Should Sid or Geno be Involved in the PK Next Season?

[dollartaco]

HOW SOON WE FORGET

[shafnutz05]

What?

[dollartaco]

Spoiler:

Malkin on PK

[Malkamaniac]

Wat

[dollartaco]

So to eliminate any confusion as to where I stand on the issue being discussed, I hereby propose that Evgeni Malkin return to the Pittsburgh Penguins' penalty-killing unit, hereafter PK, posthaste.

tl;dr: Malkin should be on the PK.

[André]

Yeah as mentioned Geno's got good reach. He's a great poke checker and good at takeaways too.

[SteelCityFan]

Yes they should.

[offsides]

Yeah as mentioned Geno's got good reach. He's a great poke checker and good at takeaways giveaways too.

[jf]

Malkin on the PK. Then send Sid's line out after the penalty is killed.

[farnham16]

Malkin and Sid should definitely see PK time. They should have seen it against the Flyers. That might have completely thrown Philly's PP off. Who knows? Alll I know is that they are both capable of doing it, especially Malkin.

[farnham16]

Yeah as mentioned Geno's got good reach. He's a great poke checker and good at takeaways giveaways too.

Yeah, because Geno didn't lead the entire NHL in takeaways a couple years ago or anything....

[Daniel87]

It irritates me that DB won't put them on the pk even when they're behind late in the 3rd. There was a game a few months ago where they were down 3 with about 8 left. Adams was out there for half the time.

[offsides]

Yeah as mentioned Geno's got good reach. He's a great poke checker and good at takeaways giveaways too.

Yeah, because Geno didn't lead the entire NHL in takeaways a couple years ago or anything....

Sports are a "what have you done for me lately" deal. He really needs to get his stupid penalties and giveaways under control. He seems like a real head case at times.

[SteelCityFan]

I heard Mike Keenan talk about this subject last year. He said that if he were the coach he'd play Sid and Geno in every situation including the penalty kill. His reasoning was that the more time and opportunities you give your super stars the more they are going to produce. When asked if Sid and Geno would get burned out with so much ice time he just laughed and noted what great shape they were in and how you they are.

[relantel]

yes.

out there the whole time, no. but certainly more than just a token last 15 seconds or so. This recent series saw way too many PPG allowed during the last 30 seconds of a kill... might be prime opportunity to have 87 or 71 out there.

[Rocco]

If a team wants to use 4 or 5 forwards on a PP, using Sid or Geno should be an obvious counter at least once in a while.

[farnham16]

If a team wants to use 4 or 5 forwards on a PP, using Sid or Geno should be an obvious counter at least once in a while.

Bingo. No clue why Bylsma didn't at least try this. Guess he thought Adams and Vitale were going to turn the Pens PK tide.

[Spangler]

Only reason I can think of, is Sid and Geno aren't comfortable playing the PK. I'm kinda surprised Sid only stayed on the pk for one face-off, and then immediately went to the bench considering there was a good possibility another face-off could occur.

The Flyer's PP was just about an automatic goal every time. Why not throw Sid or Geno out there to maybe disrupt the PP flow. You have to respect their offensive threat. The Flyers were definitely very comfortable passing the puck. Maybe they get too comfortable, and Sid/Geno sees an opportunity to take a shorthanded chance.

[Froggy]

No. There are only so many minutes a game, and a shift they spend killing penalties is one less even strength or pp shift they could be out there more likely to create offense. Plus you expose them to a risk of getting injured blocking shots. And as was pointed out earlier, our pk was good as far as % and shg's last year. I don't see the point.

[offsides]

I don't see why thay can't be put out at the end of a kill when the player is ready to come out of the box and the other team could be vulnerable. Mario used to do that a lot.

[wondermoose]

Before I get started, let's just remember penalty killers are expected to block shots. That's worrisome, considering recent health history. If Sid or Geno are out there on the PK, Bylsma has got to be okay with letting shots through in favor of keeping teams honest.

Now, at this point I feel the PK needs a boost. Sure, they've been good during the regular season, but Craig MF'in Adams ain't doing like he used to. Teams have adjusted to his shot-blocking and defer until they catch him flatfooted. It doesn't help he's got concrete hands out there. How many times did we see the Pens' PKers pen someone in only to see a pass that ought to have been intercepted slip through? Jordan Staal is responsible for this too; he's not the premier defensive forward we imagined he would become. In fact, Staalsy has taken several giant steps backward in his defensive capabilities. In any case, speed kills. Sid and Geno are the only two with true breakaway speed on the team so I want them chasing pucks back and forth along the blue line all game long.

[Guinness]

When he wants to be, Malkin is a better defensive player than Staal and Crosby. Play him if he can afford the extra minutes.

This. During exit interviews he was asked about PK time and said he'd like to, but then also mentioned the amount of minutes he plays.

I think a few minutes a game for each of them would be a very good thing.

[Guinness]

I heard Mike Keenan talk about this subject last year. He said that if he were the coach he'd play Sid and Geno in every situation including the penalty kill. His reasoning was that the more time and opportunities you give your super stars the more they are going to produce. When asked if Sid and Geno would get burned out with so much ice time he just laughed and noted what great shape they were in and how you they are.

Yep - no reason to exclude them from a part of the game.

Plus, who doubts that if Crosby were tasked with killing penalties he wouldn't become the best killer in the league? Besides Giroux, of course, whose colon I hear is now producing diamonds, and when he takes a leak Stella Artois pours forth. Also, I hear he has the singing voice of an angel, and is presently working on his first opera... when he's not feeding the starving masses of Africa.

[KG]

I'd like to see them out there either at the end of PKs or to win defensive zone faceoffs.

Agreed...He should be out there more on the PK.

Staal also needs to develop his face off skills....

[slappybrown]

If you want the 5 on 4 to turn into a 5 on 3 because Malkin takes a silly penalty trying to catch a shorty, then yes, play Malkin on the PK.

Sid, yes he should.