Post-Game Talk: Pens 4, Flames 3 - Deserves Got Nothing to Do with It

[RizzleMcRib]

The good news is our scoring has gone up since then.

Who woulda thought 3 months ago we would be a +16 and 5th in the league in goals per game.

 

[66-30-33]

I mean, my emotional investment in the team is also questionable right now, and frankly, I'm offended that nobody's started a thread about that.

I'll make it later.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Who woulda thought 3 months ago we would be a +16 and 5th in the league in goals per game.

I posted this in the playoff thread:

All figures average per game. Goals are going up but so are goals against. I can see us tightening up as we hit the playoffs on both sides of the ledger. Getting those GA’s as much below 3.0 as we can get will be key. We know we can score pretty much no matter what (85% score 3+ in 2018)

Season
GF 3.3 GA 3.0

2017
GF 2.8 GA 3.2

2018
GF 4.0 GA 2.8

Since Feb
GF 4.2 GA 3.2

Last 10
GF 4.3 GA 3.2​

 

[HandshakeLine]

I'll make it later.

Feel free to mention my mental decline and possible vegetive state.

 

[Pancakes]

Who woulda thought 3 months ago we would be a +16 and 5th in the league in goals per game.

I mean a number of us analytical types did repeatedly say we were getting historically unlucky with our 5v5 shooting % and that our underlying numbers were still good.

Not surprised at all our 5v5 scoring came around. We were never gonna be that bad at it.

 

[66-30-33]

Feel free to mention my mental decline and possible vegetive state.

It would look fake without it.

 

[HandshakeLine]

It would look fake without it.

Don't let me down!

 

[EightyOne]

Rough times.

It's a win.

 

[LOGiK]

I don't know what thread to ask this, but I think Philly is in the 8-12+in of snow tomorrow. Anyone think that will postpone the game at 8pm?

 

[Ryder71]

I just don't think our gap or positional defense is anywhere close to what it needs to be. We haven't looked good really in our last five or six games. I'm more concerned with our form, our piss poor puck support and our lack of cohesiveness than necessarily the wins and losses. In conclusion if we play like this come the post season we're gonna have an early exit.

 

[Shaffer]

I just don't think our gap or positional defense is anywhere close to what it needs to be. We haven't looked good really in our last five or six games. I'm more concerned with our form, our piss poor puck support and our lack of cohesiveness than necessarily the wins and losses. In conclusion if we play like this come the post season we're gonna have an early exit.

Cole was our best positional defenseman and he was paired with our worst positional defenseman in Oleksiak. Oleksiak needs a partner like Cole(ie: Jodie Benn). Schultz doesn’t provide the amount positional defense needed for Oleksiak, but I think Ruhwedel could. Ruhwedel is someone who will never get enough recogniation due to his style. That would leave us with Maatta-Schultz... and they don’t work well.

 

[Ryder71]

Cole was our best positional defenseman and he was paired with our worst positional defenseman in Oleksiak. Oleksiak needs a partner like Cole(ie: Jodie Benn). Schultz doesn’t provide the amount positional defense needed for Oleksiak, but I think Ruhwedel could. Ruhwedel is someone who will never get enough recogniation due to his style. That would leave us with Maatta-Schultz... and they don’t work well.

That's the thing that bothers me the most besides what's amiss with Sid. I think the Cole loss is a significant one. Cole added a necessary component to this team that not all players possess. Not because he's that great of a player but because of just how well he and Oleksiak played as a tandem. Their chemistry was unmistakable and both players brought the best out of each other. But beyond that not Getting a Jordie Benn really left us in a bind. We're down to seven NHL defensemen when at minimum we should have eight. One injury and Hunwick is back in. That should not have happened. That was a very big mistake in my estimation. I still can't believe it occurred.

 

[Shaffer]

That's the thing that bothers me the most besides what's amiss with Sid. I think the Cole loss is a significant one. Cole added a necessary component to this team that not all players possess. Not because he's that great of a player but because of just how well he and Oleksiak played as a tandem. Their chemistry was unmistakable and both players brought the best out of each other. But beyond that not Getting a Jordie Benn really left us in a bind. We're down to seven NHL defensemen when at minimum we should have eight. One injury and Hunwick is back in. That should not have happened. That was a very big mistake in my estimation. I still can't believe it occurred.

Nobody is going to argue that we shouldn’t have picked up another defenseman. It could’ve possibly been the fact that we didn’t have a roster spot available? We had 23 players on the roster management weirdly won’t waive Rowney or Kuhnhackl.

Who cares now. It’s over. I like Corrado and Pedan and I feel like they can step in, but a Benn/Cole defenseman is exactly what we need—and what we had.

 

[Ryder71]

Nobody is going to argue that we shouldn’t have picked up another defenseman. It could’ve possibly been the fact that we didn’t have a roster spot available? We had 23 players on the roster management weirdly won’t waive Rowney or Kuhnhackl.

Who cares now. It’s over. I like Corrado and Pedan and I feel like they can step in, but a Benn/Cole defenseman is exactly what we neeed—and what we had.

Well, when something that moronic occurs it's hard to get over it. I have little tolerance for that level of ineptitude. Particularly when getting Brassard was such a good move. I mean you get a guy like that, who's arguably the best center available yet you have three days to pick up a depth defender and you can't accomplish that?

I don't know about Pedan, as I've never seen him play. But from what others have said he might be a decent option. Corrado, from what i've seen in his play he looked more tentative and overwhelmed with each passing game. No faith in him at all.

 

[Shaffer]

Well, when something that moronic occurs it's hard to get over it. I have little tolerance for that level of ineptitude. Particularly when getting Brassard was such a good move. I mean you get a guy like that, who's arguably the best center available yet you have three days to pick up a depth defender and you can't accomplish that?

I don't know about Pedan, as I've never seen him play. But from what others have said he might be a decent option. Corrado, from what i've seen in his play he looked more tentative and overwhelmed with each passing game. No faith in him at all.

I understand the whole depth defenseman thing, but Kirk did an analysis on what depth defenseman were going for. I don't think there was a market because of high prices. Brenden Smith set the market for this year--2nd+3rd for #4-5 defenseman. Every team had the right to ask that for their depth #4-5 defenseman now. Cole only got a 3rd, Davidson got a 3rd, Reilly got a 5th. Reilly for a 4th is something I would've done, though. Then you get into the "roster limit" part of it. Does management really see a need to trade the only right handed center we have(at the time)? I thought the Jooris move was a precursor for Rowney plus pick to go for a depth defenseman because Jooris could fill in the right handed center duty without Rowney. Who knows how management saw it though.

Pedan has played above expectations down in WBS from what I've seen/heard. I don't know where you got that you've got no faith in Corrado, though. I really liked Corrado when he has been in Pittsburgh this year.

 

[Ryder71]

I understand the whole depth defenseman thing, but Kirk did an analysis on what depth defenseman were going for. I don't think there was a market because of high prices. Brenden Smith set the market for this year--2nd+3rd for #4-5 defenseman. Every team had the right to ask that for their depth #4-5 defenseman now. Cole only got a 3rd, Davidson got a 3rd, Reilly got a 5th. Reilly for a 4th is something I would've done, though. Then you get into the "roster limit" part of it. Does management really see a need to trade the only right handed center we have(at the time)? I thought the Jooris move was a precursor for Rowney plus pick to go for a depth defenseman because Jooris could fill in the right handed center duty without Rowney. Who knows how management saw it though.

Pedan has played above expectations down in WBS from what I've seen/heard. I don't know where you got that you've got no faith in Corrado, though. I really liked Corrado when he has been in Pittsburgh this year.

I don't think the price would have been prohibitive. Cole got what a 3rd and a throw away prospect? Come on, We could have gotten somebody. Again, we got Brassard, if we can get someone of that ilk we can get a bottom pairing defensemen.

 

[SEALBound]

And we are not talking about small sample with Sheary. It´s dating well back to last year´s playoffs. It looks more and more that his one good regular season was just a fluke. What a shame.

Here's what we know about Sheary (at least, we SHOULD all know):

1. He works well with Sid.
2. He produces best with Sid.
3. The best he has produced (and "looked") is with Horny and Sid.
4. He's a slippery guy at times but he will struggle against bigger, more physical dmen/teams.

That said, we have taken him away from Sid and Horny and we are suddenly "shocked" about his lack of production?

I mean, come on people, we know what Sheary is. My view is, if you're not going to dedicate playing him with Sid, you may as well move him.

 

[Shaffer]

I don't think the price would have been prohibitive. Cole got what a 3rd and a throw away prospect? Come on, We could have gotten somebody. Again, we got Brassard, if we can get someone of that ilk we can get a bottom pairing defensemen.

I'm sure we could have, but just think about the roster limit thing. I think that could've been a legit problem in us trying to get a depth defenseman.

 

[Ryder71]

I'm sure we could have, but just think about the roster limit thing. I think that could've been a legit problem in us trying to get a depth defenseman.

We could have waived someone, problem solved.

 

[Turin]

Here's what we know about Sheary (at least, we SHOULD all know):

1. He works well with Sid.
2. He produces best with Sid.
3. The best he has produced (and "looked") is with Horny and Sid.
4. He's a slippery guy at times but he will struggle against bigger, more physical dmen/teams.

That said, we have taken him away from Sid and Horny and we are suddenly "shocked" about his lack of production?

I mean, come on people, we know what Sheary is. My view is, if you're not going to dedicate playing him with Sid, you may as well move him.

He looked good with Hornqvist and Sid in the Rangers series two years ago. Aside from that he looked best with Guentzel and Crosby and probably put up more points with Kunitz than Horny. If you remember, Crosby had to carry that line kicking and screaming in the playoffs in 2016 they were so ineffective at ES after round 1. Sheary’s best hope is probably playing on the Kids line or finding his game in the bottom six.

 

[SEALBound]

He looked good with Hornqvist and Sid in the Rangers series two years ago. Aside from that he looked best with Guentzel and Crosby and probably put up more points with Kunitz than Horny. If you remember, Crosby had to carry that line kicking and screaming in the playoffs in 2016 they were so ineffective at ES after round 1. Sheary’s best hope is probably playing on the Kids line or finding his game in the bottom six.

Jake-Sid-Sheary was good against smaller less physical teams. It struggled against Washington and was only meh against Ottawa and Nashville.

But I so agree with you. A point to arrive to between us would be: Sheary is a 3rd wheel.

As long as the other wheel is a physical board battler, Sheary will probably work.

 

[66-30-33]

Don't let me down!

I probably will.

 

[Shaffer]

We could have waived someone, problem solved.

Management wanted a PKer in Kuhnhackl plus a right handed center in Rowney on the team.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Maybe JR was just looking at stats and thought Jooris was a dman? He is getting up there in age.

 

[Shaffer]

Maybe JR was just looking at stats and thought Jooris was a dman? He is getting up there in age.

PF Chang's Staff told JR that Jooris was a defenseman. Makes sense.