Ryan Wilson: Playoffs Starting Early For Pittsburgh Playoffs Starting Early For Pittsburgh

Are any of the injured Dmen supposed to come back soon?

Are any of the injured Dmen supposed to come back soon?
- Pecafan Fan

Hoff is supposedly closer. Maybe get back for a game before the end of the year. According to reports, Letang will start working out this week. If we make the playoffs, he probably won't be ready.

Hoff is supposedly closer. Maybe get back for a game before the end of the year. According to reports, Letang will start working out this week. If we make the playoffs, he probably won't be ready.
- madmike71

Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if Letang should hang them up for good.

Big believer in peak performance theory for hockey teams. Top players (forwards) peak out at age 26-27. More important, once top performance has been accomplished the player will begin to see a constant progressive decline in their performance.

Pens best players have clearly peaked. The decline will be constant and relentless as we go forward. The fallacy that people want to believe is that you can somehow effectively rebuild around an asset pool that is in clear decline.

Pens are at risk of missing playoffs and not having a 1st round pick. This is not good asset management.

Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if Letang should hang them up for good.
- Pecafan Fan

Maybe he should. But he won't.

Big believer in peak performance theory for hockey teams. Top players (forwards) peak out at age 26-27. More important, once top performance has been accomplished the player will begin to see a constant progressive decline in their performance.

Pens best players have clearly peaked. The decline will be constant and relentless as we go forward. The fallacy that people want to believe is that you can somehow effectively rebuild around an asset pool that is in clear decline.

Pens are at risk of missing playoffs and not having a 1st round pick. This is not good asset management.
- spatso

Malkin is 28 and has been excellent this year. Arguably better than Crosby. Not everyone is going to age at the same rate. Wings won their last Cup with Zetterberg and Datsyuk older than 27.

Big believer in peak performance theory for hockey teams. Top players (forwards) peak out at age 26-27. More important, once top performance has been accomplished the player will begin to see a constant progressive decline in their performance.

Pens best players have clearly peaked. The decline will be constant and relentless as we go forward. The fallacy that people want to believe is that you can somehow effectively rebuild around an asset pool that is in clear decline.

Pens are at risk of missing playoffs and not having a 1st round pick. This is not good asset management.
- spatso

That maybe so but having the current leader & holder of old Art & another not far behind - top 10 maybe but having played so many less games, gives me hope that there is still a few years left (& right) in their old legs.

One thing to recognize is that Detroit has fortunately been every bit as bad recently.

I think it is pretty obvious this team is missing a leader. Sutter aint cutting it and Malkin while showing some leadership seems just to punch people or yell at them. I wish Crosby was more vocal. What does he have to say about this crap?

I'm getting out awfully damn tired of outshooting/out chancing teams and losing.

Yesterday did give me some hope thought. Unlike Boston in 2013 and NYR somewhat last year, the Pens had a lot of traffic in front yesterday, and went to the net a lot, with and wi and the puck.

A lot of pucks went at Mason's feet, and there was a lot of jamming at the puck.

Ugly hockey, but that is how playoff goals are scored.

I think it is pretty obvious this team is missing a leader. Sutter aint cutting it and Malkin while showing some leadership seems just to punch people or yell at them. I wish Crosby was more vocal. What does he have to say about this crap?
- IronCity

I think he went on record saying he quits and wants to be traded to a market with more realistic expectations like Toronto.

Pens best players have clearly peaked. The decline will be constant and relentless as we go forward. The fallacy that people want to believe is that you can somehow effectively rebuild around an asset pool that is in clear decline.

- spatso

Yes, they probably have peaked, but that doesn't mean they're not elite. They're probably going to be elite players for a couple more years and fielding a contender shouldn't be difficult. They have the hard part, just need to take better care of the cap to fill in the supporting cast. Then the challenge is staying healthy. Next man up is the mindset players need to have, but it's not realistic given the skill that has been lost for long periods.

Sorry, but there isn't a team that can absorb losing three of their top 4 defensemen for long stretches. There's a MASSIVE difference between Letang/Erhoff/Maatta feeding the forwards and Scuderi/Pouliot/Lovejoy feeding them. Leaning on a rookie defenseman to log big minutes just isn't fair. Recall that Maatta wore down as the season progressed last year. You're seeing those expected rookie mistakes, and you'll probably see more when the games get tighter.

Ryan Wilson: Playoffs Starting Early For Pittsburgh
Playoffs Starting Early For Pittsburgh
- Ryan_Wilson

Thanks for including scoring chances data, I know I asked ya a few times for it. Figured we had to be really high up there and just bad outcomes.

I think it is pretty obvious this team is missing a leader. Sutter aint cutting it and Malkin while showing some leadership seems just to punch people or yell at them. I wish Crosby was more vocal. What does he have to say about this crap?
- IronCity

Crosby can't win. If he slams his stick and yells, he's a crying, cry baby. If he doesn't show outward emotion, then he doesn't care.

He seems to talk a lot on the bench to guys, and none of us know how he acts in the room.

It's literally impossible to judge someone's leadership from the outside. Leadership is so cliche in sport. If he goes out and scores a big goal, people will say he's leading. If he doesn't score, then he's not a good leader.

Ottawa: Pittsburgh, at New York Rangers, at Philadelphia
Pittsburgh: At Ottawa, New York Islanders, at Buffalo
- Ryan_Wilson

In all likeliehood, this will be enough to make the playoffs no matter what else happens.

Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if Letang should hang them up for good.
- Pecafan Fan

Nah, hes been pretty healthy this year. Before this concussion he would have missed only about 7 games. I would consider 75 games a season nothing to complain about. But hey, I'm also used to the Pittsburgh injury plague

I'm getting out awfully damn tired of outshooting/out chancing teams and losing.

Yesterday did give me some hope thought. Unlike Boston in 2013 and NYR somewhat last year, the Pens had a lot of traffic in front yesterday, and went to the net a lot, with and wi and the puck.

A lot of pucks went at Mason's feet, and there was a lot of jamming at the puck.

Ugly hockey, but that is how playoff goals are scored.
- rival22

If they play like that tomorrow. They win. Mason absolutely stole that game.

Thanks for including scoring chances data, I know I asked ya a few times for it. Figured we had to be really high up there and just bad outcomes.
- Guile

He only adds that stuff when the Penguins win. Like last time they played the Flyers, there was no recap or all this stupid analytics this guy does. It was, "because we were missing Letang and Malkin I'm not focusing on it."

Lets face the facts, yes the penguins had a lot of bad injuries this year, including the most recent to Letang, which was IMO a good hockey hit unlike your recent post about emilinating it from the game. If that hit was done at center ice there is a lesser chance of a concussion becuse his head doesn't hit the boards. Bad timing and placement and it happens in this game. Such as the Chara hit on Pacioretty a few years ago, bad timing and placement on the ice. Does that mean we need to take hits out on the side of the ice the benches are on, too?

He only adds that stuff when the Penguins win. Like last time they played the Flyers, there was no recap or all this stupid analytics this guy does. It was, "because we were missing Letang and Malkin I'm not focusing on it."

Lets face the facts, yes the penguins had a lot of bad injuries this year, including the most recent to Letang, which was IMO a good hockey hit unlike your recent post about emilinating it from the game. If that hit was done at center ice there is a lesser chance of a concussion becuse his head doesn't hit the boards. Bad timing and placement and it happens in this game. Such as the Chara hit on Pacioretty a few years ago, bad timing and placement on the ice. Does that mean we need to take hits out on the side of the ice the benches are on, too?
- BernieKorch

So it was a good hockey hit but you're basically calling it boarding? Just trying to keep up.

Big believer in peak performance theory for hockey teams. Top players (forwards) peak out at age 26-27. More important, once top performance has been accomplished the player will begin to see a constant progressive decline in their performance.

Pens best players have clearly peaked. The decline will be constant and relentless as we go forward. The fallacy that people want to believe is that you can somehow effectively rebuild around an asset pool that is in clear decline.

Pens are at risk of missing playoffs and not having a 1st round pick. This is not good asset management.
- spatso

You think Beau Bennett and Brandon Sutter have peaked?

So it was a good hockey hit but you're basically calling it boarding? Just trying to keep up.
- cory7321

He didn't say it was boarding. He said it was unfortunate that he was at his position when he took the hit. Being in the traditional "boarding" area would have probably not injured him at all. Just wrong place, wrong body position, taking a heavy hit at the wrong time.

He didn't say it was boarding. He said it was unfortunate that he was at his position when he took the hit. Being in the traditional "boarding" area would have probably not injured him at all. Just wrong place, wrong body position, taking a heavy hit at the wrong time.
- jmatchett383

That makes more sense to me. Thanks.

What a weekend, eh?

That makes more sense to me. Thanks.
- cory7321

No problem. I think that we fans sometimes forget how big these guys are and how fast they play. This was a split-second hit from a big guy who happened to land a hit when Letang was at exactly the wrong place with his body in exactly the wrong position to accept it. Not Letang's fault or Doan's, to me, just really unfortunate.