Kill the two-headed monster

[thepittman]

More like the two-headed kitten amirite??


I have said that playing them on the same line in moronic for years. It's never been successful.

[DudeMan2766]

A few times a game, late in periods or when theyre down in the 3rd. Does it really hurt? No.

This kind of crap can go in game day threads

[ivand87]

Are you kidding me? Crosby and Malkin together constantly produces scoring chances. And they've hooked for lots of goals. My suggestion to you, thepittman - keep your hands on the bottle and away from the keyboard. Thank you.

[André]

The only time they've played together for full games over a period of time the Pens were like 10-1 or something. That's 3 or 4 years ago now I think.

So yeah, it's seldom tried other than temporarily (like in the first few games this year) and the only time they tried it full on it went great, but other than that your post is correct...

[Grunthy]

he is right, no team ever puts their best offensive talents on the ice together when they are down by one goal in the third period. First time I have ever seen it happen.

[pressure=9Pa]

End of a period, 4 on 4, or after an opponent ices the puck are very good times to see them together.

[thepittman]

Except that it never works.... Also I'm referring to breqking up the lines continuously throughout the game, not last minute desperation

[thepittman]

A few times a game, late in periods or when theyre down in the 3rd. Does it really hurt? No.

This kind of crap can go in game day threads

Gameday threads should be closed at the end of the games to stimulate tread making and discussion

[Penspal]

You can say it all you want, but every team will put their top two players together from time to time. It is not the reason for losing, at least not the last 2 games.

[Bathgate]

The power play always features the 2 out there together, and it is generally disappointing. Then the last 40 seconds has 3rd-line guys out generating nothing. I'll never understand not going to 2 units centered by Crosby and Malkin playing about one minute each. The first unit sent out is always the one that had not been out most recently, so no egos would be hurt.

[thepittman]

The power play always features the 2 out there together, and it is generally disappointing. Then the last 40 seconds has 3rd-line guys out generating nothing. I'll never understand not going to 2 units centered by Crosby and Malkin playing about one minute each. The first unit sent out is always the one that had not been out most recently, so no egos would be hurt.

Yep

[Froggy]

if we split them up, only one of them gets to be on the first unit. the biggest problem with this is that letang is our ONLY d man capable of being the point man on the pp. so the malkin unit gets neal and letang, and then the crosby unit gets all the other scraps, kind of making putting crosby out there at all sort of pointless

[shmenguin]

Malkin-Neal-Kunitz-Sullivan-Martin/Niskanen

This PP unit was a real thing last year. For a while. And it sucked out loud. Why? No Letang.

If you split Sid and Geno, one of their units will be awful. You don't do that to your franchise players. Sorry folks.

[Eismann]

Malkin-Neal-Kunitz-Sullivan-Martin/Niskanen

This PP unit was a real thing last year. For a while. And it sucked out loud. Why? No Letang.

If you split Sid and Geno, one of their units will be awful. You don't do that to your franchise players. Sorry folks.

Disagree. It sucked out loud because the two of them played who-can-defer-more and worried more about passing than pressing.

It's 5-on-4. The opposition has one less defender against Sid, then Geno, or Geno then Sid. How's that a bad thing? The points aren't the problem.

[DocEmrick]

This will never happen, Crosby & Malkin regardless of perceived chemistry, are two of the best players in the world, if not the top two...you have to have them out on the ice if you have a 5 on 3. If you don't, you look like a fool. And HCDB doesnt' like to look like a fool.

[shmenguin]

Malkin-Neal-Kunitz-Sullivan-Martin/Niskanen

This PP unit was a real thing last year. For a while. And it sucked out loud. Why? No Letang.

If you split Sid and Geno, one of their units will be awful. You don't do that to your franchise players. Sorry folks.

Disagree. It sucked out loud because the two of them played who-can-defer-more and worried more about passing than pressing.

the two of who? this was while sid and letang were injured

[penmyst]

While I'd like to explore the two separate units featuring Crosby, then Malkin idea... It's not going to happen.

As you guys said, they have no other D to approximate what Letang does. So that puts the second unit at a severe disadvantage in effectiveness.

While I think the PP with Crosby OR Malkin is better than the PP with Crosby AND Malkin; there aren't any tenable options to it.

The reason Crosby and Malkin together is worse, is that they are the same player trying to occupy the same spot and same role. Honestly, Malkin is better at it. But egos being what they are, you can't put Crosby on the 2nd unit as is.

Now, if you picked up a Gonchar (or type like him) specifically to log time on the PP point and help man a 2nd unit? Then maybe. But that's all hypothetical at this point.

As for the two-headed monster at ES? End of period only. Outside of that, I don't like it because you allow the other team to match their best D-pairing and checking line against your best line. As opposed to them being split, the other team can only match their best against ONE of yours. Which means you get Crosby or Malkin out there against the other teams second best defenders. And that is a WIN.

[71Aj66ax87]

And wound that Mr. Smithers.

[Rylan]

Lol

[thepittman]

Another epic performance of the two-headed monster

[Eismann]

Another epic performance of the two-headed monster

The contrast of their typical ballet-like pensive softy pass-happiness against the Isle's bang-bang purposeful pressure on the pp was both amazing and sickening to watch.

Hock-ptui.

[thepittman]

Another epic performance of the two-headed monster

The contrast of their typical ballet-like pensive softy pass-happiness against the Isle's bang-bang purposeful pressure on the pp was both amazing and sickening to watch.

Hock-ptui.

[pcm]

Playing Sid and Geno together (with Neal!) kills any momentum the Pens have when they don't score. Why put all the eggs in 1 basket? Sid and Malkin are expert playmakers. The best way to take advantage of that is to utilize them to make lesser players more productive. Putting them together minimizes that effect.

Likewise, as Lebrun pointed out today, rolling 4 lines in this shortened season is going to be critical. But to do that, you've got to spread out the wealth so that each shift can actually build momentum instead of 3 lines just being out there on the ice, with no threat to score...

Putting them together is in act of desperation. It's like Blysma's lost his faith in his players, as they've probably lost their faith in him.

[penmyst]

Anybody else here that is against the two-headed monster circus...... think that HCDB was giving a big MIDDLE FINGER to the two-headed monster haters tonight by starting the game against the Isles with it?

There's always *some* defensibility of it when it's at the end of a period, or perhaps after an icing... but at the start of the game? So your next two line changes can put a bunch of jabronis out there to give the opponents an easy early couple of minutes in the hockey game?

I definitely think HCDB is letting us know what he thinks of our criticism of his only "tactic".

[Idoit40fans]

I am sure that is not the case.