Post-Game Talk: Hurricanes 2, Penguins 1 - Pens Winless Since ColePens Buys $550 Pair of Shoes

[JTG]

Glad I missed this one.

 

[House of tpo]

I regret watching that.

JR needs to protect future assets and not waste them on a team that’s become a bunch of slugs. Sprong, that 1st, whatever. Those are for after they get embarrassed this season, not to attempt to salvage this season or gamble on them being better next year. ****ing Reaves trade.

Spot on

 

[JTG]

Looking at TOI per game last year vs this year...


TY:
Crosby - 20:49
Kessel - 18:47
Malkin - 18:35
Guentzel - 17:29
Hornqvist - 17:16
Rust - 15:41
Hagelin - 15:32
Sheahan - 15:22
Sheary - 14:58
Simon - 11:28
Rowney - 10:51
Kunhackl - 10:13
McKegg - 9:40
Reaves - 6:40



LY:
Crosby - 19:52
Malkin - 18:37
Kessel - 17:56
Bonino - 16:39
Hornqvist - 15:57
Sheary - 15:56
Guentzel - 15:53
Kunitz - 15:30
Hagelin - 15:29
Cullen - 13:55
Rust - 13:38
Rowney - 10:58
Wilson - 10:56
Fehr - 10:55
Archibald - 10:51
Kuhnhackl - 10:39


The trust in the bottom 6 is crap. Again, JR dropped the ball and hasn't fixed it at all, zero support for Sheahan and then people ***** and whine about him when he is absolutely not the issue at all, the lack of scoring depth and quality of player is the issue.

That's actually pretty telling.

 

[Ginormousthumbs]

Do you think Olli Jokinen ever grew eye brows since he's been retired?

Is it even possible after all that time?

 

[66-30-33]

I just want Malkin and Crosby to have dominant Regular seasons again, filled with highlight reels. 100 points...the good ole Bylsma days....they were fun to watch for 3/4ths of the year. This team is Zzzz

I really doubt Crosby/Malkin will reach 100 point seasons anymore. Maybe I'm wrong? but I don't think they are going to hit those numbers anymore.

 

[ColePens]

Nothing is stranger than how HF treats hockey players who JUST TURNED 30. HF acts like these stars are now 41 and going to retire any minute.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

For real, see what you can get for Sid. Tired of his idgaf play.

You'd make a fantastic GM.

What is it with certain members of the fanbase that want to basically jettison a player who has done amazing things for this team for over a decade because of one lousy 40 game stretch?

 

[Jaded-Fan]

30 is a milestone as far as hockey production, even for the greats. Go look at some of the greats and how most did 30 and beyond compared to earlier in their careers.

That said, when you look you will see that they still lit it up, simply not at the levels that they had. But still better than most of the league.

It does not explain what has been going on with our core though. Not even close. It is like the entire team forget the most basic things and can not even complete a simple pass, things like that.

 

[heysmilinstrange]

Nothing is stranger than how HF treats hockey players who JUST TURNED 30. HF acts like these stars are now 41 and going to retire any minute.

I think most of the posters who say that are 12 years old, so of course 30 seems old to them.

 

[billybudd]

Sprong isn't going to make a lick of difference when the defense can't break the puck out to save their lives. There was one sequence in the 2nd (?) where Olli Maatta put 3 in a row on Carolina Hurricane sticks and gave a 4th to a guy who was flatfooted and covered (immediate turnover). Everybody else on the defense is worse at breakouts than he is.

Until that changes, it doesn't matter who's playing wing or whether Crosby had a good game or not. If you have no transition, you have no 5 on 5 offense. Eventually, you get cycled to fatigue and then you lose the game.

Credit to Malkin who noticed how bad it was and started breaking the puck out himself.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

The system is broken and the players mostly don't care anymore.

 

[Ryder71]

Well, that was unremarkable.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Sprong isn't going to make a lick of difference when the defense can't break the puck out to save their lives. There was one sequence in the 2nd (?) where Olli Maatta put 3 in a row on Carolina Hurricane sticks and gave a 4th to a guy who was flatfooted and covered (immediate turnover). Everybody else on the defense is worse at breakouts than he is.

Until that changes, it doesn't matter who's playing wing or whether Crosby had a good game or not. If you have no transition, you have no 5 on 5 offense. Eventually, you get cycled to fatigue and then you lose the game.

Credit to Malkin who noticed how bad it was and started breaking the puck out himself.

Yeah it’s not a great team. We have good players (and need better/right mix) but I can’t possibly believe Sully tells them to do what they do.

Many times the defender has just gotten the puck and 2 of the forwards will be beyond the red line. Sometimes they are all out of the D zone (all skaters) so the pressure increases greatly. Doesn’t help with our D injuries tonight but tonight wouldn’t have mattered.

No support. The only real possession we had in the O zone was with the bottom 6 which is great but they can’t score and have a bad combined S%

Sid’s line should work but wasn’t. Horny tries his ass off. Sid is in a funk and Jake’s playmaking has dropped off.

Geno’s line needs a good player on the boards and we don’t have a single LW that can do that.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

There are just too many "they're tired" excuses.

There's a few on this team that weren't a big part of the 2015 cup, but were for 2016, they wouldn't be tired.

Most had July & August off to train and rest.

 

[FreeBobbyFarnham]

You know you're ****** when one of your lines has 11 pts in total.

 

[Tom Hanks]

There are just too many "they're tired" excuses.

There's a few on this team that weren't a big part of the 2015 cup, but were for 2016, they wouldn't be tired.

Most had July & August off to train and rest.

I’m sure that’s part of it but science has come a long way in working out how to manage this. Its part mental, part fatigue, part roster, part management, part coaching.

No idea of what percentage goes to what though but it adds up to 100% of why we aren’t good.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I’m sure that’s part of it but science has come a long way in working out how to manage this. Its part mental, part fatigue, part roster, part management, part coaching.

No idea of what percentage goes to what though but it adds up to 100% of why we aren’t good.

The first month of the schedule was ruthless and that was unfair, I get that. But since then, there have been multiple breaks between games that were enough for the team to rest, but it's not that, it's that the roster just wasn't revamped enough and Rutherford is at fault there. Sullivan has a system, he is stubborn as f*** with not wanting to play youth and picks the wrong guys to promote from within the line-up and seemingly has no idea which pairings work as a trio and his only "duo's" that have worked are Guentzel-Crosby and Malkin-Kessel, while not keeping Sheahan-Horny together either.

The roster stinks, Rutherford dragged his feet trying to land Duchene and just forgot to really fix the issues of continuing to evolve the style that every team has no copied - Speed Speed Speed.

 

[Ryder71]

The star players are suppose to be the ones scoring.

Some are playing to their capabilities others aren't. And you can't exhibit any level of consistency when only half your star players (or team for that matter) are playing the right way. Too many passengers weighing them down. And whatever progress or momentum that was garnered from thursday, it clearly was short lived.

 

[Tom Hanks]

You know you're ****** when one of your lines has 11 pts in total.

Joe Morrow has 1 less goal than those guys and he’s only played 22 games

 

[deakka]

I don't agree with KIRK about "re-arranging deck chairs on the titanic" but if i'm looking for hockey moves... I go:

Cole for Eakin - **** it. Pull the trigger.
Unprotected 1st (has to be) for E Kane.
Call up Sprong.
You dump Hags for a pack of nickels.

There are 3 impact players. You put your faith in Letang to lead this team defensively.

Trading our first without protection should be a none starter. What if that turn to Dahlin?

 

[FreeBobbyFarnham]

Joe Morrow has 1 less goal than those guys and he’s only played 22 games

I'm not even shocked.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Trading our first without protection should be a none starter. What if that turn to Dahlin?

We could trade the 1st unprotected but it’d have to be the last piece of the puzzle and closer to the deadline to see what shape we’re in. If it’s included now it has to be protected.

 

[Doogle]

Maata needs to learn how to hold the puck at the blue line without fumbling it behind the line.

We need guys who can forecheck. Nobody on the team excels at it.

Crosby was terrible. Embarrassingly bad. If he's that tired, claim an injury, take off through the bye, come back rested.

We need to either fix things in a big way or sell. Offer Hornqvist 5×5.5ish, if he declines, trade him. Find the best price to sell on Cole, and do it. Move Hagelin and Hunwick for anything just to get the flexibility. Complete overhaul of a lot of the supporting cast. If we're not able to make a big, positive change either via trade or by sheer luck winning games on our own, then it might just be time for a painful reload.

 

[FreeBobbyFarnham]

A dutch website is claiming that Sprong has been called up. Let's see what happens tomorrow.

 

[Shrimper]

I find it hard to believe a Dutch website would know more than some the beat writers and people in Pittsburgh but I hope it is true, we need a spark.