PENS vs Montreal Canadiens Round 1 (Best Of Five)

[Ryder71]

if one of the teams who "belonged" in the playoff position wins it, I really don't see why it will matter. Every team is in the same boat in terms of playing the games.

I agree, if one of the elite teams wins, particularly recent cup winners, I think the result will hold up. If say it's a team that wouldn't make the playoffs under the normal format, yeah I could see a lot of angst over that. If any of Pittsburgh, St.Louis, WAS, BOS or TB win it'd be mighty hard to argue they weren't deserving or legitimate.

I just hope we get our legs early on. And hopefully Jake can shake off the rust ASAP. As I mentioned previously the teams like BOS and Philly don't have the momentum anymore. Win or lose this scenario would seemingly favor a team like ours who at the time was struggling.

 

[ZeroPucksGiven]

Be curious to see some standings over the past few years of teams that started off the season insanely hot that weren't really good teams

Because that's what it's going to feel like: an early October game

 

[Ogrezilla]

I agree, if one of the elite teams wins, particularly recent cup winners, I think the result will hold up. If say it's a team that wouldn't make the playoffs under the normal format, yeah I could see a lot of angst over that. If any of Pittsburgh, St.Louis, WAS, BOS or TB win it'd be mighty hard to argue they weren't deserving or legitimate.

I just hope we get our legs early on. And hopefully Jake can shake off the rust ASAP. As I mentioned previously the teams like BOS and Philly don't have the momentum anymore. Win or lose this scenario would seemingly favor a team like ours who at the time was struggling.

yeah, the biggest gripe people would have is that this removed half of the "grind" factor of surviving an NHL season. Which personally I'm cool with. If we win the mainboards will be saying Uncle Gary created the Crosby Virus to help us out

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Your obsession with someone as inconspicuous as Nick Bjugstad is bizarre and seems almost pathological

Are you like the one Nick Bjugstad fan in our fan base or something?

In any case, Nick is terrible and he is the outside man looking in (if healthy) and that isn't just because I despise his game, it's because when you are injured for that long, you haven't really built any chemistry with anyone and you're a detriment to the line-up, so he's a guy I would rank behind Rodrigues and Lafferty on the depth chart unless there was an injury to a center.

Even then, Lafferty and Rodrigues can play C and I would probably still use them over Nick.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Be curious to see some standings over the past few years of teams that started off the season insanely hot that weren't really good teams

Because that's what it's going to feel like: an early October game

So the Toronto Maple Leafs?

 

[ownal]

Be curious to see some standings over the past few years of teams that started off the season insanely hot that weren't really good teams

Because that's what it's going to feel like: an early October game

Sabres always start off hot.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Bjugstad should be a nice asset waiting in the wings to prove himself...

"There's no reason you shouldn't be out there Bugs, now have a seat, watch, and think about that!"

Give Bjugstad some time, he will best the Brent Sopel getting hurt picking up a cracker off the floor injury in his own stupid way.

@PenguinsPR - "Nick Bjugstad is cleared for contact and a game time decision to play in the line-up" 20mins ago

@PenguinsPR - "Nick Bjugstad re-injures sports hernia after eating a massive Qdoba burrito and trying to drop a deuce, will be out for 6 months." 5mins ago

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Sabres always start off hot.

Well, lately yeah. I remember that one year with Miller & crew where they were out and had an insanely hot run and made the playoffs. Or am I mistaking that season? When they had the perpetually injured Tim Connolly having a fantastic season as well. I think it was the year Maxim Afinogenov (my dream Pens winger for a long time, yeah we all have weird obsessions) had a huge season.

 

[Ryder71]

yeah, the biggest gripe people would have is that this removed half of the "grind" factor of surviving an NHL season. Which personally I'm cool with. If we win the mainboards will be saying Uncle Gary created the Crosby Virus to help us out

With Sid and Geno being in their mid 30's, avoiding a long tiring season should help them more than most superstars. Most every player should be helped I suppose, but the older guys in particular. I could be way off here but I truly believe this scenario is tailor made for us. A guy like Marleau should benefit quite a bit himself. And when you can add a player the caliber of Jake Guentzel, that really (in theory anyhow) gives us a heavy hand. We just have to hit the ground running. Two or three bad games early on and we're toast.

 

[66-30-33]

Well, lately yeah. I remember that one year with Miller & crew where they were out and had an insanely hot run and made the playoffs. Or am I mistaking that season? When they had the perpetually injured Tim Connolly having a fantastic season as well. I think it was the year Maxim Afinogenov (my dream Pens winger for a long time, yeah we all have weird obsessions) had a huge season.

With Briere and Drury? was it when Sens beat Pens and lost to Sabres in Crosbys first playoffs?

 

[Ogrezilla]

With Sid and Geno being in their mid 30's, avoiding a long tiring season should help them more than most superstars. Most every player should be helped I suppose, but the older guys in particular. I could be way off here but I truly believe this scenario is tailor made for us. A guy like Marleau should benefit quite a bit himself. And when you can add a player the caliber of Jake Guentzel, that really (in theory anyhow) gives us a heavy hand. We just have to hit the ground running. Two or three bad games early on and we're toast.

yeah, we're lucky to have it help us wait out some injuries for sure. Sadly, we all know they will be replaced by new ones, right?

 

[Gurglesons]

So sounds like if we lose to Montreal we are part of the lottery for the draft which is win / win.

 

[Ogrezilla]

So sounds like if we lose to Montreal we are part of the lottery for the draft which is win / win.

which would cause the bigger uproar, this format leading to a Pens Cup win or a Pens draft lotto win?

 

[Gurglesons]

which would cause the bigger uproar, this format leading to a Pens Cup win or a Pens draft lotto win?

Both.

 

[Hossa die Waldfee]

He's joking. It's his style.

I mean, Bjug is a total waste of a roster spot, but @Honour Over Glory is meming a bit

Well to each it's own I guess.
Riding a dead horse like this, is probably just not my kind of humor. With "Kunitz was there" I got the fun, but to get so stuck on someone as boring as Nick Bjugstad seems just weird.

 

[Ryder71]

So sounds like if we lose to Montreal we are part of the lottery for the draft which is win / win.

Exactly! Lose early or win it all.

 

[Ryder71]

yeah, we're lucky to have it help us wait out some injuries for sure. Sadly, we all know they will be replaced by new ones, right?

Let's hope not. The good news is, is that the war of attrition would be somewhat minimized.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

With Briere and Drury? was it when Sens beat Pens and lost to Sabres in Crosbys first playoffs?

I feel like that was the year? I think they had a bunch of injuries and were like hovering well below 8th place and then they went on some crazy streak. I might be remembering the year wrong.

 

[KIRK]

Bjugstad should be a nice asset waiting in the wings to prove himself...

"There's no reason you shouldn't be out there Bugs, now have a seat, watch, and think about that!"

Maybe they can show Vanilla Ice 2.0 some inspirational videos . . .

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

Is Vince Russo running the NHL? How the hell do write up a playoff system but leave out the the "best of" numbers all the through it?

That has to be a f***ing rib.

 

[KIRK]

I feel like that was the year? I think they had a bunch of injuries and were like hovering well below 8th place and then they went on some crazy streak. I might be remembering the year wrong.

Crosby's first playoffs was 2007. Ottawa beat the Pens in the first round, then the Sabres in the ECF, before losing to the Ducks in the finals.

 

[66-30-33]

Crosby's first playoffs was 2007. Ottawa beat the Pens in the first round, then the Sabres in the ECF, before losing to the Ducks in the finals.

Ah Sens won, thought Sabres won for some reason.

 

[HandshakeLine]

The Sabres never win anything, thank god.

 

[KIRK]

The Sabres never win anything, thank god.

It's a Buffalo thing.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

It's a Buffalo thing.

And knowing more about how the Pegula's have behaved during all of this pandemic stuff, I am happy to never see them win a damned thing while they own them.