Post-Game Talk: Leafs 5, Pens 0 - Would You Like Fries with that Crap Sandwich?

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Sidney the Kidney

One last time
Jun 29, 2009
55,515
46,231
I'm not trying to give proof that it will play out one way or another. It's entirely possible you end up being right. But the idea that there's no chance of Sprong getting a better chance is completely baseless.

Sure, if injuries hit and decimate our RW. But if Sullivan has options available to him, I don't see him moving Sprong from where he is. He's had ample opportunity to do so, but has chosen not to. Even last night, when the entire team looked like ass, he could have shuffled Sprong onto Sid or Geno's line to give them a jolt, but didn't.

If Sullivan won't even bump Sprong up in a game where the vets could do with a "message sending", then what makes you think he'd do it in a regular situation?
 
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Ogrezilla

Nerf Herder
Jul 5, 2009
75,534
22,049
Pittsburgh
Sure, if injuries hit and decimate our RW. But if Sullivan has options available to him, I don't see him moving Sprong from where he is. He's had ample opportunity to do so, but has chosen not to. Even last night, when the entire team looked like ass, he could have shuffled Sprong onto Sid or Geno's line to give them a jolt, but didn't.

If Sullivan won't even bump Sprong up in a game where the vets could do with a "message sending", then what makes you think he'd do it in a regular situation?
He might not. All I'm saying is that he also might. Sprong isn't going to bring back much in a trade. What he might do here, even if it takes injuries to force Sully's hand, is worth more than he'll bring back.
 

Coach Travis

Back2Back!!!
Jun 29, 2005
15,200
1,147
Thunder Bay, Ontario
bucketdecals.com
I mean there is no way to say it other then Murray has a 89% save percentage so far this season and is ranked 33rd in the league. DeSmith meanwhile has a 93.3% and is ranked 8th in the league.

When you look at both goalie's Even-Strength SV%, it breaks down like this:
  • Low-Danger Save%: DeSmith > Murray by .001
  • Mid-Danger Save%: Murray > DeSmith by .002
  • High-Danger Save%: DeSmith > Murray by .002
Basically the difference has been negligible at Even-Strength.

DeSmith has a somewhat significantly better PKSV% (5.6% better) but with this small of a sample size, Morgan Reilly wonky's powerplay goal alone skews the numbers heavily.

BTW, in case there's any holdovers wishing the Pens had kept Fleury, MAF has the 2nd worst Low-Danger Save% in the NHL. Not what a team haemorrhaging one of the worst shots against per game needs.
 

Angrrus

Registered User
May 24, 2017
871
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The Caps series was pretty close but do you think Malkin, Brassard, Kessel, Hagelin and Letang fully healed would have made a big difference.

We are living not in an ideal perfect world, but in a real life NHL world. In real life NHL no team ever plays perfectly healthy, even less so in playoffs. You gotta overcome obstacles and pass trials to achieve the ultimate goal. Injuries are one of them.

Is it possible to play injured in playoffs and contribute meaningfully? Well, I’d recommend asking Sean Couturier about that.
 

Ogrezilla

Nerf Herder
Jul 5, 2009
75,534
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Pittsburgh
We are living not in an ideal perfect world, but in a real life NHL world. In real life NHL no team ever plays perfectly healthy, even less so in playoffs. You gotta overcome obstacles and pass trials to achieve the ultimate goal. Injuries are one of them.

Is it possible to play injured in playoffs and contribute meaningfully? Well, I’d recommend asking Sean Couturier about that.
The key to me is that it was good players who didn't show up. That is to say, the guys that let us down last year (regardless of the reason) are guys who I trust to bounce back. And they are guys who drive the play for everyone around them.
 

Tom Hanks

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Nov 10, 2017
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We are living not in an ideal perfect world, but in a real life NHL world. In real life NHL no team ever plays perfectly healthy, even less so in playoffs. You gotta overcome obstacles and pass trials to achieve the ultimate goal. Injuries are one of them.

Is it possible to play injured in playoffs and contribute meaningfully? Well, I’d recommend asking Sean Couturier about that.

Yeah you can overcome some injuries but we had a lot to really good players and still took the cup champs to 6 games.

No point bringing up Couurier as one his injury wasn’t identical. Two he’s not Malkin. Three the guy who could have filled Malkin’s role was playing on one groin and extremely limited.

Malkin could skate in a straight line but couldn’t skate around people and if he had to turn and go the other way way he turned like a semi truck.

So that’s 2 severely hampered centres which will impact half of your wingers. Two of which were already playing injured. On top of which your best D man and clearly best transition guy had his issues too.

Anyways this is the PGT
 
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EliteGoaltending

Registered User
Jan 7, 2016
1,166
648
In 2 games against the Leafs, Pens scored 0 ES goals. And they gave playoff like effort in the first meeting...

Some young blood might give this team a boost in regular season, and for the playoffs they'll need more depth scoring, than they were getting last season and this one so far.
 

BladeRunner66

Two-Headed Jerk
Oct 23, 2017
1,164
747
Glad i missed that one! ...i though that without Matthews Pens would have had the edge ...if they had showed up that is.

+ I didn't get to see that shit show
- I'm stuck at Fire and Ice on NES
 

Angrrus

Registered User
May 24, 2017
871
152
Yeah you can overcome some injuries but we had a lot to really good players and still took the cup champs to 6 games.

No point bringing up Couurier as one his injury wasn’t identical. Two he’s not Malkin. Three the guy who could have filled Malkin’s role was playing on one groin and extremely limited.

Malkin could skate in a straight line but couldn’t skate around people and if he had to turn and go the other way way he turned like a semi truck.

So that’s 2 severely hampered centres which will impact half of your wingers. Two of which were already playing injured. On top of which your best D man and clearly best transition guy had his issues too.

Anyways this is the PGT

Couturier's example shows that playing injured is a matter of will. All these guys have best sports medicine to their disposal, best shots, painkillers. etc. The rest is on them, what they will do with that. Couturier was driven and motivated, his torn/pulled knee ligaments (!!!) didn't visibly hamper his skating and movement. 8 points in 2 playoff games, man. And a hattie included.

Yes it takes extra bit of will to do injured what you normally do healthy. Couturier had it. Malkin, Brassard and Kessel didn't have it. And it tells you all you need to know about how motivated they were.
 

Tom Hanks

Spelling mistakes brought to you by my iPhone.
Nov 10, 2017
30,408
32,434
Couturier's example shows that playing injured is a matter of will. All these guys have best sports medicine to their disposal, best shots, painkillers. etc. The rest is on them, what they will do with that. Couturier was driven and motivated, his torn/pulled knee ligaments (!!!) didn't visibly hamper his skating and movement. 8 points in 2 playoff games, man. And a hattie included.

Yes it takes extra bit of will to do injured what you normally do healthy. Couturier had it. Malkin, Brassard and Kessel didn't have it. And it tells you all you need to know about how motivated they were.

One of the worst posts I’ve seen on here ever.
 

Angrrus

Registered User
May 24, 2017
871
152
We're in 2nd place with a game in hand. We just lost to a really damn good team; one that we beat last time we played them. Seriously, every team gets shut out. Every single one. We literally shut out THE SAME TEAM last time we played them.

Yeah, we lost the two games prior too. And we played well enough that we could have won either or both of them.

Talking about injuries and missing top players:

Last I checked, Leafs played last night without two of their biggest core talents in Matthews and Nylander.

Which didn't stop them from pulverizing us in our own barn.

I dream of the world where people will stop making dumb cliche excuses and will start being honest with themselves.
 

Ogrezilla

Nerf Herder
Jul 5, 2009
75,534
22,049
Pittsburgh
Talking about injuries and missing top players:

Last I checked, Leafs played last night without two of their biggest core talents in Matthews and Nylander.

Which didn't stop them from pulverizing us in our own barn.

I dream of the world where people will stop making dumb cliche excuses and will start being honest with themselves.
What excuse did I make? We lost to a good team. We beat the same good team when Matthews was playing.
 

Burn

Registered User
Mar 24, 2018
653
308
How many run ins with Murray have to happen before the Pens actually do something?

We need Paul Martin to toughen up this defense.
 

WayneSid9987

Registered User
Nov 24, 2009
30,053
5,676
First and foremost the core, especially up front, have to get thier asses in gear.
It doesn't matter if they're gonna rely on the Grant's, Cullen's or Sheahan's vs the Blueger's, Haggerty's, or Angello's.
The results would be the same. Sid, G, Phil, Horny, Jake, Rust and Brass(when he plays) need to drive the bus.

On the back end with Schultz out, they 1) need to see what they really have in Riiko and stop yanking him in and out of the lineup. and/or 2) find a potential solution outside the org.(trade. big or small) to try and sturdy the back end more.
 
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