Post-Game Talk: Penguins 6 - Devils 3: Good ol' fashion sticktoitiveness

[Le Magnifique 66]

Will we ever lose again?

 

[Zbynek]

Will we ever lose again?

Pens go 23 straight, Mike Sullivan immediately signs first ever lifetime contract with the Pens.

Jarry rides the bench the entire time.

I could live with that

 

[cookthebooks]

I hope we make the playoffs and go on a miracle run. That'd be quite the legacy booster for the core... and it would be fun to watch.

That's where I am at. Hoping. If they do not make it, so be it, at least they would have made it interesting down the stretch.

this is exactly how i am thinking about it. there is nothing better than watching playoff hockey and being emotionally invested.

 

[Andy99]

Will we ever lose again?

I’m guessing Thursday night lol…

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

I’m guessing Thursday night lol…

I don't know man, this Michael Bunting story is something!!

 

[Andy99]

I don't know man, this Michael Bunting story is something!!

It’s negated by the return from suspension of Tom Wilson lol

 

[Ryder71]

I hope we make the playoffs and go on a miracle run. That'd be quite the legacy booster for the core... and it would be fun to watch.

That's where I am at. Hoping. If they do not make it, so be it, at least they would have made it interesting down the stretch.

I hope so also because it reduces the sting of SJ getting our 1st. As well as assure Sullivan is here to stay and will drive the masses here absolutely mad!

 

[Ragamuffin Gunner]

What do you wish for in their next game at WSH ?? Serious question.

Unfortunately, beating NJ makes getting a top-10 pick pretty unlikely so I hope they win out and make the POs. It's not gonna happen and we'll end up giving up the 11th pick to SJ.

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

Unfortunately, beating NJ makes getting a top-10 pick pretty unlikely so I hope they win out and make the POs. It's not gonna happen and we'll end up giving up the 11th pick to SJ.

Same here, with their recent little winning streak and stretch here might as well win out and give the Sharks our pick for this season!

 

[SEALBound]

It's interesting now because now there is something to root or cheer for. Two weeks ago, it was bleak. Now there's an interesting component to the last 7 games and, dare I say, a reason to cheer for them.

You almost have to laugh. This team...I tell ya...

 

[Khelandros]

Said this like 3 months ago, will repeat now. This will be one of the better rosters to miss the playoffs in nhl history. Truly a testament to Sullivan.

At the end of the day, it is ultimately on Sullivan, but.......

The defense has been shit all year. Every time they get the puck in the defensive zone, its a ring around the boards or a clear. There is no clear breakout unless the forwards pick it up in the d-zone.

The PP has been absolute dog shit all year. No denying that.

These two areas are coincidentally controlled by the same person,

 

[Pancakes]

Giving Sj our pick is fine anyways. The thought of giving them an unprotected one next year is scary, especially with Sully staying behind the bench.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Giving Sj our pick is fine anyways. The thought of giving them an unprotected one next year is scary, especially with Sully staying behind the bench.

Exactly. I haven't understood fans being adamant about keeping this pick this entire time. Good chance they are even worse next season and isn't this draft a little mediocre past the usual top five-ish, anyway?

I mean they ALL kinda are but you know what I mean.

 

[BusinessGoose]

You only care about keeping THIS year if lottery gives you #1

In all other cases, it doesn't make sense to care about keeping it

This ain't a draft where #8 gets your anything and for sure, getting another top ten next year isn't a bad bet

 

[Pancakes]

Exactly. I haven't understood fans being adamant about keeping this pick this entire time. Good chance they are even worse next season and isn't this draft a little mediocre past the usual top five-ish, anyway?

I mean they ALL kinda are but you know what I mean.

My hope if we kept it was us getting some lottery luck but even if we'd totally tanked we weren't finishing worse than 8th and the odds there for 1 overall aren't great.

But imagine if we go into next year and Crosby gets a season ending injury early or something? That thought would keep me up at night if I were Dubas and kept the pick this year.

 

[MrBrightside]

The idea that some "fans" of the Penguins were rooting against us so we'd be able to keep a pick in the 9-10 range with a 1.2% chance of winning the lottery and then have to give up next year's pick is just bizarre. The people who want to rush into sucking I will never understand...talk about letting perfect be the enemy of good.

 

[ChaosAgent]

At the end of the day, it is ultimately on Sullivan, but.......

The defense has been shit all year. Every time they get the puck in the defensive zone, its a ring around the boards or a clear. There is no clear breakout unless the forwards pick it up in the d-zone.

The PP has been absolute dog shit all year. No denying that.

These two areas are coincidentally controlled by the same person,

I'll make the caveat endlessly that I didn't play ice hockey, not a tactical mastermind, etc.

But our defense is absolutely collapsed down low, all the time. Logically, there are 2 problems with that which are very apparent:
1) We give unlimited space to the opponents points. How often can our opponents make 1 simple D-to-D pass at the Blue Line and the 2nd guy walks in easily?
2) We are so jumbled up that when (heaven forbid) we get the puck back we have no outlets so we're forced to rim around the wall, do desperation chips and all this nonsense.

This philosophy of turtling hockey is why we are so unentertaining to watch.

 

[Lomez]

A meaningful game on Thursday, who would have expected it! Bonus!

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Not getting excited unless they beat Washington first. Even then, they've blown so many important games the last two years I'm very skeptical. But I am glad they're playing well. Hopefully Dubas realizes to clear out the crappy veteran forwards next season.

 

[MrBrightside]

I'll make the caveat endlessly that I didn't play ice hockey, not a tactical mastermind, etc.

But our defense is absolutely collapsed down low, all the time. Logically, there are 2 problems with that which are very apparent:
1) We give unlimited space to the opponents points. How often can our opponents make 1 simple D-to-D pass at the Blue Line and the 2nd guy walks in easily?
2) We are so jumbled up that when (heaven forbid) we get the puck back we have no outlets so we're forced to rim around the wall, do desperation chips and all this nonsense.

This philosophy of turtling hockey is why we are so unentertaining to watch.

The defense are supposed to collapse down low when the puck is in the defensive zone. If they do in fact turtle and do what you're saying, that's a product of what the forwards are doing far more than the defense.

 

[Andy99]

Not getting excited unless they beat Washington first. Even then, they've blown so many important games the last two years I'm very skeptical. But I am glad they're playing well. Hopefully Dubas realizes to clear out the crappy veteran forwards next season.

Exactly…I’ll get more excited if they win the game tomorrow

 

[MrBrightside]

Exactly…I’ll get more excited if they win the game tomorrow

And defeat your long-running narrative about how the Capitals are so far ahead of the Penguins and so much better than the Penguins?

 

[Andy99]

And defeat your long-running narrative about how the Capitals are so far ahead of the Penguins and so much better than the Penguins?

I said they were better right now, not “so much better”…I know it sounds better to exaggerate these comments..the Caps have incorporated more youth, and more skilled youth, because they kept their first round picks, and they fired their coach…so two marks better than the Pens…guess we’ll find out tomorrow whether they’re better right now or not…

 

[ChaosAgent]

The defense are supposed to collapse down low when the puck is in the defensive zone. If they do in fact turtle and do what you're saying, that's a product of what the forwards are doing far more than the defense.

That is what I mean. How the 5 guys approach the defensive zone.

 

[IcedCapp]

At the end of the day, it is ultimately on Sullivan, but.......

The defense has been shit all year. Every time they get the puck in the defensive zone, its a ring around the boards or a clear. There is no clear breakout unless the forwards pick it up in the d-zone.

The PP has been absolute dog shit all year. No denying that.

These two areas are coincidentally controlled by the same person,

You can play in a way that hides their deficiencies and highlights their strengths, but we continue to ignore the fact that the roster just can’t play the balls-to-the-wall style that sully wants.

I’m not advocating keeping any of the coaches, but Sullivan is at the top of the pyramid, he’s letting these things happen.

The worst part is, even if we were to fire him (I don’t think we will), we’ll never get another year where our stars are this healthy. I can’t imagine Sid ever having a season as good as this again.