Post-Game Talk: Penguins 4, Islanders 1 - What The **** Was That?

[Empoleon8771]

I think Brassard would have gotten more minutes had he been effective. Instead, he shat the bed for a year and a half.

Little bit of column A, little bit of column B.

He shit the bed because he got pissy about being used in a 3rd line role, which made his play get worse and worse. It was a feedback loop, he was playing shitty because he was pissed about his usage, and him playing shitty was causing Sullivan to cut his usage more and more.

 

[KIRK]

I think they almost definitely send POJ to the pressbox, regardless of whether it's the right decision based on how they're playing.

If Kapanen or Zucker aren't proving to be top-6 options, you have to trade them for guys who will be. If they're not working there, you can't just slide them onto basically a 4th line and say that will be fine. They won't be happy about that and I completely believe their play would tank because of it. If they're not top-6ers for you, trade them for someone else who will be.

I recall Zucker voicing problems when he was playing down in the lineup with Minnesota last year. That option isn't going to be palatable for a long term solution.



I mean you have to remember these players are prideful. They're not robots or hockey cards. You have to consider the human aspects of moves too.

I get where you're coming from, but I think we'll just have to agree to disagree in terms of how we see the risks versus rewards. Won't be the first time.

As to POJ, I agree that might be most likely, and it will be an awful ******* mistake.

 

[Andy99]

Pretty spot on lol...yes, I know who it is...some comments...

HockeyBuzz.com - Ryan Wilson - Teddy Player One

“Speaking of that fourth line… Play anybody else at center other than Mark Jankowski. The CF% stat isn’t the end all be all, but you cannot be at the bottom of the list every single game. I don’t care what your usage is. Mark Jankowski stinks. He only makes 700k either trade him or bury his money in the minors. Playing him isn’t going to help anything.

The power play has been better lately. The team is attacking their 2v1’s way better than they were at the start of the year. However, I cannot believe they ran 1:15 of a 5v3 power play with Malkin predominately on the left side of the ice. It was maddening to watch. I can’t wrap my head around not trying to make him the focal point from the right side. In fact, I would use Malkin the same way the team would use Phil. Skate with the puck from top of the circle to the top of the blue line and curl back in to take a wrist shot with traffic down low (specifically Crosby). If the top guy of the triangle wants to chase Malkin up top you kick it over to Letang who should have some great east/west options with the killer up in no-man’s land. Rinse and repeat. Don’t do whatever it is they did yesterday again.

Mike Matheson’s positives have been coming out the past few games. His skating and ability to make some plays with the puck have directly led to Penguins goals. His contract is always going to stink, but it isn’t a Jack Johnson situation. He can actually make some plays to help the team. The key with him (and Cody Ceci) is to manage their workload and try not to make them be something they aren’t. If Kris Letang, Marcus Pettersson, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, and John Marino can do what they are capable of it shouldn’t be an issue.

Mike Sullivan took a half measure with the line changes and flipped Kasperi Kapanen and Jason Zucker. It resulted in Kapanen getting a primary assist on the Crosby tip goal early on in the contest and Jason Zucker adding a goal and an assist on the empty netter. Tough to argue with the results. I still want to see Malkin with Guentzel and Zucker with Crosby. Even with the two points on the evening I still don’t get the feeling there is good chemistry between Malkin and Zucker.“

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I'm not sure Dumo or Pets will; be happy about being a HS when everyone is healthy. Or do we scratch POJ? Or Matheson?

That said, I'm a little more concerned about Zucker and Kapanen being automatic top 6 options because there isn't another one if one of those two isn't getting it done than I am about anyone Hextall might acquire being another Brassard (who was a top line player in Ottawa when acquired).

POJ and Matheson are playing a big part in their transition game.

POJ’s best attribute is his breakout passes and Petts simply isn’t anywhere on that same level.

I don’t honestly see anything Petts does better than POJ, but I made that argument over the summer already.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Little bit of column A, little bit of column B.

He shit the bed because he got pissy about being used in a 3rd line role, which made his play get worse and worse. It was a feedback loop, he was playing shitty because he was pissed about his usage, and him playing shitty was causing Sullivan to cut his usage more and more.

Agreed, Emp. But it's still not something that I think we should lose sleep over, unless a player is well known as a prima dona.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Agreed, Emp. But it's still not something that I think we should lose sleep over, unless a player is well known as a prima dona.

The issue is I specifically remember Zucker making a big shit out of his usage in Minnesota last year. That's the big reason I'm mentioning it.

Kapanen may be fine, but I'm skeptical that Zucker would be.

 

[HandshakeLine]

POJ and Matheson are playing a big part in their transition game.

POJ’s best attribute is his breakout passes and Petts simply isn’t anywhere on that same level.

I don’t honestly see anything Petts does better than POJ, but I made that argument over the summer already.

I mean, if you buy the argument that Petts is a top 4 blueliner (and I do), it's only logical to say that POJ is as well. He's made rookie mistakes, but hell, Petts has made his share of mistakes too. I'd much rather see POJ on the top pairing than Petts at the moment, or at the very least, I'd like to see a real competition for the 1st pairing slot.

Secondly, it'd be kind of nice to have 3 relatively equitable d-pairs, so I don't think POJ or Petts playing on the bottom pairing is terrible. That way you can reward good play with a promotion and vice versa.

For once, the real log jam on defense isn't the 3rd pairing, it's the 2nd.

 

[EightyOne]

@HandshakeLine

Yo am i crazy... Didn't we have a short convo with an anti geno poster this morning about geno assists and burner accounts ?

Where did those posts go???

 

[HandshakeLine]

The issue is I specifically remember Zucker making a big shit out of his usage in Minnesota last year. That's the big reason I'm mentioning it.

Kapanen may be fine, but I'm skeptical that Zucker would be.

Zucker seems to be a prima dona for sure.

 

[HandshakeLine]

@HandshakeLine

Yo am i crazy... Didn't we have a short convo with a riding seventy one screen name poster this morning about geno assists and burner accounts ?

Where did those posts go???

Where all posts go, in the end.

To Erṣetu, dark cave of dust and lamentation.

 

[KIRK]

POJ and Matheson are playing a big part in their transition game.

POJ’s best attribute is his breakout passes and Petts simply isn’t anywhere on that same level.

I don’t honestly see anything Petts does better than POJ, but I made that argument over the summer already.

Preaching to the choir with me. Pets and his 4M contract just scream 'late JR in Carolina vanilla market value signing' to me.

Me? Dumo or Pets? Whoever gives the return that makes the most sense is the one who goes. The other plays with Ceci.

 

[EightyOne]

Where all posts go, in the end.

To Erṣetu, dark cave of dust and lamentation.

Sad...hater mods

Everyone should have been able to see how a two point night isn't worth 9.5 mil despite that being a great deal for 2ppg lol

Lazy geno Russian trash can

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I mean, if you buy the argument that Petts is a top 4 blueliner (and I do), it's only logical to say that POJ is as well. He's made rookie mistakes, but hell, Petts has made his share of mistakes too. I'd much rather see POJ on the top pairing than Petts at the moment, or at the very least, I'd like to see a real competition for the 1st pairing slot.

Secondly, it'd be kind of nice to have 3 relatively equitable d-pairs, so I don't think POJ or Petts playing on the bottom pairing is terrible. That way you can reward good play with a promotion and vice versa.

I don’t think POJ has done anything to even consider dropping him off the top pair at the moment (I know you aren’t suggesting that).

He’s been covering a lot for Letang, and that’s precisely what you want out of his partner.

Petts is a decent 4-5, but he can’t skate like POJ or make those T2T outlet passes like POJ.

That top pair gets a ton of heavy pressure from having to deal with the opponents best lines every game.

Petts just has a propensity to flub pucks and panic when he’s pressured so heavily.

That has never really phased POJ at any level. He just does his thing and stays calm and gets the puck up ice.

 

[KIRK]

Sad...hater mods

Everyone should have been able to see how a two point night isn't worth 9.5 mil despite that being a great deal for 2ppg lol

Lazy geno Russian trash can

Hasn't been as much fun around here since you busted that clown who doxxed himself.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Or maybe you go for a swiss army knife or warrior type who legitimately can slot up and down the lineup and some plus (a la Whitney for Kunitz + Tangradi). Maybe that player can play C or W.

Would be nice too to know that there's an option if Zucker or Kapanen isn't playing up to snuff.

Isn't that what Sully uses Rodrigues for?

 

[pistolpete11]

I think ZAR and Tanev should both fall around 30 points over a full 82 game schedule, and they're currently murdering other teams analytically. Even if that line had 0 goals on the year so far, I'd still be really happy with how they've played. They're generating a lot of chances and it seems like ZAR has improved his scoring touch from where he was at last year.

I really don't see any issues with that 3rd line. If you're concerned about production beyond your top-6, I think you need to focus on beefing up your 4th line to become a 3B line more than you need to worry about adding to the 3A line.

The bottom 6 needs to produce. It doesn't need to be HBK, but they need goals out of it, not just to make their charts look better. ZAR has not been consistently good enough to pencil him in for a 30 point pace. He's had a great start to his season, but there's no guarantee it's going to continue. That's why I say there needs to at least be a contingency plan in case BART stops producing. Creating another L3 would be that and frankly, it's not an impossible task.

Ideally, I'd like to see Dumo traded for a top 6 winger to bump Zucker or Kap to the bottom 6. Jank sucks and I don't see how else to replace him other than McCann.

Gunetzel - Crosby - Kap
(trade) - Malkin - Rust
ZAR - Blueger - Tanev / Zucker - McCann - E-Rod

Run that as 3A and 3B, using BART more in defensive situations which they are already doing and McCann's line in more offensive situations. If BART cools off again, then swap ZAR and Zucker and run more as a L3 and L4 situation.

 

[Gurglesons]

The bottom 6 needs to produce. It doesn't need to be HBK, but they need goals out of it, not just to make their charts look better. ZAR has not been consistently good enough to pencil him in for a 30 point pace. He's had a great start to his season, but there's no guarantee it's going to continue. That's why I say there needs to at least be a contingency plan in case BART stops producing. Creating another L3 would be that and frankly, it's not an impossible task.

Ideally, I'd like to see Dumo traded for a top 6 winger to bump Zucker or Kap to the bottom 6. Jank sucks and I don't see how else to replace him other than McCann.

Gunetzel - Crosby - Kap
(trade) - Malkin - Rust
ZAR - Blueger - Tanev / Zucker - McCann - E-Rod

Run that as 3A and 3B, using BART more in defensive situations which they are already doing and McCann's line in more offensive situations. If BART cools off again, then swap ZAR and Zucker and run more as a L3 and L4 situation.

Bleuger and Tanev are producing about as good as you can expect in the roles they are playing. The idea that this team has a bottom six production problem is honestly just weird.

 

[KIRK]

Isn't that what Sully uses Rodrigues for?

 

[KIRK]

Bleuger and Tanev are producing about as good as you can expect in the roles they are playing. The idea that this team has a bottom six production problem is honestly just weird.

I think that centers around the 4th line being so much of an abomination that the bottom 6 lives and dies with BART's production.

 

[pistolpete11]

Bleuger and Tanev are producing about as good as you can expect in the roles they are playing. The idea that this team has a bottom six production problem is honestly just weird.

And if you read the post I quoted, you'd see Empo said he doesn't care if that line scored 0 goals because of how good their analytics have been.

 

[Pittsburgh1776]

Wait why are we discussing Zucker on the third or fourth line after he just had his best game of the season on L2? Holy hell.

 

[EVGENIMERLIN]

Preaching to the choir with me. Pets and his 4M contract just scream 'late JR in Carolina vanilla market value signing' to me.

Me? Dumo or Pets? Whoever gives the return that makes the most sense is the one who goes. The other plays with Ceci.

Was going to post the same thing. You put both names out there and see who is going to get the better return, then pull the trigger. If the one who stays gets hurt you have Cough Drop to cover here and there. Dumo or Petts should get moved and I feel they're easier to offload with a decent return than Matheson

 

[KIRK]

Was going to post the same thing. You put both names out there and see who is going to get the better return, then pull the trigger. If the one who stays gets hurt you have Cough Drop to cover here and there. Dumo or Petts should get moved and I feel they're easier to offload with a decent return than Matheson

Or you slide Ruh up on Ceci's left side. He was certainly serviceable there. I just don't see benching one of the LD when Dumo is back, not with the Pens needs in terms of futures and up front.

 

[Gurglesons]

And if you read the post I quoted, you'd see Empo said he doesn't care if that line scored 0 goals because of how good their analytics have been.

Well @Empoleon8771 is a loon.

 

[KIRK]

Well @Empoleon8771 is a loon.

You two . . . only thing missing now is @Soggy Biscuit . . .