Post-Game Talk: Sabres 3, Penguins 1 - Deja Vu All Over Again

[Ugene Magic]

It’s almost like we didn’t see a ton of games like this one last year, WITH Kessel on the ice, and doing absolutely NOTHING to help the team turn the tides.

I get it, Phil is a likable dude and all, but... come on, man.

There were more forces at work last year and beyond.

Thing is, there were also many games where he was carrying the team. It's not that simple when others are not towing that line either and a GM/HC deconstructing a winning team in rapid form as they built it.

What's wrong with suck it up and collect your cup?

The off-ice things seem a bit ticky-tacky for reasons to move on. They were closer to a 3rd cup hanging on for another couple years then what's transpired letting a cohesive roster go to the wind. They completely ruin the room.

I watched Malkin not give a crap for 2/3 of a game and then kick in in a 5 minute spurt and revert back.

Kessel's gone, and there's no going back. Short of adding a guy who "can" take some of that load off the main characters you might actually realize he did a lot more than you are giving him crap for.

What Phil was doing was Phil being Phil, or you don't remember what Phil was doing before he became a Penguin.

The bigger problem was the team was changing rapidly losing components that helped stir the drink.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Can you blame him? The dude is mostly devoid of talent outside of parking his ass in front of the net and trying to poke a loose puck into the net. He treats the puck like a grenade most of the time.

This is one of the most frustrating things about Sullivan. It’s known that Sid doesn’t like playing with Hornqvist. He just can’t keep up with Sid and doesn’t really provide any other support for that line. But Sullivan is stubborn and keeps trying it. Especially when there was some pretty compelling evidence that McCann (and I think even Simon) meshed better on that line last year.

I just don’t get how they went about things a certain way through most of the preseason, and then game one comes around and they do different things (I.e. Johnson in over Riikola, Horny to L1, etc.).

The most frustrating thing for me is he experiments so much with different combinations, with the assumed aim of finding what works. He eventually strikes paydirt. He then proceeds to ignore what he sees and reverts to things that were proven flawed.

How are these not the lines?
Jake - Sid - McCann
Tanev - Malkin - Galchenyuk
Simon - Bjugstad - Hornqvist
ZAR - Blueger - Kahun

While McCann didn't put up huge numbers with those 2, he enabled them to have the puck and do damage. It's the same role (in this context) that Dupuis had. A guy who never crested 40 points. Besides, he has more offensive upside than Duper IMO.
And someone please explain to me what good it's doing us stripping Bjugstad of 2 wingers that he proved beyond doubt he has chemistry with. I mean does Sullivan need one of his assistants to show him the analytics? How they were a veritable fortress? What exactly did we get from Bjug in the first game or pre-season with new combinations? Bordering on nothing. Like why man? Why?
I mean he's not gonna give time for the new lines to get traction anyway, if they don't succeed immediately. It's his fatal flaw as a coach.

As for the defense...yeah I got no words anymore. Stupid is stupid.

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

This is a grab-bag of a roster.

This isn't where they were 4 years ago. All the big pieces in place and filling out the roster with internal fillers.

You got..

Guentzel, Crosby
Galchenyuk, Malkin

then what?

At this point they are all fillers. Nobody has a spot locked in. None. That's not even close to having depth. They are back to relying on Crosby and Malkin up front at a declining side of the slope to carry a team.

The D-core should be sound if you look at the top 4 on paper, but they are trying to spread out the talent rather then stacking pairings and use the bottom two in a sheltered stance.

Dumoulin, Letang
Pettersson, Schultz

Riikola, Gudbranson

Even though Murray was good, they need to have him steal games now and then and prove he's that top 5 goaltender in this league. I don't want to hear b2b winning goalie. That was 3 years ago. The other point of note is staying healthy for a season for once. He's never played more than 50 games.

Where I'm going with this is, the line right now has to be towed by 9 guys. Your top 4 at forward, top 4 on D and your loan standout at net-minding.

There is no depth beyond that. They needed to add difference makers to what they had, and instead they keep subtracting from it.

Those 9 players have to bare the brunt of everything. They are not even 2010 to 2014 worthy as they sit. A team, though lacking, playing above their means in the face of adversity. Finding ways to win.

This is a, I want to say mini rebuild, but when you're down to 7 to 9 "regulars players" left from the start of the JR/b2b cup era that's leaning towards just shy of an actual rebuild.

If your identity is Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Guentzel and Murray this team is going to have a hard time staying below the 20 team mark of the 31 teams, much of which have been trending the opposite direction to the Penguins.

In "all" of the cup years they had difference makers beyond what they currently do.

2016
Sheary Crosby Horny
Kunitz Geno Rust
Hags Bones Kessel
Kuhn Cullen Fehr

2019
Guentzel Crosby Rust*
Gally Geno Tanev
Simon Bjugstad Horny
McCann Blueger Kahun/ZAR

That just doesn't seem all that different to me. HBK was in beast mode that year but that was lightning in a bottle. The 2019 3rd line isn't going to put up those number but they've shown to be a very good possession line.

2016 Cullen to Teddy is a bit of a downgrade but I think 2019's 4th line is better overall. I think 2019's 1st and 2nd lines could be better than 2016 as well.

 

[PenguinSuitedUp]

It’s almost like we didn’t see a ton of games like this one last year, WITH Kessel on the ice, and doing absolutely NOTHING to help the team turn the tides.

I get it, Phil is a likable dude and all, but... come on, man.

Kessel is a top end offensive talent who produced at a high level even in a down year. Nobody else the Penguins have had can take the offensive pressure off of Malkin and Crosby in the same way.

 

[Angrrus]

Kessel is a top end offensive talent who produced at a high level even in a down year. Nobody else the Penguins have had can take the offensive pressure off of Malkin and Crosby in the same way.

Theoretically - yes.

Practically... seriously? Going for 2 month without an ES goal in Feb-Mar, when the team was scratching and clawing for points? Forgoing recovery from an injury and preparation for a deep playoff run for the sake of an “iron man” streak? Disappearing completely in two straight postseason runs, bring content with a few secondary assists?

As much as Phil was key in two cup runs, the last two years he hurt the team as much as he helped it, if not more.

 

[Angrrus]

Letang is the Brett Favre of the NHL. Make the stupidest decisions time and time again that cost his team and then pulls a great play out of his ass and everyone ignores the dumb****ery and claims he’s the greatest...

Also they love to cite his possession metrics to prove how important he is for the team. I wonder if anyone could come up with a fancy stat of how many % of Corsis are negated by every stupid mistake that leads to a goal against.

 

[KIRK]

Kessel is a top end offensive talent who produced at a high level even in a down year. Nobody else the Penguins have had can take the offensive pressure off of Malkin and Crosby in the same way.

A properly constructed defense could.