THIS TEAM STINKS

[Pitts]

Well, if he is healthy as he claims he is then it should not matter.

At the end of the day, I want to see our captain do something to break this funk. So far he has looked average at best. Can't win a draw and for some reason can't make the plays that he once was able to.

As far as faceoffs go, he isn't as good as he has been, but he's winning more than he's losing.

This is my issue. Where in the world is Sidney Crosby?

[sil]

If I do recall this team stank up until the moment Crosby fought Matt Niskanen back in 2009.

Hmmm, and Matt Niskanen is right here now. Is Coach Dan aware of your theory? Could he arrange this grudge match for us?

Tomorrow Niskanen walks into the clubhouse on crutches, and Sid tackles him and begins smacking him over the head with a crutch...instant winning streak.

[BigMcK]

This team stinks so bad that when I went to play NHL13 last night after watching the game, the entire Penguins team had been deleted from the game.

Now *that* stinks!

[Antonio]

I have been thinking this same thing all year also. Lets face it..the defense was not good last year and has not changed. The power play was not good last year and has not changed. The coaching was not good last year and has not changed. We lack a legitimate winger for Crosbys line and that has not changed. Unless we bowl people over with our offense, we don't generally win, and our offense has been largely terrible. Crosby has done very little and looks sluggish, Malkin continues to do the same stupid stuff....forcing his way singlehandledly through 3 defenders and losing the puck, making stupid east west passes, and taking stupid penalties. Now, some of this stuff will hopefully improve as some of the rust wears off, but a lot of it is not new. Most of this teams problems were present last year and almost nothing has been done to address them.

[slappybrown]

The power play was 5th overall last year.

The issue is incorporating both 71/87 into the PP.

[JeanPronovost]

The Crosby-Niskanen fight was in 2010-11.

It is true the Pens started their Stanley Cup run with a win in Dallas in 2009, but Sid didn't play.

[Antonio]

The power play was 5th overall last year.

The issue is incorporating both 71/87 into the PP.

Yeah and they also went 40 games out of 82 without scoring a single PP goal. Power play is about scoring when it matters..like on a 5 minute major or on a 2 minute 5-3...not scoring 3 or 4 against a crap team in a meaningless game.

[slappybrown]

The power play was 5th overall last year.

The issue is incorporating both 71/87 into the PP.

Yeah and they also went 40 games out of 82 without scoring a single PP goal. Power play is about scoring when it matters..like on a 5 minute major or on a 2 minute 5-3...not scoring 3 or 4 against a crap team in a meaningless game.

Oh ok, so you're just making things up. Show me where the pens were more likely to score meaningless PP goals than other teams? Or where the no PP goals in 40 of 82 ranks league wide?

[shmenguin]

letang missed like 30 games or something, so that 40 game stat makes sense.

[westside]

Boy I sure miss the lockout...

[Antonio]

The power play was 5th overall last year.

The issue is incorporating both 71/87 into the PP.

Yeah and they also went 40 games out of 82 without scoring a single PP goal. Power play is about scoring when it matters..like on a 5 minute major or on a 2 minute 5-3...not scoring 3 or 4 against a crap team in a meaningless game.

Oh ok, so you're just making things up. Show me where the pens were more likely to score meaningless PP goals than other teams? Or where the no PP goals in 40 of 82 ranks league wide?

You're right. Nothing wrong with the pp at all. I stand corrected.

[Sarcastic]

There are notable differences between the rosters when we won the cup and around that time, and in the last two years. So much of what we had has been stripped down by Shero. We had 2 or 3 offensive D at a time (gonchar, whitney, letang, gogo). We had great character, whether it is a guy like guerin or roberts. We had huge Hal and a real shutdown pair of defensemen. We had so much additional grit with talbot, rupp, asham, ruutu and others. Those were teams that were hard to play against. I believe we were in the top 3 in the league in size. I think we even had the most fighting majors one year. We would out-score, out-hit, out-pressure opponents. I think - just doing it off the top of my head so excuse me if got something mixed up - we were #3 in defense one season.

That's all gone. Instead of guerin or roberts, shero brings in sullivan, god knows why. Never replaces gonchar or his shot or pp ability. We lost so much size and grit in the last few years, it's mind-boggling.

I have no use for guys like tangradi, vitale, or jeffrey. They are fringe nhl players, imo, and probably better suited for the minors. If you don't score or are a Selke candidate, be big and nasty. Those guys provide nothing.

Staal's gone and so is offense from the 3rd.

I'm sorry to alarm anyone but I am just telling what I see. IMO, Shero is as much to blame for everything that is happening with this team, as anyone else. His obsession with a smaller, puck-control team, has a major flaw. We don't have the skill like the Red Wings did a few years ago with D-men who could join in and shoot or skill players on all 3 lines.

There aren't that many great teams in the East, so at least that's one thing we have going for us. To be honest, I find Boston more entertaining to watch than the Penguins.

I don't think it would be smart for Shero to wait until the deadline because we aren't just one or two pieces away from a full roster, imo, but probably about 5. I would maybe wait for a big fish and a blackbuster dead until then, but it is time to start moving some pieces right now.

[slappybrown]

The power play was 5th overall last year.

The issue is incorporating both 71/87 into the PP.

Yeah and they also went 40 games out of 82 without scoring a single PP goal. Power play is about scoring when it matters..like on a 5 minute major or on a 2 minute 5-3...not scoring 3 or 4 against a crap team in a meaningless game.

Oh ok, so you're just making things up. Show me where the pens were more likely to score meaningless PP goals than other teams? Or where the no PP goals in 40 of 82 ranks league wide?

You're right. Nothing wrong with the pp at all. I stand corrected.

I don't even understand what you're up to, but it makes little sense.

[She'sTheFastest]

That's right Mr. Sherman, everything stinks.

[scals37]

I'm pretty surprised this team only has two fights so far this year...

[Bioshock]

This team needs 3 things to correct the many lesser problems stemming from two huge problems.

Two huge Problems:
1. Team lacks confidence
2. Team is sloppy due to no preseason

Smaller issues stemming from those two huge problems:
1. The breakout is garbage due to lack of execution and overall sloppy passing
2. Puck support in own end from the forwards is lacking and hurting the ability of the defense to get the puck up the ice to the forwards.
3. Turnovers at the blue lines due to poor execution. Very rusty and it shows even more when the team is dealing with a team that can skate.
4. The PP literally destroys the confidence of the team as a whole. It kills momentum in a way i have never seen thus hurting confidence. Less confidence hurts PP, vicious cycle continues.


3 things that should be done in my opinion:
1. Bring Bennett up. Have him play with Sid and Dupuis for an extended period and reunite the Second line of Kunitz/Malkin/Neal. Let everyone go back to their original lines.
2. Stop juggling lines if things aren't working. You need to go with what has worked in the past since what is happening now clearly isn't helping this team on the ice or mentally.
3. Enough with this bizarre PP configuration. If you can't make it effective, change personnel or split up the PP units. I would start by playing Martin in place of Letang. He can at least gain the zone and distribute the puck. Sure, he isn't a scoring threat but you have more than enough of those already on the PP. You need someone to get those scorers the puck in the first place.

If teams are placing the Pens in uncomfortable and foreign positions when it comes to speed and forecheck, i think the Pens need as much continuity and simplicity as possible. Obviously, they can't do the complicated things (new line partners, bizarre PP) so you might as well keep it as simple and familiar as possible.

Again, just my opinion...

[DocEmrick]

I kind of agree that it all fell apart in and after the Canadiens series of '10, post-season at least.

[DontToewsMeBro]

We need to get bigger and tougher in some aspects. Besides being just as good (at least) defensively, both Despres and Bortuzzo bring something that nobody else does. Size. Both are young, hungry players. We need guys like that, along with another veteran presence.

[ExPatriatePen]

Well, if he is healthy as he claims he is then it should not matter.

At the end of the day, I want to see our captain do something to break this funk. So far he has looked average at best. Can't win a draw and for some reason can't make the plays that he once was able to.

As far as faceoffs go, he isn't as good as he has been, but he's winning more than he's losing.

He's still underachieving.

[Gaucho]

Hasn't Bennett had some injury troubles lately? Might not be the ideal time to call him up.

[no name]

Hasn't Bennett had some injury troubles lately? Might not be the ideal time to call him up.

His wrist isn't totally 100% yet, its healed but he admits the strenght isn't back totally.

[The U]

There are notable differences between the rosters when we won the cup and around that time, and in the last two years. So much of what we had has been stripped down by Shero. We had 2 or 3 offensive D at a time (gonchar, whitney, letang, gogo). We had great character, whether it is a guy like guerin or roberts. We had huge Hal and a real shutdown pair of defensemen. We had so much additional grit with talbot, rupp, asham, ruutu and others. Those were teams that were hard to play against. I believe we were in the top 3 in the league in size. I think we even had the most fighting majors one year. We would out-score, out-hit, out-pressure opponents. I think - just doing it off the top of my head so excuse me if got something mixed up - we were #3 in defense one season.

That's all gone. Instead of guerin or roberts, shero brings in sullivan, god knows why. Never replaces gonchar or his shot or pp ability. We lost so much size and grit in the last few years, it's mind-boggling.

I have no use for guys like tangradi, vitale, or jeffrey. They are fringe nhl players, imo, and probably better suited for the minors. If you don't score or are a Selke candidate, be big and nasty. Those guys provide nothing.

Staal's gone and so is offense from the 3rd.

I'm sorry to alarm anyone but I am just telling what I see. IMO, Shero is as much to blame for everything that is happening with this team, as anyone else. His obsession with a smaller, puck-control team, has a major flaw. We don't have the skill like the Red Wings did a few years ago with D-men who could join in and shoot or skill players on all 3 lines.

There aren't that many great teams in the East, so at least that's one thing we have going for us. To be honest, I find Boston more entertaining to watch than the Penguins.

I don't think it would be smart for Shero to wait until the deadline because we aren't just one or two pieces away from a full roster, imo, but probably about 5. I would maybe wait for a big fish and a blackbuster dead until then, but it is time to start moving some pieces right now.

I agree 100%. You and I, and a few others have been saying this for over a year. This roster is nothing like what Shero said he would build when he got the job. We are not hard to play against or in your face, or nasty. Most of the roster is under 6 feet, not intimidating or hard to play against in terms of tempo and style.

I think during the two cup runs Shero/Bylsma became obsessed with the Detroit model. Only skill that matters on D is skating and pick movement. Hitters, crease clearers, big tough D are not valued here. Big forwards that play a power game are less desirable than little water bugs that fly around the zone and swat pucks around.

We need more Gary Roberts, Ruutu, Guerin. Guys that had a role and filled it.

Looking at this roster, I see a lot of hitters that don't hit. A lot of potential agitators that don't agitate, a lot of guys with the exact same skill set that aren't thriving of blossoming.

How can we have Glass, Adams, Cooke, TK, Kunitz, Jeffery, Tangradi, Vitale on the ice on the same night and we still sense s lack of energy, passion, and grit? Something is amiss.

[beachinit]

Lets see where to begin

1) Teams that are faster then the Penguins generally give the entire Penguins team fits. The Islanders showed this last year and proved it once again. Lets face it the Rangers and Flyers are not generally fast. Watch this the next time, its like the team implodes.

2) Kris Letang brains are still on the ice in Montreal. He seemingly is out of place on defense. He goes for the big hit in the corners and leaves and entire side on defense open. There seems to always be 1 to 2 players from the opposing team in our goaltenders grill. Its time for Letang to become a leader again!!!

3) Does anyone in the Pens organization know how to get and stay in front of the net.

4) There is a reason why WBS and Wheeling are also in the bottom of the pack in each level. Disco Dan's system doesnt work, and while other teams in game adjustments work for them, Dan's doesnt. The year this team won the cup was the year they had a defensive system (ok..they also had better defensive players then we do now)

5) No Penguins player knows how to get under the other teams skin. Cooke use to be great at this, but due to his circumstances he cant be that person anymore. When teams such as Boston come in they push this team around.

6) Power Play----No comment...You know what it is