Who makes the biggest impact in the series?
- Thread starter Darren McCord
- Start date
It would be awesome if Zucker had a great series and made the Keyboard Experts look like idiots.
vodeni
Registered User
Darren McCord
Registered User
- Dec 15, 2015
- 9,441
- 7,759
McCann was here last year. I was focusing on new players
Darren McCord
Registered User
- Dec 15, 2015
- 9,441
- 7,759
I think Malkin will win Conn Smythe
If Malkin plays well enough for the Smythe, they will win a cup. This is one of the best teams ever around him and Crosby.
vodeni
Registered User
ne
GCR
McCann Carter Kappy
BART
Zucker-GOAT-ERod
not too shabby
h, Iwas just trolling, he won't even play against Isles....or not until game 3 or 4 especially if it gets tight...from the scrimmage today our lines will be:
GCR
McCann Carter Kappy
BART
Zucker-GOAT-ERod
not too shabby
ziggyjoe212
Registered User
- Oct 2, 2017
- 3,039
- 2,359
I think people are starting to overrate Carter. He's not going to sustain his pace of 9 goals in 14 games, especially as a 3rd liner. He's been great and all but come on...
I voted for Matheson. He's the #4 Dman and brings an important and semi-unique element to the team. When he's on his A game he's a true weapon.
I voted for Matheson. He's the #4 Dman and brings an important and semi-unique element to the team. When he's on his A game he's a true weapon.
ziggyjoe212
Registered User
- Oct 2, 2017
- 3,039
- 2,359
Yea it would be awesome if he finally started to play well.
Or maybe he'll continue his struggles and everyone will remain being right about him.
I mean I wouldn't want to play on Malkin's line this year. Maybe favorite player is brining Zucker down. This messageboard's dirty little secret is how bad Malkin has been going back to last playoff. Especially 5 on 5.
He's not going to keep up 9 in 14 but he is a proven playoff guy, he's going to get a bunch of opportunity with Geno getting sheltered at best, he's clearly feeling it, his style should remain effective even in a tight-checking game, and for all these reasons I think he's the most likely to have the biggest impact out of the named.
ziggyjoe212
Registered User
- Oct 2, 2017
- 3,039
- 2,359
Zucker has never had a good center in Minnesota yet he was a consistent 50 point guy. Pens gave a ton for him because he is (supposed to be) a good player in his own right. He's no where near as good as advertised.
We're all hoping he gets back on track but so far he's been nothing more than an overpriced 3rd liner.
- Oct 17, 2014
- 3,015
- 3,228
Considering the Pens finished with 77 points, I'm pretty sure the Pens are the Pittsburgh Jeff Carters now
Big Friggin Dummy
Registered User
- Feb 22, 2019
- 24,395
- 22,970
The thing with Carter is that he's where he should be, imo. People want to put him with Sid and Jake or give him top PP time but you have to be really careful not to put too much on the guy's plate. Balancing act with role/TOI, and right now, he's about in the perfect situation for who the player is and what he brings.
DatGuy
Registered User
- Sep 25, 2015
- 1,151
- 353
Games one lines will be as follows.
Jake-sid-rust
McCann-geno-kap
Zucker-carter-erod
Tanev-teddy-zar
I know people were wishing for the Goat, but, Eros isn’t losing his spot due to injury. As good as the goat is playing, before rodrigues’ injury, Erod was playing better hockey.
or maybe I’m completely wrong, malkin is hurt and the lines are all over the place.
Kap gonna lead the team in scoring
Jake-sid-rust
McCann-geno-kap
Zucker-carter-erod
Tanev-teddy-zar
I know people were wishing for the Goat, but, Eros isn’t losing his spot due to injury. As good as the goat is playing, before rodrigues’ injury, Erod was playing better hockey.
or maybe I’m completely wrong, malkin is hurt and the lines are all over the place.
Kap gonna lead the team in scoring
Big Friggin Dummy
Registered User
- Feb 22, 2019
- 24,395
- 22,970
Geno will go with his leg dangling along behind him. As long as the doctors clear him, he's gonna play, for better or worse.
Fully expect all of Sid, Geno and Tanev to have surgery in the off-season though. Probably another player or two as well.
Fully expect all of Sid, Geno and Tanev to have surgery in the off-season though. Probably another player or two as well.
DesertPenguin
Registered User
- Apr 22, 2015
- 3,082
- 1,596
We expect Crosby, Malkin, Letang to be good. If they are big impact players, we will barely notice, but will quickly throw them under the bus if they're not.
I expect us, at least statistically, to lose the goaltending battle vs a Trotz team. We will outshoot them every game and get burned on high danger counterattack plays. That's just the way it works. The Isles system will insulate our goalie and make ours look weak.
I agree with everyone that the X factors are Carter on the 3rd line and Matheson on the second pairing. Both are under the radar players that make their respective line/pairing dangerous, with the end result being depth the other team has no easy answer for.
Pens in 6.
I expect us, at least statistically, to lose the goaltending battle vs a Trotz team. We will outshoot them every game and get burned on high danger counterattack plays. That's just the way it works. The Isles system will insulate our goalie and make ours look weak.
I agree with everyone that the X factors are Carter on the 3rd line and Matheson on the second pairing. Both are under the radar players that make their respective line/pairing dangerous, with the end result being depth the other team has no easy answer for.
Pens in 6.
Big Friggin Dummy
Registered User
- Feb 22, 2019
- 24,395
- 22,970
I mean, it's a pretty important thing whether Sid, Geno or Letang (add Rust and Jake to that as well) live up to expectations.
If they shit the bed again, as they have for several trips to the playoffs in a row now, they deserve to be thrown under the bus because their role and cap hit mean this team lives or dies by their performance.
Don't think there's any excuse anymore. We don't have awful players like JJ, Schultz and Gudbranson bungling things on the blueline and we have better depth in the top-9 than we've had for years. If they blow it and are done in the 1st round, you got a tough summer ahead.
/shrug
If they shit the bed again, as they have for several trips to the playoffs in a row now, they deserve to be thrown under the bus because their role and cap hit mean this team lives or dies by their performance.
Don't think there's any excuse anymore. We don't have awful players like JJ, Schultz and Gudbranson bungling things on the blueline and we have better depth in the top-9 than we've had for years. If they blow it and are done in the 1st round, you got a tough summer ahead.
/shrug
We didn't outshoot them in the regular season at 5v5 and in a weird way I think that's the key. This team needs to be patient and trust that if we have the same amount of shots, we have the better talent, rather than pressing hard to score goals and giving them those dangerous opportunities. We mostly managed that this off-season, we need to do it again.
Gurglesons
Registered User
Pretty much. Exactly what we did in 2017. Keep the other team to the perimeter as much as possible and only take risks when we know they’ll work and capitalize on them with our superior talent.
i think kapanen needs to find ahigher playoff level of forechecking intensity. need him and tanev to do a lot of the work in that area if a team like the penguins is going to grind down a heavier team.
Sidgeni Malkby
Registered User
I voted Carter because he has the most points against them in his career by far.
Now mind you much of that was likely when he was with Philly and younger, and the Islanders were a different team.
I still think his speed and big body play around the bet will do well.
Matheson was an extremely close 2nd.
McCann is NOT being separated from Carter. Plus, Zucker is too integral to Malkin's success anyway.
That McCann-Carter-Kapanen line is something Sullivan settled on as Zucker continued to suck his way out of the top 6. It happens only if Geno doesn't play . . . plus you need GOAT at center if he doesn't play.
Tacitus Kilgore
Registered User
Anyway, I voted for Matheson. For better or worse, he's going to be the Penguins game changer.
For better, he, like Letang, is a 4th forward out there on the rush. Want to break the Isles trap. A nice way, beyond just having speed, is to be able to put out a defenseman who can initiate and join the rush like Matheson (or Letang) 75% of the time.
For worse, while he certainly elevated before his injury, Matheson is quite the adventure in his own zone.
Assuming there's not some goaltending implosion, I suspect that if you ask 'how good was Matheson' at the end of the series, your answer will to a good extent tell you what the series outcome was.
For better, he, like Letang, is a 4th forward out there on the rush. Want to break the Isles trap. A nice way, beyond just having speed, is to be able to put out a defenseman who can initiate and join the rush like Matheson (or Letang) 75% of the time.
For worse, while he certainly elevated before his injury, Matheson is quite the adventure in his own zone.
Assuming there's not some goaltending implosion, I suspect that if you ask 'how good was Matheson' at the end of the series, your answer will to a good extent tell you what the series outcome was.
Looks like Sullivan has picked the perfect lineup to me. I love the forward lines and the D pairings. So really don't understand your 2nd concern.
For me it is simple and is always the case every year. Will our goaltending play well. So we agree on number 1. That is the key for the Pens having a long playoff run. Pens went to two Cup Finals in a row in 2008 and 2009 with good playoff goaltending. Then had terrible playoffs goaltending for much of the next 6 years thanks to Fleury and couldn't go far even with great teams. Then in 2016 and 2017 we win two Cups and Murray plays great both years. 2018 we lose a tough series against the eventual Cup Champs because Murray got outplayed. So if the goaltending can just play near the level of the opposing goalies I think we win this round and probably every round that happens.
My second choice is your 3rd choice can Malkin get back to how he was playing before the injury when Malkin and Kapanen formed a great line. If that happens Pens will be unbeatable if number 1 holds true. Pens have too much depth with the Carter line and Blueger line. If Malkin's line plays to potential no team can match up against our 4 lines.
