PENS vs Montreal Canadiens Round 1 (Best Of Five)

[Honour Over Glory]

# 1. I think Marleau will be very good after this break as he was in his first 20 in SJ.

# 2. Let’s be honest. Jake and Sid were killing it to start the year.

1. Marleau had 9pts in his first 20 games, a mind blowing 37pt pace.

2. Jake had with Crosby - 14pts in 17 games (Sid had 17pts in 17 games before he was out)
2.B Jake had with Malkin - 19pts in 23 games

Between November 12th to December 30th Malkin with Jake, had 32pts in 20 games.

What else you got?

So again, this team wants to win cups, not stroke ego's, so why keep stroking an ego when a guy works well with someone and it gives the team a better chance to win? Yeah, blah blah blah, but but...Sid and Jake! Yeah well, proof also works for this season.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Take your time @pixiesfanyo

I am sure you can manifest another excuse for keeping Guentzel off of the line with Malkin and Rust, not like stats or anything matter, or yeah...

 

[BmxHockey]

Uhhh, let’s go pens! Everyone should be looking forward to this. Healthy lineup, playoff pedigree, fresh new tournament, Pens Sweep first round, smash Washedupton, Best the Brewins, meet Flury in Vegas for the final and roll him up like carpet.

Empty stadium going to hear all of the sound design turned up to eleven.

 

[EightyOne]

I was mildly interested in Marleau...knowing he was an old fart...mainly because I've watched most of his career etc etc

But....yeah he just old man now. Can't fix that.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Uhhh, let’s go pens! Everyone should be looking forward to this. Healthy lineup, playoff pedigree, fresh new tournament, Pens Sweep first round, smash Washedupton, Best the Brewins, meet Flury in Vegas for the final and roll him up like carpet.

Empty stadium going to hear all of the sound design turned up to eleven.

I think the Pens should play the Vuvuzela sound on a low volume all game long.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I was mildly interested in Marleau...knowing he was an old fart...mainly because I've watched most of his career etc etc

But....yeah he just old man now. Can't fix that.

He's a good veteran for the lines that need it. I think putting him with the likes of McCann would be beneficial for him, the same way Cullen was on the 4th line with the younger players.

I like the idea of Marleau+McCann.

 

[EightyOne]

He's a good veteran for the lines that need it. I think putting him with the likes of McCann would be beneficial for him, the same way Cullen was on the 4th line with the younger players.

I like the idea of Marleau+McCann.

A shift or two based on momentum or whatever in top six, I will be surprised if he looks like a top six guy full-time. Very surprised.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

A shift or two based on momentum or whatever in top six, I will be surprised if he looks like a top six guy full-time. Very surprised.

Marleau at best, is a solid 3rd line depth winger, I would even swap him with ZAR for the 3rd line if that 4th line wasn't one of the better 4th lines in the league when it's ZAR-Blueger-Tanev.

I think the mix of Marleau's skills with McCann and Hornqvist as his wingers is enticing. McCann makes better puck decisions as a center, he IS a center that this team was trying to masquerade as a winger for a stretch.

Bjugstad btw, is the extra man, there's no one I take out right now if those are the lines above, for him. The team would need to have an injury for him to get in at this point, he's the extra and he's earned that role.

 

[EightyOne]

hahaha I forgot about Bjugstad lol

I chuckle every time someone reminds me his ass is on the team lol so pointless (almost literally)

 

[OnMyOwn]

Take your time @pixiesfanyo

I am sure you can manifest another excuse for keeping Guentzel off of the line with Malkin and Rust, not like stats or anything matter, or yeah...

Sid was playing with a pretty serious injury and history has shown him and Jake are lights out. Plus the coach already said Jake would go there. I don’t mind either way. It’ll just be nice to have him back.

 

[Clare2904]

When is all this shit going to start?

 

[BrookswasHere44]

When is all this shit going to start?

After July 1 if I needed to guess.

 

[Clare2904]

After July 1 if I needed to guess.

So free agency is still going ahead?

 

[Durden Tyler]

So free agency is still going ahead?

funny part is some player will still be playing hockey and be without contract, it's probably part of the futur negociation with the new playoff format. Doubt free agency begin before the cup is awarded due to this.

 

[Zirakzigil]

Run 4 forwards?

I like it.

Letang - Malkin

That’s 5 forwards

 

[Randy Butternubs]

playoff eligible players have been locked since the trade deadline. Why would any other scenario exist?

This still doesn't address what I asked. From what I've read, the playoffs start when there's 16 teams left. The series against Montreal would not be considered playoffs. Can the Pens acquire a player from Detroit to play in the Montreal pre-playoff series?

 

[TooManyHumans]

The more I think about these playoffs the more I wish they would just cancel the season. What we are going to get is going to be a joke.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Uhhh, let’s go pens! Everyone should be looking forward to this. Healthy lineup, playoff pedigree, fresh new tournament, Pens Sweep first round, smash Washedupton, Best the Brewins, meet Flury in Vegas for the final and roll him up like carpet.

Empty stadium going to hear all of the sound design turned up to eleven.

I caught a little of the Habs-Bruins playoff game from ‘79 on NHL Network this morning.

The crowd shots were even better then than the action on the ice.

The networks should pump in 70s crowds with their big hair, orange glasses and pork chops.

Let it rain plaid and bell bottoms.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

A shift or two based on momentum or whatever in top six, I will be surprised if he looks like a top six guy full-time. Very surprised.

He wasn't a top 6 player on the worst team in the Western Conference. I'm not sure he should be in the lineup.

 

[WheresRamziAbid]

This still doesn't address what I asked. From what I've read, the playoffs start when there's 16 teams left. The series against Montreal would not be considered playoffs. Can the Pens acquire a player from Detroit to play in the Montreal pre-playoff series?

they might not be “ playoffs” but they’re the playoffs.

they’re certainly not the regular season, where that could apply.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

hahaha I forgot about Bjugstad lol

I chuckle every time someone reminds me his ass is on the team lol so pointless (almost literally)

Every time I try to forget, I see something that reminds me he exists.

Every time I go on to my patio and see my garbage bin.
Every time I see a dead tree.
The dead raccoon I drove past today.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Sid was playing with a pretty serious injury and history has shown him and Jake are lights out. Plus the coach already said Jake would go there. I don’t mind either way. It’ll just be nice to have him back.

It's not even so much that, it's that Jake not only looked fantastic with Malkin, Malkin looked amazing with Jake.

32pts in 20 games with Jake = 1.6ppg.
Geno without Jake = 1.2ppg (42pts in 35 games)

Crosby & Jake are great.
Malkin & Jake are f***ing godly.

But it's also that people think Zucker AND Guentzel should go with Crosby, while Malkin gets Rust and...a geriatric? Yeah, that's stupid no matter how you want to slice it mate.

"Rob Peter to pay Paul" aka "Rob Malkin to pay Crosby"

 

[Al Smith]

It's not even so much that, it's that Jake not only looked fantastic with Malkin, Malkin looked amazing with Jake.

32pts in 20 games with Jake = 1.6ppg.
Geno without Jake = 1.2ppg (42pts in 35 games)

Crosby & Jake are great.
Malkin & Jake are f***ing godly.

But it's also that people think Zucker AND Guentzel should go with Crosby, while Malkin gets Rust and...a geriatric? Yeah, that's stupid no matter how you want to slice it mate.

"Rob Peter to pay Paul" aka "Rob Malkin to pay Crosby"

Setting aside the points Geno and Jake were a Just a whole lot of fun to watch.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Jake and Sid are also a lot of fun to watch.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Setting aside the points Geno and Jake were a Just a whole lot of fun to watch.

They just had the elements of a line that I have not seen this team have in a very long time, even with the lines of Kunitz, Crosby, Dupuis or Juice, Geno, Neal...that line had so much chemistry and dominance in games, it was like a cheat code on the ice. All 3 were just toying with the defense.

Jake and Sid are also a lot of fun to watch.

And that's cool too, but this year, Jake & Geno were a lot more fun to watch and the score reflected it far more often.

I almost guarantee Sullivan is going to go full Sully and go "Guentzel, Crosby, Rust" like he normally tries to, except those wingers flank Geno far more successfully, albeit in a 20 game bubble that was probably producing at the 2nd best rate (possibly 1st?) in the NHL as a line in that span of games (I'm guessing the Pasta-March line probably produced better, likely the only one?).

At best, I would hope for the compromise of...

Guentzel, Crosby, Sheary
Zucker, Malkin, Rust

But knowing how "Sully's world" works...

Guentzel, Crosby, Rust
Sheary, Malkin, Zucker

Or some shit like that.