Post-Game Talk: Game #3 Pens vs Leafs

[Empoleon8771]

Make an argument... RUST and RAKELL............OVERPAID. Put Rust on the 3rd line and put JP with Sid and see what happens. But that would never happen with Sullivan. Those two crap top Wings can go weeks without scoring and Sullivan will wax poetically about both, nearly crying while offering his support.

WAKE UP

Puljujarvi has 21 points in his last 99 games. If that's the "most talented wing" this team has, this team is liquid dogshit.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Graves and St. Ivany have played well the last two games. Rutger should be sent down to the baby pens.

Which isn't a slight to Rutger at all, but if they're going to use him like this, there is nothing good that can come from his development. It feels like they kept him up just to say look we play youth and this is our new toy that we need to show as hope so fans don't lose their shit on us while doing Rutger zero favours other than some NHL experience of how it looks when a coach doesn't want to use you correctly or at all.

Game 1: 12:20
Game 2: 10:12
Game 3: 12:19

And really, his minutes look more this game because he was hemmed into their own end and couldn't get off on a shift, he still had 16 shifts like Game 2.

 

[Pancakes]

I really don't see this month ending well for the Pens. They've got that Western Canada trip they always get killed on. They've got Montreal who for a bad team always gives them fits. They've got Carolina.

If the Pens came out of this month 500 or just above/below I'd probably be happy with that lol.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Graves and St. Ivany have played well the last two games. Rutger should be sent down to the baby pens.

I'd give McGroarty about 10 games and then decide to send him down if he doesn't improve much. He earned a shot based on his performance in the pre-season but shouldn't keep it if his play doesn't warrant it.

I'm pretty good with O'Connor-Eller-Puljujarvi as a 3rd line, so if McGroarty's play isn't warranting him staying up, send him down to WBS.

 

[Sideline]

Pretty much though I think the Pens could have gotten a point out of this one.

Fortunately for the Pens there's a lot more non elite teams than elite ones so if they can be competitive in those they have a chance I suppose.

Agreed. I expect then to be sellers after Christmas, but if it all works out they might sneak into the playoffs as an 8 seed.

 

[Rudy Russo]

Thought Geno looked strong.
Cody Glass is good.
DOC is good.
Graves is better than last year.

Aside from that, big shrug. We aren't as good as teams like this.

I like Glass on the PK unit. It will be interesting when Lizotte in healthy again who will sit?

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Puljujarvi isn't the most talented sure, but his game wasn't warranting a healthy scratch at all.

For a coach that usually refuses to change things when they should, immediately threw in Rust and screwed up the flow of the top line and the 3rd line.

 

[Coastal Kev]

Puljujarvi has 21 points in his last 99 games. If that's the "most talented wing" this team has, this team is liquid dogshit.

Great context. He was coming back from a possible major injury, and when he has played, he's played with borderline NHL talent. Rust is a plug that is bff with Sid and the Coach. I laughed at his contract and I will continue to do so until the rest of the board joins me in 2025.

 

[Pancakes]

Which isn't a slight to Rutger at all, but if they're going to use him like this, there is nothing good that can come from his development. It feels like they kept him up just to say look we play youth and this is our new toy that we need to show as hope so fans don't lose their shit on us while doing Rutger zero favours other than some NHL experience of how it looks when a coach doesn't want to use you correctly or at all.

Game 1: 12:20
Game 2: 10:12
Game 3: 12:19

And really, his minutes look more this game because he was hemmed into their own end and couldn't get off on a shift, he still had 16 shifts like Game 2.

Honestly Rutger to me looks like someone who should be in the AHL. He looks half a step slow out there a lot of the time.

He's keeping up with the play mentally and he's good positionally and makes good reads but nothing he's doing right now screams "keep this guy up" to me.

I think he'd be better served getting 18 minutes a night in the AHL and getting to get some offensive confidence.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Hilarious to see a team like Utah scoring 6 goals per game so far this season, they're fun to watch, then there's the Penguins where everything looks like a struggle for literally no reason.

 

[Rudy Russo]

I'd give McGroarty about 10 games and then decide to send him down if he doesn't improve much. He earned a shot based on his performance in the pre-season but shouldn't keep it if his play doesn't warrant it.

I'm pretty good with O'Connor-Eller-Puljujarvi as a 3rd line, so if McGroarty's play isn't warranting him staying up, send him down to WBS.

Taylor Hasse before the game started tonight post this on DK site. FWIW based on the line combinations this morning, it looked like Jesse Puljujarvi would be in and Rutger McGroarty would be out. Puljujarvi also didn't stay out late with the healthy scratches, and he worked with the second power play, which they never do consistently if a guy isn't playing that night. Might mean he's not actually a healthy scratch. Will ask after.

 

[ChaosAgent]

Rust is a plug that is bff with Sid and the Coach. I laughed at his contract and I will continue to do so until the rest of the board joins me in 2025.

Rust is one of the best players on the team. All of his production backs this up.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Honestly Rutger to me looks like someone who should be in the AHL. He looks half a step slow out there a lot of the time.

He's keeping up with the play mentally and he's good positionally and makes good reads but nothing he's doing right now screams "keep this guy up" to me.

I think he'd be better served getting 18 minutes a night in the AHL and getting to get some offensive confidence.

Well he isn't fast to begin with but his positioning has been good through 3 games, its the usage of him on that line that just isn't working imo. I think he looked better with Puljujarvi as his RW and had some good momentum on some shifts as a trio. But you also need minutes to actually gain traction not sit for stretches and then get a shift and expect to do anything when the team is already playing like their mediocre mid season selves.

 

[Pancakes]

I'm willing to give Rust a pass for tonight because it was his first game back and he looked noticeably...well....rusty.

But no excuses next game if he's out there having pucks bounce off his stick like grenades. He got his game in. Should be ready to go now.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Rust is one of the best players on the team. All of his production backs this up.

Production, sure, but Rust also gets some insane usage to do it and at times to the detriment of this team like his mainstay on the top PP unit for example. Also, he's better suited to be with Malkin which his play also shows is better vs Rakell on Sid's wing which elevates Sid's line.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Great context. He was coming back from a possible major injury, and when he has played, he's played with borderline NHL talent. Rust is a plug that is bff with Sid and the Coach. I laughed at his contract and I will continue to do so until the rest of the board joins me in 2025.

Before that, he was playing with Connor McDavid and barely cracked a 40 point pace.

I like Puljujarvi but saying he's the "most talented wing" on this team is just insanely dumb. His best season ever is 36 points in 65 games where he was playing with McDavid and got notable PP production. If that is the "most talented wing" on your team, your team sucks dong.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Puljujarvi has 21 points in his last 99 games. If that's the "most talented wing" this team has, this team is liquid dogshit.

I have been told here by some blokes that the draft pedigree is you know, stuff.

But also, taking that sarcastic comment that literal is a moment you should ask yourself - Should I really engage this hard with being offended?

 

[Pancakes]

Well he isn't fast to begin with but his positioning has been good through 3 games, its the usage of him on that line that just isn't working imo. I think he looked better with Puljujarvi as his RW and had some good momentum on some shifts as a trio. But you also need minutes to actually gain traction not sit for stretches and then get a shift and expect to do anything when the team is already playing like their mediocre mid season selves.

He certainly is getting the usage we all thought he would. I'm perplexed why Dubas wants him getting 11 minutes a night in the NHL rather than 18 in the AHL.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Btw, the preseason Jesse had and then the game against the Wings where he helped set up a goal and was a solid +1 in 12:12 minutes of usage, weird to take him out imo. The 3rd line looking good was finally nice to see, but we can't have nice things.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I have been told here by some blokes that the draft pedigree is you know, stuff.

But also, taking that sarcastic comment that literal is a moment you should ask yourself - Should I really engage this hard with being offended?

I mean, the other guy said "make an argument" so I made an argument

I don't even dislike Puljujarvi, I'd be very quick on the trigger to send McGroarty down and give Puljujarvi that spot if McGroarty doesn't improve. But to say that Puljujarvi is somehow better than Rust, when Rust's career average is 55 points per season and Puljujarvi literally doesn't even have a season of a 55 point pace, is just dumb. And based on the poster making that argument, you know it's 100% serious.

 

[Jacob]

Grzelcyk has looked kinda crappy defensively so far. But Toronto was forechecking pretty well, taking D-to-D away.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

He certainly is getting the usage we all thought he would. I'm perplexed why Dubas wants him getting 11 minutes a night in the NHL rather than 18 in the AHL.

Hype it generated for hope this team desperately needs but you know, Sully. There really was zero need to keep Rutger up at all given the amount of veterans this team has and the spots it really didn't have - which is exactly how this coach likes it mind you. I am glad to see him have a great camp, but if this is what the coaching staff envisions his usage, which we all expected as the worst case scenario really, then like most of us stated - he was always better off in WBS where he would get more minutes and polish up more of his rough areas with his game.

I mean even across 3 games with the usage by this staff, I still like what I have seen out of Rutger, but there's nothing good to gain from him playing this little in the NHL when he has work to do on his game.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Bunting's dodged valid criticism that should be lobbed his way through three games imo. Dude's been pretty dogshit.

It's weird that they refuse to use him as a net front guy on the PP when I feel like that's pretty much his only value as a player tbh.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Hilarious to see a team like Utah scoring 6 goals per game so far this season, they're fun to watch, then there's the Penguins where everything looks like a struggle for literally no reason.

If we keep this up, we might be the next Arizona in 5 years

 

[Honour Over Glory]

If we keep this up, we might be the next Arizona in 5 years

We can't have a coach that thinks outside the box and tries things.