Post-Game Talk: Leafs 2 - Pens 5 - Geno Drank too many Coronas

[66-30-33]

OH mate, Leafs fans literally argued with me when I said Dubas hasn't had the guts to make that Sergachev for Drouin type trade and they pointed out Muzzin and Barrie.

Muzzin was the year before, Barrie has been incredibly disappointing and he'll likely walk and both are 28+ years old. Still didn't prove my point, that Dubas doesn't have the balls to make that move. He has all of these scoring options but that defense is god awful, even with Rielly back, they were bleeding goals left and right, it didn't MAKE their DEFENSE better, it made their OFFENSE better, which is still the same ****ing problem with or without him, their defense blows.

They wanted Pesce, but think he can be had for a 2nd and garbage they are ok giving up, lol...a fantastic defenseman that makes them a stronger team, that has some years on that contract at a great cap hit, will be had for scraps and a 2nd?

Right. What a bunch of wankers.

Perhaps they will have a talk with mr Guerin offering a C for a D (a Nylander/Dumba kind of trade with whatever else needs added).

 

[EightyOne]

First place in the division? A quarter of the year as an AHL team? League just put on notice, if they weren't already....

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Perhaps they will have a talk with mr Guerin offering a C for a D (a Nylander/Dumba kind of trade with whatever else needs added).

They should probably dangle Barrie for a better rental, at this point.

 

[madinsomniac]

OH mate, Leafs fans literally argued with me when I said Dubas hasn't had the guts to make that Sergachev for Drouin type trade and they pointed out Muzzin and Barrie.

Muzzin was the year before, Barrie has been incredibly disappointing and he'll likely walk and both are 28+ years old. Still didn't prove my point, that Dubas doesn't have the balls to make that move. He has all of these scoring options but that defense is god awful, even with Rielly back, they were bleeding goals left and right, it didn't MAKE their DEFENSE better, it made their OFFENSE better, which is still the same ****ing problem with or without him, their defense blows.

They wanted Pesce, but think he can be had for a 2nd and garbage they are ok giving up, lol...a fantastic defenseman that makes them a stronger team, that has some years on that contract at a great cap hit, will be had for scraps and a 2nd?

Right. What a bunch of wankers.

the problem is that this place attracts tge most delusional and vocal TML fans... idk why... there are plenty of great normal fans, but the uber bitter ones come on and really throw that salt around, then wonder why everyone potshots them... like the one insisting that the pens got all their wins from crappy division teams... they are like 20-4-2 vs the west... they have losing records vs TB and boston, but those were almost all one goal games with an en here or there... even the 4-1 loss that fourth goal was an empty netter... basically they were all close games with us playing through this injury laden season... I certainly don’t fear either of those teams

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Making fun of Toronto or any team for being all offense and pathetic defense seems a bit off given how that has been most of the history of the Pens as far as I remember. And that was when they were good. There have been stretches where they were just crappy all over.

 

[Clatartar]

Matthews’ shot, just wow. We have not had a shooter like that since... ever? Neal wasn’t that good, he just had prime Geno dishing for him.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

All time or now?

Quick note: Sid is at 1.33 PPG and Geno is at 1.32. Full season would see them hit 109 and 108 points respectively. Not bad for two old guys on the downward side of their careers.

Maybe at some point HF will stop predicting that just because they're in their early 30s, they're done as elite producers and are surpassed by a bunch of young guys who'd be setting career highs if they even touched 90 points.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

OH mate, Leafs fans literally argued with me when I said Dubas hasn't had the guts to make that Sergachev for Drouin type trade and they pointed out Muzzin and Barrie.

Muzzin was the year before, Barrie has been incredibly disappointing and he'll likely walk and both are 28+ years old. Still didn't prove my point, that Dubas doesn't have the balls to make that move. He has all of these scoring options but that defense is god awful, even with Rielly back, they were bleeding goals left and right, it didn't MAKE their DEFENSE better, it made their OFFENSE better, which is still the same ****ing problem with or without him, their defense blows.

They wanted Pesce, but think he can be had for a 2nd and garbage they are ok giving up, lol...a fantastic defenseman that makes them a stronger team, that has some years on that contract at a great cap hit, will be had for scraps and a 2nd?

Right. What a bunch of wankers.

Their fanbase is kind of delusional when it comes to their roster. According to a lot of the more vocal Leaf fans, their defense is fine. It's Andersen that's killing them. Because, you know, goalies should be expected to save cross crease tap ins when the defense is allowing Pittsburgh to pass East/West literally as many times as they want until someone taps it in at the side of the net.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Maybe at some point HF will stop predicting that just because they're in their early 30s, they're done as elite producers and are surpassed by a bunch of young guys who'd be setting career highs if they even touched 90 points.

Crosby is 6th best all time PPG Leader. Malkin is 14th.

NHL & WHA Career Leaders and Records for Points Per Game | Hockey-Reference.com

When you consider that their entire careers spanned one of the lowest scoring eras in NHL history the achievement means even more.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Crosby is 6th best all time PPG Leader. Malkin is 14th.

NHL & WHA Career Leaders and Records for Points Per Game | Hockey-Reference.com

When you consider that their entire careers spanned one of the lowest scoring eras in NHL history the achievement means even more.

It's funny when you try to argue that Crosby is probably one of the top 5 players of all time, it stirs up a lot of anger, but people will gladly believe that Ovechkin is the 2nd best goal scorer this league has ever seen (Completely ignoring that Lemieux, Bossy, and Bure ever existed and have better goals per game).

I'll miss seeing these two when they hang them up, I can only hope for the team finding a worthy heir to the thrones these two will leave vacant. They've more than done enough to sit at the top with Mario.

 

[The Shovel Penguin]

I don't even really remember the last time the Pens even sniffed 1st in a division in the second half of a season. I know they won it in 2014 but still. I was happy to have Cups but it always seemed like something got in the way. This year, injuries be damned. Some home ice would be nice.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Crosby is 6th best all time PPG Leader. Malkin is 14th.

NHL & WHA Career Leaders and Records for Points Per Game | Hockey-Reference.com

When you consider that their entire careers spanned one of the lowest scoring eras in NHL history the achievement means even more.

Also, I'd like to note that some folks like to point out the number of PPs early in Sid and Geno's careers helping their numbers. Those same folks ignore the fact that during their peak years, Sid and Geno didn't get the benefit of 3on3 OT, and they certainly didn't get the benefit of the reduction in goalie pads and these new "offensive" face off rules that have contributed to the uptick in offense these past couple of seasons.

I mean, last year there were six guys with 100+ points, this year there might be as much as 10 or 11 guys with 100+ points. The various rule changes (goalie pads, face off rules, etc.) have had a bigger impact than folks realize.

 

[Tom Hanks]

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Hornqvist for Supreme Leader.

 

[Zirakzigil]

First place in the division? A quarter of the year as an AHL team? League just put on notice, if they weren't already....

 

[Don'tcry4mejanhrdina]

Wow what a fun game to watch. The fans during that 5-on-3 were great as well. This is such a different team to watch from last year, it really mirrors 2016. Nice to see Rust get back on the scoresheet after a little drought for him.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Remember when that guy in the salary cap said that the Penguins problem is Crosby because he has a worse xGA at 5v5 than 97% of the league? Good times.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Remember when that guy in the salary cap said that the Penguins problem is Crosby because he has a worse xGA at 5v5 than 97% of the league? Good times.

It's about as bad as the constant griping about Kris Letang and his game.

 

[JTG]

Here's how fortunate we are.

Since January 1st...

Matt Murray is 6-1-1 with a .929 save percentage and a 2.22 goals-against average.

Since the whole season

Tristan Jarry is 20-8-1, .931 save percentage and a 2.13 goals-against average.

Toronto is crying at their situation in net right now, while the Pens are like...

I cannot ever see JR trading players for all futures, but going into the draft, we could have some really big fish on the table. I honestly don't see where Bjugstad fits. A decision will have to be made about Jarry/Murray. I could see a big hockey trade happening.

TMLs are so screwed. Suppose they put it together, they still won’t catch TB or the Bruins. So, to get to the SCF they have to go through TB, Bos and the Pens/Caps winner. Good luck.

Small minus to Rusty for taking the second penalty to give the 5v3, taking another penalty shortly thereafter and then when that was killed, rushing into the play and knocking the puck on sides at the Pens blue line which led to the first goal against.

Forgot how annoying Pierre is.

Toronto needs to pick 2/3 of Marner, Matthews, and Tavares. The Tavares signing was stupid. Imagine having 11m for defense right now. What they are going to have to do is wait for the cap to rise like the Pens did, but the issue with that is by time it's high enough to bring in depth, Tavares will be 34 years old making 11m. They had a great plan and it was going exactly how it was supposed to go, and then they made one move that went against that plan and it will be the one move that sinks this for them because there is no way Tavares is ever traded.

Making fun of Toronto or any team for being all offense and pathetic defense seems a bit off given how that has been most of the history of the Pens as far as I remember. And that was when they were good. There have been stretches where they were just crappy all over.

Pens never had a defense as bad as Toronto's. In 2005 we had more expensive defensemen on our roster when the cap was 35m.

Matthews’ shot, just wow. We have not had a shooter like that since... ever? Neal wasn’t that good, he just had prime Geno dishing for him.

Ovechkin-lite. No one even knew that puck was in aside from him. It took the goal judge 10 seconds to turn the light on. Matthews has a Joe Sakic look to me.

I don't even really remember the last time the Pens even sniffed 1st in a division in the second half of a season. I know they won it in 2014 but still. I was happy to have Cups but it always seemed like something got in the way. This year, injuries be damned. Some home ice would be nice.

I think the interesting thing is that the division isn't something they typically fight hard for. I think it's nice and they want it, but know at the end of the day it's kind of irrelevant.

It's about as bad as the constant griping about Kris Letang and his game.

Some of that is deserving though. At 32, the ebbs and flows from a game to game basis are reminiscent of a mid-20's Letang. Bouts of brilliance fouled up by lapses of pure stupidity.

If I were Sully, I'd find a way to make the powerplay run through Sid down low. It makes so much more sense. When Letang and Geno aren't playing catch out on the right point, and there is an element of surprise to the gameplan for the PP, it works.

 

[Icarium]

What a game. It's funny how Sid and Geno so often switch to an even higher gear when the other guy is out. Leafs' PP was hilarious. Jarry was amazing, you just had the feeling that nothing except a snipe from an elite shooter like Matthews or a total fluke would get in and sure enough, both happened but he kept his calm and held the fort. Rust back to being Super Rust, great PK, Zucker and Crosby developing chemistry, Pierre ragging on the Leafs all game long... what's not to like.

 

[Merrrlin]

I've never heard of Anthony Angelo but that play he made to create his first goal made me go "wow". Hate is was against us, but you gotta hand it to the kid.

Looks like he's got some size and wingspan, good traits for an NHL C.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Angello playing only because Malkin is sick and then scoring his first career goal is a great encapsulation of this team this year.

It’s very hard to find things to not like about this team. I’m proud of them no matter where we finish in the PO’s. They’re just an absolute treat to watch, even with the injuries and uncertainty.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Can. Not. Unsee.

Why would you want to? This is the genius of Geno. He’s such a goofball off ice, and a super intense Russian killing machine on it.

 

[The Greatest 101]

Whatever happened to Geno. I hope it’s not Coronavirus.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Whatever happened to Geno. I hope it’s not Coronavirus.

Frankly it doesn’t seem like it. Seems more like the flu. Which still sucks.