Post-Game Talk: Game #III Pens vs Flames Win: 2-0 when BlindWillyMcHurt is left outside

[Zbynek]

People really don't like Graves eh?
He set up Jake's goal and was a +3 tonight btw.

This guy has done nothing but do his job and do it well in the first 3 games. PK1 mins every game against top lines. Anchors Letang just fine, so far at least. Getting the feeling people will hate on him regardless of how well he does.

I am making the Smith-Geno-Rakell line my personality as a Pens fan.

Ned > Jars.

 

[farscape1]

Imagine we kept Hextall.

Image we kept Dan Bylsma

 

[Zbynek]

What's the deal with always needing to find a negative? Allergic to happiness?

Well you see brother, Graves and his 6'5 frame is looking shaky on his skates. He's simply not the answer as Tanger's partner. Forget his performance on PK1 - eye test never lies!

 

[farscape1]

Went to the game tonight and had blast and took my two sons for their first Pens game. Love the new scoreboard. Thing is huge. Whom ever was sitting behind me in 210 Row I thank you for the running commentary during the game. Hearing him say Ned the whole time was funny as hell and his ripping of Carter.
First time seeing EK in person and wow dude is amazing. The passes tonight was something ive rarely ever seen the Penguins make. Was thinking Disco Dan Bylsma would of loved him lol. Maybe its me or just missed hockey but the Pens feel different now with EK.
Side note why does the fans chant Fire Canada? I understand people want him fired but this is a different sport and thats on the Steelers head coach for keeping him around if he is that bad.

 

[Zbynek]

Jake also has the NHL lead in points but no one likes him here lol.

Side note why does the fans chant Fire Canada? I understand people want him fired but this is a different sport and thats on the Steelers head coach for keeping him around if he is that bad.

Sad reality of yinzer sports fans

 

[CascadiaPenguin]

Image we kept Dan Bylsma

Disco had another 5 or 6 SCs in him in Pittsburgh had he not been shown the door. Travesty.

 

[Zirakzigil]

Jake also has the NHL lead in points but no one likes him here lol.

Ugh fine.... He can tie with Geno, but Geno still gets the Hart.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

I remember that quote, and I flatly don't believe him.

At the very least, Bryan Rust has said that he likes playing left wing. He may have even said he prefers it. And this was years ago. If there were any truth to that soundbite from this year's camp, we'd have seen a lot more LW Rust.

Rakell prefers the right side with lefty centers. Guentzel prefers the left side.

Rust hasn't played the left side since his first couple of seasons, and even then it was only sporadic because the consensus was he sucked on his off wing.

Smith and Rakell are the only ones with proven success on either wing. And the only reason you'd have them on their off side is to play Smith with Guentzel and Sid and to play Rakell with Malkin and Rust.

I honestly don't see that happening any time soon.

 

[Josey Wales]

We'll see. Obviously you cannot lean entirely on your top six alone to score all your goals. If they do make the playoffs it will be especially perilous when the games get tighter and you need guys to step up. But that's a long way off if at all. And until they prove otherwise I have faith that management will find a way to add to the team as the year goes along to address those issues. This isn't Ron Hextall in a coma sitting there with his mouth agape collecting passing flies, anymore. Dubas seems pretty aggressive.

Besides I'm not under any illusions that this team is some kind of contender, really. I'm just here for bonus time fun at this point. And so far it's been more fun than not. So hopefully more of that.



Yeah I just realized that I'm banished again next game.

Hey... thems the breaks for being the sacrificial lamb, I suppose.

Think I'll do smashburgers and bourbon next game. The bourbon will at least keep me warm.

Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum

 

[OtherThingsILike]

Very happy we won a game against a rested opponent while on the second half of a back-to-back. We didn't do that at all last season. I have no idea if it will end up leading to anything, but this team is definitely different than last season's.

i don’t think Sullivan has the luxury of waiting out this bottom six…it’s not good enough and once one or two guys get injured in the top six, the season is basically over…start trying some new players and rotate them in…Graves is playing too big a role for his skill set…sorry to say but he can’t up with a top pairing role

There is plenty of time to give the bottom six a chance to jell. We play six games within the next twenty days.

Imagine if we kept DeSmith...

DeSmith just had 37 saves on 40 shots last night. The reason that it made sense to trade him was never that he's a bad goalie.

I’m curious, not a big issue yet, why Shea hasn’t been waived so either White, Z or Poulin can be recalled.

I imagine they're thinking he'd get claimed.

 

[Zbynek]

Letang will be fine but him and Graves are definitely going to have their bad games this season, come with the play style and territory. I like the effort from Graves but he definitely isn't a great top 4 D partner for him. Someone a little more steady at home is more his style.

Man, he has sucked pretty bad so far.

Turnover after turnover. Not a minus because he got a few good saves to mask his mistakes.

He did not set up Jake's goal, that was a nasty pass from Letang.

Are you able to name a single goal against so far that was his fault? 66:30 TOI so far with top PK mins.

 

[Victor Z]

This guy has done nothing but do his job and do it well in the first 3 games. PK1 mins every game against top lines. Anchors Letang just fine, so far at least. Getting the feeling people will hate on him regardless of how well he does.

Graves was fine last night and has been the whole way, though he's occasionally prone to brain farts. Pairing him with Letang may not be ideal in that respect.

Speaking of Letang, he was averaging about 1 brain fart per shift yesterday, and POJ was clueless as usual. Karlsson was his usual self at both ends and Petts (born again hard) was throwing his weight -- such as it is -- around out there in a good way.

Anyone ragging on Graves can't be serious about singling HIM out for criticism, if they watched the game at all.

 

[BigEezyE22]

Jake also has the NHL lead in points but no one likes him here lol.


Sad reality of yinzer sports fans

Jake waited 3 games to get his first goal. Geno-lite.

 

[xlm34]

I don’t even mean this as a slight to Letang, but Karlsson makes him look like a bum offensively. He’s just so freakin good.

 

[vodeni]

Because through 3 games Letang has played much better.

EK hasn't broken through yet. He still might. But Letang seems motivated and is leading the D right now.

This won't be a popular opinion I'm sure.

its just a wrong opinion, nothing to do with popularity

 

[Icarium]

6 points in little over 24 hours for Grandpa Geno is pretty incredible, especially considering none of them were garbage points and there could have been more with a bit of luck. The power play looked amazing but somehow didn't score, EK65's good play is gonna show up on the scoreboard big time pretty soon.

Would be nice to get something out of the bottom 6 but when the top 6 is opportunistic and the goaltending solid it's not a must. And the team is making adjustments two games in a row! Have pigs started flying yet?

 

[vodeni]

nger

Imagine if we kept DeSmith...

he was very good last night in Edmonton, won them the game

 

[Josey Wales]

nger

he was very good last night in Edmonton, won them the game

DeSmith is the Little Girl with the Curl "When he is good, he is very very good, When he is bad he is very very Bad"

 

[Ryder71]

He read my posts here over the summer.

Well...that's right. I don't think there's any question about it.



You couldn't ask for a better start really, and we need Jake, RR,RS and Rusty to help carry the play and have career years in order to take a little burden off our aging centers. Although for the moment they're looking fantastic.

Bottom six still sucks production wise. That's gotta change big time!

Imagine we never drafted Crosby…

Imagine we never tanked for Mario.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Image we kept Dan Bylsma

Imagine if we kept Jeff Car...

Ah shit... nevermind.

 

[McGroarty2]

Imagine if we could clone Ian Moran. Sully would play him 25 mins a night.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Imagine if we could clone Ian Moran. Sully would play him 25 mins a night.

You might think it's impossible to ice the puck three thousand times a game but Ian Moran is here to tell you he accepts that challenge.

 

[LOGiK]

Penguins look good early in the season where things are going right for the top 6. Enjoy the benefit of not having a post-season and resting those old bones...
Let us wait and see how everything holds up with age and production falling off a scosch further down the line.

 

[Andy99]

Penguins look good early in the season where things are going right for the top 6. Enjoy the benefit of not having a post-season and resting those old bones...
Let us wait and see how everything holds up with age and production falling off a scosch further down the line.

Why we need functioning bottom
Six lines…wait til the injuries hit the top
Six lol

 

[AjaxTelamon]

Smith was such a big upgrade over Zucker. Two way player with a better wrister, and Geno is just so good at putting guys in a position to shoot. I don't love Rakell with Geno over Sid, but the way things stand those two wingers are going to provide solid two way play and can both rip it from the slot. Finally a couple of wingers that allow Geno to play to his strengths.