Post-Game Talk: Penguins team "coming in peace" Pens - 0 , Stars - 3

[gordie]

Bylsma never adjusts to the tactics of the opponent. Ruff did to him tonight what Julien did last Spring.

 

[Tumty]

Our defensive stalwarts like Adams and Orpik did their jobs. Superstar Crosby just felt like taking the night off. Getting pretty tired of Crosby and Malkin's lackadaisical effort.

Im going to say this many, many times. Imagine yourself in Sid's spot. Only one winger, basically playing PK. What you can do when other teams know that so ****ing sure. They know that only thing what matters is double or trible sid. Simple. Its pretty much up to shero/bylsma figure those things what we have figured out here months ago.

 

[KIRK]

Megna got a fair amount of time tonight, including time with Sid. Christ, he got more time than Chiasson or Nichushkin.

You're serious, aren't you?

 

[dueling mullets]

in some cases, firing (or trading or benching I guess) the players really is the right call

I do think the team needs to move/fire about 5 players, but I'd be happy with trading one which leads to cutting another. Realistically, I'm expecting nothing and a hot goalie in round 3.

 

[KIRK]

Im going to say this many, many times. Imagine yourself in Sid's spot. Only one winger, basically playing PK. What you can do when other teams know that so ****ing sure. They know that only thing what matters is double or trible sid. Simple. Its pretty much up to shero/bylsma figure those things what we have figured out here months ago.

Geno was in the same spot.

2-3 guys go to him. Three choices. Trying to dance three guys. Trying some silly pass. Or dumping the puck where nobody on his line has any chance of getting it.

I get why they try to dance or try some silly pass, because it's the least horrid of a bunch of horrid options.

EDIT: This is why I harp on Jokinen, not because of who Jokinen is but because of who Jokinen isn't and the basic lack of understanding from Shero/Bylsma why that will bite the Pens in the *** in the playoffs. Same thing with my call for Shero to get Sid's Neal, even if Letang is the cost. You can win a cup without Letang against anyone. You can't win a cup setting up Sid and Geno to fail unless you get really lucky in the opposition.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Exactly like the Q situation, IMO. Ray just needs to be patient.

Nah. Quenneville would never play a bagged old vet with a star player over a talented productive young rookie. That's the sort of thing that separates Q from DB.

 

[SidDidNothingWrong]

The fallacy that people push forth about us not being cup contenders is exactly that: a fallacy. We are cup contenders as long as we don't meet The Devils,The Bruins,or Leafs along the way. Thanks to Bylsma, this team plays one way: run and gun. When that does not work out, Bylsma refuses to change. So a 4 game series against those teams results in disaster. We have to get the perfect match-ups or we have no shot. Bylmsa will tell the Pens to run and gun, a guy like Julien will tell his guys to clog up the middle and that is it. What is the point of having a coach for this team? He barely even calls time outs at the right time.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

Bylsma never adjusts to the tactics of the opponent. Ruff did to him tonight what Julien did last Spring.

Can't or won't? It's the same result, but I wonder.


Someone needs to blow up.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

You're serious, aren't you?

He did get time with Sid. They rotated a few players in that spot.

And yes, he got more time than the super-rookies on the other bench too.

 

[KIRK]

They can make due with less until they run into that one hot goalie

Or a team that knows how to play defense.

 

[TimmyD]

First, Bylsma & co don't trust Megna to log the long minutes or in the defensive end. Neither of which is totally unreasonable from an outside perspective. Second, Bylsma & co trust veterans over younger players which also is not totally unreasonable to a certain point. None of these make sense when you compare Megna to Kobasew, Adams, etc.

This game Glass moved to the first line to either add some energy and physicality or to protect Crosby. However, most importantly, if Bylsma moves Megna to Sid's line, he is stuck with some of the slowest bottom lines which also are offensively incapable and defensively suspect. Poor Sutter ends up with Pyatt and Kobasew or maybe Glass, and the bottom line is Adams-Ebbett-Glass. Megna at least provides some spark of speed and offensive talent.

At least this game, Megna logged more minutes than Adams, Glass, Ebbett, Kobasew, and Pyatt.

Glass playing on the first line didn't bother me since he was pretty much the only guy in a white jersey with any kind of passion tonight, I hate saying it but he earned that tonight. Also I agree that our other bottom 6 options aren't good but when you are down by 2 or 3 I'd rather have megna on that line to add some skill and scoring threat

 

[NMK11]

I was the same way, but more because I knew all those "prospects" sucked. I figured the staff saw it the same way, and did the right thing by not giving them chances because frankly, they hadn't earned them.

I mean, this is Hockey FUTURES Board. People here overrate prospects. It's a combo of naturally attracting people who know more about prospects, and the fact that there's only so much you can claim to know better than the coach if you leave prospects out of it. The Pens aren't really that much different than most other teams, but there are a few here and there who I questions. Currently, only Depres and Megna excite me about our prospects. Everyone else who's been up has been no better than our vets.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Or a team that knows how to play defense.

Unless that team has played good defense all season up to the moment we play them. Then they don't count.

 

[gordie]

Can't or won't? It's the same result, but I wonder.


Someone needs to blow up.

Change in who is the starting goalie in the playoffs might overcome Bylsma but beyond that drastic change, I see nothing but failure this coming Spring.

 

[KIRK]

He did get time with Sid. They rotated a few players in that spot.

And yes, he got more time than the super-rookies on the other bench too.

Maybe 4 shifts. Maybe.

And, the other team had a GM who drafted those super-rookies. Are you sure you want to go there?

 

[MeinerEiner]

Let´s be honest: The Pens are a two pair show. Kunitz - Crosby and Neal- Malkin. They don´t have either a winger for Crosby nor a winger for Malkin. Jokinen is just good if he plays against soft teams and is way to slow. The bottom 6 is a joke and guys like Adams, Glass, Pyatt or Kobasew don´t have NHL niveau at all. The defense is a mess. Orpik, Scuderi, Letang shouldn´t play and Martin looks a little bit off after his injury. Only Niskanen and Maatta play a solid game and are pretty consistent. Young talents don´t get a shot because the coach is in love with his veterans which almost never bring what they should. The goalie sucks in every playoff series and every team knows about his weak high glove. As long as there are not made serious changes this team will not be a cup contender. Malkin and Crosby will carry them to the playoffs but then the games will get much harder and that will be the end of another season.

 

[KIRK]

Unless that team has played good defense all season up to the moment we play them. Then they don't count.

You and the Senators. Because, you know, the regular season always is a playoff harbinger, as the Pens have proven.

 

[TimmyD]

Or a team that knows how to play defense.

Will that be the newest excuse in the generator? Lol. I can see it now, they get swept by Boston and there is disco with that stupid look on his face, "we just didn't get to our game and they played excellent defense."

 

[CrozJawz*]

@JoshYohe_Trib: If we dont count Sutter's empty netter last game, the Pens haven't gotten a goal from 3rd or 4th line since Dec 19

Good ****ing lord.

Did you catch early in the game when Steiggy and Bob were talking about the scoring balance that the Stars have? Something like 50+ goals from their first line, 40+ goals from their 2nd line, 20+ goals from their 3rd line, 20+ goals from their 4th line...

Do the 3rd and 4th lines have 20+ goals COMBINED???

The Stars played the Pens EXACTLY like the Bruins played them in the ECF last year and they got the same result. If you want to beat the Pens:

1.Shut down Sid and Geno. Take away their space and ability to make plays. Stand them up at the blueline and don't allow them to get anything going in the offensive zone. Don't worry about any of the other scrubs on the ice because they can't get anything going anyway.

2.Get physical early and often. Start hammering the Pens from the get go, get them agitated, get them frustrated, get them off their game and get them taking stupid retaliation penalties.

3.Clog up the neutral zone. Don't let the Pens get their stretch passes through the NZ. Jam everyone and force turnovers and then head the other way in a hurry, usually for an odd man rush or a breakaway.

4.Forecheck like crazy against their D. Get in their and forecheck like you are down 2-0 with a minute to go. Get their D all twisted up and chasing guys all over the ice, leaving someone open coming in the back door.

It's simple and it never changes. Unless something drastic changes soon, expect many more games like this in the regular season and another poor showing in the playoffs...

 

[penguins2946*]

I wish this team would be consistent. Like at all. Not "score 11 in 2 games then get shutout"

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Maybe 4 shifts. Maybe.

And, the other team had a GM who drafted those super-rookies. Are you sure you want to go there?

We have a GM who drafted some super-rookies ourselves. I have no problem on that front.

But we had been talking about rookie forward icetime.

 

[dueling mullets]

Let´s be honest: The Pens are a two pair show. Kunitz - Crosby and Neal- Malkin. They don´t have either a winger for Crosby nor a winger for Malkin. Jokinen is just good if he plays against soft teams and is way to slow. The bottom 6 is a joke and guys like Adams, Glass, Pyatt or Kobasew don´t have NHL niveau at all. The defense is a mess. Orpik, Scuderi, Letang shouldn´t play and Martin looks a little bit off after his injury. Only Niskanen and Maatta play a solid game and are pretty consistent. Young talents don´t get a shot because the coach is in love with his veterans which almost never bring what they should. The goalie sucks in every playoff series and every team knows about his weak high glove. As long as there are not made serious changes this team will not be a cup contender. Malkin and Crosby will carry them to the playoffs but then the games will get much harder and that will be the end of another season.

Can pretty much lock the board after this post. Nothing else to be said, spot on imo.

 

[KIRK]

Will that be the newest excuse in the generator? Lol. I can see it now, they get swept by Boston and there is disco with that stupid look on his face, "we just didn't get to our game and they played excellent defense."

The beauty of the random excuse generator is that the excuse making options are without limit.

 

[Ugene Magic]

The Stars did a great job of clogging up the neutral zone. It seemed like even if Pittsburgh wanted to just dump and chase they couldn't do it, they never figured out how to move the puck through the neutral zone at all against Dallas, even on the PP.

Everything was met with speed and putting the Pens on their heels. This could have been lesson by simplely not trying the back door/drop passes. They even forced a ton of passes from D to D that a lot of times ended up behind their partner instead of tape to tape or in front of them. Some of it was from great pressure, but not all.

Definitely will give huge props to Dallas.

It's almost pointless to call out any one player on the Pens. The amount of mistakes by everyone was just too much.

 

[Tumty]

Geno was in the same spot.

2-3 guys go to him. Three choices. Trying to dance three guys. Trying some silly pass. Or dumping the puck where nobody on his line has any chance of getting it.

I get why they try to dance or try some silly pass, because it's the least horrid of a bunch of horrid options.

EDIT: This is why I harp on Jokinen, not because of who Jokinen is but because of who Jokinen isn't and the basic lack of understanding from Shero/Bylsma why that will bite the Pens in the *** in the playoffs. Same thing with my call for Shero to get Sid's Neal, even if Letang is the cost. You can win a cup without Letang against anyone. You can't win a cup setting up Sid and Geno to fail unless you get really lucky in the opposition.

Good post. Agreed 99%.

1% was that jokinen stuff. I know you hate him because who he is.... no, only kidding!