Pre-Game Talk: The All Purpose Off Day Thread | Simon Recalled

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Fascinating how every coach this team has ever had tends to flame out after 2 successful seasons. Not to go all TTEOT, but one has to wonder what a sheer coincidence that is, or if that's just confirmation bias.

I'm not going to go so far as say "flame out" but this coaching staff sure seems to be outsmarting itself around every corner, this season. I get that every year has it's challenges and I'll always be grateful for these guys coming in and creating a better culture.

But I have to wonder a little bit, too.

 

[Pens x]

Sullivan and co. are just awful at making lines.

But this still falls on JR too for totally failing to build a respectable bottom six this offseason, and only making minor changes since the season started.

 

[Shady Machine]

How would you describe the use of Kuhn??

Is that the only thing Sully should be judged on?

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Weird, ****ing stupid. Potato, potatoh. It’s going out of their way not to call him up. I’d also take Blueger getting a shot.

Guentzel-Blueger-Kessel
Rowney-Sheahan-Reaves

Hope Sheahan can drag those two around to at least get something that maybe kind of works. ZAR to play 6 minutes with crap is dumb with the current roster.

I'm just saying based on what I heard about how Sullivan feels about Sprong, this really isn't weird at all. Just means once again they were right on the money.

Now we can agree on the f***ing stupid part, still undecided about potatoe.

 

[Gurglesons]

Such a weird thread based on getting beat 3-1 on a b2b with a back-up goalie.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Sullivan should be fired over his use of Kuhn.

That soft German puffball has 2 GOALS.... in 49 games.

Mike has become our worst nightmare in one years time.

Legit chortled at this

 

[Speaking Moistly]

I'm just saying based on what I heard about how Sullivan feels about Sprong, this really isn't weird at all. Just means once again they were right on the money.

Now we can agree on the ****ing stupid part, still undecided about potatoe.

Isn’t Sprong the 3rd guy Sullivan has supposedly had some problem with so far? In the offseason it was Kessel, then it was Cole and Sprong is apparently the devil who needs to learn to play humble. Food for thought.

But what about tomato?

 

[ColePens]

Fascinating how every coach this team has ever had tends to flame out after 2 successful seasons. Not to go all TTEOT, but one has to wonder what a sheer coincidence that is, or if that's just confirmation bias.

I honestly don't understand it. The Penguins, to be honest, lucked into gold by finding an identity many of us wanted for years and years and years. Not only do they find the identity, they strike gold with some of their prospects fitting the mold very well. the mold that was not even looked at until recent. So they found the right players, system, identity, etc. They found it. It was skill, luck, and seriously just the right timing altogether. Now the WHOLE league is trying to replicate it.

So after writing all of that, I can just shake my head when I see the team who basically found amazing success (2/2 in Stanley Cups) is going away from it. It really blows my freaking mind. Dan Bylsma did this with the 2-3. The 2-3 was never seen again. Never. I... couldn't believe it. I can't believe it. I will never understand it.

How does this happen? It can't be coincidence. But it has to be impossible. If you are doing something and having success at it, the normal human thing to do is to over-do it, if anything. Rarely would a human being say "Nah... that's working too well. Let's change." Usually you go the other way and over-do it to an extreme until it bites you in the butt.

I'm sorry for the rant but I just cannot believe it.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Lol Casey had one Meh game and he wasn't even that bad and they sent him down for Jarry already.

I just don't understand this team anymore. Other players can be trash and they never get held accountable.

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

I was ready to defend JR and Sully but we're showing 1.2 in current cap space and an empty roster spot. If that's right, absolutely no excuse for not recalling Sprong.

 

[Rakell67]

I was ready to defend JR and Sully but we're showing 1.2 in current cap space and an empty roster spot. If that's right, absolutely no excuse for not recalling Sprong.

I’m sure someone will be recalled tomorrow, probably on their way but will wait til tomorrow to announce.

 

[bathroomSTAAL]

Haha the team was on fire on Saturday afternoon and 48 hours later this place is losing its mind about line combos. I love it.

 

[Coastal Kev]

When I glanced at that pic, reminded me of Adams... that type of player, that type of mindset.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Isn’t Sprong the 3rd guy Sullivan has supposedly had some problem with so far? In the offseason it was Kessel, then it was Cole and Sprong is apparently the devil who needs to learn to play humble. Food for thought.

But what about tomato?

I was told he isn't fond of his game and I asked about him being cocky and got a couple shoulder shrugs...

And no "e" with tomato because I'm extra lazy.

 

[vodeni]

Such a weird thread based on getting beat 3-1 on a b2b with a back-up goalie.

back-up gpoalie vs. back-up goalie, back to backs did not matter klast few times, neh...it wasn't that to draw this reaction,
This was the season worst game played in terms of shots for and against, time of possession all other game indicators worse than 10;1 loss to Chicago, our back-up goalie did very well thanks for asking...
What concerns me (and I think others) here is a pattern throughout the entire year that when things need to get adjusted for whatever reasons the management decisions have not been what passionate and knowledgable fans (such are many of the posters) see that make any sense

IMO you are wasting some of the best, best showings of geno, kessel and sid by continuing setting them up to play with ineffective and incompatible wingers. ZAR must play LW, OK lets move Kuhn to 2RW. Mind boggling, you understand that by doing that you are basically giving up on that game. Thats 15 minutes of black hole possession from one of your most important lines. You insist on playing Rowney/reaves combo thats another 6-9 minutes playing in your zone and icing the puck. Combining that with the very weak possession wise 3rd line, that is a complete turnaround from what made you sucesful last two-three weeks. You lose few games like that andit may be too late to flip the switch back again.

Same thing happened in october and November when it was: Oh wake me up in February, well we are fully awake and now I am s..... my pants watching the games and hoping we get points so we can make play offs

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Nagging roster issues were never REALLY fixed.

When Crosby, Kessel and especially Malkin all turn on their cheat codes at the same time, it tends to gloss a LOT over. That can't realistically continue, though.

 

[Pens x]

I just hope no one around me starts to cry for Fleury tomorrow night. It would be tough to not say something to them.

I’d love for the Pens to absolutely light him up but I doubt that’ll happen with Sully’s projected lineup.

 

[ncm7772]

Things can always change, but I doubt they will with Sullivan. I believe the Pens will not pick up a single point the next three games with those lines.

Malkin is going to have to be God-mode Geno and opposing goalies are gonna have to be straight t-rash for their to be any chance. This is a one line team right now, given the practice combos.

Man, I hate to be so negative. But c'mon! Those lines. I just......don't even.......

 

[ncm7772]

I just hope no one around me starts to cry for Fleury tomorrow night. It would be tough to not say something to them.

I’d love for the Pens to absolutely light him up but I doubt that’ll happen with Sully’s projected lineup.

Don't say anything to them. Dump your beer on them.

 

[Shady Machine]

Lol Casey had one Meh game and he wasn't even that bad and they sent him down for Jarry already.

I just don't understand this team anymore. Other players can be trash and they never get held accountable.

The goalie stuff is all very logical. The other stuff, less so.

 

[Shady Machine]

I can complain about roster and line combos with the best of them, but it does feel bizarre to be one of the calmer ones right now when many posters were acting like I was a lunatic this summer.

Kuhnhackl and Sprong aside, everything else is pretty reasonable. We know that cap space is an issue right around the deadline, so some of these decisions might be related to that.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I can complain about roster and line combos with the best of them, but it does feel bizarre to be one of the calmer ones right now when many posters were acting like I was a lunatic this summer.

Kuhnhackl and Sprong aside, everything else is pretty reasonable. We know that cap space is an issue right around the deadline, so some of these decisions might be related to that.

I'm not even all that choked about the Sprong thing as much as everyone else is, I sort of get that, I am ok with it, I am more so annoyed with his structuring of the top 9. Just his choices for who to pair with whom.

I am ok with the HGH thing, that's fine, even though Kessel still gets bumped to that line and then they score and you're left wondering why HMK won't be together but you've given up arguing with people so you move on to the fact that you can't put 2 wingers that are not good defensively (not terrible either) with a 2-way C that requires a better 2-way winger on one of his lines just like the other two C's above him do.

I actually think G-S-R would be a good enough 3rd line, Rust is far better on his RW, Sheahan is a pretty sneaky playmaker and Jake would simplify his game a little more knowing he isn't trying to feed Kessel passes just to feel like he's contributing when he should be shooting more often instead. Rust is good at the give and go game and good at driving the net and we've seen Jake do well with garbage duty.

The 4th line is a mess, we've all discussed the crap out of that.

 

[Pens x]

Don't say anything to them. Dump your beer on them.

Haha I don’t want to get arrested

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Can we at least agree that you don't jam Kuhnhackl on the currently-best-player in the league's right wing if there are literally any other options? That's just being willfully stupid.

 

[Shady Machine]

Can we at least agree that you don't jam Kuhnhackl on the currently-best-player in the league's right wing if there are literally any other options? That's just being willfully stupid.

Oh absolutely. I can't even make up an excuse for that being a reasonable idea. Sully is looking at Kuhn like a really poor man's Hornqvist and trying to keep the line's identity similar, but it's obviously stupid.