Realistically who can challenge the Penguins?

[Coach Parker]

I think the top seed in the east between the top 3 metro teams is going to be really important. It's going to be hard for the 2 and 3 seeds (whoever that is) to beat both of the other two metro teams (with one or both series being road ice).

In the NHL there's no such thing as "will win" series. The Pens are a great team at home, but they aren't going to win every single home playoff game. The jackets I think match up against them a little better than the Caps, but either team can beat them (even in a road series). It should be interesting though. He first two rounds of the metro side of the eastern bracket are going to have some really entertaining hockey. It should be a lot of fun.

Agreed. You take any of the top three in the Metro and put them in the Atlantic and they have an easier path to the ECF.

 

[Rufus]

Well then your opinion is biased and can't be taken seriously. The Boston Bruins spanked the Penguins on the ice in one of the most lob-sided ECF's ever. It was men against boys.

Boston swept them in four straight games 4-0.
Boston outscored them 12-2 (wow) in the series, only allowing two goals the entire series.
Crosby was held pointless in four games.
Malkin was held pointless in four games.
Rask posted two shutouts in the four games.
Penguins went 0-15 on the powerplay.
Neal and Iginla held pointless as well.


Spanked. Royally spanked. In fact, it was the first time they had been swept in a playoff series since 1979...

...to the Boston Bruins.

This may have been the worst spanking and beatdown in the history of the Pittsburgh Penguins franchise. No wins, four losses, two goals.

Didn't want to bring out the stats and facts to 2013 Penguin you, but find me a bigger beatdown of the Penguins in their playoff history that wasn't the Bruins.

Oh, and my breath is salty from tasting your tears.

Yes, it was a serious smackdown. Yes, the series was five years ago. Is Boston the same team now as they were then? Not even close. Is Pittsburgh the same team now as they were then? Not even close. Referencing two playoff series, one of which took place in the 70's, as evidence that the Bruins could beat the Penguins in the playoffs is a poor argument

 

[Bar Down]

If the Penguins get healthy, it's going to be tough. They're on fire right now somehow while missing 8 players. That won't last in the playoffs though, they need defensemen back. Chad Ruhwedel is a parking cone and a few others shouldn't be logging the kind of minutes they're being forced to play right now. We'll have to wait and see.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Realistically, the only way anybody can beat the Penguins is to take out Murray. The Pens would have won 5-6 cups since 2009 if they had a goalie this good, instead of Fleury and his mental issues.

Fleury only cost the Penguins a legit chance at a cup in 2012. They certainly wouldn't have that many cups without Fleury, they might have one more. They certainly would have lost to Chicago in 2010 (even if they would have made it), Crosby and Malkin were hurt in 2011, they lost with another goalie in 2013 and neither 2014 or 2015 was at all due to Fleury.

 

[Voight]

Cjicago, Caps, CBJ, Anaheim

 

[Voight]

Well then your opinion is biased and can't be taken seriously. The Boston Bruins spanked the Penguins on the ice in one of the most lob-sided ECF's ever. It was men against boys.

Boston swept them in four straight games 4-0.
Boston outscored them 12-2 (wow) in the series, only allowing two goals the entire series.
Crosby was held pointless in four games.
Malkin was held pointless in four games.
Rask posted two shutouts in the four games.
Penguins went 0-15 on the powerplay.
Neal and Iginla held pointless as well.


Spanked. Royally spanked. In fact, it was the first time they had been swept in a playoff series since 1979...

...to the Boston Bruins.

This may have been the worst spanking and beatdown in the history of the Pittsburgh Penguins franchise. No wins, four losses, two goals.

Didn't want to bring out the stats and facts to 2013 Penguin you, but find me a bigger beatdown of the Penguins in their playoff history that wasn't the Bruins.

Oh, and my breath is salty from tasting your tears.

The best thing about that year was everyone crowing the Pens champions after they loaded up at the deadline. I remember people saying they would sweep their way to the finals, them getting absolutely ruined by Boston was the icing on the cake.

 

[gordie]

Cjicago, Caps, CBJ, Anaheim

Anaheim??? Stick to Wrasslin'!!

 

[MrBrightside]

The best thing about that year was everyone crowing the Pens champions after they loaded up at the deadline. I remember people saying they would sweep their way to the finals, them getting absolutely ruined by Boston was the icing on the cake.

But was it as much fun as the Pens obliterating the Bruins in '91 and '92 on their way to winning the Cup those years? Asking for a friend.

 

[MrBrightside]

So, nothing. Gotcha. Worst beatdown in Penguins history happened. #ItHappened

Everything else I already addressed in the thread. It's just funny to see you get so upset about a beatdown that happened 3 years ago. It was the worst in their history however so I can see how you'd choose to try and forget it.

Maybe the fluke was the Penguins getting that far to face the Bruins that year? Leafs put up a much better series and fight that year.

And Boston sports fans wonder why people think about them the way that they do.

 

[Hobodrifter]

The 2013 Bruins-Penguins series was moreso a Pittsburgh offensive failure.

I thought Vokoun played pretty decently in goal.

It was and he did, you are correct. Good defensive effort by the Bruins for sure though.

 

[Hobodrifter]

And Boston sports fans wonder why people think about them the way that they do.

I try to avoid them if possible. I've encountered many that are some godawful obnoxious stereotype of the film Good Will Hunting and the Dropkick Murphys. Like the Bruins are some representation of working class toughness and integrity. They're almost as bad as the Pittsburgh Steelers yinzers equating that team with some blue collar representation.

 

[bearcountry17]

And Boston sports fans wonder why people think about them the way that they do.

And Pittsburgh fans wonder why people think about them the way they do when they try to sweep that sweep under the rug and call it a fluke...

Or we could accept the fact that every city has some awesome fans and some terrible fans. The reason people collectively dislike Boston fans is simple. 10 championships since the turn of this century. Same reason people dislike yankees, lakers, and canadiens fans.

 

[Allie Kitsune]

The best thing about that year was everyone crowing the Pens champions after they loaded up at the deadline. I remember people saying they would sweep their way to the finals, them getting absolutely ruined by Boston was the icing on the cake.

People forgot to account for the Dan Bylsma factor.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Well then your opinion is biased and can't be taken seriously. The Boston Bruins spanked the Penguins on the ice in one of the most lob-sided ECF's ever. It was men against boys.

Boston swept them in four straight games 4-0.
Boston outscored them 12-2 (wow) in the series, only allowing two goals the entire series.
Crosby was held pointless in four games.
Malkin was held pointless in four games.
Rask posted two shutouts in the four games.
Penguins went 0-15 on the powerplay.
Neal and Iginla held pointless as well.


Spanked. Royally spanked. In fact, it was the first time they had been swept in a playoff series since 1979...

...to the Boston Bruins.

This may have been the worst spanking and beatdown in the history of the Pittsburgh Penguins franchise. No wins, four losses, two goals.

Didn't want to bring out the stats and facts to 2013 Penguin you, but find me a bigger beatdown of the Penguins in their playoff history that wasn't the Bruins.

Oh, and my breath is salty from tasting your tears.

I mean, if we are living in the past I'll take the Pens abusing the Bruins 8 games in a row in the playoffs on their way to back to back cup wins. Eight games in a row... eight! That is the very definition of domination.

How did the Bruins cup run end in 2013, again?

Oh... right.

 

[gordie]

And Pittsburgh fans wonder why people think about them the way they do when they try to sweep that sweep under the rug and call it a fluke...

Or we could accept the fact that every city has some awesome fans and some terrible fans. The reason people collectively dislike Boston fans is simple. 10 championships since the turn of this century. Same reason people dislike yankees, lakers, and canadiens fans.

No. People hate your guts because of your New York "inferiority mentality" and "martyr complex".

 

[JaegerDice]

People forgot to account for the Dan Bylsma factor.

Dan Bylsma isn't a great coach, but philosophically those trades were stupid. Every single player they added made them slower.

 

[chethejet]

Pens haven't missed the playoffs the last two seasons like Boston. Pens if healthy will be hard to beat in a playoff series. But the teams contending are very good as well. Washington, Columbus in the Metro along with Montreal are capable of winning it all. Wouldn't bet against Crosby right now though.

 

[Allie Kitsune]

Dan Bylsma isn't a great coach, but philosophically those trades were stupid. Every single player they added made them slower.

In hindsight, of course.

But it seems to me that speed-uber-alles didn't really take over as the prevailing philosophy ("Sabrespeed" didn't win Buffalo any cups in the early 2000s) until the Rangers' run to the finals.

 

[bearcountry17]

No. People hate your guts because of your New York "inferiority mentality" and "martyr complex".

I guess I'll have to take your word for it but I don't remember much hate, at least on a national level, until they started winning championships at an unprecedented level.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Dan Bylsma isn't a great coach, but philosophically those trades were stupid. Every single player they added made them slower.

Ya it was... odd. Many Pens fans, myself included, didn't understand at the deadline why Shero purposely made the team ridiculously slow with all the new acquisition. The Isles were skating circles around them during their series that season.

Huge positive is that the Morrow for Morrow trade brought back a third that was used on Guentzel.

 

[Dying Alive]

Who cares about a series that happened four years ago?

Dan Bylsma isn't a great coach, but philosophically those trades were stupid. Every single player they added made them slower.

When your GM adds a future HOF winger and the coach insists on playing him on his off-wing to accommodate lesser players it pretty much sums up everything you need to know about that coach.

 

[SheldonJPlankton]

I guess I'll have to take your word for it but I don't remember much hate, at least on a national level, until they started winning championships at an unprecedented level.

People hate your state...and it has little to do with your sports teams. It's no secret that the rest of the greater northeast US refers to those from Massachusetts as Mass-holes.

 

[c9777666]

It was and he did, you are correct. Good defensive effort by the Bruins for sure though.

Obviously.

When I referred to Vokoun, if you told me he would give up 6 goals in games 1-3-4 (Including only 3 at TD Garden) the last thing I would have envisioned was a Boston sweep.

Maybe a 3-1 Bruins lead, but definitely not 4-0.

Vokoun deserved better from whatever the hell the Pittsburgh offense gave him those games.

The roll Boston got on in the East after that Toronto game 7 was quite something. There was a stretch where the Bruins at one point did not lose in regulation until game 5 of the SCF

 

[Allie Kitsune]

Who cares about a series that happened four years ago?



When your GM adds a future HOF winger and the coach insists on playing him on his off-wing to accommodate lesser players it pretty much sums up everything you need to know about that coach.

It's even more frustrating when you remember how effective Iginla still was on the PP.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Dan Bylsma isn't a great coach, but philosophically those trades were stupid. Every single player they added made them slower.

I liked the Iginla and Jokinen trades, since they were both cheap and good players. However, the Morrow and Murray trades were indefensible. What did Doug Murray in 2013 do that Despres couldn't do?

It also hurts that year that Niskanen wasn't good yet. In hindsight even with those trades, the Penguins could have thrown together a very good lineup like:

Dupuis-Crosby-Iginla
Kunitz-Malkin-Neal
Morrow-Jokinen-Bennett
Cooke-Sutter-Kennedy

Martin-Letang
Orpik-Niskanen
Murray-Despres

Is that lineup cup worthy? With a 2014 Niskanen, yeah I think possibly. But yeah, instead we got Iginla on his off-wing, KCD even as it wasn't working and Adams and Glass in the lineup every game over Jokinen and Bennett.