Post-Game Talk: Pens 3, Caps 2 (OT): Me So Horny, Me So Horny

[DoktorZaius]

(I STILL would have loved to see if Sully could have made Neal not a moron. I have my doubts)

The problem is having Neal instead of Hornqvist on the team makes Sullivan's job twice as hard. Not only does he have to fix Neal, he doesn't have Hornqvist radiating his aura of psychotic dedication & pure effort.

 

[KIRK]

Sullivan, and JR as well, are removing things for us to complain about. I never thought that would happen.

There always will be something to complain about, but yes it's getting much harder.

Side question: Time to change your username to THE ARTIST FORMERLY KNOWN AS JADED-FAN?

 

[KIRK]

The problem is having Neal instead of Hornqvist on the team makes Sullivan's job twice as hard. Not only does he have to fix Neal, he doesn't have Hornqvist radiating his aura of psychotic dedication & pure effort.

And don't forget that Hornqvist's attitude is infectious. Or reinforcing of what Sully is trying to do, if you prefer.

 

[Winger for Hire]

Not just Horny's hard work and attitude, but his willingness to go to the net, get dirty, and get pounded waiting to maybe get a rebound or tip is something to behold.

 

[BeautiPhil]

I swear Hornqvist is the most driven determined hockey player that i have ever seen on a nightly basis.

Also, credit to Jacques Martin for getting the absolute most out of this defense. The guy is a defensive mastermind.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Yeah, it's genuinely impressive watching Hornqvist nightly. He won't dangle guys, he won't split the defense with his speed, but the way he causes havoc around the net is incredible. Hornqvist, with no exaggeration, could draw 10 penalties a night with how much ******** he has to deal with when set up in front of the crease. And he never retaliates.

 

[KIRK]

I swear Hornqvist is the most driven determined hockey player that i have ever seen on a nightly basis.

Also, credit to Jacques Martin for getting the absolute most out of this defense. The guy is a defensive mastermind.

He's not getting enough credit for this job.

 

[NastyNick]

This is how i know the Caps are cooked - quotes like this:

"We’ve been in some tough spots before,” Alzner said. “It just comes with the job. You find a way to get over it as fast as you can."

Like that time you were up on the Flyers 3-0 and had to take them to game six to finish them off. Certainly you had your backs against the wall there.

Or that time you had the #1 locked up by the end of February. Tight spot for sure.

Or maybe further back we go - like last year when you had the Rangers up 3 games to 1 and blew the series? Maybe game 7 was a "tight" spot.. but getting over it - not sure that happened.

What a riot.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Hornqvist now has 7 goals and 11 points in 14 career playoff games with the Pens. That is better than any of Neal's individual playoff runs outside of his 2012, which was the "defense is optional" series.

 

[PensBandwagonerNo272*]

I'll shamelessly use a cliche here and say Horny is exactly the type of player every team would love to have. I'm glad he and Sid worked through whatever was going on (cough Johnston cough) earlier in the year because they work well together with top line minutes.

 

[kk87]

Went to my first Pens game in Pittsburgh last night, totally worth the 12 hour round trip from Ontario. What a game to watch. Our defense was atrocious at times, but we pulled it out.

Crazy stat I just found... prior to this game, I believe the Pens had lost 8 straight OT playoff games. Last playoff overtime win was in 2013 against the Isles crazy

 

[SEALBound]

Hornqvist now has 7 goals and 11 points in 14 career playoff games with the Pens. That is better than any of Neal's individual playoff runs outside of his 2012, which was the "defense is optional" series.

This is why we got him. Everything he is doing in the playoffs is why we make that trade.

Would it be nice to have Nealer on the PP to rocket some one-timers? Dear God YES!

But I'll take what Horny is giving us night and night out any day. Such a hole the Penguins had for every that he fills. You get into series like these, guys like Hornqvist are worth their weight in gold.

 

[KIRK]

Hornqvist now has 7 goals and 11 points in 14 career playoff games with the Pens. That is better than any of Neal's individual playoff runs outside of his 2012, which was the "defense is optional" series.

Ironically Horny had 3 goals and 7 points in 24 career playoff games in Nashville, while Neal has 7 goals and 9 points in 16 career playoffs games there.

Why can't we just say the trade worked for both teams and leave it there?

 

[StaalForOne]

He's not getting enough credit for this job.

A little while back there were mentions of other teams considering him for vacant head coaching jobs. Someone is noticing. Hopefully he sticks around a little while longer.

 

[KIRK]

A little while back there were mentions of other teams considering him for vacant head coaching jobs. Someone is noticing. Hopefully he sticks around a little while longer.

I'd rather they take Tocchet.

Please. Please hockey gods . . .

 

[EliteGoaltending]

Extremely close game once again. Hard work and a little bit of luck and we're up 3-1 in the series. Hoping for the best on Saturday.

 

[EliteGoaltending]

I do not get why when they finally moved Kunitz from the top line to the third line people are still upset. It is exactly what we asked for, and he has not looked horrid there. It is not like you are going to break up the Bones line or the fourth line. Geno is gonna Geno and he has looked dominant at times this series. I have no problem with Kunitz there.

Kunitz has 2 points in 9 games this postseason, while playing with Sid and Geno. I think it's the lowest on the team. If he's not killing shifts, he doesn't finish chances, and at this point, I don't really expect him to.
Rust added energy and speed on that line yesterday, but he lacks good hands. Geno went beast mode, but playing him with Kunitz is a waste of energy.
I would throw Kunitz on the forth line with Cullen-Kuhn, if they refuse to sit him.

Bringing Sprong might be an option, but I doubt they would do it. I wish Bennet was healthy (lol, I know). I'd try Fehr or Sundqvist with Rust-Malkin, just to see if it would work better than with Kunitz.

 

[Icarium]

So proud of this team. I wouldn't write off the Caps yet because it's the demon-exorcising playoff season this year (even the Islanders won a series, after all) but the team spirit of the Pens is so much better than anything we have seen since 2009. It's a joy to watch even if the execution is off.

Malkin is flying, if he didn't have this anchor named Kunitz on his his line would have scored for sure. Pierre and Doc talked and talked about Geno and Rust doing well and even Pierre couldn't find anything good to say about Kunitz he was that bad. I think Kunitz showed some signs of life in the previous game but enough is enough, can we play the injured Bennett or any warm body from WBS, he can't be any worse than that.

Damn, that Holtby save on the time we to it going on the PP - the feed from Malkin to Crosby for a one-timer in the second was a beauty. We really need to get the PP going but you can't help but admire saves like that.

 

[billybudd]

If Bonino had another gear speed wise, he'd be a legit, no doubt about it top six center.

Three months ago I was calling him Nick Spaling. Yikes.

I know, right? Same boat, here.

Three months ago Bourque was saying Nick Bonino's problem is that he's a skilled player who was thinking about himself the way a 4th liner does (just do x and y to not get scored on is my job) and he needed to break that mentality. Start thinking "Hey, I'm Nick Bonino; I can change the outcome of this game." Boy was he right and boy did 'Jihadi' ever pull that off.

 

[KIRK]

Kunitz has 2 points in 9 games this postseason, while playing with Sid and Geno. I think it's the lowest on the team. If he's not killing shifts, he doesn't finish chances, and at this point, I don't really expect him to.
Rust added energy and speed on that line yesterday, but he lacks good hands. Geno went beast mode, but playing him with Kunitz is a waste of energy.
I would throw Kunitz on the forth line with Cullen-Kuhn, if they refuse to sit him.

Bringing Sprong might be an option, but I doubt they would do it. I wish Bennet was healthy (lol, I know). I'd try Fehr or Sundqvist with Rust-Malkin, just to see if it would work better than with Kunitz.

They are not going to scratch Kunitz, and the unfortunate situation is that the least destructive place to play him is with Malkin. He's best suited at this point to babysit Kunitz. Obviously, it would help when Malkin is playing for Sullivan to give Malkin a 5 on 5 shift without Kunitz, but that's apparently asking too much.

 

[mpp9]

I know, right? Same boat, here.

Three months ago Bourque was saying Nick Bonino's problem is that he's a skilled player who was thinking about himself the way a 4th liner does (just do x and y to not get scored on is my job) and he needed to break that mentality. Boy was he right and boy did 'Jihadi' ever pull that off.

Pens management and core players need to sit down with every bottom six forward acquisition and tell them their job is to do more than just play sound defensively and watch the stars score.

I remember a Fehr interview in the Rangers series with him basically saying just the opposite.

This is a 4 line league now.

 

[XanderCrews34]

Boy was the Rust-Malkin adjustment a shot in the arm for both of those guys? Rust creates so much space out there and other teams always seem to learn to hate him.

 

[KIRK]

Boy was the Rust-Malkin adjustment a shot in the arm for both of those guys? Rust creates so much space out there and other teams always seem to learn to hate him.

I think Rust was okay anyway, but I was 100% wrong in what to expect from Kunitz-Malkin-Rust, and I couldn't be happier about it.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

From an article on defensemen and how they have done in the playoffs. Look at these graphs.

This chart is defensemen who are killing it in the Playoffs:

This chart is of defensemen who are failing in the playoffs:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/best-defencemen-proficient-offence/

Trevor Daily had extremely comparable numbers to Letang in both exiting the zone and possession numbers. Now you see why Sully trusted him with so many minutes last night. He in some ways is a Letang clone.

Ben Lovejoy and Orpik were comparable, with Lovejoy being better, which screams volumes of why the Caps are having issues. Lovejoy's possession numbers suck, but at least he can exit the zone. Maybe why he plays.

 

[XanderCrews34]

I think Rust was okay anyway, but I was 100% wrong in what to expect from Kunitz-Malkin-Rust, and I couldn't be happier about it.

I'll second that. I think that line really is the best way to hide Kunitz and if Rust keeps skating like his hair is on fire and Malkin does Malkin things, Kunitz might even score...or something. Maybe.