Pre-Game Talk: The All Purpose Off Day Thread | Because 60 Minutes Just Isn't Enough

[Ugene Magic]

Who's on the far right here?

Looks to be Ruhwedel?

 

[bathroomSTAAL]

Looks to be Ruhwedel?

Oh yeah thanks. Forgot he was on the team

 

[Clare2904]

Who's on the far right here?

It's Ruhwedel

 

[ColePens]

Don't know if we chatted about it but Sully talked about switching up the neutral zone a little. I am really happy with that. The Pens were far and away the fastest team in the league 2 years ago. The league is copy cat. Everyone switched to speed so obviously the Pens do not have that clear advantage anymore. So now you have to adjust and think about what can hurt speed teams and how you can make 'em pay. Sitting a little deeper in the neutral killed Toronto. Kudos for that adjustment but it's just a start to the development to be a step ahead of the game.

 

[Pancakes]

With the Sid line... it really doesn't matter who the RW is at this point. Sid has sucked until last game. We all know he starts slow, then people claim he's done, and then he turns into the best player in the world again.

Jake has been meh, too. Especially in the neutral zone and where he typically is best - with very little room. He's usually great at chipping pucks through minimal space or making great passes/finishing plays. Outside of the last game, he looked identical to the player we saw start off last year and end up off Sid's line. He had to grind his game out a little bit and then went back to being the player we loved. Then Sid/Jake engaged late in the season and went on to have a phenomenal playoff.

But nonetheless, the RW won't matter at this point. Rust sucks with that group but I just don't care to harp on it over and over.

I thought Sid started to look better in the Vancouver game and carried that into Toronto.

Hopefully he has a good stretch coming up. Geno/Phil/Letang are feeling it right now so if Sid heats up the wins will follow.

 

[Ugene Magic]

Don't know if we chatted about it but Sully talked about switching up the neutral zone a little. I am really happy with that. The Pens were far and away the fastest team in the league 2 years ago. The league is copy cat. Everyone switched to speed so obviously the Pens do not have that clear advantage anymore. So now you have to adjust and think about what can hurt speed teams and how you can make 'em pay. Sitting a little deeper in the neutral killed Toronto. Kudos for that adjustment but it's just a start to the development to be a step ahead of the game.

It may just be: play a little smarter, obstruct better, and give it the ol' Detroit try.

The Pens did get away with a lot of extra obstruction against Toronto. Playoff hockey.

Play like the games actually mean something. Systems can be adjusted game to game, period to period, hell... shift to shift dependent on who you play. Some teams are well rounded on offense, some on defense and some cases both. You look to exploit each teams weaknesses and hold off their strengths.

The Pens strength can also be their weakness. It all is how much they pressure teams and overstay their means than backoff and play a little defense. Some will construed that being the forwards being more defensive minded getting back, but... I think it starts with the D-men knowing when and where they push that envelope. When everyone is going north or in a northern position, the D-men have to not take too many 50/50 chances. Back off and allow your team to get in the play. When needed, play the body, the puck can't move on its own.

Detroit made a living off of this.

Obstruct....Obstruct....Obstruct....

 

[DegenX]

Dammit! My bad.

Ill take it then lol. When I'm off mobile ill add my name.

Suh-weet! Thanks, Cole

 

[Multigrain]

What would the Pens interest in Cody Ceci and who would they give up?

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

I'm a bit concerned the opposite will be the case. Sometimes it seems like they have a strong game (like versus the Leafs) just to say, "See? We can do it if we want to", then proceed to have a stinker the next night when they feel they've already proven their point the previous game.

Hopefully they prove me wrong.

Exactly. That's what I'd put money on.

Hopefully they've realized that that gets them nowhere but a long Summer vacation.

 

[billybudd]

I wish I got paid to write articles to draw conclusions about Corsi 6 games into the season. What a dream.

I bought my brother an Athletic subscription specifically because I was sick of getting angry text messages every morning about whatever stupid thing Ryan Wilson wrote that day (usually involving corsi).

We rag on the actual media a lot on here, but I don't know if there's anybody as consistently idiotic as Ryan Wilson when it comes to hockey. Maybe Gene Collier, but he writes like 3 hockey columns a year, if that (and that's assuming he's even still alive).

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Who's on the far right here?

What a buncha beauts. Gotta give the fashion nod to Brass at this point.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Who's on the far right here?

That’s Sulphur Mountain. Letang probably ran up instead of taking the gondola (4 miles long, elevation gain 2500ft).

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Meh not interested in that line at all. Simon-Hornqvist as a pair makes sense. Obviously Sprong is getting the shaft, but it doesn't have to be that way even with the lines constructed as Sully has them. Just sprinkle Sprong in with Sid and get him 10-12 minutes.

I'm just going with the results from last game. They worked well together, and as an added bonus with Line 2 set in stone right now there would be a lot of combinations left for Line's 1 and 3 to find something that clicks.

 

[Tom Hanks]

I'm just going with the results from last game. They worked well together, and as an added bonus with Line 2 set in stone right now there would be a lot of combinations left for Line's 1 and 3 to find something that clicks.

Different opponent though. Leafs are a deep offensive team who were averaging 4.7 goals a game. It was a great line to help deal with that. Edmonton 2.2 goals a game so not really necessary especially when Sid will go up against their only dangerous line.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Different opponent though. Leafs are a deep offensive team who were averaging 4.7 goals a game. It was a great line to help deal with that. Edmonton 2.2 goals a game so not really necessary especially when Sid will go up against their only dangerous line.

Each of Cullen, Sheahan, and Horny looked better on that line than they have in any other game this year. I'm not sure how the Oilers' relative lack of depth affects that. If anything, I'd think it would give that line more of an opportunity to shine - at least as the default position. Presumably that's why we're experimenting...to find things that work and help us win.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Each of Cullen, Sheahan, and Horny looked better on that line than they have in any other game this year. I'm not sure how the Oilers' relative lack of depth affects that. If anything, I'd think it would give that line more of an opportunity to shine - at least as the default position. Presumably that's why we're experimenting...to find things that work and help us win.

Still didn’t trouble the scoresheet though. There will be changes until we get more than 2 ES goals in 6 games from the bottom 6.

This game is a good chance to increase that.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

What would the Pens interest in Cody Ceci and who would they give up?

It's Maatta or forget it.

Edit: Also, the guy asked for freaking 6m/yr in arbitration....are you kidding me? He isn't anywhere near that yet. Maybe some day he could be worthy of it, but until then, even 4.3m/yr was generous.

But the guy is even more of a project than Maatta is at this point. Olli may have lapses in judgement and gets burned by virtually any player in the league in a foot race, but there are those brief moments where the guy is brilliant.

With Ceci, those are more rare occurrences. I would rather send them Maatta for Jaros, Wideman, and their 2nd.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

It's Maatta or forget it.
But the guy is even more of a project than Maatta is at this point. Olli may have lapses in judgement and gets burned by virtually any player in the league in a foot race, but there are those brief moments where the guy is brilliant. What he lacks in foot speed he makes up for in defensive awareness.

Maatta was strong virtually all of last season. There's an insane amount of overreaction to his tough start this season. He's been our most reliable defenseman in his own end after Dumoulin for years now.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Maatta was strong virtually all of last season. There's an insane amount of overreaction to his tough start this season. He's been our most reliable defenseman in his own end after Dumoulin for years now.

Maatta was actually quite terrible for stretches, where he made a lot of questionable decisions with the puck and was constantly getting burned and making wrong decisions for pinches. But overall, things that would be fine if he ever evolved his game to adjust to his lack of speed.

But he still makes wrong choices pinching and still plays like he isn't slow when he is.

I was willing to listen to the fact that he never had a proper off season in his entire career until this past summer to work on things. He didn't get faster. He looks like the same player from last season. More annoying is the people that seem to want to back up Olli without seeing him and these warts in a league that is pushing forward with speed and a player that can't seem to figure out how to fix that part of his game 5+ years in.

I like Olli, the guy has been through a ton and still keeps at it. His preparation for the game was 2nd to Crosby, but when you know he's a serious guy with his training and you don't see him work on his most glaring flaw....it's like, how much time are you going to waste defending someone that isn't going to get better in that regard?

 

[billybudd]

It's Maatta or forget it.

Edit: Also, the guy asked for freaking 6m/yr in arbitration....are you kidding me? He isn't anywhere near that yet. Maybe some day he could be worthy of it, but until then, even 4.3m/yr was generous.

But the guy is even more of a project than Maatta is at this point. Olli may have lapses in judgement and gets burned by virtually any player in the league in a foot race, but there are those brief moments where the guy is brilliant.

With Ceci, those are more rare occurrences. I would rather send them Maatta for Jaros, Wideman, and their 2nd.

To be fair, if I had an arb hearing and my boss was Eugene Melnyk, I'd ask for way more than I was worth in the hope that he'd order the GM to trade me.

Don't know enough about Ceci to know if he's the type to go that route, but it's where my head would be at in his shoes.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

To be fair, if I had an arb hearing and my boss was Eugene Melnyk, I'd ask for way more than I was worth in the hope that he'd order the GM to trade me.

Don't know enough about Ceci to know if he's the type to go that route, but it's where my head would be at in his shoes.

Has the talent to be a 35-40pt defenseman, is slightly quicker than Maatta but prone to the same bone headed mistakes he makes but is a serviceable Top 4 when things are aligned.

He's not worth it to be honest.

 

[EightyOne]

I don't think Maatta is neglecting skating training.

I just don't think he has the physical ability to get better.

As has been pointed out, he's fine in either direction after a bit and he establishes his stride, but he cannot pivot or reverse direction of travel quickly.

That's why he gets burned by players, when he has to pivot his body around, they are gone and why him pinching is scary.

Unfortunately, as a defender, you need to be smooth transitioning to or from forward and reverse skating.

 

[Peat]

Interesting article here on maybe limiting goaltender training and giving goaltenders more time to work on goaltender specifics rather than general team practice. Seems to make sense to me - I get the objections that the players need to shoot on the best goaltenders for proper practice but is a team going to benefit more from keeping their goaltender fresh and fully honed, or giving their skaters an extra couple of hours shooting on number one goaltenders in full drills?

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Interesting article here on maybe limiting goaltender training and giving goaltenders more time to work on goaltender specifics rather than general team practice. Seems to make sense to me - I get the objections that the players need to shoot on the best goaltenders for proper practice but is a team going to benefit more from keeping their goaltender fresh and fully honed, or giving their skaters an extra couple of hours shooting on number one goaltenders in full drills?

Fewer concussions from practice would be nice.

 

[PensandCaps]

Cody Ceci is trash.

Lol Maatta is much better.