Series Talk: PENS vs Montreal Canadiens Round 1 (Best Of Five) - Episode II: On a peur, très peur!

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Big McLargehuge

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May 9, 2002
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Well, reading that at least tells me my eyes weren't completely lying to me.

ZAR bores me. He bores me in a way I don't tend to get as mad at as the rest of basically this entire board...but he still bores me. I'm not about to stan a slightly more offensive Kent Manderville.

Either way I think we can all agree that slightly more offensive Kent Manderville isn't something anyone wants near the top 6. Fourth line, though? I'm not complaining.
 

Peat

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I can't offer the Xs and Os that Jesse could, but ZAR had far higher puck retrievals/forechecking numbers than either Blueger or Tanev this season. So that would be my guess. He's able to use his physicality to get to pucks and keep them along the boards in a way that allows Tanev and Blueger to do their thing.

This was my write-up BTW:



Thank you kind sir. And now that I know it's you, I understand why I'm following someone with a JJ avatar on twitter :laugh:

Is puck retrieval behind the patreon paywall on Sznajder's site? I've been looking at the various stats stuff behind paywalls around but didn't know exactly what he had.

edit: Oh no it's on his public.

Oh wow Rust has been ineffective there.

edit edit:

And the fact that Rodrigues is one of only two Pens better at getting dump-ins than ZAR (the other is Zucker, whose forecheck stats are even better than I imagined) helps explain why that line variation didn't fail where all others did.

Which arguably means it isn't that what ZAR is doing is the special bit, but the bit that the other guys can't imitate where as Blueger's passing and Tanev's transition play can be.
 
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JackFr

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Well, reading that at least tells me my eyes weren't completely lying to me.

ZAR bores me. He bores me in a way I don't tend to get as mad at as the rest of basically this entire board...but he still bores me. I'm not about to stan a slightly more offensive Kent Manderville.

Either way I think we can all agree that slightly more offensive Kent Manderville isn't something anyone wants near the top 6. Fourth line, though? I'm not complaining.
Oh ZAR is absolutely boring as dirt to watch (imagine trying to isolate on him to write an article). But that's what makes him effective. On a team with Sid, Geno, Guentzel, etc. having a fourth line that just wastes time no matter who they're playing against is an awesome asset.

I agree that he should stick in the bottom six though obviously.

And the fact that Rodrigues is one of only two Pens better at getting dump-ins than ZAR (the other is Zucker, whose forecheck stats are even better than I imagined) helps explain why that line variation didn't fail where all others did.

Which arguably means it isn't that what ZAR is doing is the special bit, but the bit that the other guys can't imitate where as Blueger's passing and Tanev's transition play can be.

Keep in mind that that Rodrigues Pens number might be from a super super small sample (like maybe even 2 or 3 games small)
 
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KIRK

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Well, reading that at least tells me my eyes weren't completely lying to me.

ZAR bores me. He bores me in a way I don't tend to get as mad at as the rest of basically this entire board...but he still bores me. I'm not about to stan a slightly more offensive Kent Manderville.

Either way I think we can all agree that slightly more offensive Kent Manderville isn't something anyone wants near the top 6. Fourth line, though? I'm not complaining.

End of the day, he's no Craig Adams. :popcorn:
 
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mpp9

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Need your 4th line to score on occasion. In a game 7 when the top guys are shut down or hitting posts, can't fall back on how great a player is defensively.

That's my worry.
 

Honour Over Glory

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He is! Kinda funny as he looks like he's 12.
A 12yr old with insane maturity in his game already. Kid is special and to think JR just fleeced the Oilers in getting this kid and he didn't want to be with the oilers because of them firing Chia or something weird like that, lol.

I remember when we were all high on the kid in camp and the oilers fan base was like blah blah overrated much?
 
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Honour Over Glory

Fire Sully
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Jack Johnson can be exciting at times.

Boring is underrated.
Yes.
Definition of excite
transitive verb
1a: to call to activity
b: to rouse to an emotional response scenes to excite the hardest man to pity
c: to arouse (something, such as a strong emotional response) by appropriate stimuli excite enthusiasm for the new regime— Arthur Knight
2a: ENERGIZEexcite an electromagnet
b: to produce a magnetic field in excite a dynamo
3: to increase the activity of (something, such as a living organism) : STIMULATE
4: to raise (an atomic nucleus, an atom, a molecule, etc.) to a higher energy level

And that emotional exited response is almost always anger followed by disgust finished with sadness.
 

dogthateats

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Some how I forgot how many games our top scorers missed this season.
7NssBHI.png

Edit: Zucker had 41 points in 60 GP. 12 points in 15 GP for us.
 
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Peat

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Keep in mind that that Rodrigues Pens number might be from a super super small sample (like maybe even 2 or 3 games small)

True, and the Rodrigues-Blueger-Tanev sample is small too. But it adds up as a working theory of what happened at least, even if it isn't a case for what would happen going forwards with such a unit.

Need your 4th line to score on occasion. In a game 7 when the top guys are shut down or hitting posts, can't fall back on how great a player is defensively.

That's my worry.

Their two major spells together this season produced 4 in 15 and 5 in 19. I don't think there's going to be many 4th lines producing better than that. Kuhnhackl-Cullen-Fehr record 2 in 13 at the end of the 15-16 playoffs (which was when they were properly a unit). Chipping in a goal or two a series and killing off opposition best time is about the best you can realistically expect from the 4th liner as a unit (although you are also hoping for PK goals, goals scored when one of them is on ice with a star during a change, etc.etc.)
 

vikingGoalie

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if covid or some other thing doesn't ravage our line up I think we mow down the habs handily. not to jinx us..
I can't help think back before we lost Jake and Marino we were probably the most dominant team in the NHL, then injuries caught up with us and we muddled around for a bit. With those two back, and with the addition of Zucker only thing that can completely derail us is if our goal tending falls apart and price is playing out of his skull. but honestly with the line up he has we should be able to break any goalie.

Heck Marleau having this extra time is great for his old man legs. I just can't help but think that we are gonna be a buzz saw going through the playoffs...

go pens!
 

Jaded-Fan

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Some how I forgot how many games our top scorers missed this season.
7NssBHI.png


I have posted it before, but this chart shows it best.



It is not just the number of games lost, but the quality of who is lost. These guys portray that in their graph. They actually show a representations of the predicted games lost because of being down these players. When you look at the other playoff teams, especially Washington, it is very encouraging if the Pens can remain healthy.
 

vodeni

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I can't offer the Xs and Os that Jesse could, but ZAR had far higher puck retrievals/forechecking numbers than either Blueger or Tanev this season. So that would be my guess. He's able to use his physicality to get to pucks and keep them along the boards in a way that allows Tanev and Blueger to do their thing.

This was my write-up BTW:


holly f..., I did not connect that that was you, putting out some really really good content
 
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EVGENIMERLIN

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A 12yr old with insane maturity in his game already. Kid is special and to think JR just fleeced the Oilers in getting this kid and he didn't want to be with the oilers because of them firing Chia or something weird like that, lol.

I remember when we were all high on the kid in camp and the oilers fan base was like blah blah overrated much?

Yohe was saying that Marino is shooting the puck with a lot more confidence and scoring in practice. Rutherford and Borquey have all mentioned multiple times how good he looks in practice and that he can be even better.

If Petts can evolve his game a bit and improve we got staple top 4 D men for Sprong and a 6th round pick. Not bad JR, not bad at all.
 
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Honour Over Glory

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Yohe was saying that Marino is shooting the puck with a lot more confidence and scoring in practice. Rutherford and Borquey have all mentioned multiple times how good he looks in practice and that he can be even better.

If Petts can evolve his game a bit and improve we got staple top 4 D men for Sprong and a 6th round pick. Not bad JR, not bad at all.
I knew guys like Jake, Geno, and Marino for example would do well after the break, Geno just needs rest with how he plays and is banged up (Same for Tanger and his minutes) and Jake with his shoulder (of course Sid and his hernia recovery)...but Marino started to look a little gassed before the break which we were all wondering when would happen, so getting that break? Guys like him are going to be HUGE right now.

I wasn't kidding when I said a while back, when his contract is up, sign the kid to an 8yr extension asap.

I still don't like Petts, even in that Yohe & Bourque anecdote, they didn't say much about Pettersson outside of Marino anticipating the play, etc. Petts is just another pylon Marino is going to make look competent like JJ.
 
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Honour Over Glory

Fire Sully
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I can't offer the Xs and Os that Jesse could, but ZAR had far higher puck retrievals/forechecking numbers than either Blueger or Tanev this season. So that would be my guess. He's able to use his physicality to get to pucks and keep them along the boards in a way that allows Tanev and Blueger to do their thing.

This was my write-up BTW:


If ZAR forever stays on the 4th line, I accept him as a Penguin, he's done great work there, Sully needs to stop expecting he's more than he is and what he is right now is a solid 2-way player that works well in that role, on the 4th line.

ONLY ON THE FOURTH LINE.
 
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Gurglesons

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If ZAR forever stays on the 4th line, I accept him as a Penguin, he's done great work there, Sully needs to stop expecting he's more than he is and what he is right now is a solid 2-way player that works well in that role, on the 4th line.

ONLY ON THE FOURTH LINE.

He's literally been on the fourth line for like 2 years.
 
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EVGENIMERLIN

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I knew guys like Jake, Geno, and Marino for example would do well after the break, Geno just needs rest with how he plays and is banged up (Same for Tanger and his minutes) and Jake with his shoulder (of course Sid and his hernia recovery)...but Marino started to look a little gassed before the break which we were all wondering when would happen, so getting that break? Guys like him are going to be HUGE right now.

I wasn't kidding when I said a while back, when his contract is up, sign the kid to an 8yr extension asap.

I still don't like Petts, even in that Yohe & Bourque anecdote, they didn't say much about Pettersson outside of Marino anticipating the play, etc. Petts is just another pylon Marino is going to make look competent like JJ.

For me, I think Petts is a serviceable bottom 6 guy, but he looks like he is about to be paid like a top 4. POJ and Marino might be your ideal second pair in a year or 2
 
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Honour Over Glory

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He's literally been on the fourth line for like 2 years.
That still got time up in the top 6 at times, which is unacceptable. He's where he belongs and it's been a great benefit to the team and that's not to be disparaging towards ZAR, it's more so that he found his role on this team because he was kept in one spot and allowed to develop chemistry, something this coaching staff hates to do at times.

The unit of ZAR-Blue-Tanev has been f***ing amazing. A lot because they compliment each other, but also because they've figured each others nuances out from playing together more often.
 
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Honour Over Glory

Fire Sully
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For me, I think Petts is a serviceable bottom 6 guy, but he looks like he is about to be paid like a top 4. POJ and Marino might be your ideal second pair in a year or 2
I like Riiko a f***ton more than that tosser. Pettersson to me was a mistake to sign at 4m/yr. I see POJ-Marino as a 2nd pair for the future too, which means that chinless wanker is going to be on the 3rd pair, overpaid af.
 
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