Post-Game Talk: Pens 4, Rangers 2 - Win One for the Bortsie

[Zero Pucks]

Finally!

Where are all the people who said they had no chance at winning a single round? Where's all the people that laughed at my opinions when I said they were a lock for the ECF?

Isn't it pretty funny this team is finally having some success and looking like a competent hockey team for once, after some changes were finally made that everyone on here were kicking and screaming for over half a season?

And I'll laugh at your stupid opinions even harder now. You were making some pretty pessimistic posts halfway through the Columbus series, and now all-of-a-sudden you're acting like a wishy-washy Pens can-do-no-wrong fan once again? Even you had your doubts just like most of us, so don't act like you 'know' more.

The Pens have been lucky the way the playoffs have panned out so far. I'm happy with some of the changes that have been made. I'm not sure if it will be enough in the long run, but some optimism may slowly be creeping back into me. Hopefully Bylsma doesn't pull out his patented 'this is working so lets change it' move, once again.

 

[mpp9]

And I can see where Neal gets to give less than 100% and not receive criticism. Madden, just about the only consistent dissenting opinion in this town, just went on about how Neal is a real team player b/c he's a 40 goal scorer who is still trying while being played away from Malkin and not on the top unit PP.

That bothers me. Guess it doesn't for everyone else.

 

[Al Smith]

- orpiks injury

- 3rd period pp

+ malkin and Crosby gaining good ES chemistry

+ letang and martin were not split

I may have been watching on a non-HD TV, but I thought I saw 7 and 58 split up resulting in some bad pairings last night before 44 went out, which is what I expected DB - in his genius - to do. I could be mistaken though.

 

[Gurglesons]

And I can see where Neal gets to give less than 100% and not receive criticism. Madden, just about the only consistent dissenting opinion in this town, just went on about how Neal is a real team player b/c he's a 40 goal scorer who is still trying while being played away from Malkin and not on the top unit PP.

That bothers me. Guess it doesn't for everyone else.

Neal was one of the major reasons we won game 2. Go rematch that game and see how many little chippy after the whistle plays he was making around the net. Now think about why the Rangers are playing such spaced out defense, they are trying to limit the chances of letting players like Neal get in Hank's face and get Hank off his game.

 

[NeedleInTheHay]

Isn't it pretty funny this team is finally having some success and looking like a competent hockey team for once, after some changes were finally made that everyone on here were kicking and screaming for over half a season?

And I'll laugh at your stupid opinions even harder now. You were making some pretty pessimistic posts halfway through the Columbus series, and now all-of-a-sudden you're acting like a wishy-washy Pens can-do-no-wrong fan once again? Even you had your doubts just like most of us, so don't act like you 'know' more.

The Pens have been lucky the way the playoffs have panned out so far. I'm happy with some of the changes that have been made. I'm not sure if it will be enough in the long run, but some optimism may slowly be creeping back into me. Hopefully Bylsma doesn't pull out his patented 'this is working so lets change it' move, once again.

Yes I was pretty pissed after game 4 against Columbus but other than that i've been one of this lone board's optimists all season long and had no doubts they would step it up in the playoffs

 

[NeedleInTheHay]

You're a needle in my eye. You come in and provide zero analysis and just call people out for criticizing the team. That said, TTEOT is being overly critical. The team is winning by playing the right way now, which was a rarity over the past few years. You coming in all high and mighty is ridiculous.

It's quite funny how all my dumb opinions end up being facts

 

[Rocket of Russia]

Yes I was pretty pissed after game 4 against Columbus but other than that i've been one of this lone board's optimists all season long and had no doubts they would step it up in the playoffs

Blind faith isn't knowledge. What about 2010-present would have led you to believe they would "step it up in the playoffs?"

It's quite funny how all my dumb opinions end up being facts

What's an opinion that you've predicted that became fact? I've only noticed you criticize without offering any analysis of your own.

 

[billybudd]

I may have been watching on a non-HD TV, but I thought I saw 7 and 58 split up resulting in some bad pairings last night before 44 went out, which is what I expected DB - in his genius - to do. I could be mistaken though.

Dan didn't pull the plug. When you have 5 guys instead of 6, sometimes you just need to put the two that are the most rested out together. In other words, what you saw happened in isolated shifts, but it was by necessity, not design. After the TV timeouts, when everyone got a breather, most times it was 58 and 7 again.

 

[Rocket of Russia]

Dan didn't pull the plug. When you have 5 guys instead of 6, sometimes you just need to put the two that are the most rested out together. In other words, what you saw happened in isolated shifts, but it was by necessity, not design. After the TV timeouts, when everyone got a breather, most times it was 58 and 7 again.

I think he was referring to BEFORE Brooks went down. I missed most of the 1st period so I can't comment.

 

[billybudd]

I think he was referring to BEFORE Brooks went down. I missed most of the 1st period so I can't comment.

Maybe after special teams, but that's the only thing I can think.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

It's quite funny how all my dumb opinions end up being facts

What have you actually argued, though? I've never seen you actually provide an analysis of how the Penguins are playing. The only "opinion" you've presented is criticizing anyone who doesn't believe the Pens are awesome.

 

[Al Smith]

I think he was referring to BEFORE Brooks went down. I missed most of the 1st period so I can't comment.

Yes. I thought I saw this in the first period before 44 went out.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I may have been watching on a non-HD TV, but I thought I saw 7 and 58 split up resulting in some bad pairings last night before 44 went out, which is what I expected DB - in his genius - to do. I could be mistaken though.

I didn't see Orpik with anyone other than Scuderi last night. Then again, I missed portions of the game. But I believe by that point Orpik was already injured.

 

[MrBurghundy]

It's quite funny how all my dumb opinions end up being facts

Except the only time the ended up becoming facts, is after some changes were made that everybody's been complaining about, and you've been mocking, were implemented. Funny how that works.

 

[NeedleInTheHay]

Blind faith isn't knowledge. What about 2010-present would have led you to believe they would "step it up in the playoffs?"

Jaques Martin and being embarrassed last year


What's an opinion that you've predicted that became fact? I've only noticed you criticize without offering any analysis of your own.

Go read the thread where someone asks what to do with our first rounder this year, I picked Pitt over Clb and NYR before the seedings were even set

 

[MrBurghundy]

Go read the thread where someone asks what to do with our first rounder this year, I picked Pitt over Clb and NYR before the seedings were even set

Wow what are the odds? You're the next Nostradamus.

 

[billybudd]

I'm sure Needle's got a post in his history saying the Penguins will stop playing garbage "go north" hockey in game 4 (or was it 5? can't remember) of round 1 and start not only playing old school Devils hockey but be awesome at it.

So many people predicted that, after all, except, the complete opposite of what I just said.

 

[NeedleInTheHay]

Wow what are the odds? You're the next Nostradamus.

Odds compared to this board .1 percent

If my predictions were so easy, how come almost everyone else got it wrong on here? What does that say about the rest of you?

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Go read the thread where someone asks what to do with our first rounder this year, I picked Pitt over Clb and NYR before the seedings were even set

I mean... great. So what? I predicted the financial collapse years before it happened. Does that get me some sort of Presidential Citation?

What is your point, here? Just needlessly squawking for attention?

 

[Al Smith]

Odds compared to this board .1 percent

If my predictions were so easy, how come almost everyone else got it wrong on here? What does that say about the rest of you?

If I recall, except for the ultra-negative here, most predicted series victories over CLB and NYR (which isn't over yet, by the way).

I hope you actually applied your hockey genius toward a profitable end and bet a boatload on the eventual SCF winner.

 

[MrBurghundy]

Odds compared to this board .1 percent

If my predictions were so easy, how come almost everyone else got it wrong on here? What does that say about the rest of you?

Wow, so you did that math all by yourself to come up with .1%? Impressive.

 

[NeedleInTheHay]

I mean... great. So what? I predicted the financial collapse years before it happened. Does that get me some sort of Presidential Citation?

What is your point, here? Just needlessly squawking for attention?

Nice, you must have made a killing.

 

[Rocket of Russia]

Jaques Martin and being embarrassed last year

They weren't embarrassed in 2012 in the first round by the Flyers?

Go read the thread where someone asks what to do with our first rounder this year

Why don't you just tell me instead of giving me that vague description. What exactly was an opinion of yours that turned into fact about the Penguins' first rounder of this year? Not to mention an opinion on what should be done with a draft pick is a completely subjective topic and would never be something of absolute fact.

I picked Pitt over Clb and NYR before the seedings were even set

I meant something about this team - its style of play, its personnel, its management. What did you see (and put in writing) that others have not?

Are you really pumping your tires about bracket picks? Even with this roster playing dispassionate and lazy at both ends of the ice, Fleury's playoff history, and Bylsma's utter lunacy I still had the Penguins breezing through rounds 1 and 2 against Col and NYR. It's hardly a claim to HF supremacy.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Nice, you must have made a killing.

Not really. I just never lost my ass. Investing (to any degree worthwhile) takes significant capital, anyway. That I didn't have.

See... you can be right... but not have it mean ****-all. It actually happens more often than not. It's certainly not worth bragging about.

 

[madinsomniac]

The pens are winning because they fundamentally changed the system they are playing, made more favorable lines and pairings, and because they benched dead weight. They did so after having a subpar team push them almost to a game 7 in the first round and avoiding the two worse low round matchups they could have faced. This is about what happened last year...

If the pens continue to play smart hockey with the lead... not passive or overaggressive crud hockey they played almost all year, they may have a shot at beating a better team than they are... and lets not kid ourselves, Boston and pretty much the whole west are better teams overall than the pens have been this season, even if some have less actual talent.

The pens have had a run of good luck this playoffs, and combined with some hard play of late have looked Good to Ok the last 3 games. Lets not lose sight that they barely got out of the first round and looked terrible doing so. They almost blew a 4 goal lead in game 6... playing the kind of hockey that saw them have a sub 500 record from February through the early part of the playoffs.

If people saw that and banked on them getting to the finals, well that's probably just blind faith or random wishing cause frankly there was little to look at down the stretch and feel good about. They changed a ton of fundamental flaws that have been pointed out over and over out not just by posters here, but media guys all around hockey who were all seeing the same piss poor lazy stupid hockey that the Pens were playing down the stretch and through the first round...

Its nice to see them add speed to the 4th line, to drop the redundant Glass from the active roster, to play without a lesser version of Orpik, and to get away from lines that don't really work at a high level in the playoffs. Its even better to see them address the cross ice flaw in their power play that has been hanging there for some time and to utilize all three forwards in the defensive zone.


go rewatch last game... there were at least three occasions we had the puck pinned in our own zone for well over a minute and if The rangers weren't a worn out team struggling to find the net, probably give up several more goals in that game. That last game wouldn't cut it vs Boston or Chicago, and that was one of the better games they have played all season...

They still have serious flaws, possibly from trying to change what they fundamentally are doing in the middle of the playoffs, since we were too stupid to install a real playoff system late in the regular season when the games were meaningless and we were getting beat anyhow...

Is it nice that they are trying to play the way we'd like for a bit, sure, but to ignore that the offense still isn't exactly perfect for playoff 5 on 5 situation and the defense is still a work in progress is just obtuse...