Post-Game Talk: | Pens vs Sens |2-0 win| DeShutout: No 500 goal, talk about a snooze fest

[wgknestrick]

Solid game with nothing to complain about. True "whipping boy" night to shine.

+++Murray. Good to see a top tier goalie get it going again. Best man on the ice tonight and looking like he's recovering from the effects of multiple concussions. #1 star for me. -3 GSAA which is god mode. Got the L, but wasn't his fault by a mile. Kept it close.
++Crosby with total leadership on that sliding block at the end. 500 can wait. This is the type of play that wins cups and motivates others to help you win them.
+Carts. Been a whipping boy by me, but came to play tonight against a very tough Ottawa team who has been beating all recently. Keep it up Carts, but I still want to see you play a more reasonable amount of minutes for your age.
++CDS. Not a ton of work tonight, but made the stops and had a shutout on 1.9 xGA. Top notch, Casey. Again, keep it up. We will need you making these kind of performances on the reg.
++Kappy. What a game, but nothing to show for it outside of being noticeable +y on every shift. Keep it up bud, it will come.

Rust, Letang, Big Z had good games, but they usually do. OK, maybe not Letang recently.

-Simon. What are you doing here? Last point against OTT. 3 shots in 9 games and 0 points since. Seriously, why are you here other than to get 0s on box score sheets?

 

[Tender Rip]

+ Win
+ Booster for CDS. He was very good in the recent shootout loss also, and if he is back to normal like this, it has to be a good backup coming in to justify a move (cue Lankinen suggestions etc.)
+ Great to produce a penalty less 3rd period with a 19-5 shot advantage while protecting a 1-0 lead. 4th line did a good job there after a poor fist period.
+ Can't say anyone played bad in this one on the whole. That's rare in itself. First period wasn't very good, but containing Ottawa that much in the last two is a good performance given how they've played recently.

- Very few good scoring chances created. ES or otherwise. Too little presence in front of Murray.

 

[Pens x]

Even with the injuries, I see no reason to bother playing ZAR or Simon. This madness has gone on for about 35 games too long.

Guentzel-Crosby-Rust
McGinn-Malkin-Kapanen
O’Conner- Carter-Heinen
Puustinen-Rodrigues-Zohorna

 

[ColePens]

Seriously want to see Murray succeed as a human.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

hasn’t that effectively been his role when they had Malkin?

Not when Blueger has been in the lineup. Carter is 45% offensive zone start for the season. Blueger is 29%.

 

[wgknestrick]

With Malkin coming back and Blueger out for a while yet, I think the Pens should make Carter into their shutdown center. Yeah, he scored tonight, but it might be a way to best optimize everyone and get a few other guys going. Heinen is responsible defensively and you can put ZAR with him, too.

It also sounds like O'Connor is close to returning, which would be even better.

Guentzel-Crosby-Rust
McGinn-Malkin-Kapanen
ZAR-Carter-Heinen
O'Connor-Rodrigues-Zohorna
Ex: Simon, Boyle

Carter is the last player you want in a shutdown role. Please learn hockey or look at what year the calendar says. Sully thinks like you, has been playing Carter in that exact role since Blues went down, PIT been losing a ton lately, cause Carter sucks in that role, and I hate it. Don't take my word on it and see for yourself, below.

 

[Tender Rip]

My preference would be to trade mostly everything with value, play youth, take chances on low risk/ high reward castoffs (Hi Nylander) and get back to building a championship team.

Everything else is a wasto of timo

NHL Hockey Standings

I mean, honestly.... what are you even talking about? We have generational players nearing the end, but they are still very productive, and you talk about tearing things down? We will have PLENTY of time to do that eventually.
Now you savor (and cling on to) the chance at winning, declining though it may be, because soon enough there will be a period of time when it will be ZERO. Wanting to speed into irrelevance seems bizarre to me.

 

[Ugene Magic]

Congrats to DeSmith for the shutout....!
Carter for being Carter, and Rusty with the clean up...

Oh. Sid with the block late... I call drunk Aliens on 500...

 

[Ugene Magic]

meh... everyone knows Malkin is score

Everyone knows Malkin is fire before score.

 

[metalan2]

Ottawa certainly looks like they can beat anyonet on nay given night. I wonder when they will put it together for a full season? Next year?

 

[Pens x]

Sully is a fantastic coach when the forwards are composed of mostly plugs, seriously. You almost want to have injuries to our skilled players come playoff time, because I think that’s our best chance to make a run with him behind the bench.

 

[Coastal Kev]

NHL Hockey Standings

I mean, honestly.... what are you even talking about? We have generational players nearing the end, but they are still very productive, and you talk about tearing things down? We will have PLENTY of time to do that eventually.
Now you savor (and cling on to) the chance at winning, declining though it may be, because soon enough there will be a period of time when it will be ZERO. Wanting to speed into irrelevance seems bizarre to me.

I'm watching how we are winning; I'm looking at how we exited the last 3 years; I don't see how we are better when our core is older each year; these players still have value/ the pieces are greater than the whole; we aren't winning, unless we hit a lottery trade or youngsters pop up and go crazy.

I swear I can't believe they pretty much stood firm this year. They really believe it was Jarry's fault last year, I didn't see it that way.

Maybe you're right, maybe Zucker comes back hard and this team rolls. I still don't see Sully sitting ZAR, Simon and or Boyle. Our Core are no longer superstars where they can carry several plugs into glory.

 

[OtherThingsILike]

I still don't see Sully sitting ZAR, Simon and or Boyle. Our Core are no longer superstars where they can carry several plugs into glory.

Simon and Boyle have already both been healthy scratches during this season.

 

[Gurglesons]

Simon and Boyle have already both been healthy scratches during this season.

ZAR was too technically.

 

[BillyOcean]

Lot of pessimism when the team just shut out a scrappy team on the road with a hot goalie.

 

[Tender Rip]

I'm watching how we are winning; I'm looking at how we exited the last 3 years; I don't see how we are better when our core is older each year; these players still have value/ the pieces are greater than the whole; we aren't winning, unless we hit a lottery trade or youngsters pop up and go crazy.

I swear I can't believe they pretty much stood firm this year. They really believe it was Jarry's fault last year, I didn't see it that way.

Maybe you're right, maybe Zucker comes back hard and this team rolls. I still don't see Sully sitting ZAR, Simon and or Boyle. Our Core are no longer superstars where they can carry several plugs into glory.

I am not saying I don't share some of your concerns. I think we are in agreement about a few elements that ideally should be different.

But the exit against the Isles last season WAS about Jarry more than anything. The gulf in performance between him and Sorokin was ridiculous. More importantly though, there is no team in professional sport that throws in the towel on competing when it is evidently as competitive as this team is. It won a division title last year and is hovering around the top 5 league wide this season after a tough start missing most our star power.

We need some things to break for us to be realistic contenders at the end, but beyond asking for our best players to be healthy for that dance and Jarry to play like he has this season so far, it's not a lot. No management would think of selling off/rebuilding in this scenario, nor should they.

NB: Sully might not sit ZAR and one can debate the wisdom of that all day. He is very unspectacular, but with Blueger and McGinn that line has a particular role in which he does a job. But in any case those guys mentioned now make up the 4th line, and we have Malkin, Blueger and Zucker out. Would I like someone else to be tried over Simon these days.... yes. But at least Zohorna is consistently getting more minutes than those guys now, and him upstaging those guys is one of the pieces that needs to fall into place, as he brings some of what we need more of.

 

[Gurglesons]

I'm watching how we are winning; I'm looking at how we exited the last 3 years; I don't see how we are better when our core is older each year; these players still have value/ the pieces are greater than the whole; we aren't winning, unless we hit a lottery trade or youngsters pop up and go crazy.

I swear I can't believe they pretty much stood firm this year. They really believe it was Jarry's fault last year, I didn't see it that way.

Maybe you're right, maybe Zucker comes back hard and this team rolls. I still don't see Sully sitting ZAR, Simon and or Boyle. Our Core are no longer superstars where they can carry several plugs into glory.

Yeah but @Tender point still stands. This team should suck with the age of its core. They don’t. We are getting an entertaining product that likely won’t win a cup but if shit breaks right we could.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Kind of funny that Murray regained his form right before the Pens roll into town.

 

[ronduguayshair]

Lot of pessimism when the team just shut out a scrappy team on the road with a hot goalie.

it just a bunch of keyboard experts trying to control their tired narrative. If they said it enough they think people will believe it.

 

[Flying Dego]

+Both Goalies played well
+1st line is great and all 3 are playing high level
+Kap, Zohorna had good games without stats

-I'm seeing this trend late in games and it makes me know that ZAR, when healthy, will be nice and comfy...when Sully rolls out the 2nd line who's missing? Kap and who comes in ZAR.
So come playoff time I'll put money on late games even tied ones when Geno spills over the boards Mr. Wet Blanket will be next to him.

Simon- waived
Boyle- needs rotated out
ZAR- traded cause our coach won't remove him or play him like a player that doesn't deserve a locked spot or a big role. Yet he gets both.

If all 3 were replaced with anyone from WBS I find it hard to believe we'd see a negative impact....that bar is set soo low.

Sincerely,
Your friendly neighborhood keyboard expert

 

[spcastlemagic]

Zohorna’s gotta stay in the lineup. He brings too much with that big frame of his, including the occasional sense of danger in the offensive zone, that a dude like Simon can’t provide.

 

[SUBdrewgANS]

Even though he got the shutout--I still don't trust DeSmith.. and I'm worried management is now seeing we don't need a better option and will do nothing at the deadline

 

[Tender Rip]

If they said it enough they think people will believe it.

 

[orby]

I'm happy to see DeSmith string a couple good starts together and for Carter to get off the schneid. Gotta love the gutsy performance from the Crosby line after the Senators pulled the goalie, too - that's the type of stuff I like to see from a team with big playoff aspirations.

Also happy that Matt Murray looks like his old self again. I wish that guy all the success in the world - he's a huge part of some of my favorite Penguins memories, and watching him seemingly waste away was not pleasant.

 

[The Old Master]

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