ROUND 1 PENGUINS VS. ISLANDERS Pre-Game 1 Discussion Thread

[topshelf66]

Rather than showing video of the brawl game, if I were HCDB, I would show game 3 of last year's flyers series. That level of stupidity is what will be required to lose this series.

Morrow and Iginla will never, ever, ever have a chance at a cup like this. If you think #10 put Subban in his place for acting the punk, I would expect him to do the same in the locker room to #18 and or #71 if they are determined to act the fool this time around.

Pens will stomp this team. Likely just enough problems with the forecheck and PK to have something to work on between series, but a stomping none the less.

[Eismann]

Johnny 1-punch on continuous gif, pl4x.

[pcmforless]

Other than 93(I was 13) and the stupid brawl game, I'm finding it hard to hate the Islanders as much as I normally hate our playoff opponents. Can anyone help me?

Yeah. Never forget that punk Jack Capuano orchestrated the brawl.



That embarrassing farce, and the fact that slob didn't receive any kind of disciplinary action, is reason enough to want to see these little two-bit nobodies ground into powder in 4 games, sent home embarrassed to show their faces to their mothers.

Those idiots considered that game to be their little "coming out party". I'm all for seeing PGH welcome them to the show, in grand fashion.

Ok, now I'm pissed and now hate the Islanders. Thanks.

I was at that game right on the glass out at the Island (tix were cheap) and find it easy to hate the Isles after that, especially since their 1 megafan (the guy with the yellow wig and the Rangers Suck jersey that was last washed 10 years ago) kept coming over every time they scored and wanted to pick a pretend fight with me since I was wearing a Pens jersey... Considering the Isles scored 9, he was there a LOT! I can still hear their fans cheering, WE WANT 10, WE WANT 10.... Kill them off in 4!

[Gaucho]

Show no mercy. Pile up the goals, run up the score, then rub it in some more. Flip Capuano the bird at every oppotunity.

[Godric]

Show no mercy. Pile up the goals, run up the score, then rub it in some more. Flip Capuano the bird at every oppotunity.

this.

I want Cooke to kill Okposo and I want Morrow to beat the **** out of reasoner

[jwest21]

So what Wal-Mart is Gillies working in these days?

god I love that GIF!

[Hugo Stiglitz]

Malkin and Sid have never scored on Nabakov... man, I want to vomit.

1st - Sid probably won't play this series
2nd - So what?
3rd - everyone else on the team has scored against him in the 4 games we took from them this season

Everyone needs to chill out! The media always likes to hype up the 8th unseeding the 1st and fans of the 1st seed are always terrified of losing to an 8th. Not happening this year guy, relax.

[Rylan]

Sid will play.

[IntangibleBeer]

Show no mercy. Pile up the goals, run up the score, then rub it in some more. Flip Capuano the bird at every oppotunity.

this.

I want Cooke to kill Okposo and I want Morrow to beat the **** out of reasoner

I agree, but wait till Murray gets hold of one of their chicken**** d-men. That will be funny to watch!

[iWonTheCup87]

not trying to stir the pot but pens radio said Vokoun had a .970 save % and a 3-0 record vs the Isles and Fleury had an .882 save % and was 1-1. Just found it interesting. Obviously Fleury was apart of that first joke fest in the beginning when we got stomped but the whole team was awful. And obviously Vokoun will not start just saying

[Idoit40fans]

Fleury will start only because Bylsma loves him for some reason.

[Shakes]

Malkin and Sid have never scored on Nabakov... man, I want to vomit.

1st - Sid probably won't play this series
2nd - So what?
3rd - everyone else on the team has scored against him in the 4 games we took from them this season

Everyone needs to chill out! The media always likes to hype up the 8th unseeding the 1st and fans of the 1st seed are always terrified of losing to an 8th. Not happening this year guy, relax.

Why do you say that? Not trying to be a jerk. Seems like he's pretty close.

Agree with the rest. But we still have time to go though the "Relax, the Isles can't really give them that much of a series" to "Hmm, the Isles finished strong and have a few good players" to "Pens will almost certainly win" storylines before the puck drops Wednesday.

[Malkamaniac]

Would love to see the Pens just flex their game and dismantle the Islanders.

[Idoit40fans]

I'd like to see Crosby play the whole series right handed and outscore JT.

[iWonTheCup87]

Would love to see the Pens just flex their game and dismantle the Islanders.

would be awesome to sit back and see the Pens fire on all cylinders and just blow them out in 4 games

[Godric]

[Kaizer]

sweep them, goals for: 32, goals against: 4

[Dickie Dunn]

An Islanders fan on a different message board thinks they should dress Boulton, forcing the Penguins to dress Big Mac.

Pens in three. Islanders will forfeit game four. Get this stupid series over with.

[Shakes]

Would love to see the Pens just flex their game and dismantle the Islanders.

would be awesome to sit back and see the Pens fire on all cylinders and just blow them out in 4 games

A Pens win by a significant margin would be most welcome.

[Godric]

An Islanders fan on a different message board thinks they should dress Boulton, forcing the Penguins to dress Big Mac.

Pens in three. Islanders will forfeit game four. Get this stupid serious over with.

Orpik is still hurt so Engo might play.... Engo would kill Boulton.

[Dickie Dunn]

An Islanders fan on a different message board thinks they should dress Boulton, forcing the Penguins to dress Big Mac.

Pens in three. Islanders will forfeit game four. Get this stupid serious over with.

Orpik is still hurt so Engo might play.... Engo would kill Boulton.

Its not even about that. The Penguins have multiple guys that would have no qualms about tangling with Boulton. Its the sheer fact that someone thinks the Penguins would care if they dress Boulton, and that Bylsma would counter the move with Big Mac. Its moronic.

[Fire0nice228]

I think the Isles give the Pens more trouble than alot of you are expecting. They had a fantastic April and are playing the best hockey the team has played in the last 5 years. Tavares/Moulson/Boyes is a great first line and wicked on the PP. Visnovsky and Nabby have playoff experience. They can easily, and likely will, employ the strategy of "packing it in around the house" as many teams do when severely over matched on skill, and it has been effective before against the Pens (MTL/TB). I think its very key for the Pens to score first in every game so that the Islanders can't sit back and insulate the goalie while waiting for that one or two chances to score and hold on for dear life. The Islanders seem to give the Pens more trouble than they should sometimes...

On the flip side.. the Isles suck 5 on 5 (even though the Corsi stat says they get more pucks towards the net than our Pens at even strength), their bottom 6 is mostly people I have never heard of, and they have that idiot Matt Martin who is going to take penalties that (should if we keep our wits) give the Pens some PP opportunities of their own. The article from Jesse had some semi 'eye opening' stats on how these teams stack up on paper. Some is closer than I expected. It just seems like the Isles don't pass the 'eye test' overall.

All in all, I think the key for the Pens is to stay out of the box. Pens are very strong 5v5 in goal differential and historically those are the teams that (no surprise) do well in the playoffs. They need to pound Streit and Visnovsky immediately to slow down the speed and transition game of the Isles. They remind me of the 07 Pens. A superstar, some budding surrounding talent (albeit not world class like the Pens), and a team that is happy to be relevant again, but NOT a team that is ready for what is about to come.

I think the Pens system of strong board play should bode well in this series against a lackluster defensive corps. I hope that the team gels and can rally around the Iggy/Morrow quest for the cup like that team did in the NFL for that player coughcough.

Pens in 6

[Godric]

An Islanders fan on a different message board thinks they should dress Boulton, forcing the Penguins to dress Big Mac.

Pens in three. Islanders will forfeit game four. Get this stupid serious over with.

Orpik is still hurt so Engo might play.... Engo would kill Boulton.

Its not even about that. The Penguins have multiple guys that would have no qualms about tangling with Boulton. Its the sheer fact that someone thinks the Penguins would care if they dress Boulton, and that Bylsma would counter the move with Big Mac. Its moronic.

I don't want Morrow or Iginla fighting Boulton thats for sure.

[pcm]

It all comes down to shutting down Moulson-Tavares-Boyes.

To accomplish this,

#1 Don't take penalties. Which means, the Pens need to stay away from the crap that cost them last year against Philly. I think the only way the Isle can win is if they sucker the Pens into taking penalties.

#2 Who are the best 3 defensive forwards on this team? I'd honestly matchup Cooke-Sutter-Dupuis against Tavares' line. Morrow is not a defensive guy, I'd slide him into the top 6 instead. But that's me...

#3 Shadow Tavares on the PK. The Isle move the puck well and can stretch a PK box to create space for Tavares. I'd keep one guy on Tavares on the half-boards and collapse the box....once they're setup. BUt until then, I'd attack aggressively battling for possession.

[Staggy]

I would not throw Sutter against the Tavares line. Have you guys seen the Isles' first line try to play defense? They have an impossibly hard time trying to retrieve the puck when the opposing team gets a good forecheck/cycle going. They get pinned in their zone frequently, and chase the puck all over the place. I'd like to see DB match up Sid or Geno's line against Tavares. They can't score when they don't have the puck.