We got a Matt Murray problem...

He Sucks....
- RoloTahmasee

How many concussions has the guy had in his short career already?

Main part of goalies performance is focus. Maybe those concussions building up see making it difficult to do so. I don't know.

Call up Bobby Farnham. This team has no pulse.

Before I see all the charts, darts and Styrofoam cups my humble opinion is a resounding-NO! the Pens did not adjust to the Devils speed.

I can see Mario stepping in soon and letting Rutherford and Sullivan know that they must institute a defense first game plan.

For Sullivan that means a counter attack offense off of some sort of trap.

For Rutherford it means get some defensemen who have a defense first mentality.

How many concussions has the guy had in his short career already?

Main part of goalies performance is focus. Maybe those concussions building up see making it difficult to do so. I don't know.
- LeafGuy89

Team defense is a bigger problem. The Pens are strictly a pond hockey at the moment. If they get the lead they can blow a team out, but if they get behind they get blown out.

Team defense is a bigger problem. The Pens are strictly a pond hockey at the moment. If they get the lead they can blow a team out, but if they get behind they get blown out.
- Thunderbolt

They showed against the Leafs In their first game, this team can suffocate teams when they want to. It's just getting them in the mood I suppose. This team always goes throughout cruise periods (of time not game periods), wherever they just coast along not giving a poop if they lose (or it appears that way ). When they turn it on, I think they'll go ok.

I don't remember the pens playing so bad for so many games as they have been. Its comical.
- Conse

HCMJ?

Rutherfords last two offseason moves have (frank)ed this team. It begins and ends right there.

I have so many questions. i was at both the leafs game and last nights devils game. the players are skating around side to side in their defensive zone for way too long. its as if johnston is back. there is no jump/press offensively. there were several times last night where sid, simon and guentzel were all behind their goalie trying to get the puck out. how does that happen? maatta looked so slow last night. MM bailed him out several times. too many cross ice passes were permitted, no sticks in the lane.

why is simon still on sid's line? why is sprong still getting virtually no minutes if there are all of these line changes? does anyone ever want to see #73 and #3 on the ice together? its been bad.

Rutherfords last two offseason moves have (frank)ed this team. It begins and ends right there.
- PittsPens

Can't argue with this. Just terrible personnel moves......although the Brassard move was technically a great move on paper that went south due to his injuries. It's been rumored he has the same groin injury from the playoffs. We probably won't be seeing him for weeks.

But why is that? What were the shots like? Were there other shots that aren't HDSC that were closer to goals.

Supporting your opinion by stating HDSC is stupid. It's been denied you do that previously though!

Plus little interesting fact - the Pens are 30th in goals off HDSC (All situations) 24th 5v5. They should be trying to increase that statistic if you are placing so much importance on location of shot. Not increase quantity - if you understand that?? (More shots = more goals right?)
- Aussiepenguin

Good story, bro.

I’m not gonna attempt to explain something to someone who’s incapable of understanding.

Team defense is a bigger problem. The Pens are strictly a pond hockey at the moment. If they get the lead they can blow a team out, but if they get behind they get blown out.
- Thunderbolt

Well said. Not only are they playing pond hockey, they are playing low-effort pond hockey.

While I'd like Murray to be a little better, I can't put this on him. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being really bad, I'd say the Pens are playing at a 10 while he's playing at a 6.

He's kept this team in more games than they should have been.

Good story, bro.
- Rinosaur

Sorry for not coming back to you on Sunday, but i was so shocked about the rich possibilites and that i couldn't build a roster i'm comfortable myself that i thought its better not influencing any others... after one game good call on Kuz and Conn... i tried to go with a balanced one without any huge contract, but Carlson i should have still added (ok, i had him in V2 )... i tried for a last second change which it took just for next week... now its too late.

For the first time in my life I f'd up thinking a Pens game was the next night and completely missed a game. I thought they were playing NJ tonight...

...it seems I didnt miss much.

Someone said they have seen the Pens lose like this before, thats rich. How about just last December when they were 6-8-0?

How about when they were 12th in the Eastern Conference during February of 2016 and ended up winning the cup that year?

Sorry for not coming back to you on Sunday, but i was so shocked about the rich possibilites and that i couldn't build a roster i'm comfortable myself that i thought its better not influencing any others... after one game good call on Kuz and Conn... i tried to go with a balanced one without any huge contract, but Carlson i should have still added (ok, i had him in V2 )... i tried for a last second change which it took just for next week... now its too late.
- VeryModernMan

Connauton was huge for me last night. I'm not regretting not selecting Ovie or Kuz even if they have big weeks. My only regret was probably not taking Marchand, but I do have Bergeron and Pastrnak.

I have Domi though and that's paying off. We'll see if my other decisions pay off.

For the first time in my life I f'd up thinking a Pens game was the next night and completely missed a game. I thought they were playing NJ tonight...

...it seems I didnt miss much.

Someone said they have seen the Pens lose like this before, thats rich. How about just last December when they were 6-8-0?

How about when they were 12th in the Eastern Conference during February of 2016 and ended up winning the cup that year?
- MattStrat

Does that mean they're going to have to do their mid-season coach firing? lol

Good story, bro.

I’m not gonna attempt to explain something to someone who’s incapable of understanding.
- Rinosaur

Did you really waste your time reading that knowing his EF% was so high? What’s the point. You already know the QoP is low.

Did you really waste your time reading that knowing his EF% was so high? What’s the point. You already know the QoP is low.
- j.boyd919

LOL I get suckered in sometimes. Most consistent EF% on the board.

I realistically would have had a better chance of explaining that to someone who doesn't even speak English.

Hawks fire Quenneville. Should the Pens act fast? I kid, I kid.

LOL I get suckered in sometimes. Most consistent EF% on the board.

I realistically would have had a better chance of explaining that to someone who doesn't even speak English.
- Rinosaur

Also that dummy is citing incorrect stats

5v5 Pens

HDGF 8th

SCGF 1st

Here is the issue

HDGA 2nd worst

SCGA 3rd worst

Also that dummy is citing incorrect stats

5v5 Pens

HDGF 8th

SCGF 1st

Here is the issue

HDGA 2nd worst

SCGA 3rd worst
- Feds91Stammer

It's hard to cite stats correctly when you don't even comprehend them. I mean, if he can't understand in Hockey there's varying quality in the types of shots and scoring chances then he's hopeless.

In his world a breakaway is basically the same as a shot from the other end of the ice.

And yes, the issues you point out are why I'm not going after Murray. You can only expect so much from a goalie who's not Hank or Price.

Connauton was huge for me last night. I'm not regretting not selecting Ovie or Kuz even if they have big weeks. My only regret was probably not taking Marchand, but I do have Bergeron and Pastrnak.

I have Domi though and that's paying off. We'll see if my other decisions pay off.
- Rinosaur

Connauton did indeed print nice points for being -4 , i wasn't sure about him as he missed last two games with the flu and was a game-time decision. Domi i have as well, trying with Dzingel on OTT's first line (maybe that Uber-story wake them up as well), March Staal Granlund (on a point-streak recently, MIN is strong) Seguin (please no jokes, thought its a good time to "buy low", and also speculating that he will be re-paired with Benn) down middle and Gallagher on RW and so on... had Vrana also in V2, but scratched him after reading he plays on 4th line... obviously scored a goal as well. My opponent basicially brought Ovi Marchand Kane McDavid Carlson Burns and filled the rest out with ELC's... and this approach seems to work more often than not, because the big ones always provide points and two or three of the ELC's give you random punches as well, so the rest sucking is well calculated risk.

It's hard to cite stats correctly when you don't even comprehend them. I mean, if he can't understand in Hockey there's varying quality in the types of shots and scoring chances then he's hopeless.

In his world a breakaway is basically the same as a shot from the other end of the ice.

And yes, the issues you point out are why I'm not going after Murray. You can only expect so much from a goalie who's not Hank or Price.
- Rinosaur

They’re just back to the same team they were a few years ago when they just trade chances back and forth and hope that they’re finishing ability is better than the others. On some nights it will be, on some nights it won’t. But my god is this team a dumpster fire in defensive coverage. Everyone just puck watches.

Connauton did indeed print nice points for being -4 , i wasn't sure about him as he missed last two games with the flu and was a game-time decision. Domi i have as well, trying with Dzingel on OTT's first line (maybe that Uber-story wake them up as well), March Staal Granlund (on a point-streak recently, MIN is strong) Seguin (please no jokes, thought its a good time to "buy low", and also speculating that he will be re-paired with Benn) down middle and Gallagher on RW and so on... had Vrana also in V2, but scratched him after reading he plays on 4th line... obviously scored a goal as well. My opponent basicially brought Ovi Marchand Kane McDavid Carlson Burns and filled the rest out with ELC's... and this approach seems to work more often not, because the big ones always provide points and two or three of the ELC's give you random punches as well.
- VeryModernMan

That's basically what I almost did, but I wanted to spread out more. I took Parise over Marchand and I have E. Staal as well. I was able to stack my defense with Burns, Giordano and Suter with room for guys like Connauton and Oleksiak.

I also have the AVS first line like most everyone else probably does.

They’re just back to the same team they were a few years ago when they just trade chances back and forth and hope that they’re finishing ability is better than the others. On some nights it will be, on some nights it won’t. But my god is this team a dumpster fire in defensive coverage. Everyone just puck watches.
- j.boyd919

It's different than I've seen in the past few years. The Sid era Pens have always had an "effort" issue if you want to call it that. Maybe there's a better word for it, but it's been a running theme. However, this is the worst I've seen it.

The first Isles game was a great example of trading chances, playing the better game and just losing. The second Isles game, the Leaf and Devils were examples of them just not playing defense at all.

Well, Sully first took over he allowed them to become a team that trades chances, but he also made sure to not stray from putting themselves too far out of position and being aware of their surroundings.

This is just a 100% pond hockey team.