Post-Game Talk: Plus-Minus Thread | Rangers 6, Penguins 1 | Insert sarcastic title here

[cheesedanish87]

Pens are playing like a team that has its division locked up i cant blame them its human nature pens dont play a meaningful game til may 1st. Sucks that Martin is hurt but im glad people are starting to realize how much he means to this team, Pens played allot of games this year without Letang and did fine. Martin>Letang

 

[KIRK]

I didn't think it was possible to miss Paul Martin this much. But here we are.

Letang back will help, but he's had his own stretches of sloppy play this season. Martin's presence at least turns Orpik from a complete trainwreck into a moderate fender-bender.

Great point on Martin's unique importance, but I think Vega's point also is well taken about Letang and the impact he'll have. As I said in the GDT, the Pens entire offensive game plan is predicated on defensemen moving the puck quickly up ice and joining the rush. When you've got four pylons and Niskanen playing like Brooks Orpik is his role model, the seeds of the team's demise were sewn before the puck was dropped.

Three other concerns:

1. The PK has been bad the last two games.

2. The gap is atrocious, which is allowing the other team to gain the zone clean. The lack of defensemen stepping up opens up more odd man against opportunities.

3. Before someone says 'it's only two games and it will get better when everyone including Sid gets back', just remember that we said the same thing last year when the red flags suddenly started jumping out in April. Not saying it will be the same this year, but I'll be interested to see what Bylsma really learned after last year and how the acquisitions help to stem the tide.

That said, I do think that it's important to note one further item: There's a lot of ebb and flow in the regular season. The Pens probably weren't playing well enough at the end of the winning streak to deserve to keep winning, but they did. This smells a lot like a bottoming out. The question is whether it's a brief swoon or something that lingers like last year.

 

[High Flying Birds]

Bruce Orpeck has been regressing at an alarming rate the last few years.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Bruce Orpeck has been regressing at an alarming rate the last few years.

seriously. is he one of our 6 best d-men?

 

[domaug*]

+ Fleury's tirade late in the game

- Fleury's play (and everyone else's play for that matter)

-- Orpik. he'd normally be a - but gets the extra - because he talks a big game about leadership but does NOTHING to back up his own talk. he's the epitome of all-bark-no-bite cowardice.

 

[nhindian]

+ no shutout
+ MAF getting pissed
+ at least Lundqvist didn't get his first goal of the year against us tonight


- wtf was that?

 

[IcedCapp]

*******. Screw you and your arrogant organization.

Whiner

 

[specialized]

Maybe the pens should of went after clowe instead of morrow

 

[KIRK]

Didn't we start sucking around the same time last season as well?

Yes, and it happened suddenly. Only thing is that time it happened after Sid came back. This time, you've got Sid out and just as important both Martin and Letang out. How big a difference that is remains to be seen.

 

[Crosberry87]

Bruce Orpeck has been regressing at an alarming rate the last few years.

Don't worry next year we will trade him and bring up joe morr.... O wait

 

[Dying Alive]

"they didn't get to their game"

I'd say that's accurate tonight, unless "their game" is running around the ice like a bunch of clown****ers.

 

[Ogelthorpe]

How much you wanna bet that Bylsma is gonna blame it on "fatigue" because we played last night?

Guarantee he DOESN'T do that.

 

[vodeni]

Big minus to our Defense: desperes, Bortuzzo, Orpik and Nisky just awful.
I know that Geno's line didn't produce, but occasionally showed something, unfortunately other 9 players showed nothing
+Nash didn't have a point
----just cannot lose 6:1 to Rangers, cannot be banged against the wall like tonight
---PK reverse to same old pull back and hope they'l miss open shots

I'll wait until Friday, if they lay another egg, I'll be really concerned.

 

[KIRK]

How much you wanna bet that Bylsma is gonna blame it on "fatigue" because we played last night?

Don't worry . . . we'll get to our game on Friday.

 

[mpp9]

Good news people. Orpik's salary will be used on resigning Iggy. Keep sucking Brooks.

 

[WhatsaMaatta]

Bruce Orpeck has been regressing at an alarming rate the last few years.

Last few games, even.

 

[jinx33]

I will repeat what i said yesterday night, Iggy have to play on another line. That line make the other ones totally unbalanced, and they not even producing. Malkin is not dominating at all, Neal lost his amazing scoring touch, and Iggy forcing plays with them. You got a line like this, the danger should be important. But it has not been critical after 3 games.

Yet the worse tonight come from the defense, i really feel bad for Fleury. No effort, no transition, no real physical presence, no simple play. Nisky was bad yesterday, he was worse tonight. Meh 6-1.. i don't give a damn that they're missin 2 core players and Crosby, the team is not playing dynamic, no excuses.

 

[Ray Shero*]

Why does everyone always seem to have big wins against us?

Clowe got his first two of the season againts us.

WHY US.

 

[CrozJawz*]

This team went from the highest of highs, winning the Iginla sweepstakes in the middle of a winning streak, to the lowest of lows, getting blown out in back to back games, being outscored 10-2.

It's just kinda funny that a week ago, everyone was talking about Sid winning the Ross, the Hart, the Pearson, the Pens winning the President's trophy, the Cup was the Pens' to lose, etc. Then they lose Sid and Martin to injury. Now in two straight games they have looked like a non playoff, bottom feeder team, instead of thinking about the President's trophy, they look like they will be lucky to hold onto the number 1 spot in the East, Sid looks to lose out on the Ross and possibly the Hart, Malkin looks like he is nowhere near 100%, and the d is back to leaving the goaltenders out to dry.

A lot of people will say that there is nothing to worry about, just a bump in the road, they will recover, etc. They need to nip this in the bud NOW. This will bite them if they don't pull together and right the ship.

 

[Stad]

Pretty sure Letang will be back Friday. I hope we lay a ****ing beat down on these clowns Friday.

 

[TheFlightlessBird]

Time for our seasoned vets to start vetting

 

[Dying Alive]

Whiner

Your team sucks.

 

[madinsomniac]

Perhaps we truely angered the "hockey gods" by getting rid of the blue jerseys and thus depriving them of their ritualistic sacrifice of a players head, legs, arms, or jaw.....

 

[Ogrezilla]

ok. I need to lie down. i apologize for all of this

 

[KIRK]

+ Fleury getting pissed. He had every right to.

Still a loooong ways to go, and it shouldn't take Milbury of all people to calmly explain what's gone on the last couple of games, but my major fear was the following, as I stated previously.

Too many pieces now. Losing 3 key players doesn't help, but you have a hodgepodge of lineup additions right now who don't quite exactly fit together.

It would help if, in games like this, the coach experimented a little to see how they might fit, no?

Side note: I took less time typing that than it takes for Brenden Morrow to backcheck.