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HCMS confirms Murray will be in the net for Game 6......glad to see he makes his own decisions and doesn't worry about what reporters (and some fans) think.

Oh, and Hornqvist is apparently attempting to convince reporters this afternoon that he indeed was purposely benched in Game 5 for poor play. Of course, since this Staff is already on record for throwing curve balls to the media, it's easy to envision that this as a bunch of BS.....especially since NHL'ers (and virtually all other pros) aren't usually so quick and willing to roll themselves under the bus. But it's their game and their rules, so I myself really don't care what they say to Elliotte Friedman and Pierre Lebrun.

Meanwhile, today's practice was said to be fairly eventful with experiments surrounding line combinations and defense pairings. Letang and Dumoulin were skating together; they apparently have not done so for an entire game all season. Additionally, Maatta reportedly was skating with the #2 PP unit and was not wearing the yellow no-contact sweater. However, it appears he's still being called a game-time decision. Back to Hornqvist, he was working with the #1 PP unit and nothing was said to look out of the ordinary. There was no word on anything surrounding the status of Pouliot and/or Schultz for Game 6

One final tidbit; both Rust and Sheary practiced today (something said to have "seldom" happened thus far during these playoffs).
 
COOL MAN said:
HCMS confirms Murray will be in the net for Game 6......glad to see he makes his own decisions and doesn't worry about what reporters (and some fans) think.

Oh, and Hornqvist is apparently attempting to convince reporters this afternoon that he indeed was purposely benched in Game 5 for poor play. Of course, since this Staff is already on record for throwing curve balls to the media, it's easy to envision that this as a bunch of BS.....especially since NHL'ers (and virtually all other pros) aren't usually so quick and willing to roll themselves under the bus. But it's their game and their rules, so I myself really don't care what they say to Elliotte Friedman and Pierre Lebrun.

Meanwhile, today's practice was said to be fairly eventful with experiments surrounding line combinations and defense pairings. Letang and Dumoulin were skating together; they apparently have not done so for an entire game all season. Additionally, Maatta reportedly was skating with the #2 PP unit and was not wearing the yellow no-contact sweater. However, it appears he's still being called a game-time decision. Back to Hornqvist, he was working with the #1 PP unit and nothing was said to look out of the ordinary. There was no word on anything surrounding the status of Pouliot and/or Schultz for Game 6

One final tidbit; both Rust and Sheary practiced today (something said to have "seldom" happened thus far during these playoffs).
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Speaking of Schultz....anyone else wish/think that if that puck were on Sid,Geno, or Phil's stick last game it would have without a doubt hit twine? He held it just a split second too long there....oh well...time to live in the present I suppose. To say tonight is huge would not be an overstatement imo....bury these guys right quick Pens! No desire to experience a game 7 in the lion's den thanks....
 
And in listening to both the SN and TSN lunchtime shows....every single talking head on the panels says you start MM except...Craig Button lmao! Weren't you a GM waaay back Craig???
They lose tonight (ugh) , and the Craps then truly have all the momentum ....however if you're the Pens you have a potential ace in the hole to combat that tide in game 7...stay the course...
 
Another thing...I've been thinking (been thinking a lot lol leading up to this important game lol)...From my eyes anyway the time is NOW for the Pens...The Craps are a formidable force that as we've seen in 3 games thus far can be beaten...
Do any of the western teams scare you guys? Cause looking at the remaining 4, they have all choked it up before, and 2 of them are perennial playoff underacheivers of epic proportion...the juggernauts (Chi,LA,Anaheim) are gone...when will that happen again? Dallas plays fast and LOOSE, with D almost non-existent, The Preds have a more than capable backend, but their O still does not impress me...
Should the Pens get by the Craps the team that would actually concern me most is The 'Stamkos-less' Bolts...Haven't played them well all year and their D looks incredibly solid....

Get it done tonight lads so we can all look forward to analyzing that matchup...

Let's Go Pens!!!!!
 
Look at Cullen out there letting it dangle! Atta boy 'old' man!....

The refs are letting em play...and what could be better than that! Quick pace suits me just fine!
 
Hrudey had a good point at intermission...on Kessels 2nd, Holtby guessed that Kessel would shoot (9 times of ten this would be the case), gambled/hedged and failed...it was a brilliant play by #81....hold this coming onslaught boys and pot one more to salt it away!!!!
 
AO only got by with 20 or 30 slashes before they finally whistled him for one.
 
I'm not gonna mince words...this is is load of F'n SHIT! 3 in in row and then the call against Letang? It was a CLEAN CHECK! With 2 mins left they call this?!? Livid....just livid here tonight! Who was the ref that called that bullshit?!? I want his name!!!!!!!
:middlefinger:
 
Better send Oshie to the locker room too...make it look real legit! Man o man.....

And the interference claim is BS, the puck was right there...borderline at best, with 2 1/2 mins left????
 
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Just what has gotten into Mr Bonino anyway? When it matters this fella comes to play!!! Great play by Cole to bring the puck close to the net too as opposed to firing it round the boards, and Hags firing it over to the waiting Bonino....
Sid and Geno off the board for the most part this series but imo played a sound game both of them, keeping the play alive at numerous junctures...their time will come....Murray looked pretty good, the D largely bottled up #8 most of the game (where the hell was Kusnetsov btw lol), and #81? Well now I can officially say to the Leafs....Thanks fella's!!!!! Lmao....Bring on the Bolts indeed....a tough as nails D that the Pens need to crack...
 
FINALLY !!!!!

Hey from Greenville SC......

Was traveling all afternoon, and was stuck in (of all places) DCA delayed for 4 hours trying to get to GSP. For the record, I only saw one Craps sweater the entire time I was there. Anyway, by the time we finally departed DCA after 830PM, Pens were up 1-0......and by the time we landed at GSP at 940PM, it was 3-0. But just before I left the airport on the way to the hotel, the Craps got that late 2nd PP....and it was 3-1 after two when I made the hotel.

So, it's my fault......once I finally turned on the TV (thanks for having NBCSN, Home2 Suites in Greenville) at the beginning of the 3rd period......that's when things crashed and burned. The goal that really bothered me was the brain cramp by the Pens defense leaving Justin Williams wide open at the slot (where he beat MM clean) for the 2nd goal. I immediately thought why don't the Craps ever make those kind of defensive mistakes in coverage down low.

But given how awfully the 3rd period went for the Pens, you have to give them credit for really taking the play to the Craps in OT. Much better legs, much better opportunities, and after that incredible Holtby save on Hagelin, a wide open Nicky B finishes it on......wait for it.....a Craps defensive mistake down low.

This is obviously an incredible series win for the Pens; speaking only for myself, I think the Craps are man-for-man a better overall team from top to bottom....IMO, they cruised to the Presidents' pretty damned honestly.......and I was convinced the Pens would eventually get physically overwhelmed (as had begun to happen).

But they skated like hell......and in conjunction with MM's goaltending (who I honestly think lost a decent percentage of his sharpness as the series progressed, though maybe he played better tonight than I recognize)......they simply found a way. No question, a lot of guts in the Pens locker room, especially after how everything went against them tonight in that 3rd.

Before I shut it down for the night, does anyone share my suspicion that the main reason Sid did so (comparatively) little in the series is because he's simply got nothing left.....and is playing dead on his skates.....after leading this team virtually every single night since the ASG ??
 
I haven't posted about the Pens since attending game 5 in DC. Due to my negative impressions of the Pens effort the atrocious officiating (and the fact that it cost me $500 all inclusive for nose bleed tickets) that I just stayed away. Just a few thoughts from last night.
1) I thought Murray was really sharp...except for OT. He laid a golden rebound out there once and another shot tipped off his glove wide. However, he surely earned the start in game 1 this weekend.
2) The CEC crowd was damn impressive
3) Phil Kessell, Nick Bonino, and Karl Hagelin were gold the entire series but especially last night.
4) I thought the first Kunitz penalty was lazy. The second defied logic. There was no need to rush that puck. He had time and space to make a safe clear. If he doesn't dress against Tampa, it won't bother me. Of course, there is nobody to replace him with.
5) Is Sulley turning Crosby into Bob Gainey? What's up with the lack of ANY production on the offensive end. He can't even make the PP go. Same for Geno. They maybe can beat Tampa with no production from those two. They won't beat the Western Champ.
6) I didn't see the Pens winning that game after the Beagle save. I was cursing Horny until the replay. Just a tremendous play. I was sure it would turn the momentum.
7) Give the PK guys all the credit for the win. To survive 4 PPs in the last 10 minutes including 2 5-on-3s is unreal
8) I thought Maatta had his best game of the playoffs. Only 1 bad turnover but sound otherwise. That is a good sign
 
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Original Mountaineer1 said:
I haven't posted about the Pens since attending game 5 in DC. Due to my negative impressions of the Pens effort the atrocious officiating (and the fact that it cost me $500 all inclusive for nose bleed tickets) that I just stayed away. Just a few thoughts from last night.
1) I thought Murray was really sharp...except for OT. He laid a golden rebound out there once and another shot tipped off his glove wide. However, he surely earned the start in game 1 this weekend.
2) The CEC crowd was damn impressive
3) Phil Kessell, Nick Bonino, and Karl Hagelin were gold the entire series but especially last night.
4) I thought the first Kunitz penalty was lazy. The second defied logic. There was no need to rush that puck. He had time and space to make a safe clear. If he doesn't dress against Tampa, it won't bother me. Of course, there is nobody to replace him with.
5) Is Sulley turning Crosby into Bob Gainey? What's up with the lack of ANY production on the offensive end. He can't even make the PP go. Same for Geno. They maybe can beat Tampa with no production from those two. They won't beat the Western Champ.
6) I didn't see the Pens winning that game after the Beagle save. I was cursing Horny until the replay. Just a tremendous play. I was sure it would turn the momentum.
7) Give the PK guys all the credit for the win. To survive 4 PPs in the last 10 minutes including 2 5-on-3s is unreal
8) I thought Maatta had his best game of the playoffs. Only 1 bad turnover but sound otherwise. That is a good sign
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Very happy to hear you made it out to a game OM1! Atmosphere must have been pretty intense....how do the Craps fans compare to others? I know one thing that drove me apoplectic was the inordinate number of morons standing up and bangin on the glass, likely yelling obscenities the Pens way...not sure I have ever seen that brand of idiocy so much!
To be honest I view the Bolts as the more significant challenge, based on the Pens lack of results vs them this year, they play a highly speed oriented game, have one hell of a D corps and they have an X Factor between the pipes in Bishop. None of the netminders in the West scare me a lick...exception MAYBE Reine when he's on his game...Elliott, Lehtonen? Not a chance...and a great goalie is like gold in the playoffs. Make it past the Bolts and imo the teams remaining dont put fear into me like the usual suspects LA/CHI/Anaheim would....I am awfully curious to see if Stammer makes it back during this series to add another element of intrigue!
 
torontoeers said:
Very happy to hear you made it out to a game OM1! Atmosphere must have been pretty intense....how do the Craps fans compare to others? I know one thing that drove me apoplectic was the inordinate number of morons standing up and bangin on the glass, likely yelling obscenities the Pens way...not sure I have ever seen that brand of idiocy so much!
To be honest I view the Bolts as the more significant challenge, based on the Pens lack of results vs them this year, they play a highly speed oriented game, have one hell of a D corps and they have an X Factor between the pipes in Bishop. None of the netminders in the West scare me a lick...exception MAYBE Reine when he's on his game...Elliott, Lehtonen? Not a chance...and a great goalie is like gold in the playoffs. Make it past the Bolts and imo the teams remaining dont put fear into me like the usual suspects LA/CHI/Anaheim would....I am awfully curious to see if Stammer makes it back during this series to add another element of intrigue!
Click to expand...

The capitals crowd today is very different from the crowds I remember from the 80s and 90s. Almost like the Penguin (and maybe even WVU fans) fans today. The more blue collar, passionate fans have been replaced by the more corporate crowds. The family behind me were wearing caps jerseys and I don't they ever cheered, screamed, hollered. Good many Pens fans in the upper deck. Not sure if you ever went to a game in the old Capital Center but that place would get loud. Verizon center not so much.

Turned the game on tonight to see the Stars down 3....just got their asses whipped. I didn't expect that. My brother lives and breathes hockey and he agrees with you about Tampa. I think the Pens can play with them but Bishop scares me. I don't expect the Pens to get off to a good start after the emotional game last night. But maybe they can hang around long enough at home to get their focus and take the game. Got to get some production from 87 and 71 to win this series I suspect
 
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One thing I heard on my am radio show today that made me LMAO....'Ray Bourque brought the Cup back to Boston after he won....what if Phil Kessel brings it back to Toronto? He could rent a float and parade it up and down Yonge St, offering free hot dogs and Coke! How would that go over?'....I almost drove off the road I was laughing so hard...

Personally I'd love to see him take the Conn Smythe to add salt to the wound...oh please let it happen LOL...

Yikes...did the Stars fold up like a cheap suit last night or what! And think there's just a bit of pressure on SJ tonight or what? Been here and failed and failed and failed some more.....
 
torontoeers said:
One thing I heard on my am radio show today that made me LMAO....'Ray Bourque brought the Cup back to Boston after he won....what if Phil Kessel brings it back to Toronto? He could rent a float and parade it up and down Yonge St, offering free hot dogs and Coke! How would that go over?'....I almost drove off the road I was laughing so hard...

Personally I'd love to see him take the Conn Smythe to add salt to the wound...oh please let it happen LOL...

Yikes...did the Stars fold up like a cheap suit last night or what! And think there's just a bit of pressure on SJ tonight or what? Been here and failed and failed and failed some more.....
Click to expand...

About the hot dogs and coke......I am watching game 6 and Kessell scores his second of the game. The camera shows him. The wife looks at me and says "who is that fat guy?" I about choked on my pretzels. Did you happen the catch the CBC Punjabi replays of the Pens goals....the Indian announcer is yelling Phil the Thrill after one of his goals. I couldn't understand anything else but that came through loud and clear. Heck I will take Phil winning the Conn Smythe any year he wears the Pens sweater.

I turned the game off last night after 1 and put the Pirates on. What a downer for Stars (and hockey) fans as I thought it was going to be a good one.

Man, I miss Toronto. I had a chance to move there after RBC sold off its US operation in 2012. I wanted to go but the wife is a Physical Therapist here and it would have meant she had to go back to school in Ontario for a year and then retake her boards.....that wasn't going to happen! There is an establishment on Yonge where I spent far too much of my RBC per diem over a 5 yr period!
 
Original Mountaineer1 said:
The capitals crowd today is very different from the crowds I remember from the 80s and 90s. Almost like the Penguin (and maybe even WVU fans) fans today. The more blue collar, passionate fans have been replaced by the more corporate crowds. The family behind me were wearing caps jerseys and I don't they ever cheered, screamed, hollered. Good many Pens fans in the upper deck. Not sure if you ever went to a game in the old Capital Center but that place would get loud. Verizon center not so much.

Turned the game on tonight to see the Stars down 3....just got their asses whipped. I didn't expect that. My brother lives and breathes hockey and he agrees with you about Tampa. I think the Pens can play with them but Bishop scares me. I don't expect the Pens to get off to a good start after the emotional game last night. But maybe they can hang around long enough at home to get their focus and take the game. Got to get some production from 87 and 71 to win this series I suspect
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I have the same concern OM about a possible letdown after polishing off the Craps. I hope they prove us wrong.
 
Original Mountaineer1 said:
About the hot dogs and coke......I am watching game 6 and Kessell scores his second of the game. The camera shows him. The wife looks at me and says "who is that fat guy?" I about choked on my pretzels. Did you happen the catch the CBC Punjabi replays of the Pens goals....the Indian announcer is yelling Phil the Thrill after one of his goals. I couldn't understand anything else but that came through loud and clear. Heck I will take Phil winning the Conn Smythe any year he wears the Pens sweater.

I turned the game off last night after 1 and put the Pirates on. What a downer for Stars (and hockey) fans as I thought it was going to be a good one.

Man, I miss Toronto. I had a chance to move there after RBC sold off its US operation in 2012. I wanted to go but the wife is a Physical Therapist here and it would have meant she had to go back to school in Ontario for a year and then retake her boards.....that wasn't going to happen! There is an establishment on Yonge where I spent far too much of my RBC per diem over a 5 yr period!
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LMAO! I know the place!....well we'd still love to have you back...the more Pens fans here the better!!!....and isn't that something the Punjabi crew on HNIC...I love it...apparently the both of them are quite famous/beloved within the Punjabi community. I wish I heard that call!!!
 
Playoffs are 4-round proposition no matter who you beat in the 2nd round (or 1st or 3rd). If they end up losing to the Lightning, I just hope TBL beats them honestly. But if they don't play well and lose quickly.....indicating a letdown.....they have nobody to blame but the faces in the mirror.
 
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Original Mountaineer1 said:
I turned the game off last night after 1 and put the Pirates on. What a downer for Stars (and hockey) fans as I thought it was going to be a good one
Click to expand...

Man, did Dallas get their asses smacked last night or what.....did you realize they lost 3 of their 4 home games in the series (and all in a row, Games 2, 5, & 7) ??

Stars goaltending was getting justifiably roasted earlier today on NHLN Radio. I have a feeling one of their rumored off-season solutions......though they don't have the cap space without finding someone to take Lehtonen or Niemi, or both, off their hands.....will be Flower. That said, I think the early money is on Calgary as MAF's most likely off-season suitor.
 
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COOL MAN said:
Man, did Dallas get their asses smacked last night or what.....did you realize they lost 3 of their 4 home games in the series (and all in a row, Games 2, 5, & 7) ??

Stars goaltending was getting justifiably roasted earlier today on NHLN Radio. I have a feeling one of their rumored off-season solutions......though they don't have the cap space without finding someone to take Lehtonen or Niemi, or both, off their hands.....will be Flower. That said, I think the early money is on Calgary as MAF's most likely off-season suitor.
Click to expand...
Interesting. ...I like Flower and most of his quirks lol...but realize business is just that...his contract is fairly reasonable all things considered, what do you think we can get for him CM? A first or early second amongst other pieces shifting and a bit of $ coming back? This one will be interesting to watch and is literally unfolding day by day in front of our eyes...Dallas is essentially in a win NOW mode while maybe not to some but The Flames IMO are a year or 2 away...I could see him being a VERY good fit in The Lone Star State... that mess they have between the pipes needs to compensate for their D and does a pathetic job of it...No Seguin hurt but to be waxed 6-1 at home by a team that has had it's own playoff druthers over the last year or 2 is just awful imo....
 
torontoeers said:
Interesting. ...I like Flower and most of his quirks lol...but realize business is just that...his contract is fairly reasonable all things considered, what do you think we can get for him CM? A first or early second amongst other pieces shifting and a bit of $ coming back? This one will be interesting to watch and is literally unfolding day by day in front of our eyes...Dallas is essentially in a win NOW mode while maybe not to some but The Flames IMO are a year or 2 away...I could see him being a VERY good fit in The Lone Star State... that mess they have between the pipes needs to compensate for their D and does a pathetic job of it...No Seguin hurt but to be waxed 6-1 at home by a team that has had it's own playoff druthers over the last year or 2 is just awful imo....
Click to expand...

I've been thinking about that.......

As a legitimate first-line goaltender with a manageable (if not exactly cheap) AAV with a reasonable (for a 31 year old) 3-year remaining term, you have to think the Pens will have their eyes on a #1 pick.....which (unlike teams like Pittsburgh and the NYR) are typically pretty tough to pry away from most franchises these days. My uneduated guess is the geometry of a deal like this would be something like Flower and a #3 (or perhaps a #2) to Calgary for their #1 and #2 (and perhaps a third pick if the Pens move their #2). At least the Pens wouldn't have to keep any of MAF's salary in a deal with a team like Calgary.

Dallas is stuck until and unless they clear their own deck of Niemi or (preferably) Lehtonen. Both are signed for 2 more years; Lehtonen at a $5.9 million AAV, and Niemi at a $4 million AAV. I think they're going to have trouble moving either with those kinds of cap hits, and that leaves them wanting for a guy like Flower. Speaking of the Stars, I read the following interesting piece from THN proposing the Stars chase Henrik Lundquist.

http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/t...vist-this-summer-heres-how-to-make-it-happen/

I admit I found the piece somewhat thought-provoking, if far-fetched in the extreme.
 
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