Post-Game Talk: Pens get outplayed|going to game 7

[Dipsy Doodle]

I'm talking about their entire careers here bro. Their entire careers.

We saw Toews have a complete breakdown last year agt Detroit, and he has way more talent and top end coaching around him than Crosby.

This org has surrounded their two generational talents with poor coaching, atrocious goaltending, and their "best" winger has as much heart as the tin man.

I wish Crosby would play better, but he has been a band-aid for this org for years and because of that the roster and proper coaching was allowed to be sup-par.

So no, I'm not turning on him. I appreciate all he has done for this team and people who want to blast him, cool.

I'm not "turning" on him. The Pens are still my team and Sid's my favorite player.

But his play this post-season isn't a new development. Sid underperformed against Philly and got clowned by Giroux in the process. He played his worst series ever against Boston and looks like he's trying to replicate that performance this year. The fact is that whatever excuses people want to use for Sid can be applied to Malkin too, and he's playing great.

Criticizing Sid's performance and expecting better isn't turning on a guy, it's calling a spade a spade. He needs to show up. A lot of others do too, but heavy's the head that wears the crown.

 

[Shady Machine]

I'm not "turning" on him. The Pens are still my team and Sid's my favorite player.

But his play this post-season isn't a new development. Sid underperformed against Philly and got clowned by Giroux in the process. He played his worst series ever against Boston and looks like he's trying to replicate that performance this year. The fact is that whatever excuses people want to use for Sid can be applied to Malkin too, and he's playing great.

Criticizing Sid's performance and expecting better isn't turning on a guy, it's calling a spade a spade. He needs to show up. A lot of others do too, but heavy's the head that wears the crown.

I mostly agree with you here and it's kind of scaring me

 

[Jaded-Fan]

I'll save you the watching, this will be Tuesday's game.

 

[madinsomniac]

The point is we are seeing repeated systematic failures that have gotten progressivly worse. we take a step forward when desperate, only to regress almost immeadiately after. we see player after player after player succumb to this and blame all these players...

Its not Crosby, its not Malkin, its not Adams or Fluery or Iginla or Lovejoy or Cooke or Neal or Kunitz or Orpik or Morrow or Talbot or Bennett or Strait or Letang or Jokienen, or Sutter, or Staal, or Eaton, or Martin, or Michalik, or Niskanen, or Letestu or any of the other guys who are put in the worse position to succeed then blamed when things go bad these past few years... all those players didnt have major downturns because they just werent trying... they didnt all forget to play good hockey (lol maybe a few)... there is one common thread here besides the majority of these players played better hockey before or after bylsma installed his system or they left for other places.

I cant ignore that players that come up from the AHL look so much better when they get here than when they have been here for a couple years... its epidemic.

I will start blaming players when we try a different approach and then see no results... but right now its silly to say its anything but the coaching staff in place

 

[Killahpunk]

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I agree with you in general, but it's okay to legitimately criticize a player's performance this year without turning on him or blasting him. He's playing with Malkin right now and still turning pucks over left and right, making poor decisions, looks to be lacking that drive to succeed, and sending muffins on net when he actually decides to shoot. He has been great on faceoffs and played very well in Game 2, but he needs to be better. It's okay to admit that.

I've said a number of times he wasn't playing well and I said he needed to step up agt Boston last year, as well as Malkin.

I'm just not going to join any Crosby bash fest or suggest he has lingering concussion issues, etc.

He's human, he's struggling, and it is what it is. I'm not letting it piss me off or turn on Crosby.

Just how I feel and it's my own personal thing. People don't have to agree with it, but it's an opinion I won't change.

 

[Shady Machine]

I've said a number of times he wasn't playing well and I said he needed to step up agt Boston last year, as well as Malkin.

I'm just not going to join any Crosby bash fest or suggest he has lingering concussion issues, etc.

He's human, he's struggling, and it is what it is. I'm not letting it piss me off or turn on Crosby.

Just how I feel and it's my own personal thing. People don't have to agree with it, but it's an opinion I won't change.

That's reasonable. I'm certainly not turning on him, I just don't think he should have any excuses this time. He needs to be better. That's it.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I'm not "turning" on him. The Pens are still my team and Sid's my favorite player.

But his play this post-season isn't a new development. Sid underperformed against Philly and got clowned by Giroux in the process. He played his worst series ever against Boston and looks like he's trying to replicate that performance this year. The fact is that whatever excuses people want to use for Sid can be applied to Malkin too, and he's playing great.

Criticizing Sid's performance and expecting better isn't turning on a guy, it's calling a spade a spade. He needs to show up. A lot of others do too, but heavy's the head that wears the crown.

I didn't really reference anything you said about Crosby, but I've seen and heard enough comments since the playoffs started, that I am more than comfortable saying people are turning on him.

Again, I'm patient and rarely turn on guys. It's all in the archives on this board.

I stuck with Martin when everyone was on his ass. I defended Neal when people said he couldn't score goals. I defended DB up until this season. I defended MAF up until the Isles series. You and I both defended Letang last summer.

Sometimes I'm right, sometimes I'm wrong. In this case, I feel strongly the best player in the world has been let down by this org since his career started and nothing will change that opinion. So he and Malkin will get a ton of leeway from me.

A lot will have to happen to get me to be negative about Crosby. Just how it is and I'm certainly not one to apologize for it.

Now if you turn into a lazy **** like Neal, I'm going to call it out. Nothing I hate more than lazy players, and Crosby is far from lazy.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

I suppose I'm in the minority but I LOVE what Kunitz did here. If THIS is how Kunitz played all the time, I'd have no issue with his contract.

But we just don't see enough snarl anymore. And we know the hands aren't natural and the goals will dry up BEFORE his contract runs out.

 

[WayneSid9987]

You gotta look at the positives.
Sid/Geno could get this team to the ECF 2 years in a row despite all it's flaws.
Sid's playing like a guy who just doesn't have any answers and i think he finally realizes that DB(and maybe Shero) aren't gonna provide any either.

No matter what happens tomorrow, i have to believe DB/Shero's leashes are as short as they've ever been.

 

[shizno*]

I suppose I'm in the minority but I LOVE what Kunitz did here. If THIS is how Kunitz played all the time, I'd have no issue with his contract.

But we just don't see enough snarl anymore. And we know the hands aren't natural and the goals will dry up BEFORE his contract runs out.

Should've been done game 1 to Staal. Then game 2 again to Staal. Then again in a few years when he's with his other loser brothers rotting away in carolina.

 

[Ragamuffin Gunner]

Who on here has said everything is Flower's fault? The poster said if you reversed goalies we win. I'm not necessarily agreeing (because there are too many variables at play there), but Lundqvist certainly doesn't let in that backhander and likely covers the puck on their 3rd goal. I mean, Fleury hardly battled for that.

The dude is average, which would be fine if his average was consistent. But it's great one game, brutal the next. Great one period, sieve the next. You just can't count on him to show up when it matters. That's the problem.

Martin knocked the puck away from MAF on the 3rd goal.

 

[Zirakzigil]

I suppose I'm in the minority but I LOVE what Kunitz did here. If THIS is how Kunitz played all the time, I'd have no issue with his contract.

But we just don't see enough snarl anymore. And we know the hands aren't natural and the goals will dry up BEFORE his contract runs out.

Agreed. It doesnt happen enough. Why I miss guys like Cooke, Rupp and Asham.

 

[ColePens]

Let's move to Game 7....