Official GDT: Pens vs Bruins ECF Game 3- 6/5/13

[maopens]

Team has some issues that just have to be addressed. It's the same story 4 years now.

1) Fleury. Too much money tied up in a franchise goalie too unreliable to play in the biggest games. $5 mil cap hit for a guy who has been a playoff flop after the 2009 Cup.

2) Offensive system. God I would love to see us just copy the Red Wings system. I'm no fan but they understand puck possession, watching them I can't help but wonder what the Pens would be able to do in that system instead of non-stop stretch passing the length of the ice all night.

3) Defensive system. We should get one. Even a used on from Ebay would be nice.

4) Letang. Maybe move him to Forward since he plays as if he wants to be there. Great skills but the constant bad judgments just has to stop. He's not 22 years old anymore. How do we pay him $7 mil if he can't mature into a DEFENSEMAN first?

5) Orpik. No longer the feared hitter he once was. Prone to the bad judgment himself from time to time and never has been the best positional player. Without the hits, his cap number looks pretty high.

6) Center position is set for next year with Sutter and Jokinen and Vitale.

7) Despres better be able to step in and pay next year. He has to be a regular.

8) Iginla & Morrow. Both are slow,much slower than I expected them to be. Morrow brings grit and heart, hits and plays hard. I'd rather re-sign him if possible. He may be the only guy on the roster capable of playing in front of the net (when permitted to do so) which makes me ask, why have the Pens been allergic to playing a traffic guy in front of the net like almost everyone else does? God that Power Play looks terrible when just passing around outside with no traffic ... and it doesn't work.

9) Bennett. See Despres comments. he must be a top 6 next year. Period.

10) Wingers, the annual debate. Lots of free agents there. Dupuis seems ageless, I hope he returns. Cooke, I like his new-found game but he is a marked man with the refs. I'm convinced he gets more than others based on his old rep. But when on, he plays really hard. Kennedy, $2 mil to sit the bench? We don't have much youth behind Bennett but some of our wingers were painfully slow against Boston. Love Iginla but he is not cut out to play a fast-paced system (not that I am convinced it is the best one for the Pens to play).

11) Bylsma. How many more years can underachievement with "the best 2 players in the world" be tolerated? Would love Dan to be my neighbor but I have been soured on him as the coach for a while. Bad personnel decisions, playing people out of their positions, consistent issues with team focus and team defense, power play that at times looks like me and 4 guys off this board are out there, how much longer can this continue? His adjustments don't seem to be there when they face a team that has them figured out. Is he just stubborn or incapable of digesting the opponent and making the appropriate strategy calls? I'm hoping for a change, more structure and focus. Too much talent but these guys won't be in their prime forever.

This game hurt. If any one of those 4-5 posts ... my post would be much shorter and happier.

[bdevido]

I agree dudeman, this series makes me want to vomit. as several posters have pointed out, maybe a few bounces in our direction and it would be different but sadly this reminds me of the saints and katrina series with boston this year. you could argue this is the most talented pens team ever.

[DudeMan2766]

Prob the toughest lost I've ever endured as a Pens fan. I'm just...cooked. So, so close. That was bad.

Volek for me still

I can see that. But I was really young (as Im sure you were too) and we were comming off two straight. I dunno., this one will always stick with me. Im a mess. A calm mess, but that really really hurt

[CERV96]

Prob the toughest lost I've ever endured as a Pens fan. I'm just...cooked. So, so close. That was bad.

Volek for me still

I can see that. But I was really young (as Im sure you were too) and we were comming off two straight. I dunno., this one will always stick with me. Im a mess. A calm mess, but that really really hurt

Yeah, I got ya. The way this team looks/looked on paper the expectations were almost a lock.

[Staggy]

Prob the toughest lost I've ever endured as a Pens fan. I'm just...cooked. So, so close. That was bad.

Same. The first 20 minutes after the game I was a mess. A nice mixture of being absolutely steaming and completely heartbroken. I'm surprisingly detached from it now however. It sucked though, I was positive that if we won tonight that we'd win the series.

[PghSkins]

Prob the toughest lost I've ever endured as a Pens fan. I'm just...cooked. So, so close. That was bad.

Volek for me still

I
I can see that. But I was really young (as Im sure you were too) and we were comming off two straight. I dunno., this one will always stick with me. Im a mess. A calm mess, but that really really hurt

Volek was the night before I graduated from college. I can pretty safely say that it's never gonna get worse than that for me, sports loss wise.

[DudeMan2766]

Prob the toughest lost I've ever endured as a Pens fan. I'm just...cooked. So, so close. That was bad.

Same. The first 20 minutes after the game I was a mess. A nice mixture of being absolutely steaming and completely heartbroken. I'm surprisingly detached from it now however. It sucked though, I was positive that if we won tonight that we'd win the series.

I feel the same way. I was nervous, but I just kept feeling that we were scoring that goal. I never usually feel that way but I was "sort of" calm during the OTs. I just really felt it was a matter of time, and it never came. It was post after post after crease scramble....just not meant to be

[MRandall25]

I was surprised at myself. Didn't even drop an F bomb. Didn't even feel angry. Just sat there and said "There's the series".

[farnham16]

I was surprised at myself. Didn't even drop an F bomb. Didn't even feel angry. Just sat there and said "There's the series".

Same. Just dropped my head and walked around the house.

[MRandall25]

I was surprised at myself. Didn't even drop an F bomb. Didn't even feel angry. Just sat there and said "There's the series".

Same. Just dropped my head and walked around the house.

I was at a friend's house. I think I surprised them more than I surprised myself

[Staggy]

Lol I don't think there was a 10 second stretch in OT that went by without me dropping an F bomb.

[FallenHero96]

Yeah I just lowered my head and changed the channel.

[wondermoose]

This would be worse if the Pens didn't prepare us with the past three postseasons.

[André]

There are no hockey gods.

[Gaucho]

Not even mad.

[Bioshock]

Prob the toughest lost I've ever endured as a Pens fan. I'm just...cooked. So, so close. That was bad.

Volek for me still

Easily the Florida series in 1996 for me. Made me stop watching hockey for 4 years.

[shafnutz05]

Still clinging to the Cup in 09.... Oh well

[RxBandit66]

Shero and Lemieux need to remind themselves that when they went to the finals in 08 and 09, it was with a much more disciplined defensive system. The 1991 and 1992 Pens were the last team to win the Cup playing run & gun, and that was mostly because they were capable of buckling down and winning that 1-0 game. Also, we've seen over the past week or so that Crosby and Malkin are a far cry from Lemieux and Jagr in their prime. If either of those guys tallies once, just once, in games 1 and 3, the series would likely be 2-1 Pens.

[penny lane]

I can't imagine how they feel. OT is a dagger to the heart when you lose.
Thanks Vokoun for keeping the game close. I watched the game with my sister and nephew; with the pens till the end.

Today will be another day for spewing of words from us.
It's what we need to sit down and watch with hope tomorrow.

[ExPatriatePen]

Islanders 1975.

They did it, why not us?

[Digitalgypsy66]

The Bruins are an exceptionally well coached team.

[BurghThing]

The Bruins are an exceptionally well coached team.

Must be nice.