Post-Game Talk: Pens/Panthers...Because we close GDTs before putting up post-games for some reason

[ss53mech]

anyone who argues that the team is fine because of their spot in the standings is tacitly excusing the team's poor play.

The teams position in the standings is much like how this board portrays HCDB. In spite of him they win, in spite of their position in the standings there are issues with the team.

 

[drpepper]

I am not necessarily advocating firing Bylsma. I think reining in Bylsma's worst habits would be sufficient without upsetting what seems to be good relationships among the Pens, Bylsma, and the players. However, I found this quote interesting about the situation with Therrien:

"I didn't part like the way, the direction the team was headed," Shero said on a conference call, not long after giving Therrien the news. "I've watched for a number of weeks and, at the end of the day, the direction is not that I wanted to have here. I wasn't comfortable, and that's why the change was made." (Source)​

 

[IcedCapp]

Experimenting would be Jokinen with Crosby, Megna with Crosby, etc...

Chuck Kobasew has been exactly what he's been with the Penguins for over 3 seasons.

Chuck Kobasew has done nothing to earn a spot on any of the top-4 lines.

He doesn't deserve a roster spot, period.

Experimenting would be making out with a..

would be sending Letang and Orpik to the press box for reasons other than injury.

Nothing he's done is experimenting.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

i guess we should just discuss how the Pens are still winning their division in spite of all their issues, essentially rendering their issues to the status of "not important" (or not significant enough to discuss in any capacity) because the regular season is clearly the most important part of the hockey season.

then again, maybe there's a reason you're seeing people discuss the same negative facets of the Pens' game night in and night out. could it be because MAYBE the Pens have had the same issues since Bylsma started coaching the team full-time and that juuuuuuuuuuuust maybe some of us Pens fans are getting concerned and upset about it?

Nah, we're all negative whiners. It'll be fine, we're leading the division and conference while heavily injured. If they were playing a better game when they were heavily injured that's just a coinkydink. Bylsma clearly knows what he's doing as seen with his regular season wins and coaching another coaches team to the cup once. Who cares that Crosby's winger situation still hasn't really been addressed or that the bottom 6 is pathetic on paper, we still get results in the regular season. Accountability, discipline and structure are for chumps, promises and self inserts are where success is at.

Onwards to Lord Stanley!

 

[Tender Rip]

Losing in the 2nd and 3rd rounds = humiliating.
Losing in the 1st round = bad.

I don't subscribe to your interpretation of events.

You go back to the Chicago well all the time, as if their history was any guarantee that staying with it means we can get the same results.

Quinneville is not Bylsma and the Hawks were not in the same situation as the Pens when they got ousted quickly, as a lower seed in a much tougher conference. They chose to stay with their coach, yes (the most experienced coach in the league), but they also transitioned their young players into bigger roles and looked to acquire talent that could stay with their team when they made moves.

Unless you see anything in what the Pens/Shero/Bylsma are doing that mirror what you see with the Hawks other than them staying with the coach, I think this is very lazy (or just too convenient) analysis.

 

[Shady Machine]

Keep fighting the good fight everyone.

 

[Ragamuffin Gunner]

Does anyone (and I ask this honestly with no agenda) think that maybe Bylsma is experimenting right now? Maybe, just maybe he is experimenting with Megna and Sutter because he wants that to be his third line in the postseason. I'm not saying he is. Maybe I'm just grasping at straws of hope in thinking that GMRS might already have a plan for Sid's RW and is just stopgapping that spot and letting the lower lines attempt to build some chemistry to see if those could effectively be filled by moving players down once someone is brought in? I mean that could kind of sort of justify not playing Kobasew where he belongs (bringing the guys in the pressbox fresh drinks) right?

That's one of a select few scenarios in my mind where some of these coaching decisions make a tiny bit of sense. (with the disclaimer of the use of Gladams, there is no sense to be made there)

Of all the outlandish arguments to defend DB "experimenting for the post season" has to be my favorite.

 

[ss53mech]

i don't think Bylsma is experimenting. they've had plenty of time to "experiment".

in any case, i think you're desperately trying to defend Bylsma and Shero for their screw-ups (not that that's inherently wrong, i just disagree with it). despite all of the good things they both did, you can't deny that they and the rest of the team are struggling because of their mistakes (either entirely or in part).

Where did I make a comment defending either of them? You could say that I have defended Shero in the past and will continue to do so as applicable. I defended him keeping Nisky and still think he should so long as a few specific defensmen are shown the door. But that was clear back in preseason, and not particularly relevant to anything recently.

I'm simply trying to find a way for the actions taken by the coaching staff to make sense. I think Bylsma is a hell of a coach, just not for this team. Not for a team with the level of expectations that come with having two generational talents. He'd probably be a phenomenal coach in Carolina or Phoenix, he does a great job getting the most out of middling talent grinding group. He hasn't been good at exploiting the talent advantage he has at hand.

 

[Michael8771*]

Little M is not happy about this!

 

[Honour Over Glory]

The very top. Do you think I'd like being a Blackhawks fan? Because I think I would.

They've always been my #2 team back when JR was a beast. Him and Lemieux were my two (of three) favourite players, along with Dale Hawerchuk. Dale is the reason I have a soft spot for the Jets, sort of. It's not the same in that situation.

 

[MrBurghundy]

When was the last tough coaching decision Bylsma has had to make? Serious question. No snarky answers.

 

[ss53mech]

Of all the outlandish arguments to defend DB "experimenting for the post season" has to be my favorite.

Of all the comments that don't make any sense this one is up there. I'm not defending Bylsma. I'm asking does it seem plausible that he's playing ****** players in the top six to try to let players get it together in the bottom?

Where in my post or any have I said anything that translates to defending Bylsma?

 

[IcedCapp]

When was the last tough coaching decision Bylsma has had to make? Serious question. No snarky answers.

he moved Letang from the top PP unit

 

[Darth Vitale]

+ 2 Hour Sleepy Hollow finale provided excellent distraction. Long layoff + FLA = loss. I prefer warlocks and the 2nd Horseless Hedman of the Apocolypse.

Wasn't about to watch the **** lines Bylsma was putting together for practice either.

 

[MrBurghundy]

he moved Letang from the top PP unit

Lol I guess. That wasn't that tough though and he went right back to him and hasn't looked back even though the performance hasn't improved.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

They've always been my #2 team back when JR was a beast. Him and Lemieux were my two (of three) favourite players, along with Dale Hawerchuk. Dale is the reason I have a soft spot for the Jets, sort of. It's not the same in that situation.

Yeah, I'm not great at having #2 teams, but at this rate I figure that I'm going to need one. And by #2 team I mean a playoffs team for when the Pens fall flat on their face.

When was the last tough coaching decision Bylsma has had to make? Serious question. No snarky answers.

.... He scratched Glass in the playoffs last season... and then had to do it again after he snuck him back in and they lost. He took Dupuis off of Crosby's wing briefly, it was obvious but we all know it was the toughest thing for him. That's all I've got, things that were probably incredibly hard or Bylsma but really simple and obvious to almost everyone else.

 

[ss53mech]

he moved Letang from the top PP unit

On that note, does anyone else feel like Malkin is a disaster on the point? I really think we would be better off with Geno and Sid on separate units. There's only one puck and for those guys to be their most effective they need it. I feel the same way about when the "two headed monster" gets used. It's just not as effective. They don't have the same affect on each other as they do lesser players, meaning they don't make each other better when paired together.

 

[MrBurghundy]

The Dupuis thing is probably the biggest one I can think of too.

 

[drpepper]

Experimenting would be Jokinen with Crosby, Megna with Crosby, etc

Granted it has been limited time, but Jokinen has looked behind both in terms of speed and decision making when playing with Crosby. Megna may be an option, but that seems like it might be Dupuis 2.0 in terms of being similar players (fast, aggressive wingers). It seemed like many fans thought Crosby needed either more of a playmaker or more of a sniper or both. I think if Bennett doesn't stick that wing is going to be a problem for the Pens.

 

[ColePens]

I just want someone to tell me what progress they see in this team. We are playing UGLY hockey. We win on talent (just like MT when the players stopped buying in) and we lose and make it look ****ing ugly. The Colorado game was one of the few losses where I'm like "Yeah.. but I saw the team playing a strategy and working hard." The last 30 games have been very ugly.

So RRP and other followers: What progress do you see in this team that keeps you so optimistic? I know we have epic skill... but what optimism. Tell me something so I can join ya. What are they doing on the ice that makes you say "Yup... that works."

 

[Darth Vitale]

Keep fighting the good fight everyone.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

When was the last tough coaching decision Bylsma has had to make? Serious question. No snarky answers.

Tough? Maybe in the Islanders series last year, where he had to assess his stupid notion of "We play our game and win" and had to adjust to the Islanders speed by inserting players into the line-up that he wasn't really looking forward to giving a chance again, like TK for one and pulling Fleury out without giving him the benefit of the doubt with the new changes and letting Vokoun play behind a team that was finally adjusting to the other team's strengths, matching lines, and playing a more simplified game?

Something like that?


Or...

Trying to figure out which fade he can get at the barbers to distract people from how much hair he is losing and how his suits look like he subscribes to the "Used Car Salesmen Sartorial Cataglogue of 1984" for his suits, because he has horrendous taste in suits, ties, and facial expressions. Did I mention his face pisses me off? I bet his kid is annoying just like him as well, or is that going too far?

 

[vodeni]

On that note, does anyone else feel like Malkin is a disaster on the point? I really think we would be better off with Geno and Sid on separate units. There's only one puck and for those guys to be their most effective they need it. I feel the same way about when the "two headed monster" gets used. It's just not as effective. They don't have the same affect on each other as they do lesser players, meaning they don't make each other better when paired together.

this is one of the rare things that has been working by all accounts. Geno up may not be ideal but not the worst thing that happens, maybe put Martin there move Geno half wall, put Sid instead of Kunitz, but that will never happen

 

[IcedCapp]

Granted it has been limited time, but Jokinen has looked behind both in terms of speed and decision making when playing with Crosby. Megna may be an option, but that seems like it might be Dupuis 2.0 in terms of being similar players (fast, aggressive wingers). It seemed like many fans thought Crosby needed either more of a playmaker or more of a sniper or both. I think if Bennett doesn't stick that wing is going to be a problem for the Pens.

Given the current roster, Megna should be there. Not for 2 minutes. For 12+.

Not Kobasew. I'd be fine trying Jokinen just to see, but I'd rather see Jokinen with Sutter.

Line combinations won't make this team play better, by the way.

BUT HOLDING SOMEONE OTHER THAN SIMON DESPRES ACCOUNTABLE WILL

 

[MrBurghundy]

Tough? Maybe in the Islanders series last year, where he had to assess his stupid notion of "We play our game and win" and had to adjust to the Islanders speed by inserting players into the line-up that he wasn't really looking forward to giving a chance again, like TK for one and pulling Fleury out without giving him the benefit of the doubt with the new changes and letting Vokoun play behind a team that was finally adjusting to the other team's strengths, matching lines, and playing a more simplified game?

Something like that?


Or...

Trying to figure out which fade he can get at the barbers to distract people from how much hair he is losing and how his suits look like he subscribes to the "Used Car Salesmen Sartorial Cataglogue of 1984" for his suits, because he has horrendous taste in suits, ties, and facial expressions. Did I mention his face pisses me off? I bet his kid is annoying just like him as well, or is that going too far?

So basically only when his ass is about to get fired?