Post-Game Talk: Isles 6, Pens 3

[HuskerTornado]

this game...

 

[Beaunett]

Alright. ****. The inconsistent month of January.

++ Crosby ~ He was our best forward tonight like he should be. 2G, 1A. I'd like him become more defensively sound on breakout plays such as that fourth goal. Especially when it's a four on one. I don't know if he was going for the puck or what, but he shouldn't have done anything.

+ Perron ~ He's drawing attention away from Crosby which opens him up. Great acquisition.

+ Geno ~ I think he won almost all his draws even in the defensive zone. At least it felt like it. He was all over the ice & so was Bennett these two are great.

+ Bennet ~ ^ Creating chances that's all Geno's line mate has to do.

+ Sutter ~ He was great on the PK until that last one on the fourth goal. Great faceoffs & he was hustling tonight.

=/= Kunitz ~ Had it not been for his terrible effort in the third he'd get a plus. He's declining into a bottom six player.

=/= Letang ~ Great until the third.

=/= Ehroff ~ I liked what I saw from him tonight.

=/= Spaling ~ Busted his ass off.

- Fleury ~ Yeah. I'm very sorry but his rebound control was terrible he wasn't to fault for the first goal. Although all the other plays would have been avoided by making the first save & keeping it. He was bad.

- Harrington ~ Don't deny it.

- Despres ~ Don't deny it. I don't think he can play top four minutes if he's going to be a bozo like tonight. I could name at least four bad plays of the top of my head.

- MJ ~ Why is Adams & Sill playing above five minutes. Why are they even playing?

- Usual suspects.

 

[Kiith Nabaal]

Team seems to have some issues receiving passes, and at times, making them. The islanders didn't seem to have much of a problem with it, or at least not as much as we did at times.

I don't know if they are playing Johnston's system yet or not, but it seems like they still have a little ways to go.

Also, if speed is really an issue for us, maybe a soon to be 43 year old Jagr isn't the best thing for us. I also think the defense is going through a sort of re-build (and if not now, then maybe in the off-season).

 

[Lomez]

Despres and Harrington blew chunks tonight but how can anyone say Beau Bennett didn't have a strong game must be truly blind.

Do you purposely try to be wrong in everything you say in order to simply be provocative?

 

[gordie]

Is this funny to you?

He's a "not a ready for prime time player" just yet and tells you that Rutherford needs to find a veteran defenseman because of Maatta or it will an awful short Spring.

 

[Al Smith]

I don't see that at all. We were frankly outplaying them up until they got a lucky third goal to tie it. It is concerning how we mentally collapsed after that but up until that point we were the better team.

People will flip out about this and be mad but I thought we played a damned good game up until one disastrous half period.

What would concern me is if we got outplayed from start to finish. Not the case. We were better for most of the game.

I agree with most of what you say here. The mental collapse started in goal and worked its way out.

 

[Shockmaster]

The Islanders are the better team. I think we all need to accept it. It's a shame but it's the truth. The evidence is obvious and rather overwhelming.

By that logic, are the Flyers a better team than the Penguins?

 

[Zags91]

6-7-3 against the division. That says it all. Oh and the Rangers game on Sunday...

 

[Michael8771*]

I thought it was a good game until Fleury let in a softie. Then things went to ****.

I'd like to see what we look like with PH, Comeau and hopefully another forward acquisition. The Isles have probably the best group of forwards in the league in terms of rolling 4 lines.

Hopefully this pushes JR to make one more significant move up front.

Even if he does I doubt we beat this team in the playoffs. This IMO is a reality check. We don't have the right make up to win a cup.

 

[Pancakes]

Not the game I saw, Pancakes. I knew it was happening all along and that is how the Isles score goals. That wasn't luck. That's what they do to us. THey play their game against us and we totally fall for it.

The biggest thing is mentality. Isles aren't scared and KNOW they are going to beat us. Pittsburgh looks nervous when they get leads and don't think they can beat NYI. It's quite clear on the ice.

How do you explain the long stretches of time we had in the Isles zone in the second period, then? Up until Strome scored off like their only chance we had just had shift after shift in their end.

I dunno Cole I do see this type of thing happen to the Pens against other teams (Rangers/Flyers namely) but I'm not sure I see the same fear against the Isles. I will agree that the Isles have no fear of us and they believe they can beat us - and that is a powerful thing.

But I think on our end we believe we're the better team too. It's not like the Rangers or Flyers where we just can't seem to figure them out.

I really do think we'd beat them in a playoff series, especially if we were healthy. We just have to execute like we can. Through two periods we were making smart outs and not feeding their transition and then Perron makes a dumb pass and that's all she wrote. Halak also made a lot more good saves tonight than Fleury.

But either way we don't have to worry about the Isles again for a long time. We will be facing the Rangers or Caps. We might not even see the Isles in the second round. The Rangers could easily beat them, as could the Caps. I'm not afraid of the Isles, though, and I don't think the Pens are either.

 

[Human]

anybody get the feeling that the shakier MAF gets the shakier the team gets? they seem to lose their **** once MAF gets into his patended playoff mode...

 

[KIRK]

Not much to say... The Pens are scared to play the Isles. As soon as the Isles start heating up, Pens back off. It's in their mindset right now. They cannot play that pace. Not even close.

Yikes. Not what ya wanna see.

- I thought Sid was absolutely phenomenal. The way he went to the net was unreal. But, 3-3 game, Letang has pinched, Perron turns over the puck, and Sid blows his defensive assignment as the forward who was high in Letang's place. IMO, THAT was when the game was over.

- I know seeing the Pens activate is something you, me, and a lot of us want to see, but watch what happens when they do. The Pens forwards are just so bad at covering high when a defenseman activates. Appallingly so.

- Two things tactically stood out. One, first two periods, ES, Capuano tried matching JT's line on Malkin's line. Didn't work well for the Isles. Third period, he put that line on Sid's line, and I think that turned the game. Two, I liked how the Pens were using Letang to break out the puck. We were a lot cleaner than usual.

- Ehrhoff was dog****. As for Martin, look, if the organization genuinely thinks that the Pens can't win a cup this year without him, then the Pens aren't winning a cup.

- Despres gets exposed being partnered with Scuds unless he brings an A+ game. And, even then, against a team like the Isles, he'd be hanging on for dear life.

- I like that Spaling-Geno-Beau had chances and did tilt the ice a lot tonight, but you need to put one of those prime chances in the net.

- This game reminds me of why Sutter is Letestu born with a more fortunate last name.

- Not having a 4th line mattered tonight. Having Adams on the 4th line with everyone healthy will matter in similarly depressing fashion.

- Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but how the Pens lost this one was pretty brutal. This is a team of pretenders. Horny and Comeau returning will help. Maybe JR will try for a rental. BUT, here's the bigger issue:

(a) The defensive mix is wrong. Too soft where it matters.
(b) Bottom six needs jam.
(c) The Pens may as well forget about winning a cup if two of Bennett, Comeau, and Kunitz are in the top six.

 

[MtlPenFan]

Jesus, let's take it easy with "They're in their heads" talk.

How much did Geno play in that third as compared to Sutter?

 

[NewAgeOutlaw]

To the people saying Downie should be scratched-are you serious? That happens and MJ probably puts Adams on the 3rd line. The last thing we need right now is to sit a healthy winger.

Downie is the most singled out player in the nhl and it is tiring. He doesn't even play a really dirty game and has more then twice as many penalty minutes then anybody else in the league. It is beyond ridiculous.

Just off the top of my head in the last 5 periods Downie has been blatantly elbowed in the jaw, had his stick slashed broken and hit 2 seconds late. Not a single one of those plays result in a penalty. He slashes Neilson out of frustration, Neilson takes a horrible dive that the ref buys even though they have been letting that stuff go all game.

That incident was like 99.5% the refs fault because they were a joke tonight.

 

[cygnus47]

Whenever we play Metro teams we somehow forget that we still have to support the puck. Our passing was bad again, we couldn't make two in a row to save our lives once they turned the heat up. We were standing around a lot in the defensive zone and trying to stretch out on the breakout instead of coming down low and moving our feet. Whenever our forwards got the puck they were backing up or standing still and then the Islander would engage them. Our D had bad gaps a LOT and didn't do much around the net. In fact, none (0) of our D had good games after the first. Lots of standing around letting them whack at the puck, playing the puck instead of the body.

Apart from Sid/Perron and our powerplay scoring, there wasn't much positive to take out of this one.

 

[Lomez]

That game reminded me so much of a typical pens playoff game.

MAF played like it was a playoff game
The team meltdown in the 3rd
You had an individual meltdown in the 3rd by Downie
Terrible d zone coverage throughout the game.

But you gotta give credit to the Isles, there deeper faster younger and they play a much more heavy game then the pens, they skated circles around the pens at even strength all year.

Isles are just a better team.

Gotta agree with every point here. We've just got too much deadwood.

 

[Hank Plank]

This is bad coaching IMO and horrible player management.

Was really bad, I'd like to hear an explanation but we'll never get one.

 

[WayneSid9987]

For me, i didn't see the trap game that i wanted to see and that we played against the Lightning and owned them. Exact style you have to play against the speedy Isles.

Tanger needs to check himself. Tie hockey game, no need to pinch and set up in the O-zone there.

Geno's line was really quiet tonight other than him getting one, one timer off in the high slot and 1 shift where they kept it in the zone in the 2nd.

Sutter and the 3rd line was invisible tonight and the 4th line was a complete non-factor as well.

MAF wasn't extremely terrible. He had some trouble with his rebound control and all of the GA where right in the prime scoring area/crease. When you give teams that area, they will burn you 10 times out of 10.

The good would be Sid's line, PP and the PK for most of this one.

Horrible penalty for Downie to take there. Very dumb.

 

[Michael8771*]

By that logic, are the Flyers a better team than the Penguins?

No, but the Islanders actually beat really good teams besides us. Their leading the conference for a reason. So no, not the same logic at all.

 

[zero8771]

It's not like anyone is expecting you to see anything correctly when it comes to any young D.



This is downright ludicrous.



He was bad on the 1st goal. That's about it. He wasn't bad otherwise.

No. Its the truth. Put on some glasses or something. He's my favorite D on the pens.... but rotten game. Out of position. Not a physical presence. Didnt make many plays in O zone. Bad bad game for him.

 

[gordie]

Do you purposely try to be wrong in everything you say in order to simply be provocative?

What? You thought they had great games and it was the fault of someone else?

 

[systemsgo]

I'm not really going to focus on individual efforts. I thought there was some good and some bad, as usual. The problem I have is the prodigious issue of team mentality when it comes to the Isles. Even up 2-0, Isles just kept going. Pens knew it, too. Pens can just feel when they are going to lose and you can see it on the ice. After we went up 2-0 there weren't many long stretches of hockey where I could say the Pens outplayed the Isles.

Isles aren't scared of Pittsburgh and we better pray to the hockey gods we don't see 'em in the postseason. They just KNOW they can beat the Pens.

I disagree. A lot of this "scared" talk seems to be from some fans. The only team I feel the Pens really have trouble with is the Flyers.

Barring the 3rd period collapse, it wasn't a bad game at all. This is really the only game this season I'm feeling like it was Bylsma-like. That's what's most annoying about it.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

Good. He should punch Adams to assert dominance and make a point. And get rid of Adams.

anybody get the feeling that the shakier MAF gets the shakier the team gets? they seem to lose their **** once MAF gets into his patended playoff mode...

Well, duh...

 

[Beaunett]

Is everyone going to give Despres a pass. It's happened all year I cannot recall a game where anyone in these threads has dared giving Despres or Harrington for that matter a minus. Both were bad tonight not okay, not good. BAD. Young defenseman mistakes probably but they were costly.

 

[billybudd]

+Sid-all over the puck tonight

+Letang-one man forecheck and trap breaker. he must have skated 5 miles with the puck on his stick tonight.

+Tavares. What a hockey player. So much better of a skater than he was as a rookie and before. No idea how he's not among the NHL scoring leaders.


-Downie-love Downie and normally like aggressive penalties, but you can't do that in a 1 goal division game. I liked the last stupid penalty he took against the Isles (blasted some random guy at center ice), but this one's the worst Pens penalty I've seen in years

-Bennett-he probably had more bad turnovers than the other 35 skaters combined. That passing it behind people in the neutral zone also has to stop. He's going to get somebody killed.