Post-Game Talk: Plus/Minus - Game 3

[Gallatin]

Dumoulin has exceeded my expectations somewhat - one bright spot of all these injuries is that it forces the Pens to give young guys like him a chance.

Dumo has a long history of playing his best game when they count the most. A team like the Pens can really use that.

Watch him get traded this summer by the 9-headed monster for some washed up vet...

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Yes. Those two missed calls especially. I didn't even know that they drew blood on Downie.

Two linesmen came to him after and he kept putting his finger to his mouth and showing them the blood. For about 30 seconds they argued during the time out when you likely saw a commercial.

 

[SidDidNothingWrong]

I just watched some of the highlights now because I had class for a majority of the game and I'm sorry, but I am being that "ref guy."
In the NBA, MLB, NFL, and other hockey leagues the league tries to protect their stars.
In the NHL, there is an unwritten rule that you can abuse star players. That Yandle hold on Crosby is ridiculous. What the ****. What. The. ****. No wonder why we have Stan Mikita numbers in the scoring race! This league is ****ing garbage.

 

[SEALBound]

That's fair, but the roster is what it is and the injuries are what they are. All things considered, they are exceeding expectations right now. I think it's okay to feel good about that.

Agreed.

 

[Shaftception]

I've not really followed any of this series in the media, national or local, but is there some media driven narrative explaining/excusing the officiating with the discipline/undisciplined distinctions that most outside fans seem to have latched on to? It seems to have appeared out of the blue as soon as game 1 ended, and widespread enough to cause me to doubt a large scale simultaneous epiphany.

It's just so bereft of logic, lest one then has to admit cross-checking a guy twice in the head is disciplined only because the refs chose to ignore it. Since those two occurrences very clearly were more egregiously undisciplined than anything called infractions this post-season, this proves the lack of infallibility in the officials decisions that the disciplined/undisciplined narrative relies on, that being officials are consistently only calling undisciplined penalties, and not simply being as inconsistently unexplainable as always.

Either way, in no way does the discipline narrative make a lick of sense, since it's easily proven they're inconsistent in just this simple distinction, thus I'm prone to believe there must be a media agenda driving this sudden widespread narrative in the series discussion.

 

[ObsessedCreative*]

Nice to see the Penguins limp-dick team was back in full-force tonight at home, CLASSIC

 

[Nakawick]

Back from the game.

Got to give the Rags credit, we knew that they were the better team given our injuries going in and so my expectations were reasonable going into this series, so the loss was easier to take.

Glad we made a game of it.

I am completely hoarse from telling the refs what I thought of their job, tonight and all year. Hint. They suck donkey balls.

Were they as bad as they seemed to us at the arena? Two blown calls led to goals from what I saw, Downie got hit in the face drawing blood and no call, Peron tackled into the net and they took both players, linemen calling offsides that were not even close, etc. etc. Though I did not have the benefit of replay, so may be missing something.

You can give credit to the other team and still think that the refs have an anti=Pen agenda. They have all game, all series, all year. Hard to really argue otherwise. At least we fans let them know all game. Was it able to be heard on television? Was very loud in the CEC.

Really disappointing that they missed the hook on Lappy. That led to the game winner.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Yeah I ain't even mad about the outcome.

It is all about the expectations. This team is decimated in key areas and they are giving it their all. Unlike past years where the expectations were high so the disappointments much more. They can still pull this out.

I will say that this Ranger team doesn't look like one that can go all they way. Yes, things can change, but I will say again, they remind me too much of Bylsma's Pens teams of years past. If they are stuggling against this beat up Pens' team they are going to be picked apart by a better team.

I AM mad about the refs and their ****ing anti-Pen bias. If they hate Downie that much, enough already. They have had their pound of flesh a hundred times over. Give it a ****ing rest. They are really pissing me off. And I finally got to tell them this game how unprofessional they are. In less polite terms.


Oh yeah, huge minus to the guy in front of me in the wife beater shirt and loose jeans that kept getting up and showing me the hairy crack of his ass like a proverbial plumber. I really did not need that image all game.

 

[HuskerTornado]

lol Rags press and coach whining about Lundqvist being "bumped" in post game interview.

Oh. ****ing. Brother. That flopping fish is such a *****.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

lol Rags press and coach whining about Lundqvist being "bumped" in post game interview.

Oh. ****ing. Brother. That flopping fish is such a *****.

Yeah that was a joke and we let him know. The refs even talked to him and warned him after that pathetic exercise.

This is how it looked to us at the arena.

I really think that they told him if he did that again they were going to ring him up two minutes for diving.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Yeah, I've never been a "refs are anti-Penguins" guy, or one to complain about the refs, but this season--playoffs especially--has been laughably bad. There's something going on. Maybe years of barking at refs has finally come back to bite them in the ass, I dunno. Either way, it's gotta stop if we want a shot at stealing another game in this series. It's not even the calls against us, it's the non-calls against the Rangers. It's so bad.

 

[Tender Rip]

They clearly had the green light in the third to jump up the ice and come down the boards and it made a big difference. These guys can do it... well not Scuds... they just need the green light.

They just need to be smart about things and take calculated risks.

Can't play with fear, because fear looks like periods one and two.

Well, its some of this and some of the other.
Opening up will expose us more, and if the Rangers are not sitting back as much as in the third, more so. Ultimately we agree they have to do it though. If nothing else when trailing, because otherwise we don't generate enough pressure at all. But I understand why MJ is not going full bore at the outset given the D limitations. Can't wait as long as he did tonight however.

 

[MtlPenFan]

They clearly had the green light in the third to jump up the ice and come down the boards and it made a big difference. These guys can do it... well not Scuds... they just need the green light.

They just need to be smart about things and take calculated risks.

Can't play with fear, because fear looks like periods one and two.

That's exactly what I saw. Desperation didn't create a better effort, it just led to playing the right way in today's NHL, where EVERYONE has to get involved in order to sustain the cycle.

Right now, the Pens are playing like the 2010 Habs when they went on their flukey run. Keep everything to the outside, play it safe, and hope for a break and great goaltending.

I get that it's a necessity given who's hurt, but Jesus you have to look at what worked for you and stick to it. I understand the Rangers hung back, but a lot of what was happening in their zone was simply a result of the D men pinching, and of course basically rolling 2 lines.


They won't do it because they're ****ing stupid, but if Pouliot is healthy, then dress 7 D. Take Wilson out and just double shift Sid and Geno and Sutter. It'll get them out of a few matchups for short spurts, and it'll hopefully get Scuderi the **** off the ice on offensive zone draws. He's so useless out there right now with the puck that it's comical.

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

He would be a huge help transition wise, but I worry about who will be taken out of the lineup. Scuderi needs to sit. He's killing us. We all know he won't though.

Yeah, unfortunately, I'm not sure subbing him in for Chorney or Dumo is a net gain at this point.

Not sure how they can't see how bad Scuds has been.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Yeah, I've never been a "refs are anti-Penguins" guy, or one to complain about the refs, but this season--playoffs especially--has been laughably bad. There's something going on. Maybe years of barking at refs has finally come back to bite them in the ass, I dunno. Either way, it's gotta stop if we want a shot at stealing another game in this series. It's not even the calls against us, it's the non-calls against the Rangers. It's so bad.

It amazes me how many do not get that, even though it is said a thousand times. It is never the calls made against the Pens, they certainly do need to work on controlling their sticks especially, but discipline in general. But it is totally ignoring the SAME infractions the other way. Many of them each game. It is so blatantly obvious all year that to deny it is to make you look like a fool.

 

[HuskerTornado]

The two teams are being held to a different standard. It's no accident.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Well, its some of this and some of the other.
Opening up will expose us more, and if the Rangers are not sitting back as much as in the third, more so. Ultimately we agree they have to do it though. If nothing else when trailing, because otherwise we don't generate enough pressure at all. But I understand why MJ is not going full bore at the outset given the D limitations. Can't wait as long as he did tonight however.

You can still play responsible hockey and not be on your heels like the Pens blueliners are doing. I get playing safe, but this is slow death.

I've watched the weak side defender in the attacking zone sit five feet inside the blueline all series, even when there is clear possession. I haven't seen one guy go to the backside post, yet. It's making the Rags assignments easy.

 

[TNT87]

lol Rags press and coach whining about Lundqvist being "bumped" in post game interview.

Oh. ****ing. Brother. That flopping fish is such a *****.

I'm sure he has no problem when Kreider constantly "bumps" into goalies.

 

[SidDidNothingWrong]

Can anyone get a gif of the Lundqvist dive and the Yandle obstruction on Sid?

 

[SidDidNothingWrong]

I'm sure he has no problem when Kreider constantly "bumps" into goalies.

Lol if Kreider wasn't such an ******* then the Habs would have made the Rangers cry. They got so lucky last year but even Tokarski gave them a series lol.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

That's exactly what I saw. Desperation didn't create a better effort, it just led to playing the right way in today's NHL, where EVERYONE has to get involved in order to sustain the cycle.

Right now, the Pens are playing like the 2010 Habs when they went on their flukey run. Keep everything to the outside, play it safe, and hope for a break and great goaltending.

I get that it's a necessity given who's hurt, but Jesus you have to look at what worked for you and stick to it. I understand the Rangers hung back, but a lot of what was happening in their zone was simply a result of the D men pinching, and of course basically rolling 2 lines.


They won't do it because they're ****ing stupid, but if Pouliot is healthy, then dress 7 D. Take Wilson out and just double shift Sid and Geno and Sutter. It'll get them out of a few matchups for short spurts, and it'll hopefully get Scuderi the **** off the ice on offensive zone draws. He's so useless out there right now with the puck that it's comical.

If Scuds played mistake free hockey in his own end, you could justify him being in the lineup. Tonight I watched him pass the puck directly to two Rags players. The first pass, the guy was right in the slot. I don't even know wtf he was even trying to do.

I love how they limit his minutes though. Only like 22 mins tonight. Brutal.

He's a vet so, his mistakes don't count. Therefore he can play unlimited minutes with his sexy experience points.

 

[harmonica]

Can anyone get a gif of the Lundqvist dive and the Yandle obstruction on Sid?

Who needs one from today when it is the exact same as this:

 

[Zero Pucks]

lol Rags press and coach whining about Lundqvist being "bumped" in post game interview.

Oh. ****ing. Brother. That flopping fish is such a *****.

That ****** is the only goalie I've ever seen flop and dive as much as he does. And then he complains more than every ****ing goalie in the league combined, hands down. It's pretty ****ing amazing.

 

[Waffle Fries]

That ****** is the only goalie I've ever seen flop and dive as much as he does. And then he complains more than every ****ing goalie in the league combined, hands down. It's pretty ****ing amazing.

He's not the only one. He's also extremely, extremely talented, which to me as an opposing fan is way more annoying.

 

[drpepper]

+++ Crosby and Hornqvist
+++ Fleury
++ Lapierre
+ Dumoulin and Chorney

---- Not enough shots - bad point shots, holding the puck too long (Malkin, Comeau, Perron, Dumoulin)
--- Player usage, match-ups, bench management, "adjustments"
--- Scuderi, Lovejoy, Cole
-- Winnik, Spaling
- Perron, Kunitz