Post-Game Talk: Pens decide to walk through a Hurricane holding on to knives and grenades

[CactusPens]

I'm trying to remember if Bjugstad has done anything memorable since coming back besides just be there...

Can you name something Bjugstad has done since he was traded here?

 

[BeatenLikeRentedMule]

Probably won't be until late 20 or 21 though, unless their collapse is of historic proportions.

The way they're playing and with most games against Metro opponents, who knows right? Could be an epic collapse.

 

[Andy99]

Is it really that difficult to prepare for our PP? You could run tape from 3 months ago and it would be current

I think the PP is a function of not having coaching, which Sully pretty much says, as he says he doesn't want to wring the creativity out of the players...so the players go do what they've been doing for 10+ years, as there are all vets on it...their tendencies are all well known. So give them some damn coaching and change things up....unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Sully or Recchi know what they hell they're doing in that aspect of the game

 

[BrookswasHere44]

As of 3/8 we're still 98% to make playoffs according to that McCurdy fella. I guess I'll go calm down somewhere. I literally couldn't care less about seedings. Just make the dance baby

 

[cvrle1]

Relax. If you're comparing Sullivan to Bylsma then you need to give your head a shake and forget about the Pens for a bit. Sheary and the goalies have nothing to do with this crap play. Sheary has actually been pretty good. 87 is bad right now and so is half the D. Add in the forwards losing in any interest in defense and this is what you get. For God's sake, its not like Kahun was some gamebreaker.

Coaching staff needs to know how to keep team motivated, how to get them going when things are tough and to make best lineup decisions. We have healthiest team whole season in last 10 games, and they are on a worst 10 game streak whole season. Team played better when players were injured then they are last 10 games, if not more. If players are put in position to fail, they will, if they need a kick in the ass to get going, coaching needs to give it to them. Yes, coaches cant go out there and play, but they are not doing their part of the job either. If they are saying to players do this and that, but players dont execute, that means they lost the room, and lost player interest and buy in. And if that is the case, coaching staff has to go. Pens coaches always had short life span, as they are hard team to coach. Having all the superstars throughout the years is blessing and a curse coaching wise (see Letang as an example) Hell, greatest coach in NHL history left team after 2 seasons of coaching them back in the 90's.

 

[Turin]

As of 3/8 we're still 98% to make playoffs according to that McCurdy fella. I guess I'll go calm down somewhere. I literally couldn't care less about seedings. Just make the dance baby

All I ask is that they’re entertaining and give a shit. Their Mike Johnston level of offense from everybody outside a few forwards is depressing beyond the Ws and Ls.

 

[Coastal Kev]

I think the PP is a function of not having coaching, which Sully pretty much says, as he says he doesn't want to wring the creativity out of the players...so the players go do what they've been doing for 10+ years, as there are all vets on it...their tendencies are all well known. So give them some damn coaching and change things up....unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Sully or Recchi know what they hell they're doing in that aspect of the game

I will swear on my life that the following is a true statement; When they raised their last Cup banner in 17, two things I observed made me nervous about our future.

First, Recchi looked absolutely lost behind the bench. He had a stare that screamed "what in the hell am I doing here".

But the other thing that really stood out was when Sully was introduced, the crowd went El LOCO.... Sully seemed caught off guard for instant, but then it was at that very moment I witnessed his soul change to a pure unadulterated smugness. It literally sent shivers down to me skivvy's. The crowd confirmed to his ego that HE was most responsible for those 2 cups......

and now we almost know the rest of the story...... G'Day

 

[K Fleur]

I will swear on my life that the following is a true statement; When they raised their last Cup banner in 17, two things I observed made me nervous about our future.

First, Recchi looked absolutely lost behind the bench. He had a stare that screamed "what in the hell am I doing here".

But the other thing that really stood out was when Sully was introduced, the crowd went El LOCO.... Sully seemed caught off guard for instant, but then it was at that very moment I witnessed his soul change to a pure unadulterated smugness. It literally sent shivers down to me skivvy's. The crowd confirmed to his ego that HE was most responsible for those 2 cups......

and now we almost know the rest of the story...... G'Day

Is this from the new Nichols Sparks novel?

 

[Clare2904]

You may have to carry a card or jersey with you because they will be joining you soon.
Maybe snatch an autograph.

Or smack them upside the head with a 9 iron

 

[Deport Ogie]

Twitter? Please mute Jarry, Murray, Fleury, Fluery, Flower, Flurry, Maury, Jury, Furry....

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Twitter? Please mute Jarry, Murray, Fleury, Fluery, Flower, Flurry, Maury, Jury, Furry....

No furries, only scalies.

 

[Coastal Kev]

No furries, only scalies.

I traveled back to the burg for the 4th last summer; And to my disgust, I kept running into Furries at the hotel and in around town. Turns out they had a furry convention downtown the same weekend. Not good....

 

[SEALBound]

I think my problem with this current team...is the idea that old habits die hard. There's also a very odd phenomenon that happens when we get health and when we load up.

When we were down Sid or Geno, this team was as committed to a defensive structure as I've ever seen. This 100% looked like a team that say the clear downfalls of last year against the Isles and set out to fix it. By all accounts, they did.

But then Sid come back...and slowly but surely, skating stopped (Seriously...SERIOUSLY...go watch a replay and watch how much gliding is done by this team. I find myself yelling SKATE! way more now than I ever did this year), arrogant passing became rampant, and the commitment to the system absolutely dissolved.

Then you add a couple guys that should, in theory, bolster the line up, and they've all been useless. Sheary has at least skated hard and I'm happy with Zucker. But Marleau, despite this goal, is useless. ERod is irrelevant.

It's like the team says "Okay, we'll play the right way until Sid/Geno comes back, THEN we can go back to the old ways". And it's a constant trap that leads to constant failure.

If you take the talent the team current has and put that commitment into the structure back and they start skating...this is a cup caliber team. No skating, no system...they are nothing. The most flabbergausting and confusing thing about it all is...for as much as we hear about Sid and his unquestioned commitment to work ethic...he seems to be the ring leader for this laissez-faire attitude and culture. Again, I just don't get it. I don't know what the solution is.

 

[Icarium]

The mental gymnastics people come up with in order to put all the blame on Sully/JR and zero on the players are hilarious, I gotta say. This same team, with even more injuries actually, was almost unstoppable mere months ago. Sully's "smugness" was turned off in December, is that it? For my money, JR and Sully have made many mistakes but if a roster full of seasoned veterans folds like a cheap suit again and again, that's mostly on the players. Notice that during our losing streak we have played reasonably well until we fall behind, after which we are literally worse than the Red Wings. I don't know if the players have quit on Sully or feel too certain that we are making the playoffs anyway but a coach can only do so much to heal mental fragility. A new coach might help for a while but for how long? The Leafs, for example, had a great winning streak early on under their new coach but are now back to regularly falling apart in the face of adversity. We have had great success with mid-season coaching changes but who knows if this trick will work again.

 

[Richard]

Schultz and Letang are both horrible. Not winning many games or a playoff series with your two puck moving d moving the puck to the other team 9 or 10 times a game.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Schultz has been taking a swan dive for 3 years. He's the blueliner version of Brassard.

JJ is what he always was; garbage. Marino carried him for a couple months and we were all fooled before the mask fell off again.

Petts looks like he should be in the AHL.

Trotman and Ruhwedel are what they are; guys you never want to have significant minutes/games played at this level.

Letang's time with JJ has apparently given him PTSD. Even Dumo's return hasn't sorted Tanger out yet.

What a mess the blueline is right now. Several guys are expected to be turds, but guys like Letang can't be less than their best if this team wants to keep pace and make the playoffs. Though, again, don't think it matters much beyond the old "Hey look, the streak continues" because we'll just get run over in the 1st round again anyway by the looks of things.

To clarify; it's not solely on the blueline. They suck, yes, agreed, but the forwards should be able to see that and work to help them out. They were doing it earlier in the year, and just kind of stopped a month or so ago. Now we're up shit's creek without a paddle here unless the forwards suddenly decide to do their jobs, and Sully dresses our 4th best blueliner in Riikola.

 

[BeatenLikeRentedMule]

What was the rationale for the JJ signing? That, alone, negates all of JRS great trades, most of which were made before the 2017 Cup win.

And the term along with the cap hit along with Johnson being shit at everything. Wow.

 

[SouthGeorge]

I've asked once before but never got a reply. It's been going on for like last 10 games but either 1) Letang got demoted 2) They are trying to balance out lines with defensemen 3) Crosby got fed up with Letang and asked for more responsible d pairs, Petts/Schultz but they have honestly been a shitshow. Schultz has been far worse with the pinches last 10 games compared to Letang.

Petts/Schultz are getting a lot of shifts with top line. We've always speculated how Letang would take bottom line minutes and apparently not good. His stats without Crosby are pretty bad. He has 0 goals 2 assist and -10 last 10 games. He wouldn't answer questions from media yesterday. I honestly always thought if he was good offensive d-men as some of you on here think. Getting him shifts against opposing teams 3rd and 4th lines. He would be able to get more offensive and do some things. But not the case. He's looking like a product of Sid.

 

[SEALBound]

What was the rationale for the JJ signing? That, alone, negates all of JRS great trades, most of which were made before the 2017 Cup win.

And the term along with the cap hit along with Johnson being shit at everything. Wow.

JFC, stop there. Now is not the time to bitch about a signing from two years ago.

He's not great, we get it. He's far from the only issue with this team right now.

 

[Gurglesons]

I've asked once before but never got a reply. It's been going on for like last 10 games but either 1) Letang got demoted 2) They are trying to balance out lines with defensemen 3) Crosby got fed up with Letang and asked for more responsible d pairs, Petts/Schultz but they have honestly been a shitshow. Schultz has been far worse with the pinches last 10 games compared to Letang.

Petts/Schultz are getting a lot of shifts with top line. We've always speculated how Letang would take bottom line minutes and apparently not good. His stats without Crosby are pretty bad. He has 0 goals 2 assist and -10 last 10 games. He wouldn't answer questions from media yesterday. I honestly always thought if he was good offensive d-men as some of you on here think. Getting him shifts against opposing teams 3rd and 4th lines. He would be able to get more offensive and do some things. But not the case. He's looking like a product of Sid.

Letang has been with Malkin. Petts - Schultz isn’t a pairing anymore.

 

[SouthGeorge]

Letang has been with Malkin. Petts - Schultz isn’t a pairing anymore.

Whatever the lines are that day, I've noticed like last 10 games or so. Letang hasn't been always with Line 1. Malkin has been one of the most productive during this horrible stretch so that doesn't add up. Malkin has 5 goals and 8 assist. How does Letang have 0 goals and 2 assist in that span?

 

[BrookswasHere44]

All I ask is that they’re entertaining and give a shit. Their Mike Johnston level of offense from everybody outside a few forwards is depressing beyond the Ws and Ls.

Agreed. You can go down but f***ing go down swinging. Even if you've given up on Sully fight for yourselves and the fans. Worry about that other stuff in the off-season

 

[Dick Sledge]

Someone clearly has it in for you then. Be careful.

MOMMA WHY?!?!?

I went for the potential of a free Big Mac. I was not disappointed.

 

[DesertPenguin]

The post game interview is not as serious or insightful as people, DK mainly--that dorkass, seems to think.

All we're missing by not getting them yesterday is some robotic answers, taken from a board of cliches, spoken through a thinly veiled tone of frustration.

"How does it feel to suck for a month and a half, Kris?"
"We, uh, we know things are bad. We have to play better as a team. We need to focus on the basics, keep our feet moving. Get better in our own zone, help our goalies out. They've been great for us, but we're leaving them out to dry. Gotta keep things simple on the PP, just find the back of the net. Can't keep wasting the man-advantage like we have been."

You're all welcome.

You forgot about getting pucks deep. Gotta get more pucks deep.

 

[Andy99]

I really hope this vomit we're seeing on the ice lately is not some response to the coaching staff demoting Letang off the PP1 and away from Sid's line...