and I believe he can thrive in a top 6 role.

 

[TimmyD]

Jake Sid Zucker
McCann Malkin Rust
Tanev Rodrigues Hornqvist
Sheary Blueger Lafferty

Pettersson Letang
Dumo Marino
Riikola Ruhwedel

that would be my lineup for today

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

 

[heysmilinstrange]

I will play devil's advocate here a bit, and that is not to say I feel for MM as well (and I am MM doubter) Thing is everyone loses parents sooner or later. It is a fact of life. They die young (my niece and nephew were 2 when their mom died) Other players lose parents as well. It is when this happens that you get to see mentally strong from mentally week person. Look at Marty St. Louis from several years ago. His mom died when playoffs were about to start in 2014. He had really good series and playoffs. He took what happened and channeled it into something amazing, something that helped him still be a really good player. That death was sudden and very unexpected, MMs father was not. It is never easy, thats for sure, but I think it shows a bit what his mental state in general is when his play went completely downhill since this happened. I would understand if it was for remainder of that season and maybe pats of next, but this has happened 3 years ago, it is time for him to either put that hurt behind him and get his career back in line, or keep throwing away what could have been a great career and perish. He has his whole life to look towards to, gf, getting married, becoming father himself and so on.

It's just speculation that Murray is still grieving his father and that's why his play has declined. We literally have no idea what caused his decline, so I'd hate to see your post get taken as gospel around here.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Wow.

Trust me, Blueger and Tanev don't need ZAR.

Tanev is being wasted on that 4th line and I believe he can thrive in a top 6 role.

Prove it. There's been plenty of advanced stats and articles that say otherwise. Here's one:

Zach Aston-Reese has the Best Defensive Stats in the NHL. How?!

 

[ownal]

Jake Sid Zucker
McCann Malkin Rust
Tanev Rodrigues Hornqvist
Sheary Blueger Lafferty

Pettersson Letang
Dumo Marino
Riikola Ruhwedel

that would be my lineup for today

Guentzel - Malkin - Rust
McCann - Crosby - Zucker

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

 

[Ryder71]

Jarry is in net, now what about the third pairing? What about that abomination of a defensemen Jack Johnson?