Grading Game 6

[Mad City Mike]

OFFENSE: D. I could just about just cut and paste from every other game here. The forecheck was slightly better, and they even got a few good cycles going. But the bottom line was the same—only one even-strength goal scored, though it was a beauty. Talk about making a goalie look like a pretzel.

DEFENSE: A-. Very good effort last night. They limited the prime scoring chances better than in any game except maybe Detroit. Fleury did not have to be outstanding, as he has on most occasions this season. The one even strength goal by Yashin was a comical play by the supposed good defensive forward Ekman. He starts in his own left wing corner after losing the puck, goes all the way across the ice to his right side to catch Yashin near the Pens’ blue line, then inexplicably lets him go and floats back toward his left side. I have no clue what he was thinking. But aside from that, great effort defensively.

GOALTENDING: B-. As I said, Fleury didn’t have to be spectacular, and he wasn’t. He wasn’t really at fault on any of the goals, though I would have liked at least one big save in there. I was pleased with how he rebounded to shut the Isles out after that barrage. For the first time this year, they won a game when Fleury wasn’t ultra sharp. That’s a good sign.

POWER PLAY: A. Except for one chance they frittered away right before the Islander barrage, it was spectacular again. They even got a goal from a winger. Good movement and enough shots to be effective. Once again, the power play specialist Ouellet comes through to get them on the board. The guy just has a nose for the net on the PP.

PENALTY KILL: C. They were excellent all night, except during the nightmare sequence where things went totally awry. For the most part, they bottled the Isles up, and kept them outside. They missed on a few clearing attempts that they should have gotten down the ice. I have no idea why Therrien thinks Gonchar is a good penalty killer, though. They really need Orpik back, and Welch (if he returns to form) would be a huge upgrade also.

EFFORT: A. I again had no problem at all with the work level. This team works hard, and I don’t know how long it has been since I could say that about a Penguin team. Probably back to the Constantine days. To come back in the third on the second of a back to back set is very impressive. Therrien certainly has instilled a solid work ethic in these boys.

OVERALL: B+. That’s the grade I come up with for 60 minutes of very solid play combined with three minutes of brain-dead, horrific, Edzo style play. But they managed to sneak out with a win despite those three bad minutes. I like the attitude of this team. They could have folded up their tents after that barrage, but they didn’t. Guys like Sid and Malkin will not let that happen.

Now some others…

OFFICIATING: C. They called a much better game than the clowns the night before, and were much tighter on the obstruction. Gonchar took one penalty that was a hook but was also a blatant dive by the Islander. Whatever happened to the diving enforcement? Speaking of which…

WHINING: F. Runner-up for whiner of the night was Gonchar for arguing his call. Yo, Sarge, you put the stick on the guy’s waist and hip, and you will get called. Haven’t you figured that out yet? But far and away, the whiner of the night was Ted Nolan for this gem:

I think for a world class player, for a guy of his caliber, he's diving every time someone touches him. No question in my mind, he should have been called for a slash before Yashin had a chance to hook him. I'm not saying Yashin's wasn't a penalty, I'm just saying there should have been a penalty before. If Yashin maybe acted like Crosby and dove, maybe he would have gotten that call.

Yo, Ted, the diving thing was put to rest long ago. Where ya been? Oh, that's right, coaching out in juniors where you belong. I guess the news never made it there. Yes, Sid should have had a slash, but if Yashin is to friggin’ stupid to at least show he got hurt, then that is his fault, not Sid’s. Look, if they called even half the crap that is done to Crosby, the Pens would be on the PP all night long. Funny how you made no comment about the blatant dive your own guy took. I guess it’s okay when your team does it, eh? For his petulant little outburst, Ted Nolan was welcomed into Jerez’ exclusive “Shut Up, Jack-Wipeâ€￾ club, whose only other members are Hitchcock, Quinn, and Burns. Congratulations, Ted, you got there far faster than any of the others.

[cs6687]

Not bad, MCM. You missed one thing about the officiating. The refs missed a call late in the third, when Crosby was tripped driving to the net. After that, they penalized Ekman for a ticky-tack hook on Yashin. Horrible call, no question.

[pfim]

Ekman didn't read the play well. He was just doing what a forward normally does. I just think it was a good play by the Islanders.

And Blake completely dove on the Gonchar hook. They both should have been in the box. Notice Blake doesn't leave his feet in a pretzel-like dive until after he realizes he can't control the puck. It was bad in real time, even worse in slow motion.

And I agree with the thing about Yashin. You're a hockey player, you can't just give up the puck on that play. Sorta like Alexei Kovalev? Must be a Russian thing, notice both instances lead to game winning goals. And he really had no reason to hook Crosby, it was a two on two.

[rasbatch]

Nice grading game 6, I give it 4 out of 5 bananas! You have 4 more refills, hopefully that will get you through the season.

[pfim]

Also, Leclair played a very good game. The Leclair-Moore-Ouellet line played very well, kept the puck down low and created some chances.

[Gaucho]

Can we just clone Mark Eaton and exclusively play Eaton and Eaton at even strength and on the PK? Those two would look good together.

[ZelieMike]

MCM... I like how you've started organizing your game reports. Now for some more infusion of optimism. Its not just Jerez's job you know.

On the offensive side. I agree though, that they have been pretty offensive. I'm beginning to think after attending Wednesday's game and last night, combined with last year, that this is Therrien's downfall. I'm not sure if the attack is a function of the players, or what Therrien demands of his system.

Right now I don't see too much creativity in the offensive zone other than the individual efforts of Crosby and Malkin.

Or, maybe I'm expecting too much of a system team now.

ZM

[Mad City Mike]

Right now I don't see too much creativity in the offensive zone other than the individual efforts of Crosby and Malkin.



ZM

The problem is that creativity is more a function of the players than the system. Other than Crosby and Malkin, where is that creativity supposed to come from?

[Admin]

Are these going to be a regular feature? If so, mind if I link to them in my mini-game recaps?

I've got loads of banana peels as payment.

[Maestro]

three minutes of brain-dead, horrific, Edzo style play.

That was a nightmare - That was completely the Pens of the past several seasons - on the positive, if you are going to have a melt down you might as well do it on ice

[The Snapshot]

DEFENSE: A-. Very good effort last night. They limited the prime scoring chances better than in any game except maybe Detroit. Fleury did not have to be outstanding, as he has on most occasions this season. The one even strength goal by Yashin was a comical play by the supposed good defensive forward Ekman. He starts in his own left wing corner after losing the puck, goes all the way across the ice to his right side to catch Yashin near the Pens’ blue line, then inexplicably lets him go and floats back toward his left side. I have no clue what he was thinking. But aside from that, great effort defensively.

WHINING: F. Runner-up for whiner of the night was Gonchar for arguing his call. Yo, Sarge, you put the stick on the guy’s waist and hip, and you will get called. Haven’t you figured that out yet?

On the defense grade, I would give them a C at best - mainly because there were way to many times again last night that there were people between our D and our Goalie. The potential winning goal by Blake was an absolute joke, with that little rat standing untouched while he scrambled to control the deflected pass and ram it home. He should have been on his Opie Taylor-looking, baggy-eyed, donkey-eared face.

On the whining item with Gonchar, I think he was asking about the dive, because he basically did a can-opener with only one hand on his stick, around Blake's hands without really contacting his body in any way - and Blake spun around like a top. That was an absolute dive, and Nolan should watch the tape of the Islander's best player (sad that our best Players are Crosby and Malkin and their's is probably Jason Blake).

[CKA24]

I have no idea why Therrien thinks Gonchar is a good penalty killer, though.

MCM, nice recap. You do a great job.

As for the quote, whether Therrien's right or not, I thought I heard that Therrien wanted to run the PK with every single player this year in short shifts (it was really obvious the first game; I think everyone actually did kill the first PK). His theory, I guess, is to keep everyone involved so that noone gets tired. A fresh Gonchar (non pk-specialist) is better than a tired Moore (pk specialist). I'd like to see Orpik come back and have Gonch sit on the PK's. Maybe he tires on the PK and consequently can't hit the next because of it!

[Mad City Mike]

Are these going to be a regular feature? If so, mind if I link to them in my mini-game recaps?

I've got loads of banana peels as payment.

I demand banana-nut muffins.

They will be a regular feature as long as I have Internet access, which isn't always the case when I travel.

[Admin]

I demand banana-nut muffins.

Fine. Banana peel-nut muffins.

[Mad City Mike]

On the defense grade, I would give them a C at best - mainly because there were way to many times again last night that there were people between our D and our Goalie. The potential winning goal by Blake was an absolute joke, with that little rat standing untouched while he scrambled to control the deflected pass and ram it home. He should have been on his Opie Taylor-looking, baggy-eyed, donkey-eared face.

Well, in my defense, that was a PP goal, so it was included in the PK grade . It was a pathetic play by Gonchar and eEaton, and led to my comment asking why he was on the PK.

[Mad City Mike]

I demand banana-nut muffins.

Fine. Banana peel-nut muffins.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...peel-nuts.

[spi]

I gotta grade 1 more catagory.

Sid the Kid: A+ : He was possessed last night and playing with passion. I am amazed that he did not score a goal. One of these games he is going to bury every chance he gets and live up to the Darryl Sittler nickname. He definitely plays better when he is pissed and provoked

I was surprised to see him and Malkin together so much. Cant say I dont like it either. It would be nice to see the pens be able to have 2 really effective lines which may come when they get into more of a rythem but for now, when they are struggling to score you gotta go with your strengths.

I liken it to Therien owning a ferrari and wanting to see what its got under the hood.

[Bj Depaoli]

Sidney had a great game. His effort in third period seemed to jump start the team even before Malkin's goal tied it a 3-3

[Maestro]

Someone did a little dive on that penalty to Letang too - may have been Blake

[kirk]

OFFENSE: D. I could just about just cut and paste from every other game here. The forecheck was slightly better, and they even got a few good cycles going. But the bottom line was the same—only one even-strength goal scored, though it was a beauty. Talk about making a goalie look like a pretzel.

DEFENSE: A-. Very good effort last night. They limited the prime scoring chances better than in any game except maybe Detroit. Fleury did not have to be outstanding, as he has on most occasions this season. The one even strength goal by Yashin was a comical play by the supposed good defensive forward Ekman. He starts in his own left wing corner after losing the puck, goes all the way across the ice to his right side to catch Yashin near the Pens’ blue line, then inexplicably lets him go and floats back toward his left side. I have no clue what he was thinking. But aside from that, great effort defensively.

GOALTENDING: B-. As I said, Fleury didn’t have to be spectacular, and he wasn’t. He wasn’t really at fault on any of the goals, though I would have liked at least one big save in there. I was pleased with how he rebounded to shut the Isles out after that barrage. For the first time this year, they won a game when Fleury wasn’t ultra sharp. That’s a good sign.

POWER PLAY: A. Except for one chance they frittered away right before the Islander barrage, it was spectacular again. They even got a goal from a winger. Good movement and enough shots to be effective. Once again, the power play specialist Ouellet comes through to get them on the board. The guy just has a nose for the net on the PP.

PENALTY KILL: C. They were excellent all night, except during the nightmare sequence where things went totally awry. For the most part, they bottled the Isles up, and kept them outside. They missed on a few clearing attempts that they should have gotten down the ice. I have no idea why Therrien thinks Gonchar is a good penalty killer, though. They really need Orpik back, and Welch (if he returns to form) would be a huge upgrade also.

EFFORT: A. I again had no problem at all with the work level. This team works hard, and I don’t know how long it has been since I could say that about a Penguin team. Probably back to the Constantine days. To come back in the third on the second of a back to back set is very impressive. Therrien certainly has instilled a solid work ethic in these boys.

OVERALL: B+. That’s the grade I come up with for 60 minutes of very solid play combined with three minutes of brain-dead, horrific, Edzo style play. But they managed to sneak out with a win despite those three bad minutes. I like the attitude of this team. They could have folded up their tents after that barrage, but they didn’t. Guys like Sid and Malkin will not let that happen.

Now some others…

OFFICIATING: C. They called a much better game than the clowns the night before, and were much tighter on the obstruction. Gonchar took one penalty that was a hook but was also a blatant dive by the Islander. Whatever happened to the diving enforcement? Speaking of which…

WHINING: F. Runner-up for whiner of the night was Gonchar for arguing his call. Yo, Sarge, you put the stick on the guy’s waist and hip, and you will get called. Haven’t you figured that out yet? But far and away, the whiner of the night was Ted Nolan for this gem:

I think for a world class player, for a guy of his caliber, he's diving every time someone touches him. No question in my mind, he should have been called for a slash before Yashin had a chance to hook him. I'm not saying Yashin's wasn't a penalty, I'm just saying there should have been a penalty before. If Yashin maybe acted like Crosby and dove, maybe he would have gotten that call.

Yo, Ted, the diving thing was put to rest long ago. Where ya been? Oh, that's right, coaching out in juniors where you belong. I guess the news never made it there. Yes, Sid should have had a slash, but if Yashin is to friggin’ stupid to at least show he got hurt, then that is his fault, not Sid’s. Look, if they called even half the crap that is done to Crosby, the Pens would be on the PP all night long. Funny how you made no comment about the blatant dive your own guy took. I guess it’s okay when your team does it, eh? For his petulant little outburst, Ted Nolan was welcomed into Jerez’ exclusive “Shut Up, Jack-Wipeâ€￾ club, whose only other members are Hitchcock, Quinn, and Burns. Congratulations, Ted, you got there far faster than any of the others.

It looked like the Pens generated a lot more in the third when Therrien decided to pretty much have Crosby and Malkin together and then to configure the other lines: I liked LeClair-Moore-Ouellet. They got a good forecheck going. It almost seemed like the dinosaur remmebered he once was a pretty good hockey player. Then, it looked like a lot of mixes. I saw Staal and Recchi together sometimes with I think Ruutu and then Malone and Recchi sometimes with Ekman.

It almost seemed as if Therrien said "I'm going with one stars line and three balanced lines with a dinosaur, a good defensive player, and a guy who can chip in a goal here and there". It was the most consistent period of offensive hockey for the Pens to date.

[psubar12]

Where's Colby Armstrong????? Is he playing more than 10 minutes a night? Without Colby scoring, the Pens don't have much of a chance at creating 5-5 offense. Last year, Crosby would draw all the attention, dish it to Colby who was always in the right spot and he would score. This year, Colby is never in the right spot and I don't even remember him taking a shot last night. This is why the Pens' offense gets a D every game from you MCM.

[ZelieMike]

I really think some of it is related to Therrien's system. But, then again, they don't pay me the big banana peels for deep insight like MCM...

ZM

[Maestro]

I don't even remember him taking a shot last night.

He had a shot late - point blank and missed it high and wide - but at least it was a scoring chance - he needs to start skating towards the net to develop opportunities - but is playing conservative to prevent odd man advantages

[Admin]

...they don't pay me the big banana peels...

They're a bit moldy but that's between you and me.

[pfim]

I don't even remember him taking a shot last night.

He had a shot late - point blank and missed it high and wide - but at least it was a scoring chance - he needs to start skating towards the net to develop opportunities - but is playing conservative to prevent odd man advantages

He had three, and the one he "missed high and wide" was actually a save by Dunham.