Post-Game Talk: Leafs 4, Pens 3 - 30 Minutes Not Enough

[66-30-33]

Malkin is poison trade him now!!!!! JR

Halak, Ryder and a 2nd?

 

[66-30-33]

I don’t think he meant it exactly like it came out. More a poor choice of words

Probably. Geno isn't that kind of person.

 

[UnderratedBrooks44]

It’s an odd feeling but it felt like they were playing a team that was just faster than them. Guys like Hags and Rust need to be more visible. We don’t stretch teams out anymore and if anything they do it to us.

Might be post game hyperbole talking, but I think this will be a year where they make some divisive trades and/or take some chances in trades where they reach a little. I don’t see this roster being significantly shored up without taking a risk or giving up a legit piece of the future. They just aren’t quite good enough to only make the usual depth moves, even if Sheahan plays well the rest of the year.

 

[Coastal Kev]

Some observations . . .

1. Sid had a really nice game.

2. Geno was a wreck for 30 minutes and really good for 30 minutes.

3. Letang is just so awful at 5 on 5 right now. Awful in his own zone, and his awareness and execution in transition is just brutal.

4. The Sheahan is a 3C myth died tonight, ironically on a night where he actually scored.

I missed the game tonight, can you expound a bit more??

 

[Coastal Kev]

Lol...Simon is probably sent back down the minute Kuhn is back. Sullivan has already been infected with veteran-itis.

Amazing how coaches are easily susceptible to the condition isn't it??? Nothing makes me more sick of coach than their love for scrappy vets who they vastly over value while sitting talented youth.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

It’s an odd feeling but it felt like they were playing a team that was just faster than them. Guys like Hags and Rust need to be more visible. We don’t stretch teams out anymore and if anything they do it to us.

Might be post game hyperbole talking, but I think this will be a year where they make some divisive trades and/or take some chances in trades where they reach a little. I don’t see this roster being significantly shored up without taking a risk or giving up a legit piece of the future. They just aren’t quite good enough to only make the usual depth moves, even if Sheahan plays well the rest of the year.

The thing with the Pens is that they haven’t lost much speed.

Hornqvist, Dumoulin, Kuhnhackl, Rowney, Malkin, Kessel, Hagelin, Rust, Sheary, Cole, Schultz, Ruhwedel and Guentzel are all around the same. You want to say Crosby and Letang have lost some? Fine, but Letang didn’t play most of last season and he’s still faster than Hainsey. Sheahan is faster than Bonino and Maatta is faster than he was last year. Hunwick is a faster skater than Daley. So then you get into the will to play at a high speed and the skill to do it. Hunwick isn’t as good with the puck as Daley, maybe Sheahan doesn’t fascilitate a speed game like Bonino did and I’m sure the loss of Cullen is felt there. Then it’s, idk, Kunitz and Wilson played a better speed game than Reaves and Kuhnhackl?

I get that other teams got faster but this team did not get that much slower in raw ability.

 

[ColePens]

Being there live really illustrates even further my gripe for this team's focus. But something that really bothered me was the insane lack of support in the breakout. It was ridiculous. We were given seats in 116, usually I sit 102, and 116 was behind the goal where the Pens defended twice. It's the best perspective to see x's and o's.

The Penguins, when their defense reverse the puck, have AT LEAST 2 forwards out of the zone already. It's ridiculous. It's like Bylsma level breakouts. I don't get why they are doing it that way. I'm fine if they stretch, chip, and keep going. But the Pens never even chip to a speedy player. Everyone is standing still watching the play and then they react. That's why we are a step slow. We are watching, waiting, reacting. We are not anticipating, attacking, and keeping our feed moving.

And good lord, if we have to stop and start, we just take big long loopy crossovers to come back to the play. It's the laziest unfocused hockey I've ever seen. It's frustrating to watch because it's nothing we've seen under the helm of Sully. It's really weird.

 

[Tom Hanks]

It’s an odd feeling but it felt like they were playing a team that was just faster than them. Guys like Hags and Rust need to be more visible. We don’t stretch teams out anymore and if anything they do it to us.

Might be post game hyperbole talking, but I think this will be a year where they make some divisive trades and/or take some chances in trades where they reach a little. I don’t see this roster being significantly shored up without taking a risk or giving up a legit piece of the future. They just aren’t quite good enough to only make the usual depth moves, even if Sheahan plays well the rest of the year.

We don’t fly up and down the ice anymore. We lost a real good skater on D in Daley (not that we wanted him back but he can skate out of trouble). We lost a lot of goals from the bottom 6 and didnt replace the production.

We play like a top 6/bottom 6 forward group but we don’t have the D men for that. It’s either get an offensively charged top 9 and a 4th line you can trust or get a better/different defence and a bottom 6 you can trust.

 

[EightyOne]

While we were this frustrated with the team the last two Decembers...there was a sliver of hope with new coach and players and on ice strategy in those years:

..one year through December was mostly bad because of coach problems, but a new coach a few new players playing well above their abilities and a style of play the league had no answer to got a companionship

The next was injuries and coasting costing games through December..and somehow they had a very unorthodox run to a championship (pens did not deserve it last year lol..I'm gonna take it..But..yeah)

..this year..not only are we dealing with injuries, but new players are not playing above abilities, we have no strategy taking the league by storm, and our coach has become stale with adjustments. I just don't see what big changes can happen.

This is the worst roster we've had for years. And they are playing down. And there aren't many trade options. And our coach isn't doing enough to get them focused on being a TEAM right now.

 

[Ogrezilla]

well, I thought that was going to be an awful game to see live after the first 2 minutes. Turned out to be a fun one at least. That post by Maatta was the loudest post I've ever heard and I was 200 feet away

 

[vodeni]

sid's corsi 26:1, chances 12 for 0 against, just crazy
his line was just pure dominance tonight,
the second line was not as much but OK
3rd and 4th very bad, we are wasting Rust's and Hagelin's speed with Sheahan and Rowney pivoting them,
we have to find that legit third center or try kessel on that third line to create some space for Sheahan

btw Sheahan was benched tonight,

and sully was honest at the presser when he said he had no idea why the pens suck in the first period (the very worst team in the league) he says he has no idea why theer is no focus no hustle, etc...

 

[PensandCaps]

For real. I would go youth movement and Call up Di pauli,Blueger,Archibald and play Simon.

Get rid of Hags,Rowney,Reaves and Kuhn.

Time for some fresh blood.

 

[Ryder71]

We had the shot advantage and the territiorial advantage. The Leafs however were more opportunistic, got good goaltending and weren't as undisciplined or sloppy. Fortunately these are things we can correct. Not sure why however it hasn't been corrected yet.

 

[UnderratedBrooks44]

The thing with the Pens is that they haven’t lost much speed.

Hornqvist, Dumoulin, Kuhnhackl, Rowney, Malkin, Kessel, Hagelin, Rust, Sheary, Cole, Schultz, Ruhwedel and Guentzel are all around the same. You want to say Crosby and Letang have lost some? Fine, but Letang didn’t play most of last season and he’s still faster than Hainsey. Sheahan is faster than Bonino and Maatta is faster than he was last year. Hunwick is a faster skater than Daley. So then you get into the will to play at a high speed and the skill to do it. Hunwick isn’t as good with the puck as Daley, maybe Sheahan doesn’t fascilitate a speed game like Bonino did and I’m sure the loss of Cullen is felt there. Then it’s, idk, Kunitz and Wilson played a better speed game than Reaves and Kuhnhackl?

I get that other teams got faster but this team did not get that much slower in raw ability.

On paper I more or less agree, but I don’t see it demonstrated. I don’t think we look really terrible or anything but I don’t see the tempo the team used to play with for whatever the reason may be.

 

[Ryder71]

On paper I more or less agree, but I don’t see it demonstrated. I don’t think we look really terrible or anything but I don’t see the tempo the team used to play with for whatever the reason may be.

We're not playing fast, I think that's more the reason. We're fast but not utilizing our speed as well as we should. And thus we look more ordinary.

 

[SirBrad]

Missed the game but is this the worst Pens team since 2005-06? I'll say year 1 under Mike Johnston is worse but this is shaping up to be runner up. Would like to see some sort of sustained success (points in standings) at some point. Can they get a nice 10 game/3 week stretch? Lots of starts and stops this year and we're quickly approaching the halfway point of the season.

 

[The GM]

I can't remember ever seeing Sully that pissed.

It's about time he got that look in his eye.

I missed the game, did sully have the eye of the tiger?

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

I missed the game, did sully have the eye of the tiger?

In the post game he looked like he was doing his best to not snap and go full Therrien. He looked really disgusted.

 

[UnderratedBrooks44]

Our goal differential is -9 now. All I know is from my limited experience paying attention to that stat, the teams that are in the playoff hunt but are only like +1 tend to be pretenders. The teams in the minus at all are usually bad. Very interesting to me

 

[Pens x]

We are going to continue to struggle until we finally make several roster upgrades. There isn’t much else to say. This falls on Jimmy.

 

[Ryder71]

In the post game he looked like he was doing his best to not snap and go full Therrien. He looked really disgusted.

Sounds like him and I got a lot in common then.

 

[66-30-33]

Missed the game but is this the worst Pens team since 2005-06? I'll say year 1 under Mike Johnston is worse but this is shaping up to be runner up. Would like to see some sort of sustained success (points in standings) at some point. Can they get a nice 10 game/3 week stretch? Lots of starts and stops this year and we're quickly approaching the halfway point of the season.

Not even close to near MJ bad. With MJ if we got scored on 1st it was an automatic loss and we were one of the worst offensive teams due to that idiot. We never battled under MJ, we just threw in the towel anytime adversity happened. I actually stopped watching Pens hockey for nearly a month untill he was fired, could not take it anymore. I'd probably have stopped watching hockey all together if he was still here.

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

I think we're quickly approaching players only meeting and shakeup trade territory.

 

[Ryder71]

Our goal differential is -9 now. All I know is from my limited experience paying attention to that stat, the teams that are in the playoff hunt but are only like +1 tend to be pretenders. The teams in the minus at all are usually bad. Very interesting to me

True but we did have three games where we lost 10-1, 7-1 and 7-1. That can skew those statistics a little. Not saying there isn't an issue, but I wanted to add a bit of context.

 

[Ugene Magic]

I actually think the Pens were out muscled and hustled.

I think it would be nice to have more guys who can fight through stuff than always depending on them out skating them some of the time.

Is it possible to have guys with size and skating ability?

Top six is what?

All under 6'0 except Malkin and Kessel.

No real bangers other than Hornqvist who himself is on the small side.

What I'm getting at here is, they lose a lot of 50/50 battles because they can't protect the puck as easily.

Toronto has like 3 guys on their entire team under 6'0. In comparison to the Pens with 7 at forward alone and another couple on D tonight.

There are just too many uppa lumpas on this team no matter how skilled/fast they are.

It's not just the O-zone battles they lose. They simply cannot muster up secondary opportunities or win d-zone battles against bigger teams.