Post-Game Talk: Ocho Greato - Johnson/Murray are amazing in 5-4 Penguins win. ColePens is awesome.

[Ogrezilla]

yeah, Lovejoy walking is an easy call. So is moving Kunitz. I don't know what that means to us.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

Ben Lovejoy is a self-correcting problem (I hope). There's no way we offer him a contract with Letang, Maatta, Daley, Dumo, Cole, Schultz, and Pouliot all signed or at least cost-controlled.

Right? Right?

Hopefully keeping Cole, re-signing Schulyz and keeping Daley pushes him out for sure... I'm not going to say whatever it takes to make sure he's gone, but it's pretty close. All of those things are at least 10 times better than an aging Lovejoy being given a Billy luvs you contract.

 

[StaalForOne]

Letang should get a legit chance at the Norris. Won't happen, which is a shame. No homer.

he should, true, but he really has yet to put a full season together, and I would guess that is what's holding him back. When Letang is on, the team imporves tenfold.

 

[pistolpete11]

Letang should get a legit chance at the Norris. Won't happen, which is a shame. No homer.

I think he will get a lot of consideration. Milbury and Jones were talking during the last nationally televised Pens game that they would put him behind only Doughty. I know most people think those 2 are idiots (I sure as hell do), but they hate the Penguins, especially Milbury. So when they are complimenting a Penguin, they must really think it.

 

[Contender]

 

[Asuna]

Letang is a freak

 

[billybudd]

I think he will get a lot of consideration. Milbury and Jones were talking during the last nationally televised Pens game that they would put him behind only Doughty. I know most people think those 2 are idiots (I sure as hell do), but they hate the Penguins, especially Milbury. So when they are complimenting a Penguin, they must really think it.

If Letang keeps going this way, I think he has a better shot at the Norris than Crosby does at the Hart.

Doughty, on a day to day, year to year basis is "better" than Letang, but his numerical case isn't good this year (nobody but Karlsson's is and voters, smartly, seem to not want to turn him into Lidstrom, giving him the Norris every season). Letang's also on (and a large part of) what increasingly looks like a Cinderella team and has been robbed of at least one award (Masterton, which inexplicably was awarded to Dubnyk for not sucking for 3 months out of his then-six year career) and arguably two (Subban's Norris had a very shaky foundation and 58 had the second-most votes). He's an easy guy to root for as a smaller D who has persevered through horrifying situations to have the season he's having now. All these things are factors that work in his favor.

Doughty's the best player in the NHL who never had a major award, so that's also a variable, but Letang's such a squishy, feel-good story that I'm not sure it'll be the year of life-time achievement awards for the Norris.

 

[Aerrol]

Jesus. Amazing! Maybe it's time for him to have a Keith-like run at the Conn Smythe?

 

[DesertPenguin]

I'd like to point out where the goals came from last night:

Kuhnhackl - Bottom 6
Sheary - Bottom 6
Lovejoy - 3rd pairing D, assisted by Rust, Bottom 6
Bonino - 2nd line center, who nominally is in the bottom 6

Holy secondary scoring Batman!

 

[Rufus]

Really late on my plus/minuses here, but I really wanted to post since I actually got to go to the game last night

+Kuhn-Cullen-Rust
+Hagelin. His speed is giving teams fits. What a pickup
+Letang. Beast
+Two shorties in 24 seconds
++Coming back from 3-0 down

=Murray. Looked shaky early on, but he recovered well and made all the stops he needed to. He also really bailed us out in overtime. Defense gave him almost no help.

--Going down 3-0
-Really shoddy defensive effort. Lots of giveaways and lackadaisical effort
-First line played pretty bad. Crosby looked exceptionally awful tonight. Played very lazy.

Sabres were super whiny.

 

[Rufus]

I think he will get a lot of consideration. Milbury and Jones were talking during the last nationally televised Pens game that they would put him behind only Doughty. I know most people think those 2 are idiots (I sure as hell do), but they hate the Penguins, especially Milbury. So when they are complimenting a Penguin, they must really think it.

I thought Karlsson pretty much had it in the bag?

 

[CraigAdamsnumber1fan*]

Not a big fan of the thread title. Do you really blame either goalie in this? There were not some easy **** goals given out. I thought both goalies were okay to good. Murray made some huge saves.

I don't have much to say other than what ****ing amazing resilience tonight. Amazing. It's constantly the 3rd line chipping in and then Hags/Kessel use their speed to murder it. I ****ing absolutely love the guys chipping in right now and making it count.

And hey.. say what you want about Murray. He made HUGE saves to keep us alive.

Could have pulled Murray but they left him in there. And it paid off in a big way. Plus, I didn't even think any of the goals he let in were softies anyways.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Nobody ever thinks their favorite goalie lets in softies anyhow.

 

[Pancakes]

So does anyone still want to trade Letang? It's been brought up in many an off season.

He's arguably even more valuable to this team than Crosby now. Man is he ever good. I still have concerns about his powerplay work and his ability to stay healthy but his game is at such a high level right now that he's more than worth his contract.

 

[ColePens]

Nobody ever thinks their favorite goalie lets in softies anyhow.

I don't have a favorite between the Pens, but I'm trying to figure out which goal was his fault. The five-hole one was technically saved and then put back in by our own team.

I don't think the two backdoor goals were his fault, either.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

I don't have a favorite between the Pens, but I'm trying to figure out which goal was his fault. The five-hole one was technically saved and then put back in by our own team.

I don't think the two backdoor goals were his fault, either.

The five hole was a goal if Daley hadn't been there to bounce it off of Kessel and in. I'd say that's on Murray because if he'd made the save it would have ended there. The irony is that if Kessel had been floating somewhere it wouldn't have been a goal. If I'm remembering correctly.

The defense has been haphazard lately, I think it's one part injured defenseman and one part trying to drive offence with Malkin out.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Dupuis would tell Letang to knock it off. He only has so much energy.

 

[HandshakeLine]

I don't have a favorite between the Pens, but I'm trying to figure out which goal was his fault. The five-hole one was technically saved and then put back in by our own team.

I don't think the two backdoor goals were his fault, either.

Nah, I was just being a bit sarcastic. But people do find ways to excuse their favorite goalies goalies and not others. Jesus, the Hedberg apologia....

 

[Ogrezilla]

Nah, I was just being a bit sarcastic. But people do find ways to excuse their favorite goalies goalies and not others. Jesus, the Hedberg apologia....

he's a moose

 

[Son Goku]

This team is so awesome