Official GDT 3/4/2013: PIT VS TB

[Froggy]

If a team is going to unload a rental, they are going to want picks, prospects, or players under contract. Kennedy is none of those things after this year. Just because you don't like him doesn't mean he needs to be hammered in to every trade proposal.

[Rylan]

I don't think the Pens get a rental though.

[slappybrown]

If a team is going to unload a rental, they are going to want picks, prospects, or players under contract. Kennedy is none of those things after this year. Just because you don't like him doesn't mean he needs to be hammered in to every trade proposal.

Well, his qualifying offer is 2mm. Assuming he plays for that figure rather than holding out for something better -- and based on this season so far, that would be hilarious if he refused to sign -- a team would get another year out of him at 2mm in all likelihood.

[TheHammer24]

I furthermore don't understand why people don't like Kennedy. Really. He's not that great of a hockey player, but I think the animus grows from people's incessant desire to find the malignant piece on team so they can advocate removing it to make everything better. In other words, Kennedy is another whipping boy.

This tendency pains me. The Penguins problems are quite clearly systemic: they make careless turnovers in the neutral zone and opposing team's blue line, they don't pick up guys on the back check at times, and they're horrible at defending the house and slot. Some of our best players, in fact, are the most prone at making huge gaffes that cost us goals. Kennedy is not. So as Froggy said, "just because you don't like him doesn't mean he" has to be the focus of every criticism.

I feel like a lot of posters watch the game with a close eye but they don't have the hockey sense to analyze a game like Hank or Mikey. I certainly don't. But where I differ (or at least i think I differ) from those posters is they seem to understand the game well enough to identify isolated mistakes. Fleury let in a bad goal, Martin turned the puck over, Tangradi can't score. They also can ascertain the Penguins aren't playing well at time. But they invariably take the correlation between the mistakes they observed and conclude that is what is costing the Penguins wins. This over-simplistic analysis is, well, maddening. It leads the incessant belly aching over minor problems such that when the Penguins win, the Monday morning QBs are showing off by noting how many mistakes they saw. That's why we have the laundry list of complaints in every GDT, win or lose.

I support discussion, but I now get my PR news by "friending" a few of the posters whose opinions I have grown to really appreciates--Mikey, HH, DesertPenguin (so underrated)--going to my user CP, clicking their names and reading their posts.

[Lt. Dish]

They definitely had to have gotten Jack Johnson's name from LGP.

He's terrible. He makes Alex Ovechkin look responsible in the d-zone.

Plus, he has a Lindrossian dad issue, too, iirc. Unless he's the Second Coming in all 3 zones, then do not want.

[joe icepick]

Re: Mild disdain for Eaton's play tonight.

It really is a tough crowd, huh? Eaton exhibited some of the best positioning, best decision-making and most consistent gaps by any Penguin on the ice tonight, all that while dragging Niskanen along with him. Played 15 and a half minutes of even strength hockey tonight against the highest scoring team in the league after not being in the league until last week and looked very good doing it.

Here's a guy who has played one season's worth of games since April 2010 basically, couldn't find a job in the offseason, he gets thrown into a mish-mash lineup where everyone is unhappy about something...

- Shero can't draft or build a team properly
- Bylsma can't coach or create lines properly
- Crosby can't lead
- Malkin don't try
- Neither does Neal
- Kennedy tries too hard
- Shoulda scratched Kunitz
- Shoulda played Despres
- Don't want Engelland, do want him to fight
- Do want hitting, don't want Glass
- Need physical defender for Martin, don't want Orpik
- Need positional defender for Orpik, don't want Martin
- Need offensive, transitional d-men to get the puck to stars, don't want Letang
- Need goaltender that can bail us out of our own crap-ucopia, Fleury's a bust
- Want Vokoun to start, don't want it to be 2003 again

Now we get Eaton into the lineup, not one bad thing happened while Eaton was out there and still we find something to be unhappy about. I mean, look, I sit there and micro-analyze the game as much as anyone, but it's with expectations in mind...Eaton walks in, fresh from the sewer, against a high-octane offense and does a terrific job defensively...in fact, I started typing up some stuff about Eaton's game tonight and then McGuire and Albert started talking him up, so I thought, "well, good, at least someone else is noticing how well he's playing tonight..."

I'm not saying I don't complain about some guys, I'm not saying the team is perfect, I'm not saying we have the greatest coach in the world...but Jesus tap-dancing Christ, can't you take a little victory out of this...a little victory out of win, that is...

"Eaton played well"
*sirens* *shotguns loading* *optimism detected* "Shoot to kill!"
"No, umm, actually, he didn't...well, A) he wears #4 and that was Hatcher's number and he didn't play well and number B) um, in the second, um, in the second period they dumped it in and Niskanen got it and Eaton just kind of watched, even know, uh, even, even though...if Eaton was faster he could have gotten it. So, no, not that really that good..."

I thought Eaton played well also...You okay Mikey?

[penny lane]

Very unselfish by Geno

The only good thing to ever come from Pierre between the benches:

Cooke: "Why didn't you pass it to me on that."
Malkin: "Because you miss."

Dave Molinari ‏@MolinariPG
Bylsma says he plans to play Bennett with Malkin and Neal, though he may spot other players there on occasion.

Cookie ~ back to his natural position. cute sign at last night's game Malk N Cookies!!

[CERV96]

Very unselfish by Geno

The only good thing to ever come from Pierre between the benches:

Cooke: "Why didn't you pass it to me on that."
Malkin: "Because you miss."

Dave Molinari ‏@MolinariPG
Bylsma says he plans to play Bennett with Malkin and Neal, though he may spot other players there on occasion.

Cookie ~ back to his natural position. cute sign at last night's game Malk N Cookies!!

Good, the bottom 6 needs more testicular fortitude IMO.

[Beveridge]

Bennett on line 2....FIRE BYLSMA.

Wait, no. What now?

[penny lane]

^ Disco signed up for Bowser's Blog!

teasing only!

[meow]

This tendency pains me. The Penguins problems are quite clearly systemic: they make careless turnovers in the neutral zone and opposing team's blue line, they don't pick up guys on the back check at times, and they're horrible at defending the house and slot. Some of our best players, in fact, are the most prone at making huge gaffes that cost us goals. Kennedy is not. So as Froggy said, "just because you don't like him doesn't mean he" has to be the focus of every criticism.

I agree with the rest of your post, so I'll omit it. But this statement, you didn't explain one systematic problem. These are all execution issues.

[mikey287]

I thought Eaton played well also...You okay Mikey?

Oh, I'm always good. Just every once in a while some people need to be grabbed by the shoulders and just shaken for a minute...myself included.

[TheHammer24]

This tendency pains me. The Penguins problems are quite clearly systemic: they make careless turnovers in the neutral zone and opposing team's blue line, they don't pick up guys on the back check at times, and they're horrible at defending the house and slot. Some of our best players, in fact, are the most prone at making huge gaffes that cost us goals. Kennedy is not. So as Froggy said, "just because you don't like him doesn't mean he" has to be the focus of every criticism.

I agree with the rest of your post, so I'll omit it. But this statement, you didn't explain one systematic problem. These are all execution issues.

I suppose you're technically right, although that's a fair criticism of someone putting fourth a length rant. I suppose I mean that the Penguins are systematically failing to take care of team defense (i.e., they're systematically failing to implement the system), not that the system itself is inherently flawed. I think of execution problems as physical errors: whiffing on the puck, missing a hit. And I think the individual critiques I focused on stem from those errors.

[The Snapshot]

I suppose you're technically right, although that's a fair criticism of someone putting fourth a length rant. I suppose I mean that the Penguins are systematically failing to take care of team defense (i.e., they're systematically failing to implement the system), not that the system itself is inherently flawed. I think of execution problems as physical errors: whiffing on the puck, missing a hit. And I think the individual critiques I focused on stem from those errors.

Yet people want to fire the coach.

Disappointed not to be one of your friends btw. Is it because I hated Tangradi and think Glass is half-empty?

[The Snapshot]

I thought Eaton played well also...You okay Mikey?

Oh, I'm always good. Just every once in a while some people need to be grabbed by the shoulders and just shaken for a minute...myself included.

I am worried that Eaton is soft, but he is in the right spot and he battles. I would prefer a Dman that could do both, but he is not a bad depth add. If we get that kind of play from Niskanen because of their partnership, then I am fine with him being in the starting rotation long term.

It is a valid point to also credit him for such solid play after sitting and watching for the start of the year. A real pro.

[TheHammer24]

I suppose you're technically right, although that's a fair criticism of someone putting fourth a length rant. I suppose I mean that the Penguins are systematically failing to take care of team defense (i.e., they're systematically failing to implement the system), not that the system itself is inherently flawed. I think of execution problems as physical errors: whiffing on the puck, missing a hit. And I think the individual critiques I focused on stem from those errors.

Yet people want to fire the coach.

Disappointed not to be one of your friends btw. Is it because I hated Tangradi and think Glass is half-empty?

I'm pretty selective. But I definitely didn't share your Tangradi axe at the time, although you undoubtedly turned out right. Maybe that vindication will earn you a closer look. I need to broaden my view so not to parrot HH's this-team-is-doomed approach.

[Gaucho]

https://twitter.com/jneal_18/status/309102867904618498/photo/1

[mikey287]

I thought Eaton played well also...You okay Mikey?

Oh, I'm always good. Just every once in a while some people need to be grabbed by the shoulders and just shaken for a minute...myself included.

I am worried that Eaton is soft, but he is in the right spot and he battles. I would prefer a Dman that could do both, but he is not a bad depth add. If we get that kind of play from Niskanen because of their partnership, then I am fine with him being in the starting rotation long term.

It is a valid point to also credit him for such solid play after sitting and watching for the start of the year. A real pro.

I'd prefer someone better also, but I look at it this way...it was this guy, Strait or Lovejoy...in this instance we got "this guy" and a 5th...we'll call it even...

If Eaton makes Niskanen effective AND keeps him out of the way of the top-4, I'm sold. Because Niskanen can make a hit or two (he's pretty athletic), and Eaton will have his back. I hope they duplicate this performance...

[The Snapshot]

I thought Eaton played well also...You okay Mikey?

Oh, I'm always good. Just every once in a while some people need to be grabbed by the shoulders and just shaken for a minute...myself included.

I am worried that Eaton is soft, but he is in the right spot and he battles. I would prefer a Dman that could do both, but he is not a bad depth add. If we get that kind of play from Niskanen because of their partnership, then I am fine with him being in the starting rotation long term.

It is a valid point to also credit him for such solid play after sitting and watching for the start of the year. A real pro.

I'd prefer someone better also, but I look at it this way...it was this guy, Strait or Lovejoy...in this instance we got "this guy" and a 5th...we'll call it even...

If Eaton makes Niskanen effective AND keeps him out of the way of the top-4, I'm sold. Because Niskanen can make a hit or two (he's pretty athletic), and Eaton will have his back. I hope they duplicate this performance...

I'm more confident in Eaton than Strait or Lovejoy. I don't see the fuss over Strait at all. He does nothing very well. He's marginal in every sense. Lovejoy was a tight-rope act. We already have a few of those.

[Rocco]

Bennett on line 2....FIRE BYLSMA.

Wait, no. What now?

Just wait until after a period, when Bennett is benched and Bylsma is rolling out Kennedy/Malkin/Neal.

[TheHammer24]

Eaton dove head first to block a shot against Tampa Bay. I was pretty sold, independent on how he actually plays.

[meow]

This tendency pains me. The Penguins problems are quite clearly systemic: they make careless turnovers in the neutral zone and opposing team's blue line, they don't pick up guys on the back check at times, and they're horrible at defending the house and slot. Some of our best players, in fact, are the most prone at making huge gaffes that cost us goals. Kennedy is not. So as Froggy said, "just because you don't like him doesn't mean he" has to be the focus of every criticism.

I agree with the rest of your post, so I'll omit it. But this statement, you didn't explain one systematic problem. These are all execution issues.

I suppose you're technically right, although that's a fair criticism of someone putting fourth a length rant. I suppose I mean that the Penguins are systematically failing to take care of team defense (i.e., they're systematically failing to implement the system), not that the system itself is inherently flawed. I think of execution problems as physical errors: whiffing on the puck, missing a hit. And I think the individual critiques I focused on stem from those errors.

I see what you are saying. I keep coming back to the Carolina game. Bylsma's system has someone cover the front of the net, obviously. Yet all of Carolina's goals are within two feet of the crease. Someone, systematically, should have been there. Execution-wise, nobody home because we have 5 guys staring at the puck.

[bh]

Eaton dove head first to block a shot against Tampa Bay. I was pretty sold, independent on how he actually plays.

It was refreshing to see SOMEBODY blocking shots. We haven't been doing enough of that lately.