Post-Game Talk: Pens vs. CBJ: Muz deserved better, but still a couple positives to take away!

[Tom Hanks]

even a better question is wtf is going on with Tanger?

He could be back tomorrow (that’s a rumour).

Skated today I believe but was away from the team before that because of an illness.

 

[Fatty McLardy]

Kessel better have the best playoffs he's ever had...

 

[Ryder71]

I don’t know. I can not get behind actively hoping for your team to not make the playoffs.

Also, look at Vegas, Caps, Sharks, etc. Hockey is the only sport where you can easily make the finals by getting hot for a week or two.

Doubting Sid and Malkin is just bizarre to me at this stage of their career.

Sid and Geno aren't the entire team. Mario had Coffey and that first year they didn't make the playoffs. And I can tell you back in the 83-84 season I was actively hoping we'd lose the final half of that season so we could draft 1st overall. 16-58-6 got us Mario. So sometimes rooting for a bad outcome short term is a good thing in the long run. When we missed the playoffs in '90 after King Kong KRUPP spoiled Marios heroic return after missing most of the 2hd half of the season with back issues, I told my buddy, ''who knows, maybe we'll get a good player in the draft''. We got Jagr.

 

[Gurglesons]

Sid and Geno aren't the entire team. Mario had Coffey and that first year they didn't make the playoffs. And I can tell yiou back in the 83-84 season I was actively hoping we'd lose the final half of that season so we could draft 1st overall. 16-58-6 got us Mario. So sometimes rooting for a bad outcome short term is a good thing in the long run. When we missed the playoffs in '90 after KI told my buddy, ''who knows, maybe we'll get a good player in the draft''.

Difference is our team is one of 5 or 6 teams that could easily make the dance this year.

 

[Ryder71]

Difference is our team is one of 5 or 6 teams that could easily make the dance this year.

I'm not disputing we could make the playoffs. I just don't know that it really helps us if the objective is to win a championship. We have too many holes IMO to win this season. Way too much inconsistency.

 

[Gurglesons]

I'm not disputing we could make the playoffs. I just don't know that it really helps us if the objective is to win a championship. We have too many holes IMO to win this season. Way too much inconsistency.

You could have said the same thing about the Caps last year. They went into the playoffs with their back up as their starter and were one OT goal away from going down 0-3 in the first round.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Has there been any word on Rust at all? Time table?

2 days ago Mackey said he was walking around fine and will be back before the playoffs.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Not really. Our ownership sucks!

Pirates ownership is garbage.

 

[mpp9]

Sharks are the only team this year I've seen where we were outclassed. And even then, their goaltending could sink them.

We need Letang and Rust back healthy and Malkin getting into a groove. And I wouldn't bet against them.

 

[Gurglesons]

Sharks are the only team this year I've seen where we were outclassed. And even then, their goaltending could sink them.

We need Letang and Rust back healthy and Malkin getting into a groove. And I wouldn't bet against them.

Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Sharks roll the West Coast harrrrrd.

Then again Vegas is pretty scary right now too.

 

[mpp9]

Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Sharks roll the West Coast harrrrrd.

Then again Vegas is pretty scary right now too.

Yeah Vegas and SJ would be tits.

That Karlsson injury is a bit sketchy. But they're so good up front, they might not need him.

 

[Gurglesons]

Yeah Vegas and SJ would be ****.

That Karlsson injury is a bit sketchy. But they're so good up front, they might not need him.

The funny part is San Jose and Vegas could potentially play the 1st round. So dumb.

 

[CascadiaPenguin]

Sad until you realize most nights this season we’ve been missing at minimum 5 mil from our D.

Lightning probably would prefer not to play us, versus, say the Caps, who did light them up last year, even though that can't be a first round matchup. I still hold on to the implausible idea that a D without Letang can win (another) Cup. And for whatever reason, I just can't find myself missing Määttä, though I'm sure he is a perfectly fine dude. The new JMFJ works fine. After the last couple of weeks I think I worry more about our offense than D pairs.

 

[Pancakes]

Kessel better have the best playoffs he's ever had...

Meh. He was a big part in us winning two cups. If he spends the rest of the season eating hot dogs and doughnuts and doesn't score another goal I'll still always love him for what he did.

That said it would be nice if he started producing regularly. We need him if we're going to have any chance this season.

 

[Ryder71]

You could have said the same thing about the Caps last year. They went into the playoffs with their back up as their starter and were one OT goal away from going down 0-3 in the first round.

I viewed that caps team though (as most did) as a bunch of underachievers. They finally figured things out and played to their abilities and with structure and purpose. I don't think the same formula applies here though. And what I mean by that is that we're not blessed with an abundance of talent beyond a few players. I think our depth is questionable.

 

[deakka]

Playoff in Jeopardy again... Why cant they ever make it easy?

 

[Doogle]

One thing I noticed is that the Pens kept trying to force passes, especially to the point, and often when it clearly wasn't there.

One play, Dumo is down low, he has an open forward behind the net. Reason dictates that one should swing the puck below to him and retreat to your defensive position. Instead he forces it into double coverage in the high slot. And that's just one example. Seemed like it was everyone, all night

 

[Kiith Nabaal]

They shut out the blue jackets last night, so I am not too surprised at this result. They will probably beat Boston now.

 

[Andy99]

One thing I noticed is that the Pens kept trying to force passes, especially to the point, and often when it clearly wasn't there.

One play, Dumo is down low, he has an open forward behind the net. Reason dictates that one should swing the puck below to him and retreat to your defensive position. Instead he forces it into double coverage in the high slot. And that's just one example. Seemed like it was everyone, all night

It’s like the Pens have a style of play, and teams have figured out how to defend it and yet no adjustments are made...who would’ve figured....

 

[heysmilinstrange]

Meh. He was a big part in us winning two cups. If he spends the rest of the season eating hot dogs and doughnuts and doesn't score another goal I'll still always love him for what he did.

That said it would be nice if he started producing regularly. We need him if we're going to have any chance this season.

You can love Kessel 4ever and still wish he wasn't playing like ass.

 

[Tom Hanks]

It’s like the Pens have a style of play, and teams have figured out how to defend it and yet no adjustments are made...who would’ve figured....

More likely that Dumo made a mistake. The Pens want to play down low.

 

[Andy99]

More likely that Dumo made a mistake. The Pens want to play down low.

Maybe, but they love taking it behind the net and then kicking it up to the points...it might have been an errant pass..

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

It's insane that a powerplay with as much skill as this one actively hurts the team.

Is Recchi in charge of the powerplay? Does Recchi do anything?

Considering how well they've played the last little while without Letang and Rust, I'm not going to harp too much. But this above is probably my biggest annoyance with this club. The PP is actively hurting this team more often than it helps. Can't score on the PP, and worse, it is giving up a ridiculous amount of SH goals.

If this is Recchi's responsibility, he can go f*** off.

 

[2wayPlay]

Soooo is Letang playing hockey again this season?

 

[Tom Hanks]

Considering how well they've played the last little while without Letang and Rust, I'm not going to harp too much. But this above is probably my biggest annoyance with this club. The PP is actively hurting this team more often than it helps. Can't score on the PP, and worse, it is giving up a ridiculous amount of SH goals.

If this is Recchi's responsibility, he can go **** off.

The SH goals have definitely been a problem but in terms of scoring this is our 3rd best PP% in our teams history (last season 1st and 95/96 2nd)