Post-Game Talk: Game IV Pens vs Wings: The Karlsson show

[Turin]

People aren’t going to like it but Sullivan is essentially right about the Pens having a bad 6-7 minutes.

 

[Gurglesons]

So over multiple consecutive years, with different GMs....the bottom 6 and 3rd pairing has continued to be problematic. It couldn't possibly be the one constant in the puzzle, the head coach and his system, that's the problem.

It’s wild how the same thing has been an issue for literally six years and we still blame the roster.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Blueger sucked, but comparing him to DOC is grounds for a defamation lawsuit.

 

[Ryder71]

We'll have that answer very soon. Not sure how much longer Harkins lasts.

I applaud KD for trying to incrementally better the team. But it's rather apparent we needed an upgrade in QUALITY over quantity. I've been harping on it for quite a while so I can't say I'm all that surprised as to how things are turning out. We're just too top heavy. And we're not gonna win that way.

 

[Coastal Kev]

We just don't have very good players below the bottom six, it's that simple. And no one on the farm is exactly a world beater either. We're gonna have to go outside the ORG for an upgrade with minimal assets and cap space. Good luck Kyle.

Maybe, just maybe they shouldn't have maxxed out on contracts to Rust and Rakell? The Carter contract was an FU, ok.... but some of the people who wanted that contract and are still employed by the Pens which is a joke.

 

[SomeDude]

Blueger sucked, but comparing him to DOC is grounds for a defamation lawsuit.

As the great Sidney Crosby once said in a story made up by Rob Rossi, “that’s not how we do things in Pittsburgh.”

 

[Empoleon8771]

I find it kinda funny that people act like Zohorna would like magically solve their bottom-6 production issues when he has 11 points in 35 NHL games.

I think this team needs 2 3rd line wingers to play with Eller and have the Harkins, O’Connor, Nieto, Hinostroza and such group battling for the 4th line winger spots. None of those guys cut it as 3rd line caliber. I’d be dangling POJ to hopefully get one 3rd liner via trade personally.

 

[Ryder71]

People aren’t going to like it but Sullivan is essentially right about the Pens having a bad 6-7 minutes.

Well, a bad six mins can kill your chances so...

Maybe, just maybe they shouldn't have maxxed out on contracts to Rust and Rakell? The Carter contract was an FU, ok.... but some of the people who wanted that contract and are still employed by the Pens which is a joke.

Don't disagree in the least. And I said before they signed Rust to this deal that we should have traded him at that deadline. Despite the fact he's played well thus far this season.

 

[Ugene Magic]

I mean, at this rate (if they don't already) they are gonna have 100's of clips of film on how not to build a bottom six/bottom pair.

 

[Andy99]

So over multiple consecutive years, with different GMs....the bottom 6 and 3rd pairing has continued to be problematic. It couldn't possibly be the one constant in the puzzle, the head coach and his system, that's the problem.

Speak of the devil…here he is spewing his bs…

 

[vodeni]

hilarious, Sully can't say a nice thing about EK without saying that Letang does the same...Unbelievable.

 

[Turin]

To be honest, I have a hard time remembering POJ ever playing particularly well.

I would trade him pretty easily if there was some value to be had back for the bottom six

 

[dalewood12]

They fought back from a 4-1 deficit so that's something. They also dug that hole in the second period.

Idk it sucked they lost, but for some reason it feels better than loses did last year.

This is how I feel. The Pens of 2022 (or 2012) would have rolled over in the third period and have lost 8-1.

 

[Turin]

Speak of the devil…here he is spewing his bs…

He’s not wrong.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

I find it kinda funny that people act like Zohorna would like magically solve their bottom-6 production issues when he has 11 points in 35 NHL games.

I think this team needs 2 3rd line wingers to play with Eller and have the Harkins, O’Connor, Nieto, Hinostroza and such group battling for the 4th line winger spots. None of those guys cut it as 3rd line caliber. I’d be dangling POJ to hopefully get one 3rd liner via trade personally.

11 points in 312 minutes is very good for a bottom-sixer? Don't understand your hate for the guy, but it's unfounded.
Game counts don't mean squat when the coach plays you 8:30.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

They can and should be shopping all of Ty Smith, DOC and POJ to see what they can get tbh. POJ's the best of the three, imo, but I still don't think he's anything special. Has way too many ups and downs, and they're way too dramatic. One game he'll look phenomenal, the next game he's complete garbage.

It wouldn't be such an issue if Graves-Letang wasn't struggling so bad, and the team could reliably play the top-4 defensemen for like 50 minutes a night.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

He’s not wrong.

He is wrong. The team had 12 shots through 2 periods. It's not 6 or 7 minutes. It's sleepwalking.

 

[tom_servo]

Z doesn't have physicality or much speed but he helps where it counts most: possession, scoring chance generation, and sound defense. There's no way he's not better than a few of these guys.
Hinostroza can bring speed, and he generally scores at a pretty decent rate in this league. Worth a shot.
Nylander played well here last year and has hands.
Puustinen looks capable enough to contribute more than our crap.
Poulin looked really good in pre-season.
Pitlick scores at the best clip of all our bottom-sixer caliber players.

We have options. Dubas said he's not gonna hesitate to sacrifice guys to waivers if they're not playing well. Now we'll see how much he meant it.

I'm a Z believer and also think Hino could be a poor man's Hagelin. Yeah, now is the time to start churning these guys

 

[Empoleon8771]

11 points in 312 minutes is very good for a bottom-sixer? Don't understand your hate for the guy, but it's unfounded.
Game counts don't mean squat when the coach plays you 8:30.

11 points in 35 games is a pace of 26 points per season. That's not moving the needle with the bottom-6 whatsoever.

 

[PensPlz]

Jeff Petry had more points in this game (2) than the Penguin's entire bottom 6 has had all season (1).

 

[Hockey4Lyfe]

As long as the money and waives work, they should be shuffling the living f*** out of the bottom 6 and 3rd D until something clicks.

You simply can’t waste months on the same guys hoping they turn it around. This is probably it (if it didn’t already happen). Go for broke.

 

[Mrs Crosby's Dryer]

Guaranteed that idiot Sullivan will do whatever he can to make sure all of the blame for the third pairing goes on POJ and not his precious Ruhwedel. Also, why is Carter even out there that late in the game let alone at all? He needs to be healthy scratched or preferably buried in WBS.

Watching this team is like Groundhog Day with that idiot behind the bench. New season, same excuses. I understand we’re only a few games in, but even with all of the roster turnover we look as listless and flat as we have the past 5 seasons.

 

[tom_servo]

Jeff Petry had more points in this game (2) than the Penguin's entire bottom 6 has had all season (1).

Sorry Jeff, nothing personal. Erik Karlsson was on the table. And he had three points tonight.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

hilarious, Sully can't say a nice thing about EK without saying that Letang does the same...Unbelievable.

There are legitimate things to criticize Sullivan about. But I don't get this one.

For all his faults, he's never lost the respect of the locker room, and that's because of how he manages what he says about players in public. It's managing personalities and people, which is a lot more than just heaping praise on someone.

 

[canadianguy77]

A n normal coach would just start swapping guys out, sending guys down, calling guys up until he got at least a single line combo in the bottom 6 to score more than a goal every 5 games.