Post-Game Talk: |Pens vs Caps| Loss | Its fine, fine, no really, its fine (Mod warning 1st post)

[AlphaMikeFoxtrots]

Gut check time. Tomorrow won't be any easier.

 

[Tender Rip]

Seems I am rarely losing out missing the middle of the night games…

 

[Andy99]

++ to Zack Aston-Reese, who had more goals tonight than ERod, Heinen and Rakell combined.

Does anyone find it telling that ZAR playing for another team gets two goals in two weeks and playing for Sullivan he only pots one goal for nearly the entire year? Nothing tells you more about Sullivan hockey than that…his hockey is as tired as our old team looks…i was wrong when I said this season looks like the end of the DB era…it’s looking more like the end of the Mike Johnston era, complete with the requisite loss in 5 games to the Rangers in the POs lol

 

[Coastal Kev]

Does anyone find it telling that ZAR playing for another team gets two goals in two weeks and playing for Sullivan he only pots one goal for nearly the entire year? Nothing tells you more about Sullivan hockey than that…his hockey is as tired as our old team looks…i was wrong when I said this season looks like the end of the DB era…it’s looking more like the end of the Mike Johnston era, complete with the requisite loss in 5 games to the Rangers in the POs lol

DK had a video a few weeks before ZAR was traded where ZAR mentioned how coaching had dictated his adherence to Defense first. But he told DK, he was going to refocus on scoring again because the coaching had taken it from his game.

Sully is at the root of the problem, very similar to the Steelers situation with Tomlin.

Even if either organization gets everything else right, they're still going to be stuck in a malaise due to the status quo with their coaching staff.

 

[Andy99]

DK had a video a few weeks before ZAR was traded where ZAR mentioned how coaching had dictated his adherence to Defense first. But he told DK, he was going to refocus on scoring again because the coaching had taken it from his game.

Sully is at the root of the problem, very similar to the Steelers situation with Tomlin.

Even if either organization gets everything else right, they're still going to be stuck in a malaise due to the status quo with their coaching staff.

I’ve always suspected that some of our bouts of terrible finishing in the last few years, including lack of scoring in the playoffs, was due to the combination of how Sullivan wanted the team to play and the players failing to live up to that… scoring is made to look so difficult, like a mountain to climb being impeded by Hasek in net lol…perhaps I’m wrong but I can’t wait for him to be fired and find out

 

[SEALBound]

I agree with all of this (you and I surprisingly have been agreeing on a lot lately, even Zucker's play today which was fantastic!). And in addition to losing, it definitely compromises the likability of the team. GCR and whatever Geno is doing aren't willing to score goals by going to dirty areas. Especially dirty areas with the puck and not just trying for the greatest tip of all time on some 33 mph point shot

Geno and L2 proved we could play a gritty game with their first shift in the 2nd. They were hammering shots from everywhere and the Caps were defenseless to stop it. They do that for 60min and its a different game.

If they had shooter like Burns, Weber, or Josi on the point, it would be different. We don't have the backend to do that.

 

[SEALBound]

Gut check time. Tomorrow won't be any easier.

Nashville is gonna beat the shit out of us...literally.

 

[wgknestrick]

2 wins in last 9 games. Just 1 of those was a regulation win, but they scored 11 in that game, so that makes up for everything else.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

Does anyone find it telling that ZAR playing for another team gets two goals in two weeks and playing for Sullivan he only pots one goal for nearly the entire year? Nothing tells you more about Sullivan hockey than that…his hockey is as tired as our old team looks…i was wrong when I said this season looks like the end of the DB era…it’s looking more like the end of the Mike Johnston era, complete with the requisite loss in 5 games to the Rangers in the POs lol

Anaheim is play ZAR in the top nine and he basically had a puck bounce off him tonight and go in.

I don't think his play in Anaheim is indicative of anything about his time in Pittsburgh. He scored 9 goals in 45 games last year.

 

[vodeni]

I mean, Giroux is very similar to Malkin and he was traded to be an elite skilled vet to complement franchise/core players, not be one. They're at that age.

I don't know who was worse - Sid's invisibility act, Letang's increasing regression or Geno's "dominant but oh yeah the other team still scored a helluva lot more when I was on the ice."
Oh wait. It was Dumo whose wheels have almost entirely come off.

lol

 

[ChaosAgent]

lol

Care to explain?

 

[Coastal Kev]

Nashville is gonna beat the shit out of us...literally.

Some may not what to hear this said; but it would be the best thing for this franchise to have horrific finish to this season.

Everything that this current group was planning would be blown to smithereens.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

2 wins in last 9 games. Just 1 of those was a regulation win, but they scored 11 in that game, so that makes up for everything else.

Who cares?

Waiting for May and will assess the performance then. League's random. Storylines change.
Not keen on drawing Shesterkin anyway.

Even if we won this game it would be meaningless and have no carry-over whatsoever.
So yeah. Really don't give a f*** about April games now.

 

[jmelm]

Anaheim is play ZAR in the top nine and he basically had a puck bounce off him tonight and go in.

I don't think his play in Anaheim is indicative of anything about his time in Pittsburgh. He scored 9 goals in 45 games last year.

Please don’t disrespect ZAR like that. All of us fellow Pens fans are still very sore that he was traded and we miss him dearly.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

So basically, to stop them from doing stupid shit, you cut Letang's minutes?

Okay, that makes total sense. It's not the player's fault for doing stupid shit, it's Sullivan's fault for not changing their usage when they do stupid shit or something.

Idk why but I feel like Letang hot being overworked would actually lead to him committing less errors

 

[CascadiaPenguin]

Idk why but I feel like Letang hot being overworked would actually lead to him committing less errors

It often seems Letang plays his best when he records seemingly unsustainably high ice time. Counterintuitive, I know. Predicting Letang's tantrums and meltdowns is a dark art, at best.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I hope we don't blow it up this summer. I'll miss the annual 1st round exits and watching HF Pens go from "Shades of '16! Jack Adams for Sully!" to "Oh..."

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

We play a style that in order to work, the other team needs to not play hard nor play defense. We make countless blind passes and little dipsy doodle moves that do not respect the talent of the other team. When your 23 and capable, great. When you're 35 and slower, it doesn't work. We play a soft perimeter game and make low percentage passes to guys who, in order to score or get a shot, require a lapse in the other teams defense as opposed to creating one. We are the rich, white girl who doesn't want to do the work. We are the spoiled kid who scoffs at hard work. We are the Karen who insists you give her the meal for free after it's eaten because it tasted meh.

Simply put, they do the same soft shit over and over again and all it yields is low danger shots from the point where the goalie has a clear line of sight to the shooter and they believe, over the long term, this will yield goals. It doesn't. It's pretentious to believe that we possess the skill out laughably outskill the other team and not have to do the work needed to create.

This pretty much describes why we have so much trouble scoring goals when the other team actually defends. If the other team is sloppy and/or their goalie is letting in a bunch of weak shots, we light up the score board. But when the other team actually plays with structure, it's such a chore for us to score.

A big part of the problem is roster construction. It's difficult to make skilled plays and really break down and dissect opposing defenses when most of your forwards can't make 5 foot passes or can't pick the corners on shots and constantly chest snipe. But I also think a part of it is how Sullivan wants them to play because even the skilled guys we *do* have seem to try and generate chances either through high risk passes that fail 99% of the time, or do the curl-and-pass to the point for a shot from one of our muffin shooting defensemen.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Gut check time. Tomorrow won't be any easier.

I'll watch the game but Sullivan has sucked the fun out of watching this team.

 

[Gurglesons]

This pretty much describes why we have so much trouble scoring goals when the other team actually defends. If the other team is sloppy and/or their goalie is letting in a bunch of weak shots, we light up the score board. But when the other team actually plays with structure, it's such a chore for us to score.

A big part of the problem is roster construction. It's difficult to make skilled plays and really break down and dissect opposing defenses when most of your forwards can't make 5 foot passes or can't pick the corners on shots and constantly chest snipe. But I also think a part of it is how Sullivan wants them to play because even the skilled guys we *do* have seem to try and generate chances either through high risk passes that fail 99% of the time, or do the curl-and-pass to the point for a shot from one of our muffin shooting defensemen.

The defensemen are never shooting to score. They are always shooting for redirects and tip ins. Letang simply does not shoot on the PP anymore.

 

[BmxHockey]

Would rather see anyone but the rags round one. This is a positive.

The other good thing is that all of these games on this losing streak were winnable. The game simply got away from them or rather they stopped getting to there game.
Never mind.

 

[AlphaMikeFoxtrots]

I'll watch the game but Sullivan has sucked the fun out of watching this team.

Afaik I'll be driving with no signal, which may be for the best. Not an encouraging streak to be on

 

[HuskerTornado]

So many opportunities to blow this thing open early in the 2nd. Where are this team's finishers? Open nets, other great looks and come away with nothing time and time again.

Then shortly after that it was a parade to the box, setting up extended 5 on 3 for Washington and the tying goal.

3rd period was a stink sandwich.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

So many opportunities to blow this thing open early in the 2nd. Where are this team's finishers? Open nets, other great looks and come away with nothing time and time again.

Then shortly after that it was a parade to the box, setting up extended 5 on 3 for Washington and the tying goal.

3rd period was a stink sandwich.

I said something similar to a buddy I was watching the game with. Pens were up 3-2 and were dominating that one shift early on in the 2nd period, but like usual, couldn't score to give themselves a bit of breathing room. So I said told him this is exactly the issue with the Pens' inability to finish chances. They'll "dominate" stretches of games but have no goals to show for it, only for the other team to score and tie it up (or take the lead) on one of their first chances.

The Pens' inability to put games out of reach when they're dominating the possession is beyond annoying. Even when they do manage to hold on for the win, they turn what should be an easy 5-2 romp (based on possession) into a 3-2 nail biter where they have to hang on for dear life all 3rd period because they can't score that 4th or 5th goal to give themselves some breathing room.

 

[Giskard]

Who cares?

Waiting for May and will assess the performance then. League's random. Storylines change.
Not keen on drawing Shesterkin anyway.

Even if we won this game it would be meaningless and have no carry-over whatsoever.
So yeah. Really don't give a f*** about April games now.

Yep, suck now, win later.
It's hard to care about this games just for positioning.
And please rest Jarry before the play-off it seems a little tired lately.