Post-Game Talk: |Pens vs Panthers | loss | Atrocious reffing and lack of heart tonight

[Rakell67]

Remember how the Rags sunk in the standings after they got rid of Ryan Reaves? Yeah, me neither.

They beat the Pens last year by being physical. They also have forwards in their top 6 that are 6,2 208, 6,3 217, 6,0 225 and bottom 6 forwards that are 6,2 215, 6,2 206, 6,3 199, 6,3 202. Doesn't include Trochek, Lafrenierre and Motte who play physical similar to Zucker.
Their defense has Trouba (who obviously is physical) 6,3 209, 6,4 185, 6,5 210, 6,2 202 and 6,6 222.
Reaves was expendable because they can protect themsleves. If you enjoy watching Guentzel abused every game and Malkin being the one that steps in, great. I'm sure they enjoy it too.

 

[Pens x]

Has anyone ever mentioned the reason for exgmjr to huff and puff his way out of the penguins?

Could the reason have been sully?

I was actually wondering the same thing, but wasn’t it because he wanted to trade Letang but wasn’t allowed?

 

[Terrapin]

See like...

I agree that the Pens lost physically

No doubt

But.. They didn't lose that game because of physicality

They didn't get outmuscled all night

They lost because CDS can't control rebounds and the team have up by 5mins into the 2nd

Then... They tried to get chippy and embarrassed themselves

If they would have just you know played defense and scored a couple more, they probably win and physical toughness doesn't even creep into the picture

So that's why i disagree that they just need to be TOUGH like you feel they do. They just needed to not play dogshit hockey and then try to get gangsta only to get punked out

Gee, all they needed to do was score more goals than the other team and they would have won? Why didn't anyone think of that before?

They lose because they are only capable of playing one 'style' of hockey that has been figured out years ago. Not to mention expecting the oldest team in the league to skate faster than teams a decade younger than them.

But instead of getting a few sandpaper guys that can crash and clear the nets, we've opted for tiny perimeter players that may make some cool passes in the regular season, but collapse when games matter. We've seen it for years

 

[LOGiK]

I was actually wondering the same thing, but wasn’t it because he wanted to trade Letang but wasn’t allowed?

???
That was one theory among several.... don't think we ever got the real answer.
I just figure because.... this team makes me want to huff and storm away from them as well....
Sully is the kind of guy I loathe if I ever have to get stuck working with.

 

[BusinessGoose]

Gee, all they needed to do was score more goals than the other team and they would have won? Why didn't anyone think of that before?

They lose because they are only capable of playing one 'style' of hockey that has been figured out years ago. Not to mention expecting the oldest team in the league to skate faster than teams a decade younger than them.

But instead of getting a few sandpaper guys that can crash and clear the nets, we've opted for tiny perimeter players that may make some cool passes in the regular season, but collapse when games matter. We've seen it for years

I mean shit... Zucker kind of WAS what your sandpaper guy would have be doing. All that did was get players ejected and nutchecked.

Effective stuff.

 

[Terrapin]

I mean shit... Zucker kind of WAS what your sandpaper guy would have be doing. All that did was get players ejected and nutchecked.

Effective stuff.

It's downright pathetic that Jason Zucker and Geno are, by far, the most physical players on the team

They beat the Pens last year by being physical. They also have forwards in their top 6 that are 6,2 208, 6,3 217, 6,0 225 and bottom 6 forwards that are 6,2 215, 6,2 206, 6,3 199, 6,3 202. Doesn't include Trochek, Lafrenierre and Motte who play physical similar to Zucker.
Their defense has Trouba (who obviously is physical) 6,3 209, 6,4 185, 6,5 210, 6,2 202 and 6,6 222.
Reaves was expendable because they can protect themsleves. If you enjoy watching Guentzel abused every game and Malkin being the one that steps in, great. I'm sure they enjoy it too.

People here do enjoy that. It gives them a built in excuse for losing, while being able to claim some kind of moral superiority on their crusade to convince people how the game should be played

 

[LOGiK]

I don't think wild card teams get a whole lot of match fixing offers, but on the other hand, it's kind of flattering when you think about it?

All sports are rigged to some degree in my mind.
Whether it's calling penalties or giving one team / player / club a break or edge... it's (sports) controlled by humans... I mean... who could suspect so many humans to be involved and none of them be a greedy bastard? Near impossible to be not fixed. (not every single game/match)

 

[Icarium]

They beat the Pens last year by being physical.

No, they beat us because they had a Vezina winner in goal while we our third string goalie and showed our usual mental fragility.

Injuries like Crosby's aren't prevented by having a Trouba of our own. This doesn't mean that physicality can't be useful, of course, but it's ridiculously overrated as a solution to a team's problem. It allows you to injure other team players, yes, but it doesn't stop your own players from taking a beating, no matter what the legend says.

And in any event, this is the healthiest Penguins team in ages, other teams taking liberties is not the reason it has had so many embarrassing losses this season.

 

[BusinessGoose]

Refs didn't win that though

I've seen way worse games

Pens out pensd themselves

 

[Andy99]

I don't, I just don't see this coach at this time pushing the right buttons, he certainly can't coach special teams, our goalies are meh to mediocre and Geno and Sid are not world betaers they were before, and Jake, Rakell, Rust and Granlund at thsi point can't move the needle, and you still have that black hole in the middle of the line up JC, and your first D-pair Letang and Dumolin are bad in defense...and for those reasons I think tthey go at best 10-10 the rest of the way and I am not sure if that is going to be enough

If half of those 10 losses are OT/SO losses, it is…I think 96 points is probably enough…

See like...

I agree that the Pens lost the toughness battle due to lack of physicality

No doubt

But.. They didn't lose that game because of physicality

They didn't get outmuscled all night. It wasn't the broadstreet bullies vs peewee team out there

They lost because CDS can't control rebounds and the team gave up by 5mins into the 2nd

Then... They tried to get chippy and embarrassed themselves

If they would have just you know played defense and scored a couple more, they probably win and physical toughness doesn't even creep into the picture

So that's why i disagree that they just need to be TOUGH like you feel they do. They just needed to not play dogshit hockey and then try to get gangsta only to get punked out

Agree that the toughness they need is to be more mentally tough and resolute, not necessarily physical toughness, though sometimes the latter can spark the former imo

 

[AuroraBorealis]

I don't, I just don't see this coach at this time pushing the right buttons, he certainly can't coach special teams, our goalies are meh to mediocre and Geno and Sid are not world betaers they were before, and Jake, Rakell, Rust and Granlund at thsi point can't move the needle, and you still have that black hole in the middle of the line up JC, and your first D-pair Letang and Dumolin are bad in defense...and for those reasons I think tthey go at best 10-10 the rest of the way and I am not sure if that is going to be enough

93 or 94 points are projected to be enough this year right now, luckily for us.
So getting 22 or 23 points out of the next 40 should cut it.

Pretty doable with our schedule. Aren't we magnifying one loss too much after 4 straight wins?
We're not the only bubble team with weaknesses in the lineup.

 

[Andy99]

Rant of the day: I can’t stand how, when we lose and players are asked about the loss, they also say somewhere in their comments, “we have to learn from it and get better” lol…I mean, come on, there have been so many lessons then and they haven’t learned shit from it, that it’s embarrassing to just keep parroting this lol…listening to Petry’s interview from last night…just stop it, boys…you ain’t gonna learn shit by now at age 35!

 

[Flying Dego]

93 or 94 points are projected to be enough this year right now, luckily for us.
So getting 22 or 23 points out of the next 40 should cut it.

Pretty doable with our schedule. Aren't we magnifying one loss too much after 4 straight wins?
We're not the only bubble team with weaknesses in the lineup.

I'm supremely confident we are either #7/8 by seasons end. Like I've said, I'll never think otherwise until Sid shows signs of true regression from a #1 C.

I'm looking more towards trying other combinations to find more success. Crazy, I know! Unfortunately our coach likes what he likes, regardless of optics it seems.

I am willing to guess that Zucker Granlund don't pair up barring injury or when it's halfway through elimination game in the playoffs.

 

[Mr. T]

I love our annual strawmaning hockey physicality month. It’s not tedious at all and thoroughly entertaining.

I'd expect nothing less from a beta cuck non-top G like you.

 

[Andy99]

I'm supremely confident we are either #7/8 by seasons end. Like I've said, I'll never think otherwise until Sid shows signs of true regression from a #1 C.

I'm looking more towards trying other combinations to find more success. Crazy, I know! Unfortunately our coach likes what he likes, regardless of optics it seems.

I am willing to guess that Zucker Granlund don't pair up barring injury or when it's halfway through elimination game in the playoffs.

Yep…Anything Sullivan tries that’s new you know will be tried for the first time during an elimination game and even if Jarry shits the bed, another goalie won’t be tried until at least the second period of an elimination game lol

 

[molon labe]

I feel like you gotta preface posts yelling at Sully before anything - so, shame Sully, shame.

But last night was one of the worst professional hockey games I've ever witnessed by Pettersson. My god was he atrocious. Some of you absolutely love the guy - and nights like last night are reasons I say that shedding him and his 4M shouldn't be cared about all that much. I know he's improved. But woof.

Also, way to go Sid for throwing the entire game away after one late check by Tkachuk in the first? What are we the Penguins of the Neal era? Wtf was that. Yes the reffing should be league reviewed - but man did they just straight up give up after the first period.


In other news - Florida is second only to Boston for interference. A series between those two would be hilarious. I thought to myself - surely Florida of all teams can't get away playing like Boston has for decades...but sure enough. Clutch drag away from the play. Pinch D without the puck. Run screens away from the play and hold the player. It was like a mini Boston team - who is everything the league complains about the Pens, but in reality - and far more so. Utterly absurd how much shit Boston gets away with.

 

[Jacob]

I think that adding a big heavy players isn’t about preventing cheap shots, it’s about giving them back. Teams collectively wilt when they’re pushed around and being able to push back evens the playing field. But it does no good if you throw a bunch of non-NHL caliber goons onto the ice. The Penguins couldn’t afford a Jeannot so they’re going to have to win with skill in spite of getting pushed around.

 

[Zbynek]

I think that adding a big heavy players isn’t about preventing cheap shots, it’s about giving them back. Teams collectively wilt when they’re pushed around and being able to push back evens the playing field. But it does no good if you throw a bunch of non-NHL caliber goons onto the ice. The Penguins couldn’t afford a Jeannot so they’re going to have to win with skill in spite of getting pushed around.

Having Kulikov in the lineup versus NYR will make a difference.

 

[LOGiK]

I think that adding a big heavy players isn’t about preventing cheap shots, it’s about giving them back. Teams collectively wilt when they’re pushed around and being able to push back evens the playing field. But it does no good if you throw a bunch of non-NHL caliber goons onto the ice. The Penguins couldn’t afford a Jeannot so they’re going to have to win with skill in spite of getting pushed around.

I thought the whole point hex was trying to do was build this team up to be bigger and more physical?
Was that not what he said?
In that.... he has failed miserably. Without a doubt about it.

 

[NewAgeOutlaw]

To be clear: I am not saying the officiating was the deciding factor in that game. The Penguins were trash most of the 60 minutes.

I just thought it was breathtakingly bad even by NHL standards.

Hell, my post with 4 totally bizarre calls/no calls could have been longer if at the time I had remembered Zucker getting crosschecked and slashed like 8 times after the whistle.

 

[canadianguy77]

Again, it doesn't matter if Carter retires, we're still on the hook for the contract. LTIR is the only way you mitigate that hit.

I don’t even care about the cap hit. We’re a better team if he’s not on the roster.

 

[Nakawick]

The Canucks beat the leafs 4-1 last night too.

 

[Your Boy Troy]

The elite teams win games in spite of poor officiating. It certainly doesn't help your case when you're 31st in the league in power play efficiency on the road, only ahead of the Flyers. At the least they were able to convert on a 5 on 3 opportunity.

This team isn't built for playoff hockey. I'm not insinuating that they should have traded every asset and player in order to mimic the toughness and grit the Bruins currently have; this should have been addressed from the previous offseason onward. How many games does this team come out of the gate looking extremely flat and lethargic? You need to find a spark during those times by being tenacious, throwing hits, and initiating a fight/scrum. Do you know what player was relied on to do that during the cup winning seasons? Patrick Hornqvist. Brandon Tanev provided that same element as well. Hextall hasn't been able to acquire those type of players since coming here. Hextall thought he was getting that in Brock McGinn, but was sadly mistaken. This roster is more suited for Swiss hockey rather than the NHL.

 

[Gurglesons]

The elite teams win games in spite of poor officiating. It certainly doesn't help your case when you're 31st in the league in power play efficiency on the road, only ahead of the Flyers. At the least they were able to convert on a 5 on 3 opportunity.

This team isn't built for playoff hockey. I'm not insinuating that they should have traded every asset and player in order to mimic the toughness and grit the Bruins currently have; this should have been addressed from the previous offseason onward. How many games does this team come out of the gate looking extremely flat and lethargic? You need to find a spark during those times by being tenacious, throwing hits, and initiating a fight/scrum. Do you know what player was relied on to do that during the cup winning seasons? Patrick Hornqvist. Brandon Tanev provided that same element as well. Hextall hasn't been able to acquire those type of players since coming here. Hextall thought he was getting that in Brock McGinn, but was sadly mistaken. This roster is more suited for Swiss hockey rather than the NHL.

Brandon Tanev sucked ass in the playoffs.

Youth and actual shutdown players is what we need. Let's see how it goes.

 

[Pancakes]

Of all the many problems the Pens have, being pushed around is so far down the list that it doesn't even register for me.