Oh come on this went from trolling to I'm going to hit on your mom and kick your dog and now we are in attendance at some hippie love in.

Clendening to sit for Warsofski tonight.

Clendening to sit for Warsofski tonight.
- Victoro311

And from @HockeyMeesh: Scuderi currently 132nd overall, 32nd in Metro #ScuderiASG

- Reverend Killtaker

(frank)ing kick scuds sometime

I guess first of all we have tried Kuni and Duper, although no at the same time, and they have been very underwhelming. Dupuis skates hard but he no longer can carry the puck and was never a real threat to score. Kuni is playing very hard right now but his hands have turned to stone. Plotnikov is no real threat to score either but he bangs and disrupts the other team and Sprong is a sniper with good skating skills and a great mind with the god given talent that you can't teach. If you are for the no rookies in the top 6 school of thought how about a Plotnikov Sundquist Sprong 4th line? I think that line would be very dangerous.
- Dcoms

The only real school of thought I'm from is doing my best to use tangible evidence or facts to support my decisions and not hopes and assumptions. I've seen in the past that KCD has worked, doesn't mean it will work again by any means but I definitely think there's more evidence to support giving it another short to see if any magic is there before going to unknown/unproven solutions that haven't shown any evidence they can be any better in those roles. As I said in an earlier post, I'm not clairvoyant so I would begin to presume to have any clue if either will or won't work but I haven't seen anything to suggest that Sprong is ready for a top 6 role and Plotnikov has already shown he can't handle it so here's to hoping that the sum of KCD as a whole can be great than the sum of the parts as of late.

As for the 4th line suggestion, I would have no problem with that at all but I would be leery of replacing Culen with Sundqvist. Cullen has been a pleasant surprise and has played quite well this season and having watched Cullen/Sprong interact both on the ice and on the bench I really like that Cullen seems to have taken on a kind of mentor role with Sprong and think something like that could be great for Sprong's development. I would love to see a Plotnikov-Cullen-Sprong line on a nightly basis, not only would it be a very effective line in my opinion I think Cullen's veteran leadership and mentoring personality would do wonders for Sprong and Plotnikov.

Yeah but sprinkle a few first round picks in with what we already know we have and the chances are much better.
- Dcoms

I'm not really sure it changes the chances that much at all. There's no guarantees that any of the players already in place like Pouliot, Sprong, Maata or Dumoulin every reach their full potential and there certainly isn't any guarantee that any future 1st round picks will make significant impact let alone be stars. First round picks are lottery tickets, sure you can't win the jackpot if you don't buy a ticket but no matter how many tickets you buy you're never guaranteed to win. Having a bunch of 1st round picks affords you the opportunity to hit the jackpot but it doesn't really move the needle until they develop and you see what you actually have.

Is the thinking behind Dupes and Kunitz on the 1st line something like multiplying 2 negative numbers and they equal a positive?

I bet it works tonight and this board will go crazy and act like its 2012 all over again. Then the 2nd game will come...

Sprong sitting tonight. Clendening and him are the only healthy scratches.

Scuderi is not sitting. And there isn't anyone can do about that.


Maatta might even play on this trip if contact practices go well this week.

Is the thinking behind Dupes and Kunitz on the 1st line something like multiplying 2 negative numbers and they equal a positive?

I bet it works tonight and this board will go crazy and act like its 2012 all over again. Then the 2nd game will come...
- sammy87

You are the Pens coach...you have arguably the best player in the NHL over the past 10 years..playing like...well...not even close to the best player.

You see his body language...his effort level...his demeanor...none of it is right really.

You watch him interact with linemates and you scratch your head...what's up.

You know the best success he has had in the past 5 years is with Kunitz and Duper.

Even though they are both not the same players...neither is the guy wearing the C.

You think...maybe...if I get these guys together again...Crosby will find his game...find his drive.

It's worth a shot isn't it?

If you think coaching a team is all about possession stats and X's and O's...you are wrong.

It's about finding what works...period.

Might as well try this...sure it probably won't...but you got three guys all off their games...and the best they ever played was with eachother.

Why not give it a shot?


Oh...and there's also the distinct possibility that #87 asked to skate with these two...

The record of the team is somewhat palatable but the play is not. I think some see this as a sign that the winning record is not sustainable with this kind of play. The Pens are going to try to hang in the middle of the pack, but most likely will slide. I mean, there are no injuries on the team besides Maatta. Just wait when all the octogenarians and near-30s will start getting injured.
- chimpira

You know that wasn't my question.

Simple yes or no, before the season started would you be happy after 23 games to have a better record than those teams?

If the answer is yes - there's waaaaaaaaay too much negativity on here at the moment - hell everyone has turned into Sammy the Velvetfog!

Aussiefan are you actually watching the games yet or still just following what's wrote on the extremely bias twitter page and on here? I can count on one hand the amount of games this team DESERVED to win. Their record at this level of play is not substainable, especially when teams take it up a gear down the stretch... And as this team has shown the last 5 years- we don't have another gear to keep up. Blind drop passes while entering the zone wins games right??!!??
- Willaged

So explain to me how the (frank) we are in a playoff position? Flower? Zatkoff won a couple is he now a NHLer?

Don't follow twitter & don't have an account, have watched a few YouTube streams , follow the reports & reviews from the 'experts' then read some of what is here which is a lot of the time biased rubbish .

So cheap shot me all you want but don't bother answering my question!!

You know that wasn't my question.

Simple yes or no, before the season started would you be happy after 23 games to have a better record than those teams?

If the answer is yes - there's waaaaaaaaay too much negativity on here at the moment - hell everyone has turned into Sammy the Velvetfog!
- Aussiepenguin

After 23 games? No. After 82 - sure.

You are the Pens coach...you have arguably the best player in the NHL over the past 10 years..playing like...well...not even close to the best player.

You see his body language...his effort level...his demeanor...none of it is right really.

You watch him interact with linemates and you scratch your head...what's up.

You know the best success he has had in the past 5 years is with Kunitz and Duper.

Even though they are both not the same players...neither is the guy wearing the C.

You think...maybe...if I get these guys together again...Crosby will find his game...find his drive.

It's worth a shot isn't it?

If you think coaching a team is all about possession stats and X's and O's...you are wrong.

It's about finding what works...period.

Might as well try this...sure it probably won't...but you got three guys all off their games...and the best they ever played was with eachother.

Why not give it a shot?


Oh...and there's also the distinct possibility that #87 asked to skate with these two...
- icedog97

Im not big on fancy stats at all. I'm not at practice so I have no clue what MJ's methods are and how he runs the show. That said, I look at 87 and I think well he tore it up with PH last year, why isn't that working? I look at his work ethic with the combos he has had. I look at the Dupes and Kuni option and think well that worked 4 years ago and never really in the playoffs, and neither Dupes or Kuni have worked solo with him so I would rather go the Sprong route. Secondly I would sit him through some game tape and ask why is he quitting on plays? Then take him off the PP, off the top line drop his minutes until he gets pissed off enough to want it back.

I am done with this team till the coach is gone. Hopefully its before Christmas

So explain to me how the (frank) we are in a playoff position? Flower? Zatkoff won a couple is he now a NHLer?

Don't follow twitter & don't have an account, have watched a few YouTube streams , follow the reports & reviews from the 'experts' then read some of what is here which is a lot of the time biased rubbish .

So cheap shot me all you want but don't bother answering my question!!
- Aussiepenguin

He may have been chippy about it, but he's right, you know. Click on one of my streams sometime and watch the games and form an opinion for yourself. We have played about four good games this season.

They did last year on Vermette and Timonen. Vermette redeemed himself somewhat with some timely playoff goals. But he also played bottom 6 minutes and was a healthy scratch on occasions. Timonen did nothing useful for them and got bare minimum ice time.
- jfkst1

Yes that was the start of their struggle so we will see how they go & to date they've had some good & some bad. Toews has had more fights in 2 games than he had in his career ( ), so what does that tell you? They have started the year without a first rounder & traded away experience for questionable players - Daley the first to be on the block! Everyone here is relentlessly female doging about our situation but we are on the same wins as the defending champs with a game in hand!!

But they are great we are poop! Where is the alcohol??

He may have been chippy about it, but he's right, you know. Click on one of my streams sometime and watch the games and form an opinion for yourself. We have played about four good games this season.
- Victoro311

I'm not experienced enough to form an educated opinion about the mechanics of the game. But I've played a physical pro sport & understand the results.

People complain just to complain because they are frustrated we don't clean the floor with teams. When we were winning a couple of years ago & died in the playoffs EVERYONE said that we should struggle through the year, throw our lines around & experiment - it doesn't matter as long as we reach the playoffs!!!

Now when that is happening everyone is complaining about the exact thing they wanted to happen! It's madness (that should be a capital M!)

Yes that was the start of their struggle so we will see how they go & to date they've had some good & some bad. Toews has had more fights in 2 games than he had in his career ( ), so what does that tell you? They have started the year without a first rounder & traded away experience for questionable players - Daley the first to be on the block! Everyone here is relentlessly female doging about our situation but we are on the same wins as the defending champs with a game in hand!!

But they are great we are poop! Where is the alcohol??
- Aussiepenguin

Three cups in six years goes a long way towards having credibility in the regular season. I don't think Chicago is strong this season, but I doubt anyone looks forward to playing them if they make the playoffs either.

There's a saying in sport;

Good teams can win playing bad!

Also, if you have a poopty freezer that is on the blink & you want ice blocks. If you put your ice blocks in the freezer & they somehow freeze you can enjoy the satisfaction of an ice block that's frozen. If sometimes because it's a poopty freezer the ice blocks aren't always frozen you either eat them anyway or throw them away & move on because there are other ice blocks in the freezer that are frozen!

The only real school of thought I'm from is doing my best to use tangible evidence or facts to support my decisions and not hopes and assumptions. I've seen in the past that KCD has worked, doesn't mean it will work again by any means but I definitely think there's more evidence to support giving it another short to see if any magic is there before going to unknown/unproven solutions that haven't shown any evidence they can be any better in those roles.
- jaydogg1974

Yep. Well said.

Crosby needs players who can anticipate what he will do. He needs players who will also outwork the other team. He needs players who will get on the cycle yet have enough speed to get back when necessary.

More than anything, Crosby needs familiarity, because it's not easy playing with him.

IMO this is a great move and certainly worth a try. We'll see if it works, but reuniting a line that only a few years ago was the best line in hockey is a no-brainer

Three cups in six years goes a long way towards having credibility in the regular season. I don't think Chicago is strong this season, but I doubt anyone looks forward to playing them if they make the playoffs either.
- jfkst1

And we with our poopty coach & under-performing captain have a better win record than them at the moment as we have a game in hand - (frank)ing incredible isn't it??

Their test that we have been going through started this year. Let's see how they go!

Their past is filled with glory which means zero for the future, they have had very few injuries & got the maximum out of I will say 98% of their roster which is outstanding! That's why they won 3 cups! Can't say the same about the Pens!

the mismanage of sprong is pathetic. they play him 10 games JUST so his ecl starts then after that refuses to play him. MJ is/was a junior coach that NEVER rely on the young guns... a JUNIOR coach that is obsesed with veteran leader ship and hates young players... that should tell you how completly incompetent he really is

I am still trying to figure out the Simon Depres trade...
- Misterbator

Email JR ask him then come back here & let us all know!

the mismanage of sprong is pathetic. they play him 10 games JUST so his ecl starts then after that refuses to play him. MJ is/was a junior coach that NEVER rely on the young guns... a JUNIOR coach that is obsesed with veteran leader ship and hates young players... that should tell you how completly incompetent he really is
- martox

wasnt that Disco's issue too? Didn't want to play the young guys?