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

[Sidgeni Malkby]

Jarry also looked nervous as f***. This was his first time as the legit starter for the Stanley cup playoffs. This team could have given him a little more insulation or done more. They still allowed what 42 shots. When they won with Murray in 16' he faced like 20 shots a games.

I am not defending Jarry but the team could have showed up more still. He got his first game out of the way, so lets see how he responds. (I dont count Montreal game last year) He played loose then without the pressure of being the starter and looked so much better.

Everybody focuses on shots he should have saved, and though that is true, he should have stopped at least 2 out of 3 of the glove hand goals, however 42 shots against is insane!

Jarry was backup to last year debacle (unless my memory is failing me), so he has seen us fall. I really hope he has Matt Murray's nerves, and not MAFs. Here's to hoping Jarry was seeing a sports psychologist to keep it together .

 

[Malkinstheman]

After how utterly pathetic the Pens were against Montreal last year, I mellowed out. I have some optimism about this group but if they flameout, whatever.

 

[Darren McCord]

I feel like we switch teams with the caps from early 2010's.

Strong regular season, but incompetent in the playoffs. Sully just need to have some BBQ before his next interview

 

[chethejet]

Malkin was playing well and that knee injury has to be bad since he has been skating for three weeks or more and hasn't got clearance to play. He seems to be moving well in practice but with no line rushes he is a no go I think right now. Tanev looked good and Dumo is a game time decision as Sully will say. My guess is unless Jarry plays much better Pens are in trouble. Letting in three clear looks from 20 feet is simply a killer.

 

[Angrrus]

lol of course coming off two Cup runs and losing in 6 games in the second round to the eventual Cup champs counts as not showing up in your mind

Yes their effort and will to win was just as low as in '19, '20 and apparently '21 too.

And it is irrelevant who they lost to. If they played as well as they sould and should have, Caps wouldn'd eventually have become Cup champs.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I still don't think we'll be swept, and we may even win the series, but man... Not a great start. Would've been real nice to put our vaunted home ice advantage to use and go back to the Island up 2-0. Now, if we lose game 2, you absolutely know these guys are going to have all the air taken out of their sails and they'll sleepwalk through games 3 and 4.

Game 2 is an absolute must-win, imo.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I’m not defending him at all, I’m just pointing out that he’s not the only reason we f***ed up last night. I mean, are you happy with the sloppy team play too?

In fairness, I thought the team looked fine prior to Jarry giving up that 2nd bad goal to Pageau to make it 2-2. The sloppiness started after that, as though the team kind of lost its swagger when they realized their goalie was letting in every shot taken glove side.

I guess you could say the team should still be able to bear down and tighten up, but I can see why it would take a toll psychologically and cause them to be on their heels rather than continue to take the game to the Isles.

We've seen how much differently this team plays when it is confident in its goalie.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

We can tho. Sullivan doesn't and wont.

Yeah, but that's what I'm saying. And I don't even mean this series. I mean as the years roll on with this core.

We have Carter and McCann as great 3rd liners. We should be utilizing them more. We have TB's line which shouldn't be used as a conventional 4th line re: TOI/role.

But we're hellbent on pretending Sid, Geno and Letang are still 27.

 

[Gurglesons]

Malkin was playing well and that knee injury has to be bad since he has been skating for three weeks or more and hasn't got clearance to play. He seems to be moving well in practice but with no line rushes he is a no go I think right now. Tanev looked good and Dumo is a game time decision as Sully will say. My guess is unless Jarry plays much better Pens are in trouble. Letting in three clear looks from 20 feet is simply a killer.

He got clearance to play and then got knee on knee'd.

 

[Darren McCord]

Yeah, but that's what I'm saying. And I don't even mean this series. I mean as the years roll on with this core.

We have Carter and McCann as great 3rd liners. We should be utilizing them more. We have TB's line which shouldn't be used as a conventional 4th line re: TOI/role.

But we're hellbent on pretending Sid, Geno and Letang are still 27.

Ya which is why I am over Sullivan. Let him be a great coach for an underachieving team trying to make playoffs. I would rather struggle in the year working through things to prepare for playoffs then tax the top guys all year and burn out in the playoffs.

 

[Gurglesons]

I started an off day thread so we can bitch about Sullivan in there.

 

[ColePens]

Series thread now up

 

[BeatenLikeRentedMule]

I don't disagree with what you're saying in general, but I also think it's worth pointing out that the 2013 Penguins had a super easy first and second round opponents.

I don't recall many Penguins matchups that were as easy for them as 2013 NYI and Ottawa were, outside of the Habs last year. Even without looking at their flaws on paper (Nabokov being ass and the Senators not being able to score), the Sens and Islanders were both on pace for only around 95 points.

I don't remember the Sens but that Isles team gave the Pens fits. I think it took Orpik's OT goal to eliminate them in Game 6. Had Isles won Game 6, who knows who takes that series.
Fleury was driven out of the net and replaced with Vokoun, one of Fleury's worst performances as a pro goalie.
That is still this franchise's only series win against the Islanders right now and it wasn't a cakewalk.