Post-Game Talk: Pens-2, Flames-4

[Terrapin]

They've needed asset accumulation more than anything. Trading Orpik and/or Niskanen would have helped that, being able to trade Martin would have helped and trading Kunitz when he first started to look done would have helped that. I've been saying they need one season dedicated to that for awhile. They're lucky the pieces they do have are turning out so well right now (if Bennett could stay healthy that would be great).

If they miss the playoffs and keep the 1st they'll have a 1st (possibly a lottery winner) and two 2nds, and could have a return for Kunitz and Bonino. It could be a great thing for the team long term assuming the org didn't immediately panic and make a mess.

All that is true, but doubtful a draft pick will help for a year or two. How many more years of Sid and Geno we gonna waste?

 

[Malkinstheman]

Even when the team has good players they mismanage them. This team cant develop forwards at the nhl level for ****. Or even manage their forwards. How many useless coaches pets have we had now. How many times has Sid been put with plugs that cant do anything the playoffs. Im sure KCH will be different this year.

 

[chethejet]

No excuse for the lackluster performance today. The reality is the Pens have spent the last number of years trying to find fits and pieces that keep the belief that the Pens are a cup contender. Injuries aside, the Pens are simply to top heavy in talent and cap commitment to win the division let alone the cup. Now we are seeing the slide of declining superstars as a highly paid group that has seen their best days. Mario needs the stars to sell tickets and keep his scam going until he can unload this over rated roster. I simply don't think anyone is lining up to meet a big ticket price. At least not with 250 million of salary commitment the next 6 years.

 

[Waffle Fries]

See, you are trying to overshadow the point using, Kunitz. I've already admitted he wasn't great.

You guys are using it as a crutch.

All Hagelin did was shoot a simple puck into the corner, and Sid's second goal had Cullen out there. Meaning Hagelin wasn't all that much a difference you all are making the Hagelin, Crosby, Hornqvist line.

It was Sid being Sid.

That line was going because they got a good fortunate bounce and a great deflection goal by Sid.

Now Geno, he wasn't getting the bounces, and he gave up the puck. Kunitz was out there for a single goal against. Geno was out there for two, and we won't count the one just after the 4 minute PK of Kuhnhackl's unfortunate high stick. Cullens line was out there and Kuhnhackl just got back on. That made it 3-2.

The next time they score it's all on, Geno. Pretty much ends the game.

That line then consisted of Hagelin, Malkin and Kessel. There is no excuses to be made here for him. Hagelin and Kessel were free to step up from the 2nd period on.

Who had the puck, and who gave up the puck regularly this game?

Kunitz gives up the puck regularly every game... scratch that. Every shift.

I'm not quite sure what your point is. Geno having a bad game doesn't mean they should break up a line that was producing at a goal a period pace and maintaining strong possession.

You're essentially arguing that

A. It's okay to break up line one because because Hagelin didn't have, in your eyes, a big enough role in the goals.

B. Geno was playing poorly only because of Geno and nothing to do with his linemates.

Here is what doesn't make sense. If B is true, and Geno's linemates in the game didn't matter, then A doesn't need to happen. However if B is false and Geno's linemates do matter, then A still doesn't need to happen because there were other ways to switch up Malkin's line that didn't involve breaking up the first.

The bottom line is Sullivan made a poor coaching choice, and once again it involved Kunitz being catered to.

 

[Fordy]

no idea how people can think like this, that every player operates in a vacuum and their mistakes have no grounding in the players around them. i guess if you've never played a competitive team sport in your life you can think "kunitz was out there for one goal geno was out there for two" is a compelling critique

 

[canadianguy77]

It's hard to believe that there are still Kunitz defenders out there. I'll just chalk it up to people who don't understand what they're watching. Or trolls. Or relatives of his. Has to be one of those choices.

 

[Pancakes]

They changed the Hornqvist goal to Sid, for those who care about such things. So he's at 28 goals for the season.


We reallllllllly need to win that game tomorrow to salvage this weekend. The week ahead is not going to get any easier.

 

[Empoleon8771]

It has probably already been said, but man, we need to get way more out of Bonino than we've gotten so far. You're not going to win anything if your 3C isn't even hitting 20 points. With the 2nd line being as hit and miss as it has been, they can't have the 3rd line be a complete offensive graveyard like it has been. If Bonino doesn't step it up, I think Cullen needs to be our 3C in the playoffs.

 

[Ogrezilla]

It has probably already been said, but man, we need to get way more out of Bonino than we've gotten so far. You're not going to win anything if your 3C isn't even hitting 20 points. With the 2nd line being as hit and miss as it has been, they can't have the 3rd line be a complete offensive graveyard like it has been. If Bonino doesn't step it up, I think Cullen needs to be our 3C in the playoffs.

I think Cullen needs to be our 3C right now. If Bonino plays well on the 4th line let him try to take the 3C spot back. If he doesn't, give it to Fehr once he's back.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I think Cullen needs to be our 3C right now. If Bonino plays well on the 4th line let him try to take the 3C spot back. If he doesn't, give it to Fehr once he's back.

The same can apply for Fehr too, he hasn't been producing much at all this year. Cullen is definitely our 3rd best center this year, I don't think Fehr or Bonino should be playing above him.

 

[Ogrezilla]

The same can apply for Fehr too, he hasn't been producing much at all this year. Cullen is definitely our 3rd best center this year, I don't think Fehr or Bonino should be playing above him.

yeah that's true. I guess I just meant give him a shot to take it. But really I'm fine with him just taking a wing spot.

 

[IcedCapp]

Cullen's skating definitely fits the Penguins current style better, but Bonino's biggest issue is he has a severe case of Kesselitis

 

[Pancakes]

Man if you look at our schedule the rest of the way, it's incredibly dire. Just tons of good teams.

I want to say we'll make it based on our ROW and current points advantage over the others but uhhhhh it's not gonna be easy.

 

[Human]

so I've been at work checking the score without the possibility of posting, but ARE YOU ****ING KIDDING ME?

how the hell do you lose a game like this one against a team like this in this situation?

this Crosby/Malkin era Pens team is not supposed to be this frustrating. if it is, it's because someone at an upper level ****ed up royally...

 

[Corvidae]

It's hard to believe that there are still Kunitz defenders out there. I'll just chalk it up to people who don't understand what they're watching. Or trolls. Or relatives of his. Has to be one of those choices.

The biggest trolls are the two morons who announce the game. They still tend to infect people somehow, mostly casual fans.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Sometimes it seems like this organization is more interested in getting Chris Kunitz going than it is keeping lines together that are working. I've never seen a team shuffle the deck so much to accommodate one player -- and the worst player in the top six, to boot.

I just don't get what this club's fascination with Kunitz is. Why do they always gravitate back toward Kunitz on Sid's wing? It might be one thing (but I still disagree) if they used the excuse to put him there if Sid is struggling, but they do it even when his line is producing? What the ****?

 

[Iffyiffiffer]

I've barely read this thread. Bad players, bad drafting, by trading, bad Gm. The details don't matter. It's been 7 or 8 yeras of this crap. The details are unimportant. See you in 5 years after MAYBE (probably not) this stuff has worked itself out.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I stopped watching when it hit 4-2...

I remember that Kunitz sucked balls, our defense had no transition game going (Schultz should definitely be in after a few bad games by some of the guys), Fleury wasn't as sharp as we'd like him to be, etc etc.

Refs were horrendous as well.

 

[HuskerTornado]

An absolute embarrassment to lose to a team actively trying to finish in last. I don't know what else to call this game.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

so I've been at work checking the score without the possibility of posting, but ARE YOU ****ING KIDDING ME?

how the hell do you lose a game like this one against a team like this in this situation?

this Crosby/Malkin era Pens team is not supposed to be this frustrating. if it is, it's because someone at an upper level ****ed up royally...

Not that I wish for it to happen...

But assuming this team never gets competent management above, I wouldn't be against a trade to reap the benefits of what a Geno or whatever would be able to bring back in terms of actual depth. Again, not that I want it to happen, but I am looking around and seeing teams that have traded franchise players away, etc, and they made it out ok if they got the best return possible.

We're never going to see this team fill the prospect pool well enough to make it worth Sid & Geno's while when they are in their prime, by the time that whole fiasco is sorted out, these two will be in their Datsyuk and Zetterberg years as they are now.

Not kicking those thoughts out of my head...

The Pens should never be struggling against a team like the Flames in the state they are in currently and with how the Penguins have been playing.

Why the **** can't this team find a coach that tries something new with the roster, are we only allowed a few good things only? By that, I mean the kids are getting a shot in the bottom 6, but nowhere else. Hell I think any of those kids can do a better job in the top 6 of bringing some competency than Kunitz currently can.

How do you move Scuderi for not being a right fit, but then keep Kunitz and then keep shoving him down our throats as a top 6 forward when you clearly see the guy sucking and then the effort, this team is supposedly close to putting it together but that defensive game today....far from it.

/rant.

 

[Shaftception]

Because I used to really enjoy coming to this board. I'm sure there are a lot more people like me who have stopped coming because of all the overreaction and rampant, overwrought negativity. THIS is the kind of game where some posters should be acting the way they typically do and I tried to provide perspective so that maybe some of them will chill out and realize that there are games that deserve that kind of reaction. A game the Penguins win is not one of them.

Long story short, what you miss is a lie, that's all unyielding optimism in the face of evidence to the contrary amounts to. If there is some omnipresent negativity present here or elsewhere, it's batting 1.000 for over half a decade and counting, so who has the real value of opinion? The perpetually negative, or the repeatedly wrong?

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Group hug?

Hands above the waist!

 

[Malkin112*]

We have seen this movie before so many times with Malkin. He can't play run and gun style of hockey he looks so ****ing sloppy and disinterested. He needs to be more engaged defensively

Kessel had once again open net but can't score. I'm so sick of it

--Fleury

+++Crosby,Hörnqvist

 

[Honour Over Glory]

The thing is, you are getting 200ft hockey out of Crosby because is actively playing that game, Malkin is just playing lazy right now and maybe he is disinterested, who knows?

I feel like if this team misses the playoffs, they're going to implode.

 

[JTG]

Cullen's skating definitely fits the Penguins current style better, but Bonino's biggest issue is he has a severe case of Kesselitis

I expected so much more from both Kessel and Bonino this season. I've been very disappointed. I think the younger guys have had more of an impact on this team in the short time they have been playing than Bonino has in the games he's been in. Kessel hasn't been statistically bad, but he has just been so incredibly streaky, and I haven't viewed him as a real difference maker all season. He at no point in time has taken a game over.

Cullen was an awesome pickup.