Post-Game Talk: Pens vs Bruins: Frustrating loss

[Andy99]

The last two games have been rough defensively, but most of the season he's played pretty clean. Tonight the big defensive miscue was more a miscommunication with Jarry - or thinking a forward was coming down the wall. There were a few rough plays with the puck but he wasn't alone in that, certainly. I think on the whole at 5v5 he and Letang have had similar amounts of screwups with the puck. Letang has been great on the PK but I've seen him screw up plenty defensively. Even Pettersson isn't playing the way he was the first half of the year.

Most of the season EK has done pretty well in the Sullivan system, even though it has limited his breakout game severely. I've watched EK his whole career, he's done a lot of things well defensively this year that he hasn't always done - but whereas in his prime in Ottawa he would make a nice play and then bomb up ice with the puck to start a rush, here he'll gather the puck and fire it to the centre line, or just send it over to his partner. However much he may want to get up ice, he's done what Sullivan has wanted all season.

If this isn’t a great indictment of the coach, I don’t what is lol

 

[Rudy Russo]

He literally carried Ottawa to within one goal of making the Stanley Cup finals.

He has had too many defensive miscues this year and he's a part of our terrible PP though. But I don't agree that he's a bad addition or not a net good. We control play way better with him on the ice than off.

If we miss the playoffs it will be for the same reasons we were bad most of the year: the bad PP (which EK is very much a part of, in fairness), bad finishing (Sully), and non existent bottom six scoring (Dubas' fault).

I'm honestly most disappointed in the last point because Dubas somehow put together an even worse bottom six than Hextall did.

The goaltending has been adequate, even though I think Tristan Jarry is a loser who never comes up big when we need him to. But he was good earlier in the season. As usual when we need a little extra later in the season he's unable to give it. Whatever.

Dubas desperately needs to offload some trash this off season. Rakell and Smith are huge drains every time they touch the ice. They can't skate and they kill every possession.

Playoffs or not. This is a HUGE offseason for Dubas.

 

[SEALBound]

What about Bunting? How the hell can you not say he's a bright spot?

He is. My praise for DOC doesn't mean I don't think highly.of Buntings play as well.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

He literally carried Ottawa to within one goal of making the Stanley Cup finals.

 

[Ryder71]

He is. My praise for DOC doesn't mean I don't think highly.of Buntings play as well.

We need more guys like him.

 

[Ragamuffin Gunner]

I mean Duchene chose the Stars but the Pens were never even an option for him so who knows if Dubas says we want you maybe he'd be interested.

I probably could find some other names that signed for 2-3 million that would be good options. Do agree that Sully probably hates Sprong. The research I did was pretty quick just to find a few names. I'm sure a deep dive into last year's FAs would yield even more options than I saw at a quick glance.

All what ifs anyways. Dubas had enough cap space to put together a better bottom six than he did but he blew it.

Honestly, most are too emotional about TJ to accurately discuss goalies. He was by far the best option and proved it through the majority of the season.

TBH, I'm not sure that all of the bottom 6 guys were Dubi's choice. I think he gave Sully the guys he wanted. I blame Sully 10 times a much as Dubi.

Hell, EK wasn't ever this bade till Sully got his hooks into him.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Today was the most Penguins-like day possible. Every team we're competing with won while the Pens couldn't even secure a point.

Today sums up Sullivan hockey the past handful of seasons. Some good with a lot of bad.

 

[Karl Prime]

One bright spot - Drew O-f***ing-Conner. Dude is turning into a beast. One of the few guys you can watch give 100% on every shift.

Don't know if anyone had him with a 33-point season. He hasn't even played the whole year with Crosby or Malkin.

 

[Ryder71]

You might want to have that same mindset when considering THIS PIT team hasn't won a playoff series in six years and will miss making the playoffs for a 2hd straight season.

 

[EVGENIMERLIN]

Sullivan is the Graham Bonnet era Rainbow, Ripper Owens era Judas Priest, or Blaze Bailey era Iron Maiden of NHL coaches.

Think of a bigger insult than that.

What did Graham Bonnet do to hurt you? Since you been gone is a great vocal

 

[Ryder71]

Today was the most Penguins-like day possible. Every team we're competing with won while the Pens couldn't even secure a point.

Today sums up Sullivan hockey the past handful of seasons. Some good with a lot of bad.

I also think the lack of leadership from the core has a lot to do with it as well. Keep in mind they want to keep Sullivan around.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

What about Bunting? How the hell can you not say he's a bright spot?

He's been an instant favorite of mine. Guentzel was much more talented, but Bunting filled a role we need much more. He's basically been Hornqvist-lite. Too bad they cannot figure out how to utilize him better on the PP.

 

[Rudy Russo]

One bright spot - Drew O-f***ing-Conner. Dude is turning into a beast. One of the few guys you can watch give 100% on every shift.

Hope one of the players from the Guentzel trade works out like DOC has this season.

 

[Karl Prime]

use that $5 to sign a cheap backup and ride Ned instead. Maybe Ned's play doesn't hold up with more games played though. He's certainly started to wear down lately now that they've been riding him.

But let's say $2million or so on a CDS type backup and then $3million on a bottom six player. Are we better off? I'd argue we might be

To be fair to Ned, how many goalies play 11 straight games these days? Not even Shesterkin does.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

You might want to have that same mindset when considering THIS PIT team hasn't won a playoff series in six years and will miss making the playoffs for a 2hd straight season.

I'm aware, I've just been trying to stay positive until college football starts. Cheers.

 

[Will Hunting]

I feel Jarry should have started. First goal, Ned doesn't clamp it. Second goal, bad rebound. Third, he has to have that. All mistakes he wasn't making two weeks ago.

Sid and Geno had real quiet games. Bunting has been great though.


Except when he led his team to the playoffs in 11-12, 14-15, and 16-17, and led his team to within a goal of reaching the SCF on a broken foot. And then went to a WCF.

I really wanted to love him here, were full of expectations. I love his style of hockey. I really like you as a poster too. That being said, he is playing really really bad hockey for us. Really bad. Just you can see how good he could be. And he just isn´t.

 

[SEALBound]

We need more guys like him.

Another Bunting and another DOC would be great.

 

[Ryder71]

Hope one of the players from the Guentzel trade works out like DOC has this season.

Give Koivunen a couple years I think he'll be a good player in '25.

Another Bunting and another DOC would be great.

And defensemen who can manage the puck well.

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

What did Graham Bonnet do to hurt you? Since you been gone is a great vocal

That era of Rainbow was too poppy for my taste, NOTHING can top the mighty Ronnie James Dio and that version of Rainbow.

Same with Collins era Genesis, you aint topping Peter Gabriel.

 

[metalan2]

You clearly are too emotional about the subject to have a real discussion about it. This is just a factually wrong statement from top to bottom.

Korpisalo @ 4M for 5 years was a better option? hahahahahaha

Yes. 100%

 

[Pancakes]

Honestly, most are too emotional about TJ to accurately discuss goalies. He was by far the best option and proved it through the majority of the season.

TBH, I'm not sure that all of the bottom 6 guys were Dubi's choice. I think he gave Sully the guys he wanted. I blame Sully 10 times a much as Dubi.

Hell, EK wasn't ever this bade till Sully got his hooks into him.

I'd certainly be a lot more willing to live with TJ with a different coach behind the bench. F-ing Sully...

 

[Ryder71]

Yager has five points tonight including a hat trick!

 

[bambamcam4ever]

Karlsson is an incredibly talented player but he does not work in this system. That is as much Sullivan's fault as it is Karlsson's. I know who I'd sooner ditch.

Do you question why Karlsson has never been on a great team?

He is talented, that doesn't mean he's great at hockey though.

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

Yager has five points tonight including a hat trick!

I cant wait till he get Sullyized.

 

[Karl Prime]

EK's worse game for #1000 at -4

A game in which he was only at fault for one of the three goals, and then an empty netter. And didn't get a plus on the Rust goal because he had gone off a second earlier. I'd also contend it wasn't his worst game of the season. There have been a few where he was worse at both ends.