Post-Game Talk: Pens vs Bruins: Frustrating loss

[The Great Mighty Poo]

I hope I've seen the last of the dumbf*** twins Smith and Carter against the Islanders in a do or die I hope Sullivan is stubborn enough to play them each 28 minutes because veteran leadershit.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Sure, tell Sid that, he wants Sullivan around. When do we start looking at the Core?

Letangs constant and damaging Turnovers
Geno's retaliatory penalties and questionable puck management
Sid not showing up in a must win game
EK's ill advised pinches.

When does the core get blamed?

When they stop being the reason why they even have a sniff of a shot at the playoffs. Without Crosby's consistent dominance, without Malkin elevating his play and the play of the entire second line, without Karlsson playing more like Erik Karlsson and without Kris Letang's minutes we are playing out the string right now.

You accept the things they don't do well because of all of the things they STILL bring to the table. An over-30 core is not supposed to be able to hang with the big boys any longer. These are no ordinary four core members.

The season-long lack of a PP is what really unnerves me. We might not have crazy depth on this team, but we have some really good top-end talent. Yet we have like the 2nd worst powerplay in the league? That is just really unacceptable with this team. We had ~80 games to make adjustments or figure out something and we didn't. Someone is getting paid to not do their job and needs to be replaced.

This all day. Look, I am beyond the whole fire Mike Sullivan thing. It is never happening. I do not believe for a second that Dubas has the power to do it, I believe when he was hired he was told that Sullivan has input on personnel decisions and has a lifetime contract for as long as he wants to coach. I don't know if any of this is actual fact, but this is what I believe.

BUT, how can you not bring in a whole new staff next year? Sure, the PP coach is the obvious coach that needs to be replaced, but we need new ideas behind the bench, new voices, new energy. We need coaches behind the bench who are more patient with younger players. And of course, we need younger players! Hopefully, Dubas has enough authority to bring in assistant coaches, associate coaches, etc. Could they pry Paul Coffey away from Edmonton if they gave him a raise and the title of Associate head coach? He was in Pittsburgh for the Jagr retirement and he apparently talked with Jagr and Dubas. Jagr himself has been rumored to be in discussions with Dubas. What role would he have? Could he fix the power play? Where is Adam Oates these days?

There are some things we cannot fix...Mike Sullivan being the obvious one. Father time being the other obvious factor. But the power play with THIS group of players? It is inexcusable not to find a solution.

 

[Ryder71]

Sid and Geno both healthy all season only to likely fall short again.

 

[Andy99]

 

[HandshakeLine]

How exactly is it supposed to work, Josh?

 

[Ryder71]

More indictments handed out to the core. Very deserving.

In all these years Letang never quite mastered the ability to aptly manage the puck. Yet he gets away with it.

This team will be in a better place when he's out of the league.

Wish Sid would go help Nate so we could move on from Sullivan. But Sully is his boy so...

 

[Andy99]

How exactly is it supposed to work, Josh?

Well not by firing the coach apparently, who can do no wrong lol…I mean we all know the coach has nothing to do with instilling discipline and making them play with structure

 

[Ryder71]

Well not by firing the coach apparently, who can do no wrong lol

Blame the Core. They like him and want him to stay.

 

[Icarium]

So fitting to lose a decisive game again on national TV in a typical comedy of errors style:

- passes from behind the goal leading to goals
- allowing a shorthanded goal where we look like complete amateurs
- no defensive structure whatsoever
- Carter playing less than three minutes with Eller and Smith and that line allowing two goals while Puustinen with those two players allowing zero and heavily dominating in terms of shots and chances to score. Just Sullivan things.

The only surprising thing is that it took so long for the smoke and mirrors to stop working. The other teams might still give us a chance for playoffs but we don't deserve shit, the team is terrible in so many fundamental parts of the game and has loser mentality. Hot goalie and superhuman efforts from aging superstars can only hide this for so long.

I am happy that DOC and Bunting keep playing great and the best part is, I won't even care very much if they don't make the playoffs since I never expected them to do it in the first place. Now, if only the owners' delusion about Sully would end...

 

[LOGiK]

Well not by firing the coach apparently, who can do no wrong lol

Don't trust them to hire / fire anyone anyway.... moot. All of it.

 

[Ryder71]

Don't trust them to hire / fire anyone anyway.... moot. All of it.

Pens collapsing, Liverpool collapsing, bunch a losers.

 

[Andy99]

Blame the Core. They like him and want him to stay.

I’m still waiting for someone to report quotes from Sid et al to this effect…

 

[MrBrightside]

The amount of glee from the usual suspects in this thread is a sight to behold. I hope someday I like anything as much as they like bashing the Penguins.

 

[LOGiK]

Pens collapsing, Liverpool collapsing, bunch a losers.

Penguins was just a tease, but we all knew they'd never make it. (outside of this run... they had little chance).
Liverpool has been showing signs of wearing down to the nubs at this point in the season. The 3-0 absolute beating to Atalanta AT HOME mid-week told me to worry about that impacting and carrying over to their title push. Doubt starts to form.... exhaustion sets in.... those guys literally run their bodies into the ground.
(i half expect liverpool to net 4 and win in stellar fashion in the second leg midweek ...) possible, but no probable....

 

[Ryder71]

I’m still waiting for someone to report quotes from Sid et al to this effect…

So, you really believe Sid wants him gone then? There's plenty of reports out there, you just need to look for them. If Sid wanted him gone he wouldn't be here.

 

[Icarium]

The amount of glee from the usual suspects in this thread is a sight to behold. I hope someday I like anything as much as they like bashing the Penguins.

You really like whining about other people whining, don't you?

And what exactly do you expect when the team is making the same easily avoidable errors again and again? People to praise it and say "we will get them next time"?

 

[LOGiK]

You really like whining about other people whining, don't you?

And what exactly do you expect when the team is making the same easily avoidable errors again and again? People to praise it and say "we will get them next time"?

Who is gullible enough to fall for that one.......

 

[Andy99]

So, you really believe Sid wants him gone then? There's plenty of reports out there, you just need to look for them. If Sid wanted him gone he wouldn't be here.

I think he likely wanted him here prior to this season…I would hope things have changed if they miss again… but I want a quote from someone in the core after the season, although I doubt they’d speak up to the media about this except for a generic quote about how it’s all on them, not the coach…maybe someone will talk to Jagr again lol

 

[Ryder71]

The amount of glee from the usual suspects in this thread is a sight to behold. I hope someday I like anything as much as they like bashing the Penguins.

If Letang can't manage the puck, why should we be expected to manage our glee?

I think he likely wanted him here prior to this season…I would hope things have changed if they miss again… but I want a quote from someone in the core after the season, although I doubt they’d speak up to the media about this except for a generic quote about how it’s all on them, not the coach…maybe someone will talk to Jagr again lol

I've heard Grove talk about this as a guest on a pod cast a few months ago. Beyond that MM, Rossi, DK, Yohe and several others talked about how the core didn't want to break in a new coach and loved Sullivan. Beyond that and to me it's quite obvious.

Sullivan will get credit for even getting this team in contention, just watch. lol

 

[LOGiK]

I think he likely wanted him here prior to this season…I would hope things have changed if they miss again… but I want a quote from someone in the core after the season, although I doubt they’d speak up to the media about this except for a generic quote about how it’s all on them, not the coach…maybe someone will talk to Jagr again lol

If I was a reporter I'd say, "I do not accept nor will I print generic canned responses that have no truth whatsoever to them".

I bet I'd be in the breadline faster than I'd ever get a response out of current roster penguin.

 

[Ryder71]

Who is gullible enough to fall for that one.......

The core?

 

[LOGiK]

The core?

It's all just so frustrating.

 

[BobCole]

It's the lack of even trying to adjust the most atrocious PP in memory until about 3 games ago that I find most inexcusable.

 

[wgknestrick]

Jarry and EK are crucial for the rebuild as is Sully.

The problem is Ned, Sid, Rust, especially Pettersson, and sometimes Letang are still good enough to win games when they want to. The sooner this org realizes it IS exactly time to get bad and actually starts to excel at that one very important thing, everyone is stuck in "not good enough" limbo. The Crosby, Letang, Malkin ship is sinking and it cannot be repaired. Trading Jake was the right move, but should not be the last.

This team is not a retool away from anything important. The core is just too old and can't carry this team anymore. They have some BAD, BAD contracts (see first line) that will need to be ridden out, so why not ride them into the rebuilding abyss?

 

[Icarium]

It's the lack of even trying to adjust the most atrocious PP in memory until about 3 games ago that I find most inexcusable.

They split Sid and Geno for like half a dozen games, is that not enough for you?