Post-Game Talk: | Pens vs Devils | loss | Special teams? I think you mean pathetic teams

[66-30-33]

Jesus Christ, Boston is going to eviscerate us on National tv. Happy new year, everyone!

I'll be working. Happy new year, i'll be off work playing video games and visiting a korean customer from my work that wants to see me.

 

[FunkySeeFunkyDo]

Man, I'm not as hard on Sully as a lot of this board but I just can't believe anybody would think any right handed shooter on the team other than Rakell should be on pp1.

Plus Rakell plays in front of the net, handedness shouldn’t matter.

 

[K Fleur]

Let’s hear it for the coach! We wouldn’t be here without you!

Also Malkin is somehow to blame for all of this.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Coach takes Rakell off the pp unit.

To you, that’s Rakell’s fault? Because that’s how you make it sound. This is all on the coach. He’s been doing this stupid usage bullshit for a long time and now it’s finally biting him in the ass hard and he can’t think his way out of it and it shows. He’s going back and forth between two options because he can’t see past those two options.

That.
Is.
A.
Problem.

And that’s all on the coach.

Rakell was on the top powerplay unit for a huge majority of the time. Yes, there was a stretch where Rust was on the top PP unit over him, but that was only 1 or 2 of their 9 total powerplays.

The powerplay didn't go 0-9 because Sullivan decided to use Rust on the top unit. It went 0-9 regardless of whether Rakell or Rust was there. Either Letang is vitally important to that powerplay or the players just had a shit game on the powerplay. Based on what I saw, it's much more of the 2nd.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

If we get a top ten first round pick in this draft it could do a lot. If it's top five we probably extend our window a few extra years.

Not if Sullivan is still here.

Gotta learn to grind on the 4th line with 5mins of ice time for the first few seasons mate.

 

[Big Poppa Pump]

Well that's just astronomically stupid.

The coach can't go out and make the plays. The players need to actually do what they're paid to do. Going 0-9 on the powerplay in a game is flat out unacceptable, there is no handwaving away that performance by the players.

Sully gots to go, but yeah, you can't absolve the players.

 

[66-30-33]

I forgot how stupid this website gets anytime this team faces any adversity. Not going to waste my time arguing with clearly irrational people.

The powerplay was working for the last month, and then laid an egg all of a sudden. Blame the players? No, it's obviously the coach's fault that the powerplay went 0-9 in a game!

Either Letang is godly important to the powerplay or the powerplay just laid an egg today.

Laid an egg, we have sucked this bad even with Letang.

 

[Al Smith]

Smith looked like he fit in the NHL, so it's good to have someone in the A who can step in and be competent. And while he looked comfortable on the PP, he obviously wasn't much of a difference maker. If he had more time, he might be more of a catalyst, but 58 is day to day, so I don't think he'll be in the lineup for long.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Jesus Christ, how the f*** do we still have Sullivan apologists here?

How?!

 

[GregR]

Jake Guentzel has turned into a real sack of crap. What he did on that Hamilton goal was amazingly heinous.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

This is the biggest bullshit excuse fans are peddling in the world.

The coach can make adjustments. The Islanders and Bruins are somehow fine. Capitals are fine.

It's bullshit. Our coach sucks.

The Islanders and Bruins are faster than the Penguins. The Capitals have shown the same inconsistencies as the Pens and just happen to be on a heater now.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Laid an egg, we have sucked this bad even with Letang.

Uh, the powerplay has been dominating over the last month.

 

[metalan2]

I forgot how stupid this website gets anytime this team faces any adversity. Not going to waste my time arguing with clearly irrational people.

The powerplay was working for the last month, and then laid an egg all of a sudden. Blame the players? No, it's obviously the coach's fault that the powerplay went 0-9 in a game!

Either Letang is godly important to the powerplay or the powerplay just laid an egg today.

It really wasn't working that well. Puck luck, random goals at the end of power plays, etc. There was hardly a time when it looked like a sustained threat to score consistently. You basically still expected it to fail and it didn't pass the eye test. Tonight's 0-9 performance was fully expected.

 

[Gurglesons]

Rakell was on the top powerplay unit for a huge majority of the time. Yes, there was a stretch where Rust was on the top PP unit over him, but that was only 1 or 2 of their 9 total powerplays.

The powerplay didn't go 0-9 because Sullivan decided to use Rust on the top unit. It went 0-9 regardless of whether Rakell or Rust was there. Either Letang is vitally important to that powerplay or the players just had a shit game on the powerplay. Based on what I saw, it's much more of the 2nd.

Why not move Guentzel?

Why not change up Sid or Malkin for Zucker?

You know it's okay for the coaching staff to get creative. Jersey threw their lines in the blender tonight. Their coach sucks ass. Sullivan got out coached by Gallant who is a total dumbass in a playoff series.

 

[TNT87]

Glad I was drinking aLot of booze and missed this game

The coaches were drinking too along with the power play

 

[Gurglesons]

The Islanders and Bruins are faster than the Penguins. The Capitals have shown the same inconsistencies as the Pens and just happen to be on a heater now.

No they aren't. They play faster. Our team has way more speed than both of those teams.

Watch some other teams and listen to some other media and you'll grasp that Sullivan ain't special.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Jesus Christ, how the f*** do we still have Sullivan apologists here?

How?!

Saying the players had a shit game =/= defending Sullivan.

Him switching Smith and Rakell for POJ and Rust directly led to the game winning goal by the Devils. However, that doesn't magically erase the fact that the big guns had absolute shit games that led to going 0-9 on the powerplay.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

The reality is that the coaching staff *and* roster are huge problems. Lack of adjustments or preparation (still don't know if I buy the second part) from the guys behind the bench, and a few too many lackluster depth guys and aging core pieces, coupled with meh goaltending on any given night. Oh well. Team was dead in the water, but the lack of any kind of entertainment night in and night out sucks shit about a million times worse than any specific factor at play.

 

[canadianguy77]

Rakell was on the top powerplay unit for a huge majority of the time. Yes, there was a stretch where Rust was on the top PP unit over him, but that was only 1 or 2 of their 9 total powerplays.

The powerplay didn't go 0-9 because Sullivan decided to use Rust on the top unit. It went 0-9 regardless of whether Rakell or Rust was there. Either Letang is vitally important to that powerplay or the players just had a shit game on the powerplay. Based on what I saw, it's much more of the 2nd.

Well when Rust was on the PP it couldn’t even maintain possession because they cant win a board battle to save their lives. When Rackell was on the powerplay they were being dumb and passing up shots for east/west plays that were inevitably intercepted.

Which would you rather have? Because to me, 2 weaklings in Rust and Jake on PP1 is one too many weaklings.

 

[66-30-33]

Jesus Christ, how the f*** do we still have Sullivan apologists here?

How?!

I mean he's not the reason we went 0 for 9 (LOL WTF?????), but yeah f*** him and his tighty whiteys.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

A lot of teams would be rushing to sign him if hes let go

Hes a Cup winning coach

Yeah and that’s fine. A coach can also go stale with one team and still go elsewhere and succeed. That’s the nature of the business. That’s literally Rakell on this team as well, rebounded with a new team.

Sullivan will rebound. But on this team, his voice has gone stale. He’s not able to look past his own stick to the game plan bullshit and has no real ideas to fix anything outside of trying the same old shit over and over again.

 

[Flying Dego]

Jesus Christ, how the f*** do we still have Sullivan apologists here?

How?!

Even if you thought it was all the players that sucked....the way it works in sports is you can the coach and start fresh to see if you can rejuvenate the group you have.

There's no downside to it. Either the team responds and gets better. Or they tank and you draft high.

 

[66-30-33]

Uh, the powerplay has been dominating over the last month.

It was good when we took Rust off the top unit and Rakell on the top unit. Before it sucked donkey balls.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I mean he's not the reason we went 0 for 9 (LOL WTF?????), but yeah f*** him and his tighty whiteys.

He picks who goes over that bench. He chose the wrong options.

That’s something he can control and decided not to in a proper way.

 

[metalan2]

Rakell was on the top powerplay unit for a huge majority of the time. Yes, there was a stretch where Rust was on the top PP unit over him, but that was only 1 or 2 of their 9 total powerplays.

The powerplay didn't go 0-9 because Sullivan decided to use Rust on the top unit. It went 0-9 regardless of whether Rakell or Rust was there. Either Letang is vitally important to that powerplay or the players just had a shit game on the powerplay. Based on what I saw, it's much more of the 2nd.

Again, the "good month" was the anomaly on the pp, and this is their norm. I would be willing to bet it's bottom of the league by years end.