Injury Report: MAY 7: Neal, Orpik hopeful for Game 4 returns

[Tender Rip]

niskanen struggling in the post-season isnt a new occurrence. its standard with him, since he first came into the league.

Meaningless. Sorry. Nisky was one if the few among our D-men who could look himself in the mirror after the Philly series, and before that he had been to the playoffs just once - playing 16 games on a team getting to the conference finals, as a 22 year old. Losing to the same Wings team that beat us.

 

[KIRK]

I'd like to see them keep the first 2 lines from the morning skate intact and go with

Kunitz - Crosby - Dupuis
Bennett - Malkin - Neal
Morrow - Jokinen - Iginla
Cooke - Sutter - Adams


Bennett's been playing very well and looked decent with Malkin and Neal during the regular season.

I could deal with that. BUT, there is NO ******* way Malkin could survive without Iginla on his LW. No ******* way. And, even if there were, there's NO ******* way Bylsma puts a rookie in the top six over Jerome ******* Iginla OR breaks up his first line that is a minus at ES and has the same number of ES goals (2) the last two games as Malkin's **** line.

 

[KIRK]

Meaningless. Sorry. Nisky was one if the few among our D-men who could look himself in the mirror after the Philly series, and before that he had been to the playoffs just once - playing 16 games on a team getting to the conference finals, as a 22 year old. Losing to the same Wings team that beat us.

I had a lot of hope for Nisky after last year. BUT, this playoff (and admittedly it's so far), I'm seeing the Nisky who would play like a guy hearing footsteps after taking a pounding long enough.

 

[Darth Vitale]

Neal skating with Malkin..

Yay yay yay

I have no idea what movie this was from but it's pretty funny.

 

[radapex]

I have no idea what movie this was from but it's pretty funny.

It's Cristoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds

 

[Tender Rip]

I had a lot of hope for Nisky after last year. BUT, this playoff (and admittedly it's so far), I'm seeing the Nisky who would play like a guy hearing footsteps after taking a pounding long enough.

Again - he had one playoff run before. And he was a bright spot on a horror show last year. There is no pattern other than Bylsma not adjusting to what our opponents are doing, which causes EVERY SINGLE ONE in our D to look inept. Well, Martin less so.

 

[dueling mullets]

Dave Molinari ‏@MolinariPG 59s
Bennett is skating with the healthy scratches. Certainly suggests Neal is in tonight.

 

[Harv]

Dave Molinari ‏@MolinariPG 1m
Bennett is skating with the healthy scratches. Certainly suggests Neal is in tonight.

So good it needs to be quoted twice..

 

[Darth Vitale]

It's Cristoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds

AH. I never saw that one... usually I can deal with Tarantino flicks pretty well. Was that one any good? Heard the gratutitous violence thing was overdone even by his standards so I balked.

 

[KIRK]

Dave Molinari ‏@MolinariPG 1m
Bennett is skating with the healthy scratches. Certainly suggests Neal is in tonight.

So good it needs to be quoted twice..

Iginla-Malkin-Neal

Perhaps not so good . . . and quoting that just once is enough to make anyone (with a clue) vomit.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

AH. I never saw that one... usually I can deal with Tarantino flicks pretty well. Was that one any good? Heard the gratutitous violence thing was overdone even by his standards so I balked.

I mean... it was a Tarantino movie. So yeah.

It didn't seem over-the-top, to me. But then again, I'm a little desensitized, I think.

I've been on the internet for far too many years. I've seen some stuff and some things, man.

 

[Crafton]

Iginla-Malkin-Neal

Perhaps not so good . . . and quoting that just once is enough to make anyone (with a clue) vomit.

thanks. i was wondering how i would be able to purge myself. now i can great the day with a clear mind, an open heart and an empty belly.

 

[KIRK]

Again - he had one playoff run before. And he was a bright spot on a horror show last year. There is no pattern other than Bylsma not adjusting to what our opponents are doing, which causes EVERY SINGLE ONE in our D to look inept. Well, Martin less so.

I will be the first to concur to this.

It's why I keep asking the question about so many players either looking so inept or so lazy. Are they that inept and that lazy? If so, then Shero needs to go for his personnel choices. OR, are they made to look that bad by a coach who puts them at a competitive disadvantage in the playoffs through his line combos and lack of adjustments? In that case . . .

 

[KIRK]

thanks. i was wondering how i would be able to purge myself. now i can great the day with a clear mind, an open heart and an empty belly.

My work here is done . . .

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

OR, are they made to look that bad by a coach who puts them at a competitive disadvantage in the playoffs through his line combos and lack of adjustments? In that case . . .

No way, man. It's lack of execution. Years and years worth of lack of execution.

Clearly when it's gone on this long and consistently, with several rosters-worth of players, it a combination of bad luck and the players just not, uh... wanting it enough. Or maybe heart, intangibles, small things and other hard-to-quantify stuff like that.

 

[SUBdrewgANS]

anything on Orpik?

 

[rkhum]

So you think Iginlia should be at RW?

 

[KIRK]

No way, man. It's lack of execution. Years and years worth of lack of execution.

Clearly when it's gone on this long and consistently, with several rosters-worth of players, it a combination of bad luck and the players just not, uh... wanting it enough. Or maybe heart, intangibles, small things and other hard-to-quantify stuff like that.

You know, I do remember asking these same questions over four years ago about the last Pens HC. Clearly, the coaching change was just coincidental to the sudden improvement in effort and execution.

 

[KIRK]

So you think Iginlia should be at RW?

Crazy idea, huh?

 

[Duck Paddy]

AH. I never saw that one... usually I can deal with Tarantino flicks pretty well. Was that one any good? Heard the gratutitous violence thing was overdone even by his standards so I balked.

I am not a QT fan in general, but this movie was fantastic. There are only a few brief scenes with the intentionally fake and over the top gore. If you have 5.1 surround sound it is even better. QT put a ton of attention to sounds in this flick which really add a lot to the suspense building.



Re: Neal
Certainly looks like he's going to be in tonight which is great news. Only question will be which line Iggy plays on.

 

[radapex]

anything on Orpik?

Skated on the top pair with Martin.

 

[Lamar Latrell]

Dave Molinari ‏@MolinariPG 59s
Bennett is skating with the healthy scratches. Certainly suggests Neal is in tonight.

Glass over Bennett will be exhibit A in the trial of Penguins Fans v. Bylsma.

 

[useless]

Glass over Bennett will be exhibit A in the trial of Penguins Fans v. Bylsma.

Fans on this board are a bit obsessed with Bennett.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Glass over Bennett will be exhibit A in the trial of Penguins Fans v. Bylsma.

In which case Penguins fans should argue for a new trial based on attorney incompetence and malpractice.

Bennett and Despres have both been terrible this series. (Outside of Game 1 for Bennett.)

 

[KIRK]

In which case Penguins fans should argue for a new trial based on attorney incompetence and malpractice.

Bennett and Despres have both been terrible this series. (Outside of Game 1 for Bennett.)

What do you expect of Bennett? With Iginla looking like a total cluster**** with Malkin, Bennett is being asked to play the role of BOTH Kunitz and Dupuis. He's a scapegoat, period.

And, by the way, for as god awful as Iginla and Bennett and even by his standards Malkin has been, those guys have drawn the Isles top checkers and still have the same number of goals at ES (2) in the last two games as the unbreakable Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis line.

Bennett is Bylsma's scapegoat tonight for his (Bylsma's) own incompetence as a bench boss, period.