Post-Game Talk: | Pens vs Ducks | 4-1 win | Geno rocks our socks |

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

It's a fair cop. Also I think it's about damn time we see him in some games of consequence to see how he performs. Maybe a few game 7's or some playoff OT winners or something. Is it too much to ask that a supposed "generational superstar" be in a Conn Smythe discussion for once???

I actually thought that it was wild that he tied flipping Mario last night for GWG. That's not some dingdong irrelevant stat, either.

At best.. and i mean at absolute BEST - i would say I can lump him in with the entire team for not being great in the playoffs the last 3 years.

But we definitely know blaming 1 or 2 people for the last 3 years is absurd. 90% of the team each year can be called out.

Oh I'm by NO means saying dude is perfect. Hell no. He shares in the blame when it comes to underachieving last few seasons just like everyone else. But it's not like I don't see all his peers make the same mistakes he does and their fans aren't screaming on Twitter every day to trade him.

It's bizarre behavior. Brainworms.

 

[dogthateats]

Idk I just need more evidence that Malkin can be a positive impact on this team.

 

[Deport Ogie]

I actually thought that it was wild that he tied flipping Mario last night for GWG. That's not some dingdong irrelevant stat, either.

One of my favorite all time stats is Penguin Career Hat Tricks. Whenever Sid or Gene pot a hatty they show the leaderboard. Sid is 3rd with 11. Malkin is 2nd with 12. Mario of course is first. With mother****ing FORTY.

 

[spcastlemagic]

Love the idea of Malkin and Carter playing together... let’s see if they can keep it going long term. Serious depth if we are ever healthy.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

One of my favorite all time stats is Penguin Career Hat Tricks. Whenever Sid or Gene pot a hatty they show the leaderboard. Sid is 3rd with 11. Malkin is 2nd with 12. Mario of course is first. With mother****ing FORTY.

Man... that's just... well... that's Mario for you. I know different eras are tricky to compare but shit like that just shows you he was kind of in his own class.

The guest list at this round table discussion will only get funnier as more time passes:



Arguably 4 of the 5 best players ever...and Toews.

...don't think I wasn't going to get to this.

Like you said... "holy shit Mario, Gretz and... uh... wait why is Toews here?"

 

[HandshakeLine]

Idk I just need more evidence that Malkin can be a positive impact on this team.

Stats and numbers are all fine, but I want to see some hardware.

 

[Victor Z]

I know haha.

Maybe I'm just a crazy fanatic that can't see the amazing benefit to ZAR like Sully can...he screams safe but in the sense of he won't provide offensively and if his defensive prowess has a lapse there's zero room for him to be a positive impact. Why do that when we have a potential option that can do fine defensively with more offensive potential?

Reason being it looks worse if it fails where as if ZAR fails the coach can say 'it was our best lineup option.'

Problem is a cup run will take a spark from unsung heroes. ZAR ain't it.

Free Teddy!

Blueger as a TWO-way player -- not just one-way, dear Sully -- is fully capable of surpassing what Saint Nick Bonino did around here (as just one example) under the proper conditions. Carrying an albatross like ZAR around and getting 75% (or whatever it is) D-zone starts is hardly the "proper conditions". Teddy will never be Jordan Staal but he's not just some 4th line scrub and he's capable of a lot more than he's being allowed to deliver.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Stats and numbers are all fine, but I want to see some hardware.

Stats, hardware, sacrifice and many years of playoff success (PPG+ in playoffs) is one thing. But that's all just wishy washy feel-good participation trophy stuff.

What's his "buy in" gonna be? Will he grind a bitch? Can he even ZAR?

 

[Deport Ogie]

Stats and numbers are all fine, but I want to see some hardware.

It doesn't get much more hardware-y than this

There's easily like, 9 Hart Trophies worth of metal in that bitch.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Oh my god it's even more beautiful than I had dared to believe.

 

[Icarium]

This Malkin guy still got it. Sully showing some nice flexibility by playing Carter and Malkin together, let's see how long it lasts. The team just looks dominant out there, takes the lead early and never looks back except for the Dallas game which can be explained by fatigue. Exceeding my expectations for the season big time, it would be awesome if our veterans have one last hurrah in the playoffs.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

This Malkin guy still got it. Sully showing some nice flexibility by playing Carter and Malkin together, let's see how long it lasts. The team just looks dominant out there, takes the lead early and never looks back except for the Dallas game which can be explained by fatigue. Exceeding my expectations for the season big time, it would be awesome if our veterans have one last hurrah in the playoffs.

Yeah I wanna just highlight this for a moment.

Everyone at this point probably assumes I like... "hate" Sullivan or whatever silly shit. I don't. Because he will STILL come though with a combination like this in the lineup here and there. I KNOW he has it in him. I KNOW he knows what he's looking at out there. Many said as early as last year that Malkin and Carter seemed to have some chemistry and as a pairing would make a lot of sense (weak side faceoffs, Carts and Malkin can rotate duties, Malkin loves righties etc.) and Sullivan went right to it to ease Malkin back in the lineup... immediately paying dividends.

That's all I want to see more of! Ya know... what he USED to do all the time.

Now of course the real test is when flippin' Zucker is healthy again...

 

[Deport Ogie]

Oh my god it's even more beautiful than I had dared to believe.

Sourced from this post which honestly, is worth it alone: Sh*t Evgeni Malkin does:

I mean, you have to work pretty hard or have a fairly large reserve of spite to openly dislike this man-child.

 

[dogthateats]

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

SeE!1! EvEn CoAcH (<3) SulLy sAyS hE's hArD 2 CoAcH (<3)

Sourced from this post which honestly, is worth it alone: Sh*t Evgeni Malkin does:

I mean, you have to work pretty hard or have a fairly large reserve of spite to openly dislike this man-child.

Damn. What a gold mine. Thank you.

This f***ing guy, right?

 

[ncm7772]

Great start for Geno’s return!

 

[dogthateats]

Wonder why those sculptures were 30% off??

 

[HandshakeLine]

Oh my god it's even more beautiful than I had dared to believe.

Yeah, like every time you think Sid's a robot, just look at Malkin's quirky down-home weirdness. I swear, if the dude had a Pittsburgh accent, people would think he's just your average local-boy-made-good.

 

[spcastlemagic]

I love that... instinctive play that can't be game planned for. We've had a lot of that around here since 1984 and it's always a sight to behold.

 

[Pengwins]

y'all see this:

 

[ColePens]

I think the laughable thing... Sid/G/Letang don't need to prove a single thing. 2 are 100% ALL TIME greats and the other is a shoe-in HOFer in my opinion. They don't need to prove anything else in their career. If they somehow get more points and manage 1 more Cup - it really doesn't change their legacy in any way. Everything said above is legit set in stone.

 

[spcastlemagic]

Sign those extensions and make it an even 20 guys.

 

[Pengwins]

I think the laughable thing... Sid/G/Letang don't need to prove a single thing. 2 are 100% ALL TIME greats and the other is a shoe-in HOFer in my opinion. They don't need to prove anything else in their career. If they somehow get more points and manage 1 more Cup - it really doesn't change their legacy in any way. Everything said above is legit set in stone.

true, but 1 more Cup would be LEGENDARY

 

[Flying Dego]

Sully: "Geno, see how great ZAR is at dumping the puck and crashing to try and retrieve a puck? Nice and safe, let's try it."

Geno: "No. I score."

Sully: "Ok thank you so much Geno"

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Yeah, like every time you think Sid's a robot, just look at Malkin's quirky down-home weirdness. I swear, if the dude had a Pittsburgh accent, people would think he's just your average local-boy-made-good.

I always said that if he were like "Evan Mangum" or whatever half his hate-army would never have formed to begin with. WTF else am I supposed to think aside from straight xenophobia? Nobody has ever come with the receipts. It's all just one-and-done flyby nonsense.

I love that... instinctive play that can't be game planned for. We've had a lot of that around here since 1984 and it's always a sight to behold.

Yeah I agree. I guess just having been a fan of this team so long it feels natural, right? And the franchise's success kinda speaks for itself. So when it comes to people wanting to see like... chip and chase, zero-creativity, "safe" hockey I guess I just don't get it. Sullivan is a coach... coaches loathe anything they can't tightly control. And even Sullivan understands and (largely) embraces this.

y'all see this:

Crazy right? And another big reason I wanna see these guys retire together. Run up some more records. Make this franchise's legacy unimpeachable.

What's really nuts... and sad... is that someone posted a stat yesterday that despite like 1100 games on the same roster the core has only actually played something like 53% of those games out on the ice together.