What Do The Pens Need to Fix? (Besides Fleury)

[DoktorZaius]

If Michael Neuvirth is to be believed, Vokoun signed with Pittsburgh not because he couldn't find a starting job, but because he couldn't find a starting job with a cup contender. Vokoun figured Pittsburgh was his best bet at stealing one, again, if Neuvirth is to be believed.

And not just that, but I think Vokoun really just wants to win after being on so many bad teams for so long. I know everyone says stuff like this, but from his interviews I really get the impression that he wants to do whatever he can to help the team win. If that means playing every game, or playing only a few games, as long as we're winning I don't think it matters. I doubt being relegated to a backup role was really eating away at his pride. And now that he's the guy (at least for the nonce), I'm sure he's excited to show his teammates what he can bring to the table.

 

[eXile59]

long term, I still think the back end needs to be rebuilt. I don't know if it's system-related or not, but they seem to struggle with speed and a good forecheck. They fumble pucks, they make bad decisions, they can't "slow the game down" in their heads, and their first pass has been horrific.

I'm going to ruin the surprise...it's the system. It manages to make good d-men look bad. It's hard to make the first pass when your forwards are standing on the other side of the ice.

I mean how many times can you "re-build" a defense before you realize it's not a player problem? Gonchar was the problem, doing fine in Ottawa, Michalek was the problem, doing fine in Phoenix, Lovejoy was the problem, doing fine with the Ducks. Bylsma does his magic in the press conferences about how this isn't an offensive system & it's defense first but the truth is it chews defensemen up & spits them out.

 

[insomniac34]

For as great as it is that our top 6 finally seems to be organized in the most logical manner, our bottom 6 is a friggin' mess.

Morrow-Sutter-Cooke looked terrible, with Cookie being the only player that seemed to accomplish anything on that line. Morrow and Sutter looked like they escaped from a nursing home.

Vitale & Kennedy sure looked good together, but I feel like Adams probably holds them back more then anything. After thinking about this for a while, I've come to the conclusion that the following would make the most sense against the Sens:

Dupuis-Crosby-Iginla
Kunitz-Malkin-Neal
Cooke-Vitale-Kennedy
Morrow-Sutter-Adams

I feel like that's a pretty underwhelming bottom 6, especially since we have Bennet and Jokinen riding the press box. I think those two could really help us. In a perfect world:

Dupuis-Crosby-Iginla
Kunitz-Malkin-Neal
Morrow-Jokinen-Bennet
Cooke-Vitale-Kennedy

is probably what I'd choose.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

- Defense (being so heavily outshot by the damn Islanders was painfully awful.)

- Discipline (especially in this series against the Sens. If we don't play smart, I have a feeling that **** might get ugly pretty fast.)

 

[wgknestrick]

Main problem in MAF has been fixed very well with Voky.

2nd problem of defense forcing every play is still a big red thumb. Our defense needs to take their time on break outs, and relax under the "perceived" pressure they put on us. NYI seemed to run a very similar system to DET in that they don't really pressure the puck carrier. They have a guy skating near him, "implying pressure", but usually he will peel off if the puck carrier just hesitates, then carries the puck up. I think this is the source of the problem, and the "stretch pass" is just a symptom. Forwards have been given impossible pass after impossible pass to receive either on the boards or in the NZ. This is because the D are caving into this perceived pressure and forcing passes before they are open. If they wait, and carry, the game comes to them. Otherwise, they are being forced into mistakes.

I can't stress how important it is for our defense to learn to carry the puck instead of passing into a 3v4 or 3v5 coverage in the NZ. Pens aren't going to win that battle being down 1-2 men. This will cut down on the turnovers, icings, and everything else that causes the Pens to loose the possession battle. Pens have some of the best puck handlers, so this shouldn't be a problem.

If this Pens team ever learns how consistently win the possession battle, and out shoot the opposition, watch out. Until then, Pens aren't a favorite.