Better players will do a better job of reading the play. Better players are also better skaters.

Diving around to block shots is a last resort that is usually the result of either a bad read or physical inability to keep up.

Being able to read the play and physically accomplish the tasks at hand won't lead to shot blocks, they will already be in the shooting lane leaving the offensive player to defer to the perimeter.
- Ryan_Wilson

You shouldve just posted the video of SCF Game 4 2009. Malkin single-handedly created 2 or 3 shorthanded oddman breaks by attacking the points.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfvTLPjzq9M

Teams PP's would take a more cautious approach with Sid or Geno out there killing penalties.

Also one of the single most tide turning plays in a hockey game is a short handed goal. Under Blysma the Penguins rarely had them (almost non existent after Staal was traded).

New era of Penguins hockey, Let the best players play in every situation.

Kopitar, Bergeron, Toews, Hossa etc are all excellent penalty killers.

Teams PP's would take a more cautious approach with Sid or Geno out there killing penalties.

Also one of the single most tide turning plays in a hockey game is a short handed goal. Under Blysma the Penguins rarely had them (almost non existent after Staal was traded).

New era of Penguins hockey, Let the best players play in every situation.

Kopitar, Bergeron, Toews, Hossa etc are all excellent penalty killers.
- Sell My Monkey

Different centers with different play styles. Crosby would excel in the PK because he excels at everything. Not sure he would grow into an elite PKer, but he'd be well above average. I can't see Malkin being a good PKer at all. He is nothing like Anze or Toews. Geno should stick to Geno things, which is being awesome and Russian and lethal on the attack. Defense? Not so much.

I don't want Sid or Geno out there on every PK, but if you can slip one of them on like 45 seconds in and catch a tired first unit, I'm all for it. Or Sid on a neutral zone face off... Maybe get control and get a rush out of it.

Different centers with different play styles. Crosby would excel in the PK because he excels at everything. Not sure he would grow into an elite PKer, but he'd be well above average. I can't see Malkin being a good PKer at all. He is nothing like Anze or Toews. Geno should stick to Geno things, which is being awesome and Russian and lethal on the attack. Defense? Not so much.
- Victoro311

When Geno is engaged, he's a great puck thief, and can win any board battle. That combined with his ability to read the play would make him a good PKer if used on the right situations.

When Geno is engaged, he's a great puck thief, and can win any board battle. That combined with his ability to read the play would make him a good PKer if used on the right situations.
- rival22

Yeah but lets be real. How often is Geno engaged defensively? Maybe if Johnston can get Geno to buy into a more two way minded philosophy, I would be ok with this, but I'm not sure I want Geno to get chained up into a more defensive mind set. He's too dynamic to have any restrictions enforced upon him. Geno gon be Geno.

Yeah but lets be real. How often is Geno engaged defensively? Maybe if Johnston can get Geno to buy into a more two way minded philosophy, I would be ok with this, but I'm not sure I want Geno to get chained up into a more defensive mind set. He's too dynamic to have any restrictions enforced upon him. Geno gon be Geno.
- Victoro311

I don't think any of the players you mentioned take a defensive mind set. Their mind is to get the puck and create. Something I believe Geno is awesome at.

When Geno is engaged, he's a great puck thief, and can win any board battle. That combined with his ability to read the play would make him a good PKer if used on the right situations.
- rival22

The thing is that you're using Sid, geno, and sutter on the PK, then as soon as the PK is over you throw out the 4th line? Let geno sit for a few minutes and throw him out there as soon as it's over for the best counterattack. I don't mind using Sid in the PK, but he can't be the main guy going every other shift. Maybe one shift during the PK or torwards the end. Sutter and dupuis are great PKers and I heard spaling was good as well.

Amen. I want the Penguins to be a machine engineered to let the puck do most of the work. Cycling doesn't have to be a Calgary-style nothing-but-heart endeavor. I rather like the way Nashville used to do it. There's a road map for what Pittsburgh can achieve.

Chicago has the best breakouts I've ever seen. Their spacing is perfect always and they command the neutral zone. I really don't think their D is much more puck-capable than Pittsburgh's, with a lot of room under the potential ceiling.

Detroit from a few years back did nothing aside from possessing the puck and using that possession to set up a screen and shoot through it. A replacement-level player can set a screen. Hell, Tanner Glass could have set a screen.

I don't know what the defense is strategically going to look like, but frankly I think it's going to be better by virtue that some consideration will be paid to it.
- Johnny Wrath

I can hope the defense and forwards become in sync and on the same page.

The thing is that you're using Sid, geno, and sutter on the PK, then as soon as the PK is over you throw out the 4th line? Let geno sit for a few minutes and throw him out there as soon as it's over for the best counterattack. I don't mind using Sid in the PK, but he can't be the main guy going every other shift. Maybe one shift during the PK or torwards the end. Sutter and dupuis are great PKers and I heard spaling was good as well.
- drummer829

The reality is 87 and 71 are not and will never be used as full time PKers. Where they would be useful is in games down the stretch when we dont have a 10 point cushion in the division/conference and are fighting for a seed. Also, in the playoffs when the situation would dictate---cant see them out there killing penalties if we are up 4-0 in an elimination game.

You shouldve just posted the video of SCF Game 4 2009. Malkin single-handedly created 2 or 3 shorthanded oddman breaks by attacking the points.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfvTLPjzq9M
- Rawdog9755

The only thing I can focus on here is that awful turnover by Scuderi. Was he ever good? lol


oh and Malkin is good.

Edit -- and when was the last time you saw this current group celebrate goals like that?

Yeah but lets be real. How often is Geno engaged defensively? Maybe if Johnston can get Geno to buy into a more two way minded philosophy, I would be ok with this, but I'm not sure I want Geno to get chained up into a more defensive mind set. He's too dynamic to have any restrictions enforced upon him. Geno gon be Geno.
- Victoro311

True, I'd use Sid more than Malkin, but in those games where Malkin is in beast mode that he has once in a while, I'd try him too.

The thing is that you're using Sid, geno, and sutter on the PK, then as soon as the PK is over you throw out the 4th line? Let geno sit for a few minutes and throw him out there as soon as it's over for the best counterattack. I don't mind using Sid in the PK, but he can't be the main guy going every other shift. Maybe one shift during the PK or torwards the end. Sutter and dupuis are great PKers and I heard spaling was good as well.
- drummer829

Kesler spends about 2 minutes of ice time on average per game shorthanded. Same for Grabner. Kopitar 2:00 exactly. Stoll, Getzlaf just above 2:00. Toews logs 1:33 average per game. We're not really talking about huge amounts of time per game so as to frame the topic as one of undistributed time on ice.

The only thing I can focus on here is that awful turnover by Scuderi. Was he ever good? lol


oh and Malkin is good.

Edit -- and when was the last time you saw this current group celebrate goals like that?
- YouMeAndDupuis9

My first thought when rewatching that today was "Scuderi does a lot of standing around even back then"
Watching that team and they way they played though, my god. Drive/determination/chemistry/magic/whatever you want to call it--that group had it in spades. That game is easily in my top 3 all time and considering all the moments Mario created it is saying a lot to put that game so high up the list of memorable moments in Pens history.

My first thought when rewatching that today was "Scuderi does a lot of standing around even back then"
Watching that team and they way they played though, my god. Drive/determination/chemistry/magic/whatever you want to call it--that group had it in spades. That game is easily in my top 3 all time and considering all the moments Mario created it is saying a lot to put that game so high up the list of memorable moments in Pens history.
- Rawdog9755

You know how when someone says they can play any you want and you just roll your eyes and think here we go again with this poop? That team could actually play any game you want. They could play wide open and score a ton or shut it down defensively and play a 2-1 style. Great team.

My first thought when rewatching that today was "Scuderi does a lot of standing around even back then"
Watching that team and they way they played though, my god. Drive/determination/chemistry/magic/whatever you want to call it--that group had it in spades. That game is easily in my top 3 all time and considering all the moments Mario created it is saying a lot to put that game so high up the list of memorable moments in Pens history.
- Rawdog9755

Its crazy. I haven't re-watched any of that stuff since 09 honestly. I didn't want to get all nostalgic on HockeyBuzz but that definitely brought me back. That team was something special. We were like a more talented version of last years Blue Jackets. That group had the same fire and (insert applicable word here). There's something to be said about that youthful exuberance. That's kind of what I alluded to talking about the goal celebrations.

When Shero brought in guys like Guerin it was so important to a young team. Now we have the leaders and experience we need in place, I'm all for getting some youth infused in this team again.

The cup teams remind me a lot of the AVS right now. Young, energetic, exciting to watch. The crowd is amazing, high energy, blue collar, there for the game. The Pens got very corporate. My dad came out this yr for the AVS-Pens game and he said that was more exciting than any game all yr at CEC, and 87, 71, 58, 29, 14, 9 were all out. I think after the Philly series a lot of magic left the team. The roster got bland when there wasn't room for much talent to flank 87 and 71.

You know how when someone says they can play any you want and you just roll your eyes and think here we go again with this poop? That team could actually play any game you want. They could play wide open and score a ton or shut it down defensively and play a 2-1 style. Great team.
- dbell646

That '92 team under Bowman was the same way, especially against the Hawks.

That '92 team under Bowman was the same way, especially against the Hawks.
- Topshelf Mountain

Remember how they turned the Caps series around using the same trap the Caps were using and we were waaay down in that series. They were very versatile.

My first thought when rewatching that today was "Scuderi does a lot of standing around even back then"
Watching that team and they way they played though, my god. Drive/determination/chemistry/magic/whatever you want to call it--that group had it in spades. That game is easily in my top 3 all time and considering all the moments Mario created it is saying a lot to put that game so high up the list of memorable moments in Pens history.
- Rawdog9755

We hardly see it nowadays .....it's like they are waiting to get to the finals to turn on the switch.

Pretty cool to see these guys doing the ice bucket challenge:



Adams challenged Kunitz, Guerin, and Crosby, and Crosby has already posted his video, where he challenges Dupuis, Fleury, and Letang. Praying we get a Malkin video, because it will be hilarious.


- cap1681

Craig Adams, PURE LOCKEROOM CANCER. Not to mention bad corsi=bad person.

Craig Adams, PURE LOCKEROOM CANCER. Not to mention bad corsi=bad person.
- Grinder47

Yeah I never got how being coach's pet made you a bad guy. Kind of irritating at times I'm sure and I guess could upset some young guys that find themselves scratched in favor of him, but until someone tells me a story of concrete evidence that Adams is a scum bag, I will continue to believe that he's a great guy. I just want him out of my lineup

Geno is a way better PKer than Sid. In his games for Russia he is one of the top guys, he's created havoc every time he's been allowed to do it for us too. Sid doesn't look anywhere near as natural out there as Geno does.

Geno is a way better PKer than Sid. In his games for Russia he is one of the top guys, he's created havoc every time he's been allowed to do it for us too. Sid doesn't look anywhere near as natural out there as Geno does.
- cygnus41

Way better? Malkin in more aggressive on the PK from what I've seen so he pressures the dmen and gets turn overs periodically which with Malkin usually result in goals. I think that why you remember his time on the PK because you've seen a few goals. Sid takes a much more conservative approach, he isnt looking for the short handed goal, he's looking to play proper positional hockey and kill the PP.

Im on the fence on whether I would use either on the PK. Sure it would be nice to see what they can do with consistent time, and put a little fear into the oppositions PP. But being on the PK is exhausting, and if someone gets caught out of position and the PP starts really moving the puck it can be VERY exhausting.

We hardly see it nowadays .....it's like they are waiting to get to the finals to turn on the switch.
- Barnaby36

I'm starting to think the joy was lost in it. That team you can see they're out there really enjoying themselves. THe past couple playoffs they've looked so uptight.
Hopefully the fresh faces in the locker room and a new coach can rejuvinate this team.