Pp not quite that low but getting there. It’s actually pretty sad there are 12 teams with a worse pp
- 10inchTerror

Oh sorry lol they’re 23rd. Barf.

Yup. Both PP and PK are bottom 5 in the league.
- j.boyd919

I don’t understand why they keeping playing Geno at the point. He can’t run the QB on the PP. Sully won’t play Sid and Geno together on 5 on 5, but keeps them together on the PP. Something has got to give. We are 10 games in. If poop don’t work, change it! Just mind-boggling.

I don’t understand why they keeping playing Geno at the point. He can’t run the QB on the PP. Sully won’t play Sid and Geno together on 5 on 5, but keeps them together on the PP. Something has got to give. We are 10 games in. If poop don’t work, change it! Just mind-boggling.
- chimpira

They better get it figured out over this week.

If I'm the Interim GM I'm not getting off the phone with the Ducks until I figure out a Matheson + deal for Henrique. The Ducks need to rebuild and Matheson is still young enough to contribute to it.

While it isn't a game changer, Henrique would be a great 3C and we don't have any prospects he would be blocking.

I'd then get Poulin to come up and slot right on the top line with Jake and Sid.

Use Tanev-Henrique-Rust as your 3rd line... that would be a tough one to play against.

Its the special teams. They're not special at all...actually they're so bad thats what makes them special. I dont see them getting worse (knocks on wood) and only improving.

I wont lose sight of the fact this team looked pretty damn good* when relatively healthy the first 3 or 4 games (without Kap), nor the fact that despite having 5 starting D-men out they still string together periods of solid hockey. Also, the coaching situation and now the GM situation is a f'n clown show circus this year. Have only all the assistants, and not the head coach, ever been fired before? I dont recall hearing it. Its actually nuts.

I still think the new GM will assess the situation the past few years, talk with management and hopefully the captains of the team, and then get his own coach. Usually GM's want their own coach. When this happens their special teams will improve as they get healthier.

4 games away from the 1/4 of the season and they're in a playoff spot. Lots of hockey left yet. We'll see what happens.



*overall , yes, the top 6 forwards with ERod in them left something to be desired and Jarry was sh!tting the bed, but overall they played much more good than bad in those games IMO.

Its the special teams. They're not special at all...actually they're so bad thats what makes them special. I dont see them getting worse (knocks on wood) and only improving.

I wont lose sight of the fact this team looked pretty damn good* when relatively healthy the first 3 or 4 games (without Kap), nor the fact that despite having 5 starting D-men out they still string together periods of solid hockey. Also, the coaching situation and now the GM situation is a f'n clown show circus this year. Have only all the assistants, and not the head coach, ever been fired before? I dont recall hearing it. Its actually nuts.

I still think the new GM will assess the situation the past few years, talk with management and hopefully the captains of the team, and then get his own coach. Usually GM's want their own coach. When this happens their special teams will improve as they get healthier.

4 games away from the 1/4 of the season and they're in a playoff spot. Lots of hockey left yet. We'll see what happens.



*overall , yes, the top 6 forwards with ERod in them left something to be desired and Jarry was sh!tting the bed, but overall they played much more good than bad in those games IMO.
- MattStrat

Is Erod hurt? He hasn’t played since the Philly game.

Is Erod hurt? He hasn’t played since the Philly game.
- j.boyd919

Oh yeah, cant remember the nature of the injury, but remember when it happened. He looked all F'd up trying to get off the ice. It happened in game 5 or 6 I thought...

EDIT: just checked. He played just shy of 9 mins in game 6 vs the Rangers.

The time off this week would of been great for a new coach...

While I agree. I still think they are severely missing a net front guy in the PP and that would completely change the look of the team as a whole.

Do they even have that many come back when’s if they’re clicking at even 25%? Hell their PK has been worse than even I thought they would be lol I thought they were going to be a middling PK and right now they’re 25th.

If the Pens special teams on both ends was clicking better this team would look really good.

I hate Sullys stubbornness when it comes to Guentzel and Sid. Just give Guentzel to Malkin and see if something happens. While I think Geno made a good play on the Zucker goal deep in the zone, I wonder how his line would do if it was Guentzel-Geno-Kapenan.

Let Zucker-Sid-Rust grind teams down. I dunno. Gotta try something at this point. And the fact that they’re still in games with 1 started from their D in the lineup says something to me.

I think the 4th line is pretty much useless.

McCann-Bleug-Tanev looks pretty good here and there.
- j.boyd919

I think I agree with all this.

Would love sone net front on PP. Maybe opens up space so they feel comfortable shooting? Right now they just don't seem to think they can score without a cross ice tap in.

PK what happened? They've done the impossible and managed to make JJ's PK work look better by comparison because he at least tried engaging players in front of our best. Even Dumoulin stopped doing anything to guys in front. Might need an Ian Cole type.

Agree on 3rd and 4th lines. 3rd line isn't the big problem to me it is to others. They need to add a forward if the goal is a championship run, but right now too many other holes to worry about before that.

Not even sure how close we are. Four games against the Rangers might be helping us look a little better than we are.

I usually like Jake and Sid together, but yeah, screw it at this point and try Zucker just to try something new at this point.

Pp not quite that low but getting there. It’s actually pretty sad there are 12 teams with a worse pp
- 10inchTerror

We got 2 or 3 fluky goals that this early bumped up our average. Like the defenseman throwing it into his own net and Hart trying to pass the puck past Crosby. Otherwise it would be near the bottom.

I think I agree with all this.

Would love sone net front on PP. Maybe opens up space so they feel comfortable shooting? Right now they just don't seem to think they can score without a cross ice tap in.

PK what happened? They've done the impossible and managed to make JJ's PK work look better by comparison because he at least tried engaging players in front of our best. Even Dumoulin stopped doing anything to guys in front. Might need an Ian Cole type.

Agree on 3rd and 4th lines. 3rd line isn't the big problem to me it is to others. They need to add a forward if the goal is a championship run, but right now too many other holes to worry about before that.

Not even sure how close we are. Four games against the Rangers might be helping us look a little better than we are.

I usually like Jake and Sid together, but yeah, screw it at this point and try Zucker just to try something new at this point.
- Tojo.

If Jarry didnt poop the bed and their PP had life they would of beaten the Flyers in at least one of those first 2 games. They looked really, really good in game 2 vs Flyers. They took the B's to OT with an absolutely decimated blue line...in that game Malkin missed two glorious opportunities just in those 5 mins for the W.

This team, if healthy, is close to being "there" IMO.

Is Erod hurt? He hasn’t played since the Philly game.
- j.boyd919

ERod is on LTIR. They also just put Dumoulin there yesterday.

They need to try Zucker for net front on the pp. He's good around that net.

I really don't know what these guys need to start shooting on the PP. This is one area I do not blame the coaching staff on. With Reirden coming in things should at least look different, but they execute the PP exactly the same.

I will never understand why they continue to put Geno at the point. It's NEVER worked. Even when he was playing his best hockey. When Geno was on the half-wall he'd shoot and score like crazy. Geno on the point has always been a disaster.

They need to try Zucker for net front on the pp. He's good around that net.
- 668710

They just need to put Geno on the half wall and tell everyone to start shooting even it it means shots get block and the puck gets cleared. They need to get into the habit of taking shots.

They need to try Zucker for net front on the pp. He's good around that net.
- 668710

I agree. It's strange no one has mentioned this yet haha. Anything should be tried at this point but I do think trying him makes a lot of sense. Plus he has 3 goals in 4 games. Heating up.

They just need to put Geno on the half wall and tell everyone to start shooting even it it means shots get block and the puck gets cleared. They need to get into the habit of taking shots.
- Rinosaur

Yup, absolutely, more pucks on net. That small frozen piece of rubber can do a lot of random things on its way there or when it gets there...but first...it has to be on its way there hahah

They just need to put Geno on the half wall and tell everyone to start shooting even it it means shots get block and the puck gets cleared. They need to get into the habit of taking shots.
- Rinosaur

Personally gotta disagree short term. There is no way I’d have Malkin in the lineup next game and I’ve always been a huge Malkin fan. I think this season he has played 3 of his worst games of his career that I’ve ever seen. Just doesn’t seem to send a great message to the team and players if he keeps getting put out there in quality top line minutes. Outta 10 games I’d say he has played exactly 0 “good” games so far. The OT game against Boston and the first game against the rangers (Jan 22) have been his 2 best if you can call it that so far this season.

Wheels came off in the third, but through the first two periods that was one of the better games we've played on 5 on 5 along with the previous game against the Rags. It just looked dire because there was a TON of special teams play, and we suck donkey Richard at that. Given that half our team is AHLers (Jankowski, Lafferty, Church, Ceci, O'Conner, Weber) and our blue line injuries, that's somewhat promising. Team defense and fight has been demonstrably better than last year. Maybe that's the Reirden effect? But even so, the Rangers are really bad, so I'm not sure if that's something to take solace in.

At even strength, beyond the obvious of Malkin and Letang having insanely bad seasons and getting bad goaltending, we need forward depth very badly. We have exactly two good bottom six forwards right now. Blueger and Tanev. We know McCann can be good, but at this point he's gone MIA for very long stretches over 2 years, so he can't be the only guy with a legit goal scorer's touch in the bottom six. Rodrigues and Jankowski aren't NHL players, and when Colton Sceviour is your best player on the 4th line you have a major issue. We desperately need a scoring winger to bump someone competent down into the bottom six, and quite frankly we need a center. Whether its a legit 3C that can bump Blueger back down to the 4th, or a 4C that doesn't absolutely blow, it doesn't matter but Jankowski can't continue to dress.

Nothing to do about the defense. They just need to get healthy.

Our special teams are laugh out loud bad. Our PP looks like the worst PP in NHL history regardless of what our current rank is. Reirden has been zero help in that department and Sullivan just needs to go all together.

They just need to put Geno on the half wall and tell everyone to start shooting even it it means shots get block and the puck gets cleared. They need to get into the habit of taking shots.
- Rinosaur

Both Geno and Sid have been spending way too much time on the left side of the ice on the PP. Malkin looks totally out of sorts so that's obviously not the only reason why he PP is dysfunctional but there also seems to be a significant amount of coaching issues playing into our PP woes. We do not have a valid set up.

- MattStrat

Hahaha

1. That’s hilarious to wear a copies jersey style against the team that made it. Would be better if we won. Also I really like them.

2. Nice to see some character out of this franchise.

NHL BUFFALO SABRES/NEW YORK ISLANDERS
57m ago

Sabres-Isles postponed by COVID protocol

This might affect Pens game on Saturday vs the Isles. That's 15 games postponed this season because of COVID. If the trend continuous, I am wondering how that plays out. They might want to think about canceling the already-shortened season, IMO.

NHL BUFFALO SABRES/NEW YORK ISLANDERS
57m ago

Sabres-Isles postponed by COVID protocol

This might affect Pens game on Saturday vs the Isles. That's 15 games postponed this season because of COVID. If the trend continuous, I am wondering how that plays out. They might want to think about canceling the already-shortened season, IMO.
- chimpira

I don't think they'll cancel the season but playoffs might start a bit later. Panthers, Stars and Knights are all plugging along again now... And looking very good with all that extra practice time I might add.

I actually hope the Isles game gets cancelled now too. More time to figure out front office, the special teams and for players to heal.

NHL BUFFALO SABRES/NEW YORK ISLANDERS
57m ago

Sabres-Isles postponed by COVID protocol

This might affect Pens game on Saturday vs the Isles. That's 15 games postponed this season because of COVID. If the trend continuous, I am wondering how that plays out. They might want to think about canceling the already-shortened season, IMO.
- chimpira

Who has covid? Islanders or Sabres?