Game 9 vs Ducks - Thoughts from the morning after

[maopens]

For all the off-season talk about roster turnover and rebuilding the Bottom 6 forwards ...

It would appear that Dubas/Sullivan has assembled the world's largest collection of 5-10, 185 pound muckers who have never scored more than maybe 15 points per season.

Harkins
Nieto
Acciari
Hinostroza
Johnsson

All brought in to compete on the 4th line. What did any of these guys show in the past during their NHL time to lead our management to think they would be anything formidable? Granted, some of them have more speed that last year's gaggle of 4th line ducks but they are just a faster version of the same, aren't they?

Other than Acciari, has any one of those players ever laid a solid body check on anyone? Are any of those guys 12-15 goal scorers? Are any of those guys imposing in any way? It's like we decided on a player type and then bought up every one of those on the market.

So what do we hope to see if Hinostroza is sent down and Johnsson is brought up? What changes if Nieto sits and Harkins comes back? It's the same player in a different jersey.

I'm really starting to question what the intent of this past off-season was? What did Dubas/Sullivan hope to achieve with this Bottom 6 grouping?

[FLPensFan]

Am I the only one that agreed with the no goal call because there player came into the crease to push our guy into Jarry which impeded him hypothetically making a save? It certainly wasn’t the worst call I have ever seen.

I thought it was clear interference. The forward can't park in the crease like that. It doesn't matter if he bumps into Jarry or not. The crease it the goalies domain. That's why the review took all of 20 seconds.

I also thought it was a good call. Carlsson went into the crease, and essentially pushed Karlsson into Jarry. Doesn't matter that the Ducks player didn't make the contact, he went into the crease on his own and pushed the contact into Jarry. I liked the call by the refs.

[largegarlic]

Since a good number of you are blaming Jarry for these losses, I seem to recall in the preseason everyone saying we’re going to have to win games by 6-5 or 7-6 now. Where’s the 7 or the 6? Evidently the offense is not holding up their end.

I’m not down with blaming the goaltender when the team is surrendering shorthanded breakaways, or outnumbered rushes of any kind. Somehow the expectation that those chances should be saved got normalized over time during the Fleury years. “Sometimes you need the goalie to make a save” in a situation like the GWG is a lazy assumption.

That said, it doesn’t absolve Jarry’s performance lately. He’s giving up bad goals on low danger shots.

For sure, it’s the lack of finishing that’s allowing the other problems to become big problems. How does one fix the ability to make one’s shots go in more often?

I agree with that point about Jarry. He's not playing well, but it also seems like half the time when the opponent breaks out of their defensive zone, it's an odd-man break, and half the time the opponent gets any sustained offensive zone time, there's some calamitous defensive breakdown by the Pens in front of Jarry.

[Puck-Lurker]

Since a good number of you are blaming Jarry for these losses, I seem to recall in the preseason everyone saying we’re going to have to win games by 6-5 or 7-6 now. Where’s the 7 or the 6? Evidently the offense is not holding up their end.

I’m not down with blaming the goaltender when the team is surrendering shorthanded breakaways, or outnumbered rushes of any kind. Somehow the expectation that those chances should be saved got normalized over time during the Fleury years. “Sometimes you need the goalie to make a save” in a situation like the GWG is a lazy assumption.

That said, it doesn’t absolve Jarry’s performance lately. He’s giving up bad goals on low danger shots.

For sure, it’s the lack of finishing that’s allowing the other problems to become big problems. How does one fix the ability to make one’s shots go in more often?

I agree with that point about Jarry. He's not playing well, but it also seems like half the time when the opponent breaks out of their defensive zone, it's an odd-man break, and half the time the opponent gets any sustained offensive zone time, there's some calamitous defensive breakdown by the Pens in front of Jarry.

That's all true. Has to do with Pens playing a system that worked in 2016 with much older players.

But Jarry rarely ever comes up with a timely save to bail his team out. That's his job. It's not his job to make impressive saves each time the D farts it up. It's his job to do that at least some times and he really comes up short. You'd think he was a mid range starter goalie on another team, but more is needed with the Pens and it exposed Jarry, who is a bit of a head case.

[Admin]

But Jarry rarely ever comes up with a timely save to bail his team out.

I can't find the advanced analytics stat on this but I don't recall being told to "remember that save" much this season...

[Pitts]

Am I the only one that agreed with the no goal call because there player came into the crease to push our guy into Jarry which impeded him hypothetically making a save? It certainly wasn’t the worst call I have ever seen.

If you watch the replay from above, Jarry actually pushes/leans into those two players as they come in, which opens up that side of the net, allowing the shooter a basically open net. Seriously, if Jarry stays on his post like he should, it's no goal. At least that's how I saw it.

[Pens4Life]

And yet Acciari, Carter, and Nieto are the only 3 active forwards on the roster who:

--are getting outshot at 5v5
--are on the wrong side of total shot attempts
--are getting outchanced
--don't have a single point

Outshot, outchanced, losing side of shot attempts, zero production. Sullivan realizes that the 4th line should be capturing momentum for HIS TEAM, right?

Call up Poulin, scratch Carter, get Acciari on wing where he is best suited and go with Nieto - Poulin - Acciari, there will be a big difference..

[Puck-Lurker]

And yet Acciari, Carter, and Nieto are the only 3 active forwards on the roster who:

--are getting outshot at 5v5
--are on the wrong side of total shot attempts
--are getting outchanced
--don't have a single point

Outshot, outchanced, losing side of shot attempts, zero production. Sullivan realizes that the 4th line should be capturing momentum for HIS TEAM, right?

Call up Poulin, scratch Carter, get Acciari on wing where he is best suited and go with Nieto - Poulin - Acciari, there will be a big difference..

Scratch Carter, call up anyone at all.

[Dynasty1970]

FIRE SULLY!

[penny lane]

FIRE SULLY!

Listen for it at the steeler game tonight! I joke