Post-Game Talk: Pens - 6, Lightning - 3

[Shrimper]

I'm so excited to see Perron play tomorrow (hopefully). I'm so excited to see an actual skilled winger in our top-6 that won't get hurt every 5 games (sorry Beau)

I just hope he is with Crosby.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

I just hope he is with Crosby.

I hope that he is with Malkin, not Crosby.

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

Don't really care who Perron plays with, I'm sure he will produce with either player

 

[ProgOg]

Megna has been re-assigned to WBS

 

[Asuna]

Perron will be with Malkin, I'm sure.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

His east west style of play, lack of elite speed, great passing, Neal light shot fit Malkin like a glove. Crosby always did better with more of a north south player.

Perron was made to play with Malkin.

 

[Al Smith]

No doubt the ref was carrying some rare, contagious tropical disease.

Ebbett had his best game as a Pen, although he went back toward invisible mode after the first 30 minutes or so. Essentially he, Rust and Farnham were playing not to be scratched tonight. I suspect it will be Farnham who is in the press box. It will also be interesting to see who sits when Martin comes back soon. One would think it will be DP, but it could just as easily be Bort. That pairing last night made me uncomfortable.

 

[Shrimper]

If Perron goes with Malkin then are we still looking for a winger for Sid or do we wait until Hornqvist is fit again?

Also, not going to lie. I completely forgot about Megna.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Rust looked good last night. Not sure why Adams got to take his place.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

If Perron goes with Malkin then are we still looking for a winger for Sid or do we wait until Hornqvist is fit again?

Also, not going to lie. I completely forgot about Megna.

Who cares about the regular season? If the plan is Malkin and Perron in April get them together as soon and as long as possible to get comfortable with one another.

 

[Will Hunting]

Megna has been re-assigned to WBS

Good. Hopefully he will stay there for a while this time. When we need Megna, it´s always a bad sign. I´m curious who´s gonna be scratched, though.

Ebbett? Rust? Farnham? Adams? Hopefully it´s not Farnham, that would be so dumb.

 

[cassius]

When we signed Downie and Comeau this off-season, I expected one of them to be mediocre.

Both of them have just been unreal this season.

 

[Deutschland Dangler]

Rust looked good last night. Not sure why Adams got to take his place.

There was a Tweet (forgot by who) after Ehrhoff got slapped in the face with a stick in the third saying that Ehrhoff and Rust are sitting on the bench crouched over and in pain. No idea what happened to Rust, but that could explain it.


EDIT: I remembered wrong, it was Sutter.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

When we signed Downie and Comeau this off-season, I expected one of them to be mediocre.

Both of them have just been unreal this season.

Agreed. JR deserves a ton of credit for rebuilding this team as we wanted on the cheap.

As is, Crosby with Hornqvist, Malkin with Perron, Sutter third line center, and fill in the wings with either another aquisition or some combination of Downie, Comeau, Bennett and Kunitz and you have a deadly top six, and a strong bottom six as well. I think that the Pens will surprise many this playoffs if they are healthy.

 

[cheesedanish87]

Good. Hopefully he will stay there for a while this time. When we need Megna, it´s always a bad sign. I´m curious who´s gonna be scratched, though.

Ebbett? Rust? Farnham? Adams? Hopefully it´s not Farnham, that would be so dumb.

That's a good question, before last night's game i would of definitly said Ebbett, but since Ebbett had a good game maybe it will be Farnham.

Its really hard to predict MJ lineup though, who would of ever guessed that Geno would of played with Ebbett and Rust going into last night's game.

 

[Shrimper]

Who cares about the regular season? If the plan is Malkin and Perron in April get them together as soon and as long as possible to get comfortable with one another.

Crosby still needs a winger. Hornqvist works but he needs a LW.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Crosby still needs a winger. Hornqvist works but he needs a LW.

Hornqvist + Bennett/Comeau/Downie/Kunitz is better than he has had in years and is good enough, assuming no trade. It is not like he would have to have Rust on his wing.

 

[Shrimper]

Hornqvist + Bennett/Comeau/Downie/Kunitz is better than he has had in years and is good enough, assuming no trade. It is not like he would have to have Rust on his wing.

Right now I'd want Downie on there and go;

Downie-Crosby-Hornqvist
Comeau-Malkin-Perron
Kunitz-Sutter-Bennett

Can then get a top 6 winger if needs be.

 

[LionelHutz*]

Good. Hopefully he will stay there for a while this time. When we need Megna, it´s always a bad sign. I´m curious who´s gonna be scratched, though.

Ebbett? Rust? Farnham? Adams? Hopefully it´s not Farnham, that would be so dumb.

Even though he played pretty good and got a goal last night, Ebbett should be the guy to sit.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Right now I'd want Downie on there and go;

Downie-Crosby-Hornqvist
Comeau-Malkin-Perron
Kunitz-Sutter-Bennett

Can then get a top 6 winger if needs be.

Looks like a pretty solid lineup to me.

 

[wej20]

Time for Pouliot to go back down and put Harrington in the lineup until Martin is back.

 

[NatureBoy]

Hornqvist + Bennett/Comeau/Downie/Kunitz is better than he has had in years and is good enough, assuming no trade. It is not like he would have to have Rust on his wing.

Agreed! Just compare this team to last years team, that should have beaten the Stanley Cup finalists even with horrible hockey players like Glass on it. Should be in much better shape this year.....Sutter is an example, last year he had to play mostly with garbage, right now he plays with Kunitz and Bennett.

 

[steveg]

Haven't read the thread, so sorry if this quote by Johnston has been posted before:

Johnston: "Recognizing sort of where we were heading with the [David Perron] trade, and I think everybody knows, ideally we would like to have those three centers [Crosby, Malkin and Brandon Sutter]," Johnston said. "So, I thought the other night, they were OK together. I really like them 4-on-4, but I thought where we're heading today and tomorrow is to try to get back to three centers. That's our strength and we have to play to our strength."

Thanks for that, kikkerlaika. HOPEFULLY this MJ quote puts to bed the absolute nonsense I keep seeing a few people on here post, about how MJ sees Sutter as his 2C and wants Malkin on the wing. RIDICULOUS! I simply do NOT GET why some posters (Jag68Sid87 for one) couldn't see that as something MJ OBVIOUSLY did DUE TO PERSONNEL SHORTAGES, AS A TEMPORARY THING, as opposed to what he sees as the way his lineup should be constructed if the team were fully healthy. GEEZ! MJ is NOT an idiot -- I'd like to think he's shown that by now...

Right now I'd want Downie on there and go;

Downie-Crosby-Hornqvist
Comeau-Malkin-Perron
Kunitz-Sutter-Bennett

Can then get a top 6 winger if needs be.

That's a pretty good-looking lineup, honestly -- which is a testament to the posters here that said, prior to the Perron trade "we are really not that far off, personnel-wise." I think that lineup, if healthy, could do some real damage -- given the talent we have on the back end.

That said, I do hope that JR has that one more, good move up his sleeve to bring in one more top-6 winger, and as has been said, he still has chips available to do so. If he pulls that off, I don't see how this team does not become an immediate, top 2-3 Cup favorite. Then, an injury in the top 6 would STILL leave us with a lineup like the above...I can't imagine having that degree of top-6 depth. C'mon, JR -- one more! You can do it, and you don't even have to blow up our prospect pool or roster, to do so...

Even a Jagr, a Stewart, someone like that, could be minimally acceptable. A Williams for Martin, as mentioned in other threads, sure would be nice; BUT -- if JR pulls off a potentially long-term solution? Then it's JR FOR PRESIDENT!

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Right now I'd want Downie on there and go;

Downie-Crosby-Hornqvist
Comeau-Malkin-Perron
Kunitz-Sutter-Bennett

Can then get a top 6 winger if needs be.

Hate that first line with Downie there. I appreciate what he is doing for this team, but if he's a top line winger come playoff time, Crosby is going to struggle again.

We'll see what happens by the deadline. However, with Hornqvist, Perron and Downie, this team is going to be extremely unpleasant to play agt in the playoffs. All three guys play balls to the walls hockey and are aggravating as hell to try and deal with shift after shift.

Should be a complete 180 from last season and fun to watch.

 

[mpp9]

We need to fix Sid's line. Its obvious as hell to put him with Sid. Unless JR has an even more dynamic player coming in, thats how it should be.

Perron-Sid-PH. You'll get the most out of all three players.