Pens -- JAN 2017

[COOL MAN]

With the bye week coming to a close, time to re-focus again on the season. And Game 1 is versus a Tampa team coming to town after what I assume will be a not-so-fun game tomorrow against the Cryers, who are desperate to maintain shouting distance with the Metro teams ahead of them.

Lightning can't seem to establish any real momentum, though I assume Johnny Drouin can't wait to come to Pittsburgh. They're 4-4-2 in their last 10, and got shellacked at home 6-1 last night by Nashville. With Vasilevskiy having given up 5 goals on 18 shots, I assume that means Bishop will get the start in Philly; not sure what that means for Sunday in Pittsburgh.

In the next 2 weeks, Pens have the Craps twice in 5 days, then the rematch with Montreal a week from next Wednesday; I'm just glad that game's not on a Saturday night. Moving on with the schedule, they have an interesting back-to-back in mid-February; WED 2/14 versus always big (and who therefore always gives them trouble) Winnipeg in Pittsburgh, then the next night in Columbus.

 

[COOL MAN]

Who else but Drouin to break the scoreless tie......1-0 TBL.

 

[COOL MAN]

Sheary knocks in the leaker thru Vasilevskiy off Rusty's shot up the slot......1-1

 

[Euell]

Sheary knocks in the leaker thru Vasilevskiy off Rusty's shot up the slot......1-1

Pens looking pretty solid through two. They need to stay out of the penalty box in the third. Kunitz with two minors for slashing and Oleksy got by with a high stick.

 

[Euell]

Beautiful goal by Wilson! TB can forget about it!

 

[COOL MAN]

The 5th goal was a very nice effort by Sid to gain possession in the dirty zone to feed an open Kessel at the corner of the TBL goal. Lots of guys would have just tried to jam it in, with no real chance to score given the traffic.

Just proves he's not looking solely at the goal when he gets the puck these days.

 

[COOL MAN]

Pens definitely have the Lightning's number these days......nice 6-2 ass-kicking tonight.

 

[torontoeers]

Pens definitely have the Lightning's number these days......nice 6-2 ass-kicking tonight.

I did not see all of this one but am overjoyed at the result! Tuned in till bout halfway through the second...

So....Chris Johnson (whose opinion I usually respect), was on local radio today basically felating all over the Leaves and Jake Gardiner of all players? Huh? Anyway they currently sit positioned in a playoff spot although down the stretch it is entirely possible in fact imo probable they miss...however if not and they squeak in? This fella right here would relish any and all opportunity to punch them square in the jaw, kick em in the teeth, and sock em right in the balls! There is offensive talent there but nary a D man with a pulse...the good guys should beat them like a piñata if that matchup came to fruition.
Not sure if you heard the notion that Leaves management in their infinite wisdom may be considering withholding Matthews from all star festivities? What a shame that would be, and it honestly would not surprise me...especially with the way they hold these young fellas under cloak and dagger! You will never see a mid game interview with any of them...
Speaking of Johnson he was also felating over #8's tying of the Richard goal mark quite a bit too (although Ovi himself in post game seemed to have little interest or much to say at all), and was waxing on about the Ovi/Sid angle in the upcoming game? 'Wouldn't it be something if he gets his 1000th point and beat the record while Sid is in the building or on the ice?' WTF? Newsflash Chris! Sid absolutely OWNS #8's sorry and red chafed ass now! It's official! Why some of these bozos bloviate on about this supposed competition is honestly beyond my understanding and patience quite honestly.
Beat the Craps any way possible and move along gents...

 

[COOL MAN]

After slamming the door on the CBJ's win streak......then going into Montreal last night and ripping the Canadiens.....the Craps should be feeling good about themselves coming into tomorrow night hosting the Pens.

Even though Murray has returned to skating, I'm sure Flower will get the start; at least he knows how to beat Washington (and regrettably, how to lose to them as well). Pens should be out for some measure of revenge after the ass-kicking they took by the Craps back in mid-November.....and better yet (aside MM) they're fairly healthy.

Speaking of health.....going into last night's game at Montreal.....the Craps had a grand total of 10 man-games-lost (MGL) to injury thus far in 2016/17. Not surprisingly, that's 30th in the League....the higher the ranking, the better...... and borderline unbelievable.

The rest of the Metro is also doing pretty well in its own right from an injury standpoint; CBJ is 26th (74 MGL), the Pens 24th (79 MGL), Carolina 22nd (84 MGL), NYR 19th (102 MGL), NYI 15th (at 112 MGL), NJD 14th (114 MGL), and Philly 12th (126 MGL). Still not even at the season's halfway point, but nice to see the Pens high in these ratings for once.

For point of comparison, #29 in the League is San Jose (at 42 MGL) while #1 in the League is Detroit (274 MGL....almost 50 games ahead of #2 Edmonton)

 

[Euell]

Ugh! That didn't take long!

 

[torontoeers]

Can somebody explain to me just wtf they were doing in that entire 15th minute? It looked like a Craps 2 man advantage...GSUS wake up boys!!!

 

[COOL MAN]

Pretty ugly thus far; SOG not withstanding. Craps are moving faster, making more plays, and seem to have most of the Pens' skating lanes clogged up......and that's before Holtby's spotless play. Flower playing pretty well, but Ovechkin flat overwhelmed him on both goals. Also, have the Pens won a faceoff this entire game ?? They're getting absolutely dominated from that standpoint.

Meanwhile, anyone seen Sid tonight ?? And, I've only caught the occasional glimpse of Geno, Kessel, and Letang. Craps just seem to want it worse tonight.
.

 

[COOL MAN]

Oh, I finally saw Geno; he was out taking a skate when Kuznetsov was circling the Pens defense before setting up Williams for the 3rd Craps goal.

Getting worried this might end up a 5-0 game :weary:

 

[Euell]

Looked like they might make a game of it for a little time in the 3rd, but Caps too much for them-again.

 

[COOL MAN]

Morning reviews of last night among the Pens beat are more positive than I frankly think they should be. They seem to be generally based in the "it was better than the last time they were in Washington" which is a pretty weak take in my estimation.

I also read just a little too much about the shorthanded post Cullen hit after they'd made the game 3-1. Drawing iron obviously happens to everyone, and (using the old Stan Fischer adage) there's never been a post hit that's resulted in a goal. About the only one who seemed to acknowledge the extent to which they were outskated was Geno.

I myself am getting a bit concerned about how badly (thus far, at least) they're getting outplayed by the top of the Metro. In 4 games (I believe) against the Craps and Blow Jackets, they have two ass-kicked losses......one more conventional (but still fairly legitimate) loss, and one OT win. Granted, the 3 losses were all on the road, but you still need to win road games in the playoffs.

One more thing; I commented last night how badly they were dominated on face offs. As it turns out, Sid was an embarrassing 6 for 19......and I read this morning he's at 48% for the season. THOSE kinds of stats are a problem no matter who they play.

 

[torontoeers]

Morning reviews of last night among the Pens beat are more positive than I frankly think they should be. They seem to be generally based in the "it was better than the last time they were in Washington" which is a pretty weak take in my estimation.

I also read just a little too much about the shorthanded post Cullen hit after they'd made the game 3-1. Drawing iron obviously happens to everyone, and (using the old Stan Fischer adage) there's never been a post hit that's resulted in a goal. About the only one who seemed to acknowledge the extent to which they were outskated was Geno.

I myself am getting a bit concerned about how badly (thus far, at least) they're getting outplayed by the top of the Metro. In 4 games (I believe) against the Craps and Blow Jackets, they have two ass-kicked losses......one more conventional (but still fairly legitimate) loss, and one OT win. Granted, the 3 losses were all on the road, but you still need to win road games in the playoffs.

One more thing; I commented last night how badly they were dominated on face offs. As it turns out, Sid was an embarrassing 6 for 19......and I read this morning he's at 48% for the season. THOSE kinds of stats are a problem no matter who they play.

Wow...he is significantly off his usual dominance there! I shut it off for a bit at 2-0...I guess I could sense the writing on the wall. I did hear they played a bit better after that point and the same narrative you did about Cullen hitting iron? Really? Is this where we're headed now? He hit the post...it counts for nothing!

Side note...watched my 4th episode of 'The Night Manager' last night (in laws bought us the BluRay set), if you haven't seen it ,highly recommended! Some very good acting and storyline is so far so good...

 

[Euell]

5 1/2 minutes in and the Pens are down a goal. Need to stay out of the flippin' penalty box!

 

[torontoeers]

So...I didn't make it to Ottawa. :weary:....doggie issues...long healing time for this boy, but he is a fighter! Let's hope our Pens have that same fight tonight after arriving at 3 am apparently. Nice to see MM back , and hopefully he can hold the fort. He's likely the freshest body on the ice this eve...
These Sens play awfully close to the vest...and I do mean awful, to the point of boredom. And as I was about to comment on the Ryan scenario? He f'n scores...GSUS. I will quit while we're behind. Where is the Angry emoticon when you need it?

 

[torontoeers]

5 1/2 minutes in and the Pens are down a goal. Need to stay out of the flippin' penalty box!

Well said....damnit!

 

[torontoeers]

Cmon guys! This is ridiculous! I don't care how tired you are! Damn good thing I didn't pay to watch this crap!

 

[torontoeers]

For F sakes?!? Where in the hell is the D??? AND the O? Stick infractions everywhere ....BTW what feed do you guys have , Root? I have TSN and the audio sounds like they are on the bloody moon! Terrible....ah hell I don't wanna listen anyway. This keeps up and maybe i'll watch 2 hours of The Night Manager...

 

[torontoeers]

And on a night like tonight of all things Cuthbert and McLennan (whom I actually quite like both), are going out of their way to praise the Pens...when I can actually hear them that is...now how often does that happen amongst some of the other lug head play by play / colour guys in the league ?.......and another infraction! Surely they are dog tired by the way they are exhibiting this behavior?

 

[torontoeers]

Cmon Sid! That's your man in front! .....Let's all hope this is a relatively minor blip on the radar...losing touch with the front runners can and is happening quick....
And Wilson off the crossbar...hopefully they won't harp on about that in the post game presser...

 

[torontoeers]

Malkin!....life?

 

[Euell]

Kind of glad I dozed off. I guess there is a benefit to old age! Glad you didn't waste your $ "T." Sort of how I felt after not making the trip to Orlando for bowl game.

 

[COOL MAN]

Well, it's only taken the Hockey Writers 24 hours to write the inevitable "Are the Penguins in trouble" piece. No surprise, I guess, since we all know 3/4 of NHL fans in Canada hates the Pens. However, I suppose I agree it'd behoove them to break this short losing streak tonight in Detroit with the Craps coming back to Pittsburgh on Monday night (and then the visit to Montreal).

 

[torontoeers]

Well, it's only taken the Hockey Writers 24 hours to write the inevitable "Are the Penguins in trouble" piece. No surprise, I guess, since we all know 3/4 of NHL fans in Canada hates the Pens. However, I suppose I agree it'd behoove them to break this short losing streak tonight in Detroit with the Craps coming back to Pittsburgh on Monday night (and then the visit to Montreal).

I'm not sure I agree on the fan aspect CM. Media up here 100% yes. I would say many are indifferent or hope for Sid to an extent...maybe 50% lol. I would wager my mortgage that the Bruins are the most hated of late...mention the B's and you tend to get a pretty damned contorted face looking back at ya combined with an F Them!.....Not sure if it has more to do with recent Boston success on the whole or just a general hatred for the team. The media here as we know will skewer the Pens whenever they have the chance. Exception being Doug MacLean, he always seems to have some love for the team whenever he's chatting em up...likely why he is one of my faves lol. I also find him fairly amusing when he's on the morning shows etc...plus imo he knows his stuff.
Anyway...you got it ...need a win. Don't need this to turn into anew extended streak. Last game vs the Wings they looked pretty good as I recall, let's hope they can recapture that...
Off to the neighbour's so no game for me! :cry:...I will check you fellas and the Pens site updates. Let's go!!!

 

[COOL MAN]

I'm not sure I agree on the fan aspect CM. Media up here 100% yes. I would say many are indifferent or hope for Sid to an extent...maybe 50% lol. I would wager my mortgage that the Bruins are the most hated of late...mention the B's and you tend to get a pretty damned contorted face looking back at ya combined with an F Them!.....Not sure if it has more to do with recent Boston success on the whole or just a general hatred for the team. The media here as we know will skewer the Pens whenever they have the chance. Exception being Doug MacLean, he always seems to have some love for the team whenever he's chatting em up...likely why he is one of my faves lol. I also find him fairly amusing when he's on the morning shows etc...plus imo he knows his stuff.
Anyway...you got it ...need a win. Don't need this to turn into anew extended streak. Last game vs the Wings they looked pretty good as I recall, let's hope they can recapture that...
Off to the neighbour's so no game for me! :cry:...I will check you fellas and the Pens site updates. Let's go!!!

I'm in no position to say you're wrong about Crosby and fans (rather than the media) North of the border, but I think I'll stand by my comment. Still, there's no doubt the fans and media ARE obviously different groups.

Anyway, Tanger rips a seeing eye laser in the opening minute for an early lead, but leaves the ice shortly afterward after a Vanek can-opener. Has the initial look of an injury which could cost him a number of games. Meanwhile, Wings are the much better team early.

Worst part of this game is being stuck with the Wings broadcast on Center Ice, and having to deal with that whiny old fossil, Mickey Redmond. He's monumental pain in the ass if you're not pulling for Detroit.

 

[COOL MAN]

Geno cashes in from Hags on the Detroit turnover......2-0 Pens. To my eyes, the ice at JLA is miserable tonight. Pens having tons of trouble connecting on passes.

 

[COOL MAN]

Nyquist through Schultz......who has NOT had a good game tonight......and the Wings are on the board.

 

[COOL MAN]

Another of Fleury's patented shitty clearing attempts, and his resulting flopping around on the ice leads eventually to Tommy Vanek's game tying goal.

 

[COOL MAN]

On their 4th PP of the 2nd period, a Kessel shot lands at Cullen's skate in the slot......and in trying to make a clearing attempt, Jonny Ericsson knocks it through his own goaltender. Then a minute later, that POS Mike Green throws a perfect pass down on the doorstep to Franz Neilson who finishes and ties it up 3-3 in the last minute of the 2nd. :weary:

 

[COOL MAN]

On an end to end rush, Athanasiou leaves Schultz flat-footed and beats Flower to give the Wings their first lead at 1:48 of the 3rd.

 

[COOL MAN]

Pens lose the tying goal on a goaltender interference call; not a horrible call in my estimation, but I thought it was weak......especially when that hack Abdelkater (who was ruled to have been pushed into his own goaltender by Malkin) was the beneficiary.

 

[Euell]

5-3 deficit with 8 minutes left will be difficult to overcome.

 

[COOL MAN]

Pens kill off the first half of a 5 on 3; then after Flower can't freeze the puck on a goal mouth scramble, Wings score with 2 seconds left on the 5 on 4. Now 5-3 Wings; and as much as I dislike the Wings, they deserve this lead.

 

[Euell]

Make that 6-3 with 6:46 left. Goodnight!

 

[COOL MAN]

Pens collapsing, now 6-3 Detroit.......thank Gawd the Mountaineers held on this afternoon, or I'd have trouble sleeping tonight.

 

[torontoeers]

Thanks gents for the unfortunate breakdown...sounds as though it's the same epidemic over the last 3 based on what you said....no jump whatsoever. If they are tired I understand somewhat, it is dog days....but dog days come up and bite you in the ass eventually.

 

[COOL MAN]

Thanks gents for the unfortunate breakdown...sounds as though it's the same epidemic over the last 3 based on what you said....no jump whatsoever. If they are tired I understand somewhat, it is dog days....but dog days come up and bite you in the ass eventually.

Granted, last night WAS their 4th game in 6 days......but after a week on the beach (and we still haven't reached the ASG yet), I myself am less inclined to give them the "dog days" benefit of the doubt quite yet.

I've been complaining most of the week about Sid's almost complete and total no-show since his vacation, and Kessel frankly hasn't been much better. But far worse, it appears as though they're going to have to deal with another extended stretch without Tanger. And I'm concerned that Schultzie's nice run may finally have come crashing to earth; he didn't just have an off night, he flat stunk last night.

Of course, the Craps have crept their way back toward the top of the finally slumping Metro; Pens could easily find themselves solidly in 4th by midweek. About the ONLY positive thing right now is there's still almost a full half-season left to turn things back around. And I agree with the comment Scott Gomez made on NHLN last night when he said the President's Trophy probably has littple meaning to them.

But no matter what happens tomorrow night when the Craps come to town.....and I admit I'm not very confident...... I myself feel as though they need to OFFICIALLY recognize they have a problem beating anyone (let alone teams like Washington or Columbus) on the road. Not sure what specific direction he'll be looking, but there's little doubt in my mind that GMJR will REALLY be engaging in the trade market this week.