How game 1 will look

[iWonTheCup87]

I really don't want to play NYR in the first round. I still think we'd beat them but I think we dispatch the Isles or Sens in 5 games max.

honestly now that OTT has Karlson, Anderson, Michalek back i would rather not play them anymore. We would still win but i feel like it would be 2010 all over again where it was too close for comfort.

NYI have to be the best option and if OTT and NYR win today we play the isles. I watched them play BUF last night and they look bad, i know the Isles are supposed to be coming around and have some good players but they still are not good, i think if it was a 82 game season they wouldnt make it.

im hoping to play the ISLES but we can take any of them

About a week ago, a friend of mine from LI who's a real big Isles fan made a comment to me that the Pens were lucky that it was a shortened season... I didn't even bother to acknowledge the comment.

Isles fans

not going to lie thats one of the dumbest things i have ever heard. How in ANY way are the Pens LUCKY is a short season? The Isles barely got in and will probably be 8th. Wow thats just ridiculous, if he wasnt joking then wow i have no words for that

[Luckybreak]

I'm going to be really annoyed in game 1 if:

-Iginla is forced to play LW with Geno - evidence thus far suggests Iggy performs better at RW, and that both he and Geno are 'trying' to make it work, i.e. there is no natural chemistry between them.
-Dupuis is locked on the top line. If you think Dupuis is a superior player to Iginla or that his chemistry with Sid is so remarkable then why trade for Iginla?
-Bennett is scratched in favour of TK. I don't hate TK but BB has clearly been superior in every scenario/line. If BB sits then the argument is that rookies should earn their spot is total BS.

So, in summary, I expect to be really annoyed.

[PensFan1992]

I'm going to be really annoyed in game 1 if:

-Iginla is forced to play LW with Geno - evidence thus far suggests Iggy performs better at RW, and that both he and Geno are 'trying' to make it work, i.e. there is no natural chemistry between them.
-Dupuis is locked on the top line. If you think Dupuis is a superior player to Iginla or that his chemistry with Sid is so remarkable then why trade for Iginla?
-Bennett is scratched in favour of TK. I don't hate TK but BB has clearly been superior in every scenario/line. If BB sits then the argument is that rookies should earn their spot is total BS.

So, in summary, I expect to be really annoyed.

It certainly seems like Dupuis is locked into the top line. The question seems to be whether it's Kunitz or Iginla on the other wing with 9 & 87.
And Iggy getting put with Malkin over Sid isn't a bad landing spot for #12.

[Nizzy]

I'm going to be really annoyed in game 1 if:

-Iginla is forced to play LW with Geno - evidence thus far suggests Iggy performs better at RW, and that both he and Geno are 'trying' to make it work, i.e. there is no natural chemistry between them.
-Dupuis is locked on the top line. If you think Dupuis is a superior player to Iginla or that his chemistry with Sid is so remarkable then why trade for Iginla?
-Bennett is scratched in favour of TK. I don't hate TK but BB has clearly been superior in every scenario/line. If BB sits then the argument is that rookies should earn their spot is total BS.

So, in summary, I expect to be really annoyed.

What do you have against Dupuis locked into the first line? Doesn't he have almost 45 goals in the past 2 seasons? (1.5 realy). He's gone from a 3rd line grinder, to a solid, complete, quick, top 6 winger. He's earned it, and maybe besides Kunitz has the most natural chemistry with Crosby now.

[murphydump55]

I'm going to be really annoyed in game 1 if:

-Iginla is forced to play LW with Geno - evidence thus far suggests Iggy performs better at RW, and that both he and Geno are 'trying' to make it work, i.e. there is no natural chemistry between them.
-Dupuis is locked on the top line. If you think Dupuis is a superior player to Iginla or that his chemistry with Sid is so remarkable then why trade for Iginla?
-Bennett is scratched in favour of TK. I don't hate TK but BB has clearly been superior in every scenario/line. If BB sits then the argument is that rookies should earn their spot is total BS.

So, in summary, I expect to be really annoyed.

What do you have against Dupuis locked into the first line? Doesn't he have almost 45 goals in the past 2 seasons? (1.5 realy). He's gone from a 3rd line grinder, to a solid, complete, quick, top 6 winger. He's earned it, and maybe besides Kunitz has the most natural chemistry with Crosby now.

Fully agree! I just believe he can be more easily moved to the LW on Sid's line, while allowing Iginla to play his natural RW.

Let's not forget that Dupuis played LW while Guerin was here, did he not? Did he not move to RW when Guerin left?

[Rylan]

I really hope that HCDB does the opposite of everything some of you have suggested just to laugh at your rage. I mean it would be just glorious.

[GeoTank]

What i'd like.... just my two cents

Duper-Sid-Iggy
Kunitz-Malkin-Neal
Morrow-Sutter-Cooke
Bennet-Juicy-Adams
(Sid & Malkin can center 19 & 36 for an extra kick)

So a 4th of:
Bennett - Malkin/Crosby - Jokinen

Those lines look pretty amazing. That's 3 top 6 lines and the best 3rd line in hockey.

Yeah, and also fix my Iginla on the first to right wing, misstype.

Dunno if that was a misstype, because from what I saw, Dupuis was on the right and Iggy on the left at practice today.

Maybe they will put Iggy on the left on Sid's line to give him a shooter.

Duper has proven he just keeps playing his game at a very good level no matter what position he plays LW, RW, C and even looked good on 2nd PP as a D

so i stick with my first setup


Duper-Sid-Iggy
Kunitz-Malkin-Neal
Morrow-Sutter-Cooke
Bennet-Juicy-Adams
(Sid & Malkin can center 19 & 36 for an extra kick)

[Gaucho]

I really hope that HCDB does the opposite of everything some of you have suggested just to laugh at your rage. I mean it would be just glorious.

He's certainly dumb and stubborn and clueless enough to do just that. Amirite?

[Luckybreak]

I'm going to be really annoyed in game 1 if:

-Iginla is forced to play LW with Geno - evidence thus far suggests Iggy performs better at RW, and that both he and Geno are 'trying' to make it work, i.e. there is no natural chemistry between them.
-Dupuis is locked on the top line. If you think Dupuis is a superior player to Iginla or that his chemistry with Sid is so remarkable then why trade for Iginla?
-Bennett is scratched in favour of TK. I don't hate TK but BB has clearly been superior in every scenario/line. If BB sits then the argument is that rookies should earn their spot is total BS.

So, in summary, I expect to be really annoyed.

What do you have against Dupuis locked into the first line? Doesn't he have almost 45 goals in the past 2 seasons? (1.5 realy). He's gone from a 3rd line grinder, to a solid, complete, quick, top 6 winger. He's earned it, and maybe besides Kunitz has the most natural chemistry with Crosby now.

I'm a proud member of PDAS, wasn't taking anything away from Duper's accomplishments, just saying I don't think we are seeing the best of Iginla. After how many years of imagining Iggy on Sid's wing I will be pretty upset if we don't see it when Crosby returns.

[Nizzy]

Here's what I'm thinking LB:

Iggy Geno Neal - wont work. You need a grinder for the dump n chase.

Kunitz (that guy) - Geno Neal
Dupuis (that guy) Sid Iggy
Cooke (that guy) Sutter Morrow

[FallenHero96]

Very happy to see that HCDB had Kunitz-Malkin-Neal together and will probably go with Duper-Crosby-Iginla too. I really think this will get the best results. I'd start with that and hey if it's not working, change it up.

I am interested to see who gets scratched between Bennett, Glass, Kennedy. Seems like CFA will be in the lineup no matter what. I'd play Bennett, Kennedy's time on this team has reached its end.

[columbia]

Let's see...

Someone as talented as Bennett might be eating nachos?
Someone on wicked tear like Jokinen might be centering the 4th line?
Someone named Jarome Iginla might be playing LW?

Strange, but true!

[Nizzy]

Very happy to see that HCDB had Kunitz-Malkin-Neal together and will probably go with Duper-Crosby-Iginla too. I really think this will get the best results. I'd start with that and hey if it's not working, change it up.

I am interested to see who gets scratched between Bennett, Glass, Kennedy. Seems like CFA will be in the lineup no matter what. I'd play Bennett, Kennedy's time on this team has reached its end.

Does anyone really think Daniel B. Bylsma is going to sit his Little Tiger Grinder?

[Gaucho]

Jokinen on the 4th line is just a designation on paper. He'll certainly see more minutes than a typical 4th liner.

[pcm]

Its just fantastic that the guys made it virtually impossible to break up the Kunitz-Malkin-Neal line going into the playoffs.

As far as the bottom 6, we've got enough talent to field 2 3rd lines. Rather than making the 4th line a mishmash of leftovers, I'd rather see 2 lines with different identities:

Morrow-Jokinen-Bennett <---- This line was playing great; they would get weak matchups and feast on the opponents 4th lines, adding crucial scoring depth that would make all the difference.

Cooke-Sutter-Adams <--- This is your checking line you send out against the opponent's top line.

Having a 4th line of Jokinen-Adams-Kennedy/Bennett/Glass seems like a waste. What's their identity?

[André]

Say what? Judging by last night's lines I say the following is likely:

Dupuis - Crosby - Iginla
Kunitz - Malkin - Neal
Cooke - Sutter - Morrow
Jokinen - Adams - Kennedy

I think they'll keep the second line together (they were awesome) and Jokinen with Dupuis and Iginla tells me that's where they're putting Sid. Cooke, Sutter and Morrow has been great. This has med feeling bad for Jokinen but what can you do? And I love the thought of him being able to fill whatever slot opens (knock on wood) in the top nine.

Earlier I was very much in the keep-the-first-line-together camp but that was a while and many trades ago. That plus Iggy hasn't been utilized as well as he could and should yet coupled with how great Neal, Kunitz and Geno were last night.

[shmenguin]

i'd be curious what the hockey nerds around here think about sutter vs. jokinen. as a member of the uninitiated, i don't really get why sutter is supposed to be a better player right now. this idea isn't a knock on sutter, it's more a compliment to JJ.

[Beveridge]

I'll give you my perspective.

I see Sutter as the round peg that if you plugged in on any team, would fit as a 2nd/3rd line center. Jokinen is more of that 7 sided figure that is only going to fit in certain places and it just so happens that the Pens system is 7 sided.

I wouldn't say that Jokinen overall is better than Sutter, but I could make an argument (and the eye test would support this right now) that Jokinen is better in the Pens system than Sutter is. Even though Jokinen will be centering the "4th line" if all hands are on deck, I would expect the ice time between the 2 to be within 30 seconds of one another most nights.

Another fact would be at their ages, what you see is what you get with Jokinen. There isn't much that is going to change other than father time diminishing the skill set. Sutter hasn't even hit his prime yet and will continue to grow.

At this time I would like to give a shout out to GMJR for giving us both and paying Jokinen to score against you. Thanks, buddy.

[NeddieVedder]

Having a 4th line of Jokinen-Adams-Kennedy/Bennett/Glass seems like a waste. What's their identity?

In my visions, it's Adams-Jokinen-Bennett and their identity is to frequently doubleshift Crosby and Malkin for Adams and basically be another first line going against bottom pairs. Still works with TK, not so much with Glass.

[Rylan]

Jokinen on the 4th line is crazy. This team is so deep a good offensive hockey player is being written in on the 4th line. That just blows my mind.

[MRandall25]

I think with Jokinen-Adams-Kennedy/Bennett/Glass, you have a 4th line than can go in, grind a little, outwork the opponent, AND provide somewhat of a scoring threat.

A 4th line is either going to be the most useless line in terms of skill and contributions offensively, or it's going to be the most important in terms of having depth and people who can play solidly when they're on the ice.

Having a few guys who can chip in in different areas makes it, potentially, a scary 4th line. Jokinen plays solid defense and can score. Adams can grind along the boards and PK. Bennett can score. Kennedy can grind and contribute offensively (as he's proven in past playoffs). Glass is a big body guy who wears down the opponents with his hits.

At this point, it really feels like Bylsma has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal. He has 2-3 guys who should be playing in the top 9 (if our top 9 wasn't filled) and 2 guys who are paid to play the 4th line. Pretty much anything he does with it, he's probably making the right call. There's really no wrong answer for the 4th line.

[Great58]

I'm going to be really annoyed in game 1 if:

-Iginla is forced to play LW with Geno - evidence thus far suggests Iggy performs better at RW, and that both he and Geno are 'trying' to make it work, i.e. there is no natural chemistry between them.
-Dupuis is locked on the top line. If you think Dupuis is a superior player to Iginla or that his chemistry with Sid is so remarkable then why trade for Iginla?
-Bennett is scratched in favour of TK. I don't hate TK but BB has clearly been superior in every scenario/line. If BB sits then the argument is that rookies should earn their spot is total BS.

So, in summary, I expect to be really annoyed.

If Sid plays, I'd expect 9-87-12 and 14-71-18. I think those lines got sealed last night.
I wouldn't be too upset with either Beu or TK on line 4. I like Beu and Jussi together, but won't get too bent out of shape if TK is in.

[Rylan]

I really think though that the team will be dynamic more than static in terms of lines. You will have some consistency, but occasionally you will see jumbled lines to give teams something new to deal with.

[knives of ice]

do people really not take any stock into what lines have been practicing? its pretty clear what the plan is for the playoffs if sid plays.

[MRandall25]

do people really not take any stock into what lines have been practicing? its pretty clear what the plan is for the playoffs if sid plays.

I don't think anyone disagrees with that. I think Rylan's saying that in game, Bylsma might switch it up a little depending on the team's needs.