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

[wgknestrick]

Starting to feel like I can't remember a playoff win anymore.

 

[Pens x]

You can’t play Matheson now that you pissed away the series. He’s too f***ing risky to play in these games against the Isles.

Id also be very hesitant to send Jarry back in there, but no coach in their right mind can go back to Matheson down 1-0 at home.

Sully is now 1-10 in his last 11 playoff games. But he was good 4 years ago, so it’s cool.

 

[Kristopher Letang]

Goal tending may have been not good but Trotz has made Sullivan his bitch once again...

This is what happens when you don't bring in new coach even after losing 8 of your 9 playoff games. This is Bylsma 2.0, great regular season but cannot adapt to the playoffs.

Except he didn’t.

- The NZ was wide open for the Pens.
- The Islanders had trouble staying in our zone and cyclying the puck.

I don’t know how you can watch this game and think Tortz owned Sully today.

Jarry lost the game, this isn’t on Sully.

 

[Allie Kitsune]

thats the one thatpuzzles me big time

I don't want to give him excuses that other people wouldn't be willing to give him, but was the "Upper Body Injury" actually legit, and not just Sullivan being Sullivan?

 

[Smasher]

Got to say the Isles system is VERY EFFECTIVE at what it is meant to do. We were forced to the perimeter all game. Not getting shots through either.

We lost 99% of the puck battles in their zone, and after the tying goal looked very nervous in our own zone. You can't f*** around with the Isles or they will eventually capitalize on your mistakes.

We lose game 2, we're toast. You can thank Jarry and the PP for giving this one away.

 

[Pittsburgh1776]

Man I'll be here for Game 2 and a believer until the absolute final whistle. Heartbreaking loss is how we've handled these post seasons and it just keeps coming. You would think a team who won b2b Cups would just KNOW they can win OT games. Instead they don't. They know they are going to lose them. The Isles haven't won a Stanley Cup since 83? They KNOW they are winning the OT game. And they haven't won shit. Most of their players were not even born to see an Isles Cup.

It blows my mind how that happens.

I didn't get the sense the Pens knew they were going to lose at all in OT. We were aggressive and got almost all the chances. I think fans are projecting their past disappointments onto this team.

 

[chethejet]

One loss but the single biggest issue to me is the Pens simply are not scoring the kind of goals that win playoff hockey. NO one goes to the net and tough areas and Sully will not win with this limited physical roster. Pens speed is negated here with hitting and keeping the play wide. Pens played OK but just never raised their play especially up 2-1 with a PP in hand. Jake and Rust were not good and Isles just controlled the Pens ability to get speed in the neutral zone. Thought the Pens would skate and break down the Isles but with playoff hockey it just isn't giving the Pens the advantage I expected.

 

[TooManyHumans]

If they lose in the 1st round again, I really hope Hextall moves Jarry and tries to bring in a more reliable starter.

The Penguins only have a few years left with Crosby, Malkin and Letang at this level. Hell, their contending window may be done in the eyes of some. They can't just keep being satisfied with goaltending that they have gotten for the last 4 years. That doesn't mean they need prime Carey Price in net, but they need someone who isn't going to lose them games. Jarry today and Murray in his last 3 years here were exactly that.

If they lose in the first round then Hextall better blow this team the f*** up. They don't deserve being kept together when they bow out in the first round every year. Time to start looking to the future instead of hanging onto a past that is just that.

 

[DatGuy]

If they lose in the 1st round again, I really hope Hextall moves Jarry and tries to bring in a more reliable starter.

The Penguins only have a few years left with Crosby, Malkin and Letang at this level. Hell, their contending window may be done in the eyes of some. They can't just keep being satisfied with goaltending that they have gotten for the last 4 years. That doesn't mean they need prime Carey Price in net, but they need someone who isn't going to lose them games. Jarry today and Murray in his last 3 years here were exactly that.

Exactly, stop the ones you are suppose to. If Ovi 1 times it from the X, no one is gonna get upset. But when those bad angle shots go in over and over again it doesn’t matter how many 3 on 1 point blank stops you make.

 

[Turin]

At least nobody is overreacting

 

[Al Smith]

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Palmieri was bad/dull but scored two goals. I guess he'll have to live with that.

Hope Jarry can shake this one off.

 

[StaalForOne]

Gotta make hay while the sun shines.

Well, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky early on and we let them hang around. When we let teams hang around, they tend to beat us.


I still have confidence we’ll turn it around next game.

We’re better than them.

Yup, it was 2-1 and then we had a PP. That would have been a great chance to put the throttle down.

 

[TKalltheTime]

I find it pretty damn impressive that Troz was able to wiggle his fat-ass into Sullys head and live there rent free this long.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Jarry let in 4 weak goals, man. Which of the 3 Penguins goals that Sorokin let in made you think, "Holy shit, dude. You suck"?

sure he needs to be better. but the idea that it should have been a shutout win is silly with 41 shots against

 

[LOGiK]

At what point do people begin to rightfully crucify Jake, Rust and McCann for being garbage in the playoffs? All three have done f*** all for years in the post season. Spending ~$13 million on wingers to do absolutely nothing when it matters most sucks shit.

Zucker was nowhere to be found all game either, but that might be a good thing for a guy who is routinely awful.

Zucker and a big mention to Tanev... guy has done not a damn thing in the post season.... if he miffs this post season... he isnt worth a damn thing out of that contract.

 

[ZorkEnchanter]

It was so bad Jones was making fun of Jarry. Calling the goal a "floater" and a "change up". It's too competitive to let those in.

The rest of the team played great for 50 minutes of regulation. OT was more evenly played but we should have never been there.

I'll disagree with this team playing great.

It's a series so I'm not worried about losing 1 game but this team needs to play better. Sure, 1st Star for bad play goes to Jarry but there are plenty of people in line for #2, #3, #4, and #5

 

[vodeni]

I don't want to give him excuses that other people wouldn't be willing to give him, but was the "Upper Body Injury" actually legit, and not just Sullivan being Sullivan?

not sure but he ducks on every single f***ing high shot, he makes himself smaller which makes zero sense

 

[Dangles78]

Let me tell you, I am shocked that Zucker was once again the biggest non-factor on the ice. Shocked.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Yeah we can't turn any of these games into 50/50 games because if we do we almost always lose since our goaltending is almost always worse than the opposing team's.

That said I think going cheap in net is generally the play. Many of the cup champs are teams that didn't have elite goalies. The cup champs do generally have goalies that happen to play elite in those given post seasons though. It's all about your goalies getting hot at the right time.

We keep hearing this but I think there's a difference between going "cheap" and getting a top performance from a young guy. You don't need to spend a billion dollars on goalies and you don't need a top of the line guy. If you're a well built team, all you should need is a solid starter who won't lose you games. That's exactly what guys like 2019 Binnington, 2018 Holtby, 2016 Murray and 2015 Crawford were.

I think Corey Crawford is a perfect example of what contending teams should target from their goaltending.

 

[Pens x]

Also, Sleepy and Burkie should probably call Gallant’s agent to tell them to hold off on signing a deal just yet.

 

[canadianguy77]

Some of you are acting like we should’ve won that game. Sure Jarry sucked, but the Islanders were getting grade A chances from about halfway through the 2nd on. It actually could’ve been much worse. How many times did the Islanders miss the net a bunch of times from 10 feet out?

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

sure he needs to be better. but the idea that it should have been a shutout win is silly with 41 shots against

I quoted you saying you don't think there was much of a difference between the two goalies. Watching the goals each let in, I have zero idea how you can conclude that other than because you just want to defend Jarry.

 

[Headshot77]

I wasn't worried about our goaltending... until now

 

[KIRK]

Our decision-making was absolutely the key to how we started. We did not hesitate, we make quick passes, we were passing the puck strategically to create speed instead of just relying on our legs. We were fast as f***. Then the bad goals and we tightened up. By the third period we were hesitating constantly, slow to make passes, turning the puck over, and chasing the puck the rest of the game. That's a recipe for losing. Play fast and the Isles can't keep up. It will help insulate Jarry too.

But no question, Jarry and Malkin are my two question marks going forward. I didn't like L2 at all.

We both know there are a hundred things Sullivan COULD do with Malkin in terms of bench management to maybe set things up for him to make a positive impact.

And we both know what Sullivan will do is put him right out there centering Zucker and Kappy.

Let Carter center him and Kappy and make your other bottom 6 line out of Zucker, McCann, GOAT, EROD.

Or, if you want to limit him, slide Zucker up to L2 RW and let GOAT center Malkin and Kappy.

****, it's like I know how this novel is going to unfold already . . .

All Sully’s fault for playing Geno in the last game of the regular season against Buffalo. He should know that Malkin is made of glass by now.

Yeah, because playing Malkin the last 4 games certainly affected the outcome of a playoff game without Malkin . . . or something.

EDIT: Gotta add this for @Gurglesons and @Scandale du Jour and @Kristopher Letang . . . I've now lived long enough to see a world in which . . . (checks notes) . . . Letang was the smart one on the defense. He legit was 2016 level today, and the props he should get are, if anything, understated.

 

[Pittsburgh1776]

LOL at people saying Trotz owned Sullivan. What the f*** are you watching? Like really. I'm being serious. What-the-f***-are-you-watching?

It's ok to be disappointed. Can we take a breath here?