1/29/13 Islanders v. Penguins- Official Game Thread

[slappybrown]

There was instigation. Carkner popped Cooke twice. Carkner isn't going to willingly go with Engo, so Engo would had to throw the gloves and start popping Carkner

Yea I don't think this is correct but whatever

I would ask "What part do you think is incorrect?" but I don't really care

That's pretty much how I feel

[Bioshock]

The only players who looked like they showed up tonight were Despres and Jeffrey.

And i'll bet both are scratched next game. Sigh...

[sil]

Yea I don't think this is correct but whatever

I would ask "What part do you think is incorrect?" but I don't really care

That's pretty much how I feel

Okay, if Slappybrown is playing the part of Shero, and Godric is playing Bylsma, I think they just did a perfect rendition of the GM/coach postgame conversation tonight.

[slappybrown]

In that case Godric you're fired

[Mr. Colby]

There's a dependency you're forgetting here Godric...

The presence of an instigator relies solely on the presence of a fight

[FreeCandy44]

Did the filet o fish video make an appearance? If it didnt....you know why they lost tonight.

[NashvilleCat]

A 4-1 loss at home to an average or below average team. You could slip this game film in with any of the Pens of the early 1980's and it would not be out of character.

[The U]

Our Powerplay has cost us a playoff series in 2 of the past 3 seasons. It hasn't been addressed.

Last season Shero thought the defense was good enough that he didnt have to add at the deadline. This offseason Shero give Michalek away for free and thinks the D is good enough to start the new year.

Shero and Bylsma want to be hard to play against but this team has been just the opposite. Most forwards are under 6 feet tall, no cycling, out-hit in all but one game, no dump ins, no energy, few fights. Our entire system and draft picks are filled with short/small puck moving defensemen.

Our focus seems to be turning away from grit and tenacity and energy. What are we replacing it with? What direction is this roster going in?

In a few years Maata, Despres, Letang, Morrow, Pouliot are your top five defense? That would be the softest blue line in the NHL.

I worry about our lack of size, toughness, and energy. It used to be a staple when Shero arrived and now we are going in the opposite direction.

[DelPen]

The defensemen are fine. Team defense which breeds offense is pathetic.

[offsides]

Out shot 38 to 24.
Our PP 0 for 3
Their PP 2 for 2

What else needs said? Terrible special teams and even strength. Other than that, we're fine.

[sniper]

Out shot 38 to 24.
Our PP 0 for 3
Their PP 2 for 2

What else needs said? Terrible special teams and even strength. Other than that, we're fine.

Pens actually out shot them 38 to 24. Don't ask me how. I sure didn't see it.

[jmh470]

I'd say the biggest sin so far is that this team isn't much fun to watch. Sloppy plays made in a laborious, plodding system.

I doubt anything major happens. If it goes south, they'll probably write the season off because of its circumstances and try again come October.

[AlexPKeaton]

Out shot 38 to 24.
Our PP 0 for 3
Their PP 2 for 2

What else needs said? Terrible special teams and even strength. Other than that, we're fine.

So as long as we can keep the game to 4-4 we are good! GET TO OUR GAME!!!

[Metalmike]

Didnt the pens look the same right before MT was fired? They Lost to the Leafs 7-2, i remember they also stopped playing for him or at least his system wasnt working out anymore. DB has tweaked it here and there but it's made things even worse. DB changed whatever it was that was making the Pens win games as they looked great doing so.
Now they even look bad when they win and that makes losing even worse obviously.

Metal Mike, Canada's #1 Penguins Fan.

[pens_srq]

Attitude, emotion, execution. The things that get you to your game.

[The Snapshot]

The team was playing patiently ala Ottawa until Flower makes Cezikas look like an NHL player. They are fragile right now. There is just one thing after another and the best players aren't even average.

I know everyone wants to analyze a different angle as to what it wrong, but to me it is everything. The stars need to pull us out of this rut right now though and change the momentum.

That could be Malkin exploding, Crosby doing it, maybe Neal getting an HT or Fleury or Vokoun standing on their head. I don't think this is systems. It is execution and a complete lack of team confidence.

[Eismann]

Didnt the pens look the same right before MT was fired? They Lost to the Leafs 7-2, i remember they also stopped playing for him or at least his system wasnt working out anymore. DB has tweaked it here and there but it's made things even worse. DB changed whatever it was that was making the Pens win games as they looked great doing so.
Now they even look bad when they win and that makes losing even worse obviously.

Metal Mike, Canada's #1 Penguins Fan.

That's so true. I know that db is not schooling them to abandon their zone and go all random. He even was quoted a couple days ago saying that they to break out as a unit much more, but there's none of that. Compounded with the general lack of sharpness, it makes me wonder if he's on teh block.

[DelPen]

Best success last year:

24-87-48
14-71-18
9-11-26
25-46-27

So we swap Sullivan with Glass, Staal with Sutter, move Dupuis to RW and success.

Not sure why those lines were dumped in March after winning a lot

[BurghThing]

So when does Sid get over his concussions?

[BurghThing]

Best success last year:

24-87-48
14-71-18
9-11-26
25-46-27

So we swap Sullivan with Glass, Staal with Sutter, move Dupuis to RW and success.

Not sure why those lines were dumped in March after winning a lot

Not sure why they were dumped? Disco can't keep a line together from shift to shift, you expect him to keep a line together since March?

[offsides]

Out shot 38 to 24.
Our PP 0 for 3
Their PP 2 for 2

What else needs said? Terrible special teams and even strength. Other than that, we're fine.

Pens actually out shot them 38 to 24. Don't ask me how. I sure didn't see it.

Wow,you're right. I missed that totally, and it sure didn't seem that way.

[The Snapshot]

So when does Sid get over his concussions?

Thank goodness Sid came back and torched the league down the stretch last year, because if these were the first 6 games of his comeback there would a lot of concern. Maybe he's just loafing now that he has the lifetime deal.

[The Snapshot]

Sid left his game at the bargaining table, Geno left his in the KHL, Letang left his on the two cross-Atlantic flights and the rest of them just stink.

[offsides]

So when does Sid get over his concussions?

Yeah, wondering that myself. I heard all these great things about the amazing stuff he was doing in pretend practices. Maybe real competition is a little tougher than our D in practices.

[Sarcastic]

The is exactly the way things happend entire last year against quick/tenacious teams like the Islanders or Ottawa.

Nobody should be surprised by this.

This team is severely underskilled, once you get past the top 3 and Letang. We lack size, we lack grit, we are small and we are soft. We don't have enough support scoring behind the top 3 and maybe Dupuis sometimes.

I've been trying to say the same thing since last season. If Crosby or Malkin are off, this team's chances of winning are slim.

On defense, we still don't have a pp quarterback and I don't think anybody can shoot from there, not even Letang - or he refuses, I don't know, so teams collapse around own goalie (Flyers) and aren't worried about shots coming in from the point.

There are so many wrong things with this lineup, I'm pretty pissed off. Same crap as last year. Maybe we'll go on a good streak for a bit, but I know I'd change things going into the playoffs or we're risking getting kicked out again.

We have problems with big physical teams and quick, skilled, or even semi-skilled ones.

I would add another scorer. I would add 2 nasty agitators/hitters with size. I would add an offensive defenseman who can shoot and run the powerplay. And I would add one huge D like Hal Gill.

This small, not too skilled, lazy team is making things pretty lame to watch. We are, really, the opposite of the team we used to be.