Plan A: Give it to Crosby and let him do things
Plan B: See Plan A
Plan C: Throw it on the net and hope
Plan D: See Plans A and B
- jmatchett383

Pretty much. If Malkins open for his one timer they try and get it there, but they have no system in place to achieve it on any regular basis. Pretty much (frank) around with the puck and hope something good happens.

Per DK's site.... Practice report. Rak to first line and Rust back with Malkin. PP stayed the same.

Yes they could have and maybe they should have but together as a group they have become complacent and their wallets are plenty fat. Do you really think that they stayed because they wanted to be together and grow old and lose. Why do others go and try to fit in elsewhere to help out. Who are they helping out here. They are happy and that breeds content. They have won and now they are too comfortable together. Good ole boys club. Sit back and have a cigar and a drink Who cares
- broncohorvath

Speaking of drinks, I picked up a bottle of Murray Hill Club and a bottle of Calumet 16 year bourbon and they are both phenomenal. dunno if any of you are bourbon drinkers

Hextall should call up Fletcher. He is the only GM he can over on in regards to Kappenen.

Yes they could have and maybe they should have but together as a group they have become complacent and their wallets are plenty fat. Do you really think that they stayed because they wanted to be together and grow old and lose. Why do others go and try to fit in elsewhere to help out. Who are they helping out here. They are happy and that breeds content. They have won and now they are too comfortable together. Good ole boys club. Sit back and have a cigar and a drink Who cares
- broncohorvath

Nah, they're too proud for that. They don't want to lose. They want to produce. Its imbedded in their blood and soul, champions blood at that. If you think Letang is happy and content with his, or the Pens, start to the season your head is corked.

From The Athletic:

Two big moves Ron Hextall could make to pull the Penguins out of their rut

Anyone knows what this is about?

Our team D play blows. No follow up on the plays.

Hated losing Matheson and seeing Ty Smith in the minors.

This stretch of play reminds me of the end of the year last year. We looked absolutely cooked against the Rangers at the end of the Reg season, then in the playoffs like a completely new team.

we know they can snap out of it but perhaps it's too much for this team, to play Sully's system for a whole year.

One thing is for sure stretching the zones for break outs is not working. Our D need multiple options and more support in our zone to break it out cleanly.

This stretch of play reminds me of the end of the year last year. We looked absolutely cooked against the Rangers at the end of the Reg season, then in the playoffs like a completely new team.

we know they can snap out of it but perhaps it's too much for this team, to play Sully's system for a whole year.

One thing is for sure stretching the zones for break outs is not working. Our D need multiple options and more support in our zone to break it out cleanly.
- Thorny87

Yeah like I said here two week ago....i believe they have the roster to be a very good hockey club that wins much more than they lose (not saying cup contender) but the roster is now mostly square pegs that Sullivan is still trying to jam in a round hole.

EDIT: but maybe its part of it...maybe they all know they got burned out last season and are pacing themselves a bit...its a marathon, not a sprint haha...or at least this is very wishful thinking...

One thing is for sure...we all thought they peaked too early last season....doesn't seem that will be the case this one...

From The Athletic:

Two big moves Ron Hextall could make to pull the Penguins out of their rut

Anyone knows what this is about?

Our team D play blows. No follow up on the plays.

Hated losing Matheson and seeing Ty Smith in the minors.
- Barnaby36

Yeah the overall team D is shocking in contrast to last season. They were top 5 to top 10 in overall team D all last season.

From The Athletic:

Two big moves Ron Hextall could make to pull the Penguins out of their rut

Anyone knows what this is about?

Our team D play blows. No follow up on the plays.

Hated losing Matheson and seeing Ty Smith in the minors.
- Barnaby36

Rossi wants to waive Kap and trade for a bottom 6 spark plug like Tanner Jeannot.

Yeah like I said here two week ago....i believe they have the roster to be a very good hockey club that wins much more than they lose (not saying cup contender) but the roster is now mostly square pegs that Sullivan is still trying to jam in a round hole.

EDIT: but maybe its part of it...maybe they all know they got burned out last season and are pacing themselves a bit...its a marathon, not a sprint haha...or at least this is very wishful thinking...

One thing is for sure...we all thought they peaked too early last season....doesn't seem that will be the case this one...
- MattStrat

What concerns me is Hexy made the team slower and older. I don't know what to make of Rust and Letang, but they both look horrible. Players sometimes fall off cliffs. Is this likely.....probably not, but it's pretty strange how both have become liabilities over night.

The Kap deal is unforgivable.

Edit... I saw Crosby's interview after the Leafs game. He did not look like a man who was pacing himself. He looked like a player who's flummoxed and embarrassed.

What concerns me is Hexy made the team slower and older. I don't know what to make of Rust and Letang, but they both look horrible. Players sometimes fall off cliffs. Is this likely.....probably not, but it's pretty strange how both have become liabilities over night.

The Kap deal is unforgivable.

Edit... I saw Crosby's interview after the Leafs game. He did not look like a man who was pacing himself. He looked like a player who's flummoxed and embarrassed.
- madmike71

He looked visibly frustrated the last game. Especially after Rust bumbled a pass on the tape and after a faceoff in which he tied up the center and neither winger went for the puck.

He's spending all or most of his energy just trying to get the puck out of the zone. Our wingers seem almost glued in place above the hash on the boards.

Strategy always seems to be ring it up the boards to the winger, but they're almost always not there to receive the puck or they easily get out muscled for it by the pinching D.

Playing to one of our biggest weaknesses IMO, board play.

What concerns me is Hexy made the team slower and older. I don't know what to make of Rust and Letang, but they both look horrible. Players sometimes fall off cliffs. Is this likely.....probably not, but it's pretty strange how both have become liabilities over night.

The Kap deal is unforgivable.

Edit... I saw Crosby's interview after the Leafs game. He did not look like a man who was pacing himself. He looked like a player who's flummoxed and embarrassed.
- madmike71

yeah i really dont think its lack of effort or pride. rust is really confusing. he shouldnt have become a skeleton overnight, but like you said it does happen.

the defense is really an issue. i understand cap constraints but swapping back petry for a healthy matheson/marino would probably cure some of the ills right now at least insofar as they pertain to zone exits and breakouts.

He looked visibly frustrated the last game. Especially after Rust bumbled a pass on the tape and after a faceoff in which he tied up the center and neither winger went for the puck.

He's spending all or most of his energy just trying to get the puck out of the zone. Our wingers seem almost glued in place above the hash on the boards.

Strategy always seems to be ring it up the boards to the winger, but they're almost always not there to receive the puck or they easily get out muscled for it by the pinching D.

Playing to one of our biggest weaknesses IMO, board play.
- Thorny87

thats a big one too, especially as far as the first line goes. rust is doing nothing there. even when hes hot thats not jakes game. so crosby really needs to lug the puck, fight for it, retrieve from corners, and try and generate. its too much to ask/expect especially at this stage.

thats a big one too, especially as far as the first line goes. rust is doing nothing there. even when hes hot thats not jakes game. so crosby really needs to lug the puck, fight for it, retrieve from corners, and try and generate. its too much to ask/expect especially at this stage.
- stayinthefnnet

All of this 100%

Yeah the overall team D is shocking in contrast to last season. They were top 5 to top 10 in overall team D all last season.
- MattStrat

Losing Marino and adding Ruutta were both blows to the team D.

All of this 100%
- Thorny87

maybe the split up with rak up to the top line to do some of that with rust down to the second where zucker can do some of that. who knows.

the forwards arent lighting anything on fire by any means, but i still think the majority of their overall issues on both sides of the ice stem from the D.

Losing Marino and adding Ruutta were both blows to the team D.
- jmatchett383

10000 percent.

Losing Marino and adding Ruutta were both blows to the team D.
- jmatchett383

I look at as Marino out, Petry in...and I like what Petry has brought...his and Marino's stats are very, very similar to start the season except Petry has laid almost 4x the hits Marino has and can physically remove guys from net front, whereas I found Marino to be very soft there. Marino is a better skater at their respective ages now, though, which helps with transition and the game Sully is trying to push. Its hard for me to comment on it all, or at least the past few weeks, because I haven't seen much action in that time span...that changes tonight. I want to see how the forwards are helping out because they were huge for the team D last season. Their back checking and positioning was great most games. The 5 man units were mostly cohesive and in sync which helps all of this too. What I saw a lot of before I visited your country for a few weeks was very out of sync units...sloppy...coughing up the puck at very bad times and what not.

I look at as Marino out, Petry in...and I like what Petry has brought...his and Marino's stats are very, very similar to start the season except Petry has laid almost 4x the hits Marino has and can physically remove guys from net front, whereas I found Marino to be very soft there. Marino is a better skater at their respective ages now, though, which helps with transition and the game Sully is trying to push. Its hard for me to comment on it all, or at least the past few weeks, because I haven't seen much action in that time span...that changes tonight. I want to see how the forwards are helping out because they were huge for the team D last season. Their back checking and positioning was great most games. The 5 man units were mostly cohesive and in sync which helps all of this too. What I saw a lot of before I visited your country for a few weeks was very out of sync units...sloppy...coughing up the puck at very bad times and what not.
- MattStrat

then in an admittedly oversimplified comparison it then becomes matheson out and rutaa in, which is a killer for the overall team game. and this coming from someone who took a WHILE to warm up to matheson.

then in an admittedly oversimplified comparison it then becomes matheson out and rutaa in, which is a killer for the overall team game. and this coming from someone who took a WHILE to warm up to matheson.
- stayinthefnnet

I blame Crosby.

I blame Crosby.
- jmatchett383

yeah (frank) that guy.

then in an admittedly oversimplified comparison it then becomes matheson out and rutaa in, which is a killer for the overall team game. and this coming from someone who took a WHILE to warm up to matheson.
- stayinthefnnet

Yeah fair enough and Matheson really came into his own last season...I didnt like losing him at all. If we had lost him the season before I would have been totally fine with it haha. He is the kind of d-man needed for Sullys system and he was working very well within it.

Yeah fair enough and Matheson really came into his own last season...I didnt like losing him at all. If we had lost him the season before I would of been totally fine with it haha. He is the kind of d-man needed for Sullys system and he was working very well within it.
- MattStrat

STOP IT!

STOP IT!
- jmatchett383

hahaha I cant help it. Bad Newfie grammar habit. I will try to be better for you moving forward, Matchett!