Post-Game Talk: |Pens vs Jerks | | We scored with the goalie pulled!!

[Pancakes]

You assume Sullivan would use a young player in a positive way.

We've seen he's severely allergic to it.

Eh, I think there's a lot of legit criticisms to make on Sully, but this isn't one I agree with. Even just this season POJ and Poehling have played their way into more spots/responsibility.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I just don't want Letang removed from the top PP unit because I'd miss watching his piss-poor attempts at putting a 20ft pass into Geno's wheelhouse a dozen times a game.

The amount of times Geno passes the puck away, is entirely because Letang puts it in the worst spot for him each time when Malkin is literally wanting to blast it on net. You can see his frustration each time he has to pass it away because he has to corral it and move it into a shooting position and by then the defense has adjusted and he's lost any gap he had. It doesn't even take the greatest player on earth to do it, you just need a player that understands where to put it, it can be f***ing Pettersson for all I care, if he can put it on the T for Geno, great.

Letang misses the net so often and f***s up that pass after 16yrs straight, it's just like, are you thinking Year 17 is it, when Letang figures that shit out or half way point of Year 16?

Eh, I think there's a lot of legit criticisms to make on Sully, but this isn't one I agree with. Even just this season POJ and Poehling have played their way into more spots/responsibility.

Poehling succeeding is not because of Sullivan, but in spite of him. The same way Blueger produces while having some of the worst usage in the league with DZ starts. Both are capable of more but are utilized in a way that almost makes it impossible to produce and yet they do but Carter is still the defacto #3 because Sullivan doesn't trust Blueger there.

I like Poehling, to me he's been the best surprise of the season on this team, I think he's capable of far more but he'll never get that opportunity. If he got half the chances Heinen gets for being ass, Poehling would never leave the top 9. Same for Blueger.

 

[Darren McCord]

Pull off Both Jake and Rust and put Rakell and Zucker there.

Jake has been trash on the pp too.

No one shoots the puck. Heck Erod maybe the power player better last year.


Garbage excuse saying nothing can be done.

 

[66-30-33]

Missed the game. My migrane did not let me be around any lights.

 

[ChaosAgent]

Man are we brutal to watch.

The PP all deserves lashes, though they spared themselves on the 6-on-5.
Pathetic display gentlemen.

Great to see Kap earn his $40K for tonight's game!

 

[Honour Over Glory]

They got Zucker, they just refuse to use him like Minny did. You know, when he was scoring PP points regularly.

Goes back to how the Pens scout players - They largely miscast most players they trade for and this has been a problem for a while. Oleksiak, Zucker, Kapanen, McGinn, etc etc etc.

 

[SomeDude]

Missed the game. My migrane did not let me be around any lights.

There was no light tonight. Only empty, bottomless black nothingness.

 

[Pancakes]

Poehling succeeding is not because of Sullivan, but in spite of him. The same way Blueger produces while having some of the worst usage in the league with DZ starts. Both are capable of more but are utilized in a way that almost makes it impossible to produce and yet they do but Carter is still the defacto #3 because Sullivan doesn't trust Blueger there.

I like Poehling, to me he's been the best surprise of the season on this team, I think he's capable of far more but he'll never get that opportunity. If he got half the chances Heinen gets for being ass, Poehling would never leave the top 9. Same for Blueger.

I think Sullivan has found a fourth line that works and it makes sense to stick with it for now.

Our third line is the problem area but Kapanen actually played pretty well tonight. Hopefully he's the boost that line needs.

 

[66-30-33]

There was no light tonight. Only empty, bottomless black nothingness.

So just another Pens game huh? No lights at the end of the tunnel, just pure nothingness. Like trying to remember anything before we were born.

 

[SomeDude]

So just another Pens game huh? No lights at the end of the tunnel, just pure nothingness. Like trying to remember anything before we were born.

You're born, the Pens PP goes 0-3, then you die.

 

[canadianguy77]

I'd put Rakell in for Rust. Short of that, I don't think there's much you can do personnel-wise. All swapping the PP into two units would do is piss off Malkin. None of those guys want to be on PP#2 with their egos. There's a reason no team does that sort of change for long.

Well you can always use the fresher centerman first. If both are fresh…just alternate.

 

[66-30-33]

You're born, the Pens PP goes 0-3, then you die.

Life, death, and a brutal Pens PP.

Somehow we would get taxed per Pens brutal PP.

 

[Zirakzigil]

Crosby, Malkin, and Letang love to play hot potato and "no no, you shoot, no no, you shoot" type of game. The players that are normally shooters also turn into pass first players for some magical reason on this team, I wonder why that is. That isn't a coaching thing I think, more or less the fact that these players feel they have to feed Sid, Geno, and Letang at any given point vs the reason they got those players.

The only player to not change their game from a shooter to a passer? James Neal, only because he was so cocksure about his game and shooting ability that he didn't give a shit, if he saw a shot he took it. I miss having a player with that mentality, on this team. Rodrigues did but he also had the most whack f***ing shot on the team. Either it was hard and sniper status or it was hard and random as shit.

Rust used to shoot more, doesn't as much anymore.
Rakell is known for having a solid one-timer and can shoot, yet he doesn't shoot much either on the powerplay, instead he feeds it back to Sid, Geno, and Letang.

The list goes on and on. You can't have all 3 on the same f***ing unit. We all have mentioned this for years. You need to put Geno on his own unit and put Sid on his own, Petry should be on the top unit with Crosby with Letang on Geno's. Then you'll start seeing success with how they manage the puck.


I would go:

PP UNIT 1:

Crosby - Crosby floating behind the net and right side half wall
Guentzel - Slot
Rakell - Left side circle for the one timer
Petry - Right Point
POJ the left side being puck distributor

PP UNIT 2:

Malkin - In the high slot
Zucker - Near the crease, wreaking havoc
Rust - Left side circle for the one timer
Letang - Umbrella style coverage with rotating to each point
Pettersson - Literally there to babysit Letang and also is a solid passer, and low shot to put it on net.

Ive been screaming to split up Geno and Sid on the PP for years, pre sully even. It will never happen though. Not too many coaches have the balls in the NHL to do something like that. Neither Sid or Geno would be happy, even if it would be better for them and the team.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Bryan Rust continues to not do a damn thing.

And yes I'm going to keep harping on him the most because I'm sick of seeing him floating around out there and getting rewarded for it by our stubborn, pro-NCAA coach.

 

[Turin]

Ive been screaming to split up Geno and Sid on the PP for years, pre sully even. It will never happen though. Not too many coaches have the balls in the NHL to do something like that. Neither Sid or Geno would be happy, even if it would be better for them and the team.

Since powerplays are only 2 minutes that is and always has been a horrible idea. Two lesser units will never be better than one good one.

 

[Zirakzigil]

Since powerplays are only 2 minutes that is and always has been a horrible idea. Two lesser units will never be better than one good one.

Okay but Sid, Geno and Letang have never been good together, so split them up. The PP becomes infinitely better when one of Sid or Geno is unavailable.

 

[ZorkEnchanter]

This picture looks really bad for Rust

It shouldn't have even been a chance against because the refs missed a penalty, but Rust standing there watching the play looks pretty awful.

He'll get promoted for that kind of play... Sullivan going to Sullivan.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Okay but Sid, Geno and Letang have never been good together, so split them up. The PP becomes infinitely better when one of Sid or Geno is unavailable.

Or the coaching staff can actually earn their pay and set up the PP to be effective without having to split the two up.

Or, God forbid, actually put a shooter like Rakell on there so there's actually a shooting option on the left side.

 

[Zirakzigil]

Or the coaching staff can actually earn their pay and set up the PP to be effective without having to split the two up.

Or, God forbid, actually put a shooter like Rakell on there so there's actually a shooting option on the left side.

You cant force Sid and Geno to shoot. They pass the puck around because neither one wants to be selfish and just start bombing shots at the net. Thats not on the coaches.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

How is that a coaching issue?

The problem with the powerplay is that Crosby, Malkin and Letang aren't good powerplay players. There are approximately 0 professional hockey coaches who would take them off of the powerplay. The only way to make a good powerplay with those 3 is if you put 2 really good powerplay players with them.

Start by putting Rakell or Zucker in place of Rust. Zucker would provide the net front or Rakell would provide the shot from the left dot.

Rust out there basically turns the 5on4 into a 4on4 because he does NOTHING for that unit. Regardless of how poorly Sid, Geno and Letang are playing, they're doing so 4on4 rather than at an actual man advantage because of the coaching staff insisting on playing their useless favorite.

 

[The GM]

So is there consensus yet if it was a the rusty trombone or Magic Mikes fault we lost tonight?

 

[Big Poppa Pump]

Ive been screaming to split up Geno and Sid on the PP for years, pre sully even. It will never happen though. Not too many coaches have the balls in the NHL to do something like that. Neither Sid or Geno would be happy, even if it would be better for them and the team.

This team would rather continue to do it their way than admit there are issues and make the necessary changes.

 

[Phil68]

Can we trade Rust right now?

 

[Big Poppa Pump]

You cant force Sid and Geno to shoot. They pass the puck around because neither one wants to be selfish and just start bombing shots at the net. Thats not on the coaches.

Geno wants to shoot. Problem is nobody can set him up like Gonchar did.

 

[ChaosAgent]

The problem with the powerplay is that Crosby, Malkin and Letang aren't good powerplay players. There are approximately 0 professional hockey coaches who would take them off of the powerplay. The only way to make a good powerplay with those 3 is if you put 2 really good powerplay players with them.

But what about Malkin's "weapon" aka his 84 mph one-timer.

All three of them are brutally bad on entries right now too. Can't execute simple passes.
But in-zone is even worse. Malkin would be better on the half boards but it's the glamour over glory spot so Sid foreva.