Post-Game Talk: Pens 4, Devils 1 - A Chris Kunitz Christmas Special

[CertifiedLurker]

The major moves I want to see. I want to see Cullen used with hags and kessel. I want bonino, Wilson, and Kuhn to be tried. Until bonino figures it out. Bonino is killing his line right now. Hats needs to find his game too.

I also want to see rust away from aid, but weirdly I think that line is starting to work. Rust just isn't as effective against number one defenders. I think that's obvious.

Players I feel are struggling right now - bonino, hags, fehr, Dumo, and kessel is in full December mode. Kessel I'm ok with. Horny and kunitz are trending upward. Cully, Sid, Geno, Sheary, Wilson are all really good to me. Schultz, too.

Kessel wasn't in December mode until they plopped him back on a line with Bonino. When he was playing with Malkin and Hagelin, that **** was lit.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I mean... good rebound game. NJ looks like a pile of ****. We needed that to get our confidence back. I still cannot believe Sid gets an early goal and can't get another pt. Thought MAF played well. Thought 4th line played well. Really disappointed in HBK. But oh well.

But no complaints. Merry Christmas everyone. I hope everyone has a safe and awesome holiday.

It's crazy at this point. No matter how well Sid plays, he can't get more than a point or two (if lucky). So many games Sid scores early in the first, only to not get another point the rest of the way. Meanwhile, McDavid has nothing going on until the third, and suddenly he comes away with a 2 or 3 point game.

Like I said in a previous thread, it's actually amazing that Sid's so close to the scoring race when you consider he still hasn't really had a huge game or multiple huge games. He's just consistently getting one point almost every night, with a sprinkling of a 2-point game in there. If he could ever start to pile up a handful of 3 and 4-point games, the Art Ross is his.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Some Christmas updated December home numbers. The Pens especially at home have been scary dominant as far as stats go.

In those 8 games at home in December the Pens have gone 7-0-1. They have also:

* Scored 41 goals, 5.13 goals a game.

* Allowed 17 goals, 2.13 goals a game.

* The goal differential was 3 goals a game during December.

* Went 9 for 33 on the PP, scoring on 27.3 percent of their chances.

* had 318 shots, 39.75 shots per game.

* gave up 256 shots, 32 shots per game.

* the shot differential being 62 shots, or 7.75 per game.

 

[SEALBound]

Sheary-Sid-Rust
Hags-Geno-Kessel
Wilson-Cully-Kuhn/Fehr
Kunitz-Bones-Horny

Just...do it. Just do it.

 

[Ogrezilla]

No disrespect to Rust (who's been awesome this year), but there were 3 or 4 sequences where Hornqvist probably scores at least 1 or 2 of those. I get that they want another guy who can carry the puck around, but I still like 72 with 87 better if the guy on the left is Sheary. If it's not Sheary, maybe Rust makes more sense, I dunno.

Good for Ruhwedel. He's a guy I thought had an under the radar really good camp and its nice to see him get rewarded. I also liked his comments at intermission.

In general, I think it makes the most sense to keep Rust, Sheary, and Hagelin split between 3 lines.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Sheary-Sid-Rust
Hags-Geno-Kessel
Wilson-Cully-Kuhn/Fehr
Kunitz-Bones-Horny

Just...do it. Just do it.

I like the LWs and Cs, but I'd change those RWs. Horny with Sid, Kessel with Geno, Rust with Cullen, Kuhn/Fehr with Bones.

Alas, Kunitz. Of things that don't break the Kunitz rule, I wouldn't mind seeing

Sheary-Sid-Horny
Hags-Geno-Kessel
Kunitz-Cully-Rust
Wilson-Bones-Kuhn/Fehr

so just go back to what we were dominating with a week ago, but flip Cullen and Bones. Or flip Cullen and Geno's wings if they really want Kunitz on Geno's line and/or Kessel on the 3rd line.

 

[billybudd]

In general, I think it makes the most sense to keep Rust, Sheary, and Hagelin split between 3 lines.

Agreed.

 

[Mattpilf]

No disrespect to Rust (who's been awesome this year), but there were 3 or 4 sequences where Hornqvist probably scores at least 1 or 2 of those. I get that they want another guy who can carry the puck around, but I still like 72 with 87 better if the guy on the left is Sheary. If it's not Sheary, maybe Rust makes more sense, I dunno.

Good for Ruhwedel. He's a guy I thought had an under the radar really good camp and its nice to see him get rewarded. I also liked his comments at intermission.

Hornqvist spent about 25 games next to Sid and only got 1 even strength goal. He's not going to convert on all those chances either, and that's not from a shortage of them.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Kessel wasn't in December mode until they plopped him back on a line with Bonino. When he was playing with Malkin and Hagelin, that **** was lit.

Not that I'm too happy with HBK, but Sully made the right decision breaking up HMK after that Toronto game if you ask me. Kessel was absolutely horrible. Worst game as a Penguin.

As for how I want our lines, I'm not sure. I wouldn't mind experimenting with moving Sheary around to try and make other fits. I agree that Sheary, Rust and Hagelin should be split. Guentzel will probably never happen.

Hagelin - Crosby - Kessel
Kunitz - Malkin - Rust
Sheary - Bonino - Hornqvist
Wilson - Cullen - Fehr

Just try it for a game or two. Please.

 

[Gurglesons]

I like the LWs and Cs, but I'd change those RWs. Horny with Sid, Kessel with Geno, Rust with Cullen, Kuhn/Fehr with Bones.

Alas, Kunitz. Of things that don't break the Kunitz rule, I wouldn't mind seeing

Sheary-Sid-Horny
Hags-Geno-Kessel
Kunitz-Cully-Rust
Wilson-Bones-Kuhn/Fehr

so just go back to what we were dominating with a week ago, but flip Cullen and Bones. Or flip Cullen and Geno's wings if they really want Kunitz on Geno's line and/or Kessel on the 3rd line.

I think the one thing I like about Kunitz right now is that he seems to have chemistry with Rust. I also think that Rust is good at being the offensive scorer on a line. Kuni and Hornqvist is just cycling with no real purpose. I'm glad it makes our announcers get wet, but it doesn't work. Neither of them has the creativity to score and I guess that's the idea behind putting them with Malkin. The cool part of playing Bones on the fourth line is that you can hope his production continues to dwindle and he's a replacement for Cullen. Bonino's defensive play is totally worth like a 3 - 3.5 x 3 contract. It's that he might overvalue his offensive production, which only tends to come when he's paired up with allstar players. I.E. power play time with the Ducks or riding shotgun with Kessel when he's possessed in the playoffs.

 

[Gurglesons]

Not that I'm too happy with HBK, but Sully made the right decision breaking up HMK after that Toronto game if you ask me. Kessel was absolutely horrible. Worst game as a Penguin.

I feel like Malkin and Kessel have the same types of emotional swings in their games. When they are on, their dominance is unrivaled in their respective positions. When they are off, it effects every aspect of their game.

 

[NewAgeOutlaw]

Out of all the warranted complaints for kunitz, I feel the last three games he's been fine. Not bad nor great. He's fine. I thought Hornqvist has been better, too.

Like I said in the gdt, I've pretty much been missing every week day game with work lately. Even so, my comment is not a reflection of Kunitz's play in recent games. I just think that line will become a disaster eventually. Hornqvist has never really worked with Geno and Kunitz is Kunitz.

 

[PensPlz]

Im really hoping Sid takes the rocket and art ross, or is that too greedy?

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

He's gonna need more than one point a game

 

[TheGoldenJet]

I like the LWs and Cs, but I'd change those RWs. Horny with Sid, Kessel with Geno, Rust with Cullen, Kuhn/Fehr with Bones.

Alas, Kunitz. Of things that don't break the Kunitz rule, I wouldn't mind seeing

Sheary-Sid-Horny
Hags-Geno-Kessel
Kunitz-Cully-Rust
Wilson-Bones-Kuhn/Fehr

so just go back to what we were dominating with a week ago, but flip Cullen and Bones. Or flip Cullen and Geno's wings if they really want Kunitz on Geno's line and/or Kessel on the 3rd line.

This is how my lines look as well.

 

[Will Hunting]

He's gonna need more than one point a game

If that is "a goal", then I´m OK with that. However, I still can´t understand why Sid+Kessel is a forbidden thing. They were only tried for like 5 games in Johnston era which shouldn´t really count.... And yeah, please no Hornqvist there. But Rust is gonna play over his head there, too. Solution is soo obvious, yet still forbidden somehow.

 

[Hossa die Waldfee]

He's gonna need more than one point a game

He is currently scoring 1.31 P\GP. To complain about his "lack" of production is ridiculous.

 

[WayneSid9987]

The lines will no doubt be changing again soon.
This current configuration simply won't be good enough in 5on5 production as a whole.

Regarding Sid and the inability to get more points after first goals.
There really hasn't been consistency in his line at 5on5 play in a long while with Horny struggling and Sheary being hot, for a bit, then running cold again. Sad thing is, they never tried Jake with Sid and it's a legit LW option for both 87 or 71 atm.
But i'm ok with Jake doing his thing in the A a little while longer.

I really thought Horny was starting to come around at the end of a game where Sully got sick of Rust with Sid(think it was the TOR game) but he went right back to SCR the next game.

If i'm Sully, my 2 simple rules for the lines right now are NO HBK and if KMH(aka WTF) isn't tilting the ice, it ain't worth it.
Bottom line is with the matchups you should have 2 of your top 3 lines tilting the ice.
Having just the WTF line tilting it ain't gonna cut it.

 

[Don'tcry4mejanhrdina]

Give Crosby Kessel. Let them gain chemistry and the Art Ross and Rocket would likely be his.

 

[ColePens]

Give Crosby Kessel. Let them gain chemistry and the Art Ross and Rocket would likely be his.

I just don't think they work together. I really don't. I dont mind trying, but I don't know.

 

[Peat]

I just don't think they work together. I really don't. I dont mind trying, but I don't know.

There's nothing to lose by trying and lord knows we seem to have been through every possible top 9 configuration by now.

 

[Don'tcry4mejanhrdina]

I just don't think they work together. I really don't. I dont mind trying, but I don't know.

How many games have they been played together? I think it would work if they had a grinder type on the left.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Last time sid and kessel played on a line for a game, kessel had 2 goals. Hags Cullen horny was the 2nd line and they scored one or two as well. This was at home against Detroit last season while bones and Geno were hurt.

 

[Ugene Magic]

I just don't think they work together. I really don't. I dont mind trying, but I don't know.

Pretty much on point.

I think for most of the teams they need to max out their depth to give other teams more to worry about.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I wouldn't be at all opposed to trying Kessel out with Crosby. I've been wanting to see it for a while, actually. I mean... if he and Malkin aren't allowed to play together for some reason (despite stellar results in just about every instance) then at least give him a shot with Crosby. Especially since 1> Rust doesn't seem like a good fit on Crosby's RW and 2> Kessel is being utterly wasted with Bonino and Hags.

And why wouldn't he work with Crosby?

Sometimes I really have to shake my head a little bit. I get that "depth = EVERYTHING" or whatever but talent generally trumps all. You play your best players with your best players and usually it works out pretty well. You can overwhelm teams with matchup problems and coming at them in waves. When you have Crosby and Malkin... it's also a perfectly viable strategy to simply overwhelm other teams with your top six, too. And it will always be a mystery to me why there is so much resistance to that.

Yes... I know how they just won the Cup. The Penguins kept looking backwards after 2009, as well. How'd that work out?