Post-Game Talk: Penguins 4, Sabres 0 - ColePlay Had GDT Duties Until Further Notice

[Peat]

So has anyone heard if Crosby is roaring back yet?

14 points in 8 seems a bit slow to me.

 

[OscarsCards]

What a nice little game you had. First shutout for Jarry was cute. If y'all can get a back to back shutouts it would be double sweet.

 

[EightyOne]

What a nice little game you had. First shutout for Jarry was cute. If y'all can get a back to back shutouts it would be double sweet.

 

[Don'tcry4mejanhrdina]

Man is Buffalo a mess. I can't believe Eichel is making $10 million too. I don't think he's on Matthews' or McDavid's level and I'm not sure he ever will be. Just seems too lazy and have a bit of a bad attitude.

I think it's more likely he ends up being closer to a guy like Yashin (extremely talented but with questionable attitude/work ethic) than a true top player in the game.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

^True. Right or wrong, if Rust breaks his hand in a fight or gets hit into an injury...is it really the franchise success at stake? It is different if that happens to our...super talented...players.

I really feel that taking the high road and continuing to say things similar to:

''Look, we play the game the way it needs to be played, the way it is supposed to be played....we play the game in a way that the kids out there can emulate and look up to a team having success the right way and rising above cheap shots and dirty plays and hang their hat upon skill, teamwork, and determination as the measure for success.

Other teams, other players, and the league as a whole, they will have to rest with the decisions they have made on the ice. the way they bend the rules. The way they want to break the spirit of the game. But we can rest each night knowing we did the the right way."

It would probably result in dead players for us though. And most people probably wouldn't care about what it meant. So here we are. Playing down to the Neanderthals of hockey again. I'd also imagine Bettman having closed door meetings about disparaging the league too, if the Pens and Pens players really went hardline 'clean' hockey like that.

People want Reaves to wave a magic wand and make all the cheap shots go away. I rolled my eyes so many times glancing through this thread that I looked like a human slot machine.

There is zero doubt in my mind the cheap shit has been reduced and that is all I wanted and hoped for from Reaves. Others in this thread decided to put unreal expectations on what he could do, so they can continue to bitch about the trade.

Lots of short memories around here about last season and what Malkin and Crosby had to skate through. I don't see any players laughing at the Pens bench and challenging them to do something like we saw so often last season.

I just find it amusing people have the mindset JR should have just let this continue and hoped all would be well. That's how you know the difference between a fans mindset and a real GM that actually had to address the problem the only way he can.

 

[Pens x]

People want Reaves to wave a magic wand and make all the cheap shots go away. I rolled my eyes so many times glancing through this thread that I looked like a human slot machine.

There is zero doubt in my mind the cheap **** has been reduced and that is all I wanted and hoped for from Reaves. Others in this thread decided to put unreal expectations on what he could do, so they can continue to ***** about the trade.

Lots of short memories around here about last season and what Malkin and Crosby had to skate through. I don't see any players laughing at the Pens bench and challenging them to do something like we saw so often last season.

I just find it amusing people have the mindset JR should have just let this continue and hoped all would be well. That's how you know the difference between a fans mindset and a real GM that actually had to address the problem the only way he can.

Reaves is as advertised. It’s not as though he suddenly became a below average player. He was a crappy fit for this team and the fact that JR overpaid for him made it worse. I don’t blame Reaves for how things have transpired here. This is on JR and Sully and not Reaves.
I don’t see him as much of a deterrent and least not enough to justify playing him in every single game. If you want to play him every game, bring in some better fourth line players. Enough with this throwing shit at the wall hoping something sticks with the fourth line.
Insulate him with some, you know, decent actual NHL players. But playing him with Tommy Kuhnhackl and Carter Rowney isn’t smart and isn’t fair to him. You know you are in trouble when Reaves is by far the most talented player on a line.
By the way, how aroused was Sully when Kuhn scored last night? Did he have to return to the locker room to relieve himself?

 

[Shrimper]

Casey DeSmith tonight?

 

[Night Shift]

Casey DeSmith tonight?

I hope to see him get another chance, his last game was bad

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Reaves is as advertised. It’s not as though he suddenly became a below average player. He was a crappy fit for this team and the fact that JR overpaid for him made it worse. I don’t blame Reaves for how things have transpired here. This is on JR and not Reaves.
I don’t see him as much of a deterrent and least not enough to justify playing him in every single game. If you want to play him every game, bring in some better fourth line players. Enough with this throwing **** at the wall hoping something sticks with the fourth line.

This is on JR? Nah, this is where you people don't get it, and it's sad...

This is on the league. If you or anyone else is upset that JR had to overpay to get the best enforcer in the league, stop supporting their caveman culture. Don't buy tickets, don't buy the merch, don't watch the games.

None of you bitching about it will though. Rather cry about Reaves not being a magic bullet and point fingers at JR for taking the only alternative the league left him.

And Reaves can play this game. I've already provided ample evidence he was a big part of one of the best fourth lines in the league the last couple of seasons. Every line needs the right mix, and it's not his fault Sully continues to put him with one of the worst forechecking fwds in the league.

 

[Chuck Norris Trophy]

I honestly don't realize how someone doesn't dig Jarry. I mean, I understand his flaws but he is amazing.

 

[JTG]

Jarry shows the potential to be a very good goaltender. I think he has a little of that flair that Fleury but he doesn't quite flail around and play as uncontrollable as Fleury did (especially when he was young).

I want to see Sully lean on Jarry these next few weeks while Murray is out. Let the kid get a real good taste of the NHL. He seems to be handling it really well and he has a lot of confidence for such a young player.

 

[The Old Master]

Jarry shows the potential to be a very good goaltender. I think he has a little of that flair that Fleury but he doesn't quite flail around and play as uncontrollable as Fleury did (especially when he was young).

I want to see Sully lean on Jarry these next few weeks while Murray is out. Let the kid get a real good taste of the NHL. He seems to be handling it really well and he has a lot of confidence for such a young player.

he's also very good with the puck and you'll see it more as he gets more comfortable.

 

[EightyOne]

This is on JR? Nah, this is where you people don't get it, and it's sad...

This is on the league. If you or anyone else is upset that JR had to overpay to get the best enforcer in the league, stop supporting their caveman culture. Don't buy tickets, don't buy the merch, don't watch the games.

None of you *****ing about it will though. Rather cry about Reaves not being a magic bullet and point fingers at JR for taking the only alternative the league left him.

And Reaves can play this game. I've already provided ample evidence he was a big part of one of the best fourth lines in the league the last couple of seasons. Every line needs the right mix, and it's not his fault Sully continues to put him with one of the worst forechecking fwds in the league.

It's true it's on the league. 1000%. But the NHL also sets the example all the way down to the little kid leagues. It's just not a good precedent to be ignorant about. And they really are ignorant about it.

But it's also the only real option for high level hockey, to follow, as a fan.

The best I could do was absolutely ignore the last shortened lock out season and the ENTIRE following year. I still haven't even dug up the stats to see how things went.

I think the Islanders destroyed us at some point?

But I couldn't stay away for longer. I'm weak. I bought stuff off nhl.com last week. I'm going to the SJS-PIT game later. Damn.

 

[Pens x]

This is on JR? Nah, this is where you people don't get it, and it's sad...

This is on the league. If you or anyone else is upset that JR had to overpay to get the best enforcer in the league, stop supporting their caveman culture. Don't buy tickets, don't buy the merch, don't watch the games.

None of you *****ing about it will though. Rather cry about Reaves not being a magic bullet and point fingers at JR for taking the only alternative the league left him.

And Reaves can play this game. I've already provided ample evidence he was a big part of one of the best fourth lines in the league the last couple of seasons. Every line needs the right mix, and it's not his fault Sully continues to put him with one of the worst forechecking fwds in the league.

So wouldn’t the fact that he plays with one of the worst forechecking forwards in the league be the fault of the gm, even a little? I’m not saying Reaves is worthless, but management and coaching haven’t done a good job surrounding him with appropriate players.

 

[EvGeno]

On another note, Malkin releases emoji app, special tribute to Fleury

I like the “I’m Score” and crying Conn Smythe ones

 

[Empoleon8771]

A couple comments on the thread in here:

1. Jarry isn't going to make the Penguins trade Murray, stop being ridiculous. The only way the Penguins trade Murray is if he asks for $15 million on his next deal with the Penguins, which I find highly unlikely. What will probably happen is that Jarry is going to be a fantastic backup goalie here for a couple of years (which is nice because Murray hasn't been that durable), and once he wants out to be a starter, he'll be traded for a Corey Schneider like package. I really like Jarry though, the kid looks like the real deal. Sullivan should definitely be playing him more than just on back to back nights, he's good enough to play.
2. It might have just been against Buffalo, but I feel like the Penguins 4th line might actually be good if they don't play Reaves. The 4th line has seemingly gone with how Reaves has gone, it only plays well when he's playing well. You want more consistency out of your 4th line, so I wonder if a Kuhnhackl-Rowney-Archibald 4th line would at least be able to be more consistent. If I had to make a guess, I'd say that Reaves isn't in the lineup come playoff time. Just a hunch from me, although that likely becomes false if Hagelin gets traded.
3. I didn't really notice the 3rd line much offensively yesterday, but I think that line worked very well defensively and had really good possession stats. The line did very well yesterday I thought. If the old roster management technique of a scoring top-6, a defensive 3rd line and a grinding 4th line still existed, I think the 3rd line would be great and the lineup would be perfect. Too bad that roster management technique is outdated, you need 3 lines that can score.
4. I think Letang has rebounded very nicely from an atrocious start to the year. In the first 13 games, he had 8 points and was a -14. In the last 14 games, he has 10 points and is a +1, and that's with the entire team struggling to score at ES. His minutes are down by nearly 2 minutes per game in the last 14 game stretch, so I think him playing less has helped him get back to form (or at least closer to form).
5. Even though Guentzel had that beauty of a goal, that 2nd line got roasted yesterday. I'll chalk it up as Malkin's first game back, but that line looked as defensively suspect in real life as it does on paper. The top line looked good though, glad to see that line is starting to mesh better.

 

[cheesedanish87]

How is Buffalo that bad?

And how is it possible to be this late into the season and not have a def score a goal?

 

[Tom Hanks]

People want Reaves to wave a magic wand and make all the cheap shots go away. I rolled my eyes so many times glancing through this thread that I looked like a human slot machine.

There is zero doubt in my mind the cheap **** has been reduced and that is all I wanted and hoped for from Reaves. Others in this thread decided to put unreal expectations on what he could do, so they can continue to ***** about the trade.

Lots of short memories around here about last season and what Malkin and Crosby had to skate through. I don't see any players laughing at the Pens bench and challenging them to do something like we saw so often last season.

I just find it amusing people have the mindset JR should have just let this continue and hoped all would be well. That's how you know the difference between a fans mindset and a real GM that actually had to address the problem the only way he can.

I never noticed as much stuff happening during the season compared to the post season. It’s always been more in the playoffs where it ramps up and nothing will deter that. Reaves will be more of a revenge play in the playoffs. I don’t agree with that especially if he makes the 4th line worse. He doesn’t fit our style.

 

[SEALBound]

Also, what is this fashion crap?

This is my daily uniform (sub in a Pens shirt, or something with a cat):

Sweet DTC shorts. My entire bag and drawers are stuffed with that stuff now. I would visit clients from all walks of life and need something that worked for all situations. Enter DTC. I remember going from an underground coal mine in the morning to giving a presentation to a board of directors of a different company that afternoon. Same cloths just tossed a presentation jacket on. I just wish I had started with their stuff earlier. Would have saved be a boatload in dry cleaning over the years.

People want Reaves to wave a magic wand and make all the cheap shots go away. I rolled my eyes so many times glancing through this thread that I looked like a human slot machine.

There is zero doubt in my mind the cheap **** has been reduced and that is all I wanted and hoped for from Reaves. Others in this thread decided to put unreal expectations on what he could do, so they can continue to ***** about the trade.

Lots of short memories around here about last season and what Malkin and Crosby had to skate through. I don't see any players laughing at the Pens bench and challenging them to do something like we saw so often last season.

I just find it amusing people have the mindset JR should have just let this continue and hoped all would be well. That's how you know the difference between a fans mindset and a real GM that actually had to address the problem the only way he can.

Agreed. Most rational people understood what Reaves's "capabilities" actually were. Only thing, last night I wish he would have given Kane just a little shove, ya know? They were on the ice together right when the penalty ended...I would have liked a friendly "f*** you, you do that again and I will f*** you up".

Casey DeSmith tonight?

No idea. They could very well do a Jarry back to back. Not the worst thing. A good win by DeSmith to boost his confidence would be great. Two young confident goalies while Murray is out would be great.

A couple comments on the thread in here:

1. Jarry isn't going to make the Penguins trade Murray, stop being ridiculous.
2. It might have just been against Buffalo, but I feel like the Penguins 4th line might actually be good if they don't play Reaves.
3. I didn't really notice the 3rd line much offensively yesterday, but I think that line worked very well defensively and had really good possession stats. The line did very well yesterday I thought. If the old roster management technique of a scoring top-6, a defensive 3rd line and a grinding 4th line still existed, I think the 3rd line would be great and the lineup would be perfect. Too bad that roster management technique is outdated, you need 3 lines that can score.
4. I think Letang has rebounded very nicely from an atrocious start to the year.
5. Even though Guentzel had that beauty of a goal, that 2nd line got roasted yesterday. I'll chalk it up as Malkin's first game back, but that line looked as defensively suspect in real life as it does on paper. The top line looked good though, glad to see that line is starting to mesh better.

1. Nice part is, Murray is $3,75mil right now and that's clutch. If after those three (next two) we find that Jarry is better (which should be plenty of time to determine that) then we can make a decision. We have time and that's great. Not to mention, we have Gusty coming up through the ranks too. The only thing that has this creeping into my mind, is Murray's durability.

2. Selective usage. Buffalo? Run Kuhn-Rowney-Archi.

3. They have their moments but no high danger chances. I like Sheary-Sheahan-Horny better, obviously but with Sid heating up with them, sorry Sheahan. Give them some time and I think we'll find something.

4. Still not back to where he was/can be but not the absolute dumpster fire he was.

5. As long as they outscore their opponents, that's all we can ask for. Jake-Geno-Phil is not going to be a defensive line. It just isn't.

 

[Peat]

3. I didn't really notice the 3rd line much offensively yesterday, but I think that line worked very well defensively and had really good possession stats. The line did very well yesterday I thought. If the old roster management technique of a scoring top-6, a defensive 3rd line and a grinding 4th line still existed, I think the 3rd line would be great and the lineup would be perfect. Too bad that roster management technique is outdated, you need 3 lines that can score.

5. Even though Guentzel had that beauty of a goal, that 2nd line got roasted yesterday. I'll chalk it up as Malkin's first game back, but that line looked as defensively suspect in real life as it does on paper. The top line looked good though, glad to see that line is starting to mesh better.

I didn't watch the game so maybe I'm off base, but there seems to be a really obvious solution to this one...

 

[ncm7772]

They won. Congrats to Jarry. The pessimist in me though, hates that they were outshot by Buffalo.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I didn't watch the game so maybe I'm off base, but there seems to be a really obvious solution to this one...

The issue is I personally don't like Rust on LW as much as I like him on RW and Hagelin sucks offensively. I think that's why the biggest need right now is a LWer to play with Malkin and Kessel, so you can have:

Guentzel-Crosby-Hornqvist
LWer-Malkin-Kessel
Sheary-Sheahan-Rust

I think that top-9 is plenty good enough.

 

[Pens x]

How is Buffalo that bad?

And how is it possible to be this late into the season and not have a def score a goal?

Yea Botterill has quite the challenge ahead to fix that dumpster fire.

 

[Pens x]

The issue is I personally don't like Rust on LW as much as I like him on RW and Hagelin sucks offensively. I think that's why the biggest need right now is a LWer to play with Malkin and Kessel, so you can have:

Guentzel-Crosby-Hornqvist
LWer-Malkin-Kessel
Sheary-Sheahan-Rust

I think that top-9 is plenty good enough.

That is a solid top 9 with the exception of Sheahan. I guess they can acquire a 3C rental at the deadline if Jimmy still can’t land one.

But I wouldn’t want to stay as is without making some changes. I know some people will think we are fine if we beat Buffalo again but these last 3 games have been against awful teams. Let’s not have a false sense of accomplishment here.

 

[Peat]

The issue is I personally don't like Rust on LW as much as I like him on RW and Hagelin sucks offensively. I think that's why the biggest need right now is a LWer to play with Malkin and Kessel, so you can have:

Guentzel-Crosby-Hornqvist
LWer-Malkin-Kessel
Sheary-Sheahan-Rust

I think that top-9 is plenty good enough.

Can't really argue with any of that but think I'd still go ahead and swap Hags and Guentzel anyway. I think that's the best of a set of slightly meh options, unless GMK takes off like mad.

Getting that just right LW for Malkin-Kessel would be naaaaaaasty good though.