Post-Game Talk: Pens/Isles Game 1: Home Ice + Good Matchup all for nothing

[Big Friggin Dummy]

im sure Rust and Jake are banged up too...Jake gets clobbered every game

Everybody's banged up.

You're right about Jake though. Every time the dude takes a check it's like he got hit by a dump truck.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Meh. The margins are so paper thin in hockey. Blueger's wraparound could have easily went under Sorokin. Sid's deflection on the PP Sorokin was lucky to fend off. He normally elevates on that set play.

It's a game of inches. That's why it's not good to have sweeping positive/negative takeaways after one game. It's very easy to look stupid 2 days later.

I think the Pens will play more structured and win game 2. This was a loose game from both sides and I can't see it being as run and gun on Tuesday.

 

[canadianguy77]

Dude, I did. Your answer implied that price wasn’t an issue because “goalies are a crapshoot”. You asked a question and I replied w a list. Then you suddenly started caring about price.

Your reading comprehension leaves a lot to be desired. You think we have unlimited money for a goalie? Cool. This is a team that’s built to outscore the opposition. We don’t have 10 million to get the best goalie available and it wouldn’t make sense to do that anyway because of how the team is built.

 

[Icarium]

Catching up with the thread... I just want to say that all of you who praise Trotz like the god of hockey would be calling for his head after every loss if he were the Pens coach. Sadly, this is the level of discourse on this forum.

P.S. f*** the NBC for picking Keith Jones and two of the Islanders broadcasting crew to comment the game. Sure, Brendan Burke is one of the best in the business and AJ is okay but you really couldn't find someone less biased? You are making me miss freaking Pierre!

 

[radapex]

I think Vegas would have been fine without one of Lehner or Fleury this year, so I'm not sure I buy this.

Fleury obviously had a terrific year, but Lehner himself still had a .913 save% on the year and was only injured for about a month.

Oh yeah, I don't mean you have to spend on both. I just mean that Vegas is paying a lot for two starting-quality goaltenders, and it paid off for them this season because one had injury trouble. My point is that paying for established goaltending isn't a bad thing.

And having a young goalie like Jarry, with so much potential, isn't a bad thing either... I just think they really rushed Murray and Jarry into the starting role, throwing young/inexperienced goaltenders in to back them up instead of a veteran guy that could mentor them. There was a noticeable difference in Murray's play after that second Cup, and I'm sure that's attributable in part to MAF no longer being there (the other part being the weird firing of Mike Bales).

 

[Pittsburgh1776]

I understand why people are frustrated but I don't know why people make sweeping explanations about this team as if it was the same team as the one last year, or the year before. We didn't just change a player or two. These are completely different teams. So what's your argument? Sullivan? Point to one single thing that he could have adjusted today that would make up for Jarry shitting the bed. The core chokes in the playoffs suddenly? I mean, Sid and Letang were our two best players not to mention all their past achievement etc etc etc...

A lot of projection happening. You can't win in the playoffs when you have a goalie that lets in basic shots. It changes the way the whole team plays. We need to fix that, and to a lesser extent get Malkin back, before we can assess anything else.

 

[BeatenLikeRentedMule]

I feel like our team can get past teams that aren't overly defensive like NYI, or overly punishing like BOS. I think we take a series against your Torontos, your Washingtons, your Minnesotas easily. but the Isles are a tough out

Did you see the Isle vs Bruins last game?
They were playing defense even during the 3 on3 OT with nothing to play for.

The way the Pens blew a 6 goal lead against Jersey, that's not something those teams do. Pens gave up 4 to Buffalo and were blown out by Philly. Pens weren't a team that looked like they were prepping for the playoffs most of April and May.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I think the best way to sum up my concerns with goaltending is that you're going to run into a point where you're going to need your goalie to actually help you win a series, unless you get really lucky with matchups. There's going to be a point where you need your goalie to out-duel a better goalie, with a matchup against someone like Price, Holtby, Lundqvist, Vasilevskiy or whoever else. If your goalie is just there and not helping you win, you're not going to win that matchup.

The Penguins goaltending has been consistently blah since 2017. It's putting up okay-ish stats while giving up some super deflating goals. Even if you solve the other problems with the team, I don't think you can win with that unless you get super lucky with matchups. This team doesn't need their goalies to be great, they just need them to be better than what they have been for the last 3+ playoffs.

Saying "goalies are crapshoots" isn't a defense of continuing down the path they've been going for years.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Your reading comprehension leaves a lot to be desired. You think we have unlimited money for a goalie? Cool. This is a team that’s built to outscore the opposition. We don’t have 10 million to get the best goalie available and it wouldn’t make sense to do that anyway because of how the team is built.

Not to mention that strategy didn't work out either time, with Montreal or Florida. Jarry outplayed Price this year

 

[madinsomniac]

Have we seriously considered that it was Murray in a jarry mask playing today..... somebody should check MM’s basement to make sure Tristan isn’t tied up down there lol

 

[Empoleon8771]

Your reading comprehension leaves a lot to be desired. You think we have unlimited money for a goalie? Cool. This is a team that’s built to outscore the opposition. We don’t have 10 million to get the best goalie available and it wouldn’t make sense to do that anyway because of how the team is built.

The Penguins don't need to spend $10 million to get good enough goaltending. Stop making up strawmen to argue against.

They'd be perfectly fine paying $5-$7 million with getting someone like Bishop, Fleury, Crawford or Holtby of past years. I don't know who exactly falls in that category who could be acquired today, but they absolutely do not need to be paying Bobrovsky or Price level money for a goalie.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I mean they're 1-10 spanning several goaltenders.

This team is just old, beat, lacks motivation and isn't getting much help to correct any of that from behind the bench. I'm not "blaming" the coach. That's too easy. Just like blaming goaltending is too easy. I'm just saying this team doesn't have IT anymore.

What can ya do?

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Basically don't torpedo the team. That's all we need from goaltending as well as coaching.

Forwards, on the other hand, have to be a hell of a lot better. Jake, Rust and McCann have 3 goals, between all three of them (McCann has zero), in the last 9 playoff games.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

The Penguins don't need to spend $10 million to get good enough goaltending. Stop making up strawmen to argue against.

They'd be perfectly fine paying $5-$7 million with getting someone like Bishop, Fleury, Crawford or Holtby of past years. I don't know who exactly falls in that category who could be acquired today, but they absolutely do not need to be paying Bobrovsky or Price level money for a goalie.

Bishop would fit in perfectly here. Injury prone. Unavailable.

 

[madinsomniac]

People have to remember that if we signed a clone made of tge dna from of brodeur, hasek and Roy, hed be a floundering sieve six months in because our system hangs guys out to dry and makes goalies lose their shit.... no use bitching about it.... move on and get em next time

 

[Empoleon8771]

Bishop would fit in perfectly here. Injury prone. Unavailable.

Yeah, Bishop is the best example IMO but there are plenty you can throw out. Varlamov and Lehner are also really good examples to mention.

There are more options than paying an assload for Price vs going cheap with someone like Jarry or Murray. There's an entire middle ground of solid and reliable starters that can fit in this team's cap structure.

 

[BeatenLikeRentedMule]

I mean they're 1-10 spanning several goaltenders.

This team is just old, beat, lacks motivation and isn't getting much help to correct any of that from behind the bench. I'm not "blaming" the coach. That's too easy. Just like blaming goaltending is too easy. I'm just saying this team doesn't have IT anymore.

What can ya do?

Not just old but a lot of mileage on the core. They don't make up for it with their so-called veteran experience either.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Jarry, that’s all.

Weak pens board excuses.


That's all.

 

[Pens x]

Your reading comprehension leaves a lot to be desired. You think we have unlimited money for a goalie? Cool. This is a team that’s built to outscore the opposition. We don’t have 10 million to get the best goalie available and it wouldn’t make sense to do that anyway because of how the team is built.

We can’t sign an elite goalie because we had so much wasted in cap this year for guys like Sceviour, Bjugstad, Johnson, Jank.


And Matheson...

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Not just old but a lot of mileage on the core. They don't make up for it with their so-called veteran experience either.

Yep. You can't beat time and all that.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I don't know, I'm not even sure I give a shit either way, win or lose. I just want to be entertained. This team hasn't been entertaining in the playoffs for years. Whether it's Sullivan being a dipshit, Murray/Jarry shooting the team in the foot, or the forwards coming up empty, it's been a quiet past few trips to the post season. I don't think my pulse cracked 80 today.

I'd like to see things gel and the team make a run, but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't get a big kick out of this team flaming out again in the 1st round and the chaos that'd ensue.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Weak pens board excuses.


That's all.

Not the only issue this game, but certainly was the main one.

 

[Gurglesons]

Yeah, Bishop is the best example IMO but there are plenty you can throw out. Varlamov and Lehner are also really good examples to mention.

There are more options than paying an assload for Price vs going cheap with someone like Jarry or Murray. There's an entire middle ground of solid and reliable starters that can fit in this team's cap structure.

Varlamov would suck ass here.

All I’m seeing from you is we should’ve spent more money on goaltending because.

Varlamov or Lehner wouldn’t have done jackshit in our system. Bishop is an amazing goalie but is never healthy.

Is Mitch Korn suddenly coming here? Because that is why Lehner and Varlamov have been good in NYI.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Pens did play well overall, but Jarry had a lot of trouble with uncontested shots. That can't happen.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Yeah, but shitting the bed at the outset usually isn't indicative of one of the good runs.

In competitive series? Sometimes. The Pens get blown out sometimes even in series they dominate-- that's what happens when you don't blow the budget on the goaltender and just get guys like Jarry, Murray, and MAF who could be great or could be abysmal. We're not running a team from the goal out and the rest of the team should play accordingly.

Also, I faded a bit for most of the first and second, but didn't we seem to be falling back into bad early season habits as far as structure goes?