Ryan Wilson: Penguins earn some capital in the standings Penguins earn some capital in the standings

Foist!!

Waiting on your plate of Crow with the 3rd line and these "wasted" 700k contracts?

Are you suggesting that large players who HIT (Wilson), put doubt in the heads of defenseman (Marino) when they try to make a play, and that leads to goals?

Ya, That's the idea. Hockey 101, but we need more Conor Shearys according to you

The Pens season is off to a rough start but at least we're getting the dad joke headlines.

When do you know a joke is a dad joke? When it's apparent!

I don't have a good read on how this season will go. I haven't been optimistic about our roster, but the third line is playing really well, and the top 6 won't suck forever. Unfortunately, with the shortened season, we really don't have time to "figure it out". Any hole we dig ourselves into could be permanent. But if we could land one more top 9 winger and our goal tending turns around, this could be a team.

Well we could give him top PP time on the LW but we can't give him center duties...

Edit: Can you see what TIOPS says about the Horny trade being botched?
- 668710

The more I think about this, unless the plan is to shove ERod out of the lineup and Tanev down the 4th, it doesn't make sense for them to bring in someone like Roslovic. IMO unless they're going for a big gun on the RW, then don't bother.

TIOPS...

If this is true it's even more maddening. 4-5 teams were seriously in on Hornqvist, but basically there was another team willing take nearly all of Horn's contract without having to take an albatross back. For whatever reason JR was dead set on getting Matheson. At least one team was flabbergasted in the direction the Pens decided to go. CBJ, MIN and NJ were seriously in on Hornqvist.

It's TIOPS so obviously take it with a grain of salt, but this also seems very plausible to me.

The other note was at tone point there were discussions of a 1-to-1 swap of McCann for Roslovic, but that fell through.

Looking back to last year I think we were quite fortunate that cds made it through waivers. If a team like Toronto picked him up that would of helped them a ton and saved them a headache at last trade deadline. Glad he’s still around. Lots of 3rd string goalies moved this year.

I got creamed in HBSL. Jake, Rust and my Goalies were just a bust. Here's my lineup which is almost identical to the guy I'm up against.

LW: Pac, Kaprizov, Connor, Hoffman (we both have Connor)
C: Draistial, Pettersson, Scheifele, MacKinnon (we have all the same centers)
RW: Stone, Laine, Yamamoto, Svechnikov (we both have Yamamoto and Svech)
D: Pietrangelo, Hamilton, Graves, Makar, Hughes, Dahlin (We both have Dahlin, Hamilton and Makar)
G: Hart and Samsonov (We both have hart)

This one will really come down to the wire.

EDIT: Just found out Laine is D2D. (frank)ing awesome.

I don't have a good read on how this season will go. I haven't been optimistic about our roster, but the third line is playing really well, and the top 6 won't suck forever. Unfortunately, with the shortened season, we really don't have time to "figure it out". Any hole we dig ourselves into could be permanent. But if we could land one more top 9 winger and our goal tending turns around, this could be a team.
- Victoro311

If Matheson eventually goes on LTIR the Pens could really go in big for a higher-end winger. I'd love to see Parise in the Pens sweater, but my guess is the price will be huge and the other teams will/can offer more. I'm not sure who the consolation prize would be, but hopefully there's some good options out there.

I share your sentiment in terms not being optimistic, but it hasn't helped my frustration since all of this could have been avoided. It was simply poor asset management that close this window.

Riikola took Matheson's spot. Not Ruhwedel, who took Ceci's spot. I thought Riikola was pretty good. There was no glaring liability and he kept the puck in the O zone well. He needs to play more IMO. Ruhwedel was Ruhwedel. There were times yesterday that I thought we could have won by a lot more. Sid looks like he's shed some rust off- his line got yet another goal. Still want the first line to be Sid with Zuck and Kap. We'll see. I'd like to see some more decisive shooting too. There were points that seemed Disco Dud-esque. But a win is a win, and a big one at that- hopefully that SO goal gets Jake off the schneid.

Waiting on your plate of Crow with the 3rd line and these "wasted" 700k contracts?

Are you suggesting that large players who HIT (Wilson), put doubt in the heads of defenseman (Marino) when they try to make a play, and that leads to goals?

Ya, That's the idea. Hockey 101, but we need more Conor Shearys according to you
- TheGame316

+1 to you sir.

I didn't check the stats, but it sure seemed like I saw a lot of Pettersson-Ruhwedel. Guessing they did some shifts where they combined the 2nd and 3rd pairs rather than just run each.

I didn't check the stats, but it sure seemed like I saw a lot of Pettersson-Ruhwedel. Guessing they did some shifts where they combined the 2nd and 3rd pairs rather than just run each.
- Tojo.

I think this was due more to all the special teams play. I saw Dumo/Ruhwedel a bit too because of the all the power plays.

Looking at naturalstattrick Petts/Ruh have played about 8 1/2 minutes through two games. The numbers are quite impressive actually.

CF% 66.67%
FF% 77.78%
SF% 80%
GF% 100%
xGF% 90.33%
SCF% 66.67%
HDCF 100%

There's been slop for every single team to start this season... But if you look at the first 9 periods of this season, overall besides goaltending, they've pretty decent. Obviously not playing like world beaters, but overall more good than bad I think..and this is without the top 6 producing jack sh!t at ES yet..

I can't stop this feeling better about them than before the season started feeling from creeping over me...

They are adding another top 9 forward to the mix in the next game or two, in Kapanen, but I'm all for adding another... As long as it doesn't hinder them somewhere else, that is.

I didn't check the stats, but it sure seemed like I saw a lot of Pettersson-Ruhwedel. Guessing they did some shifts where they combined the 2nd and 3rd pairs rather than just run each.
- Tojo.

Riik and Marino were together more at ES than Riik-Rud... Riick and Marino had the worst fancy stats yesterday. Rud some of the best.

Riik and Marino were together more at ES than Riik-Rud... Riick and Marino had the worst fancy stats yesterday. Rud some of the best.
- MattStrat

Riikola looked a tad rusty, but he didn't look bad. He could have been better.

I think this was due more to all the special teams play. I saw Dumo/Ruhwedel a bit too because of the all the power plays.

Looking at naturalstattrick Petts/Ruh have played about 8 1/2 minutes through two games. The numbers are quite impressive actually.

CF% 66.67%
FF% 77.78%
SF% 80%
GF% 100%
xGF% 90.33%
SCF% 66.67%
HDCF 100%
- Rinosaur

I still think they should go back to Petts-Marino and Riik - Rude tomororw though. Those two pairs are familiar and large enough sample to see they are effective.

Can't believe Riik Rude was freed by game 3 Hahaha... You just never know what's going to happen in sports for sure. F'n love it.

I still think they should go back to Petts-Marino and Riik - Rude tomororw though. Those two pairs are familiar and large enough sample to see they are effective.

Can't believe Riik Rude was freed by game 3 Hahaha... You just never know what's going to happen in sports for sure. F'n love it.
- MattStrat

Oh I agree, but it's just a positive sign to know the Pens can still maintain strong play when the pairings have to get toggled for whatever reason.

Riikola looked a tad rusty, but he didn't look bad. He could have been better.
- Rinosaur

I missed all of the 2nd and 19 mins of the 3rd hahah...got all my gear and stuff ready during the 1st so I was coming and going out of the room a lot. Listened to the last 5 mins of 1st with NHL radio en route to the rink haha .... Long story short, I didn't really get much of an eye test on him yesterday.

I didn't check the stats, but it sure seemed like I saw a lot of Pettersson-Ruhwedel. Guessing they did some shifts where they combined the 2nd and 3rd pairs rather than just run each.
- Tojo.

It was a deliberate switch.

From DK's site....

"We felt, out of necessity, in order to get a spark for our blue line, that we had to move some guys around," Sullivan said when I asked about the mid-game adjustment. "That was why the decision was made there. We had some guys that we thought were playing pretty well, we had others back there that we thought we needed more from, and so that weighed in to that part of the decision."

"I thought it went well," Pettersson said of the switch. "Sometimes you've got to change things up, find different partners. I don't think me and Johnny had a particularly good start, so change was good. I think that was a wakeup call on the back end. We certainly played a lot harder and better from there. ... We played a lot quicker with the puck, especially when it went out in the neutral zone. We didn't allow them to get set and pressure us."

It was a deliberate switch.

From DK's site....

"We felt, out of necessity, in order to get a spark for our blue line, that we had to move some guys around," Sullivan said when I asked about the mid-game adjustment. "That was why the decision was made there. We had some guys that we thought were playing pretty well, we had others back there that we thought we needed more from, and so that weighed in to that part of the decision."

"I thought it went well," Pettersson said of the switch. "Sometimes you've got to change things up, find different partners. I don't think me and Johnny had a particularly good start, so change was good. I think that was a wakeup call on the back end. We certainly played a lot harder and better from there. ... We played a lot quicker with the puck, especially when it went out in the neutral zone. We didn't allow them to get set and pressure us."
- madmike71

Well it worked. They paired successfully.

I missed all of the 2nd and 19 mins of the 3rd hahah...got all my gear and stuff ready during the 1st so I was coming and going out of the room a lot. Listened to the last 5 mins of 1st with NHL radio en route to the rink haha .... Long story short, I didn't really get much of an eye test on him yesterday.
- MattStrat

There were moments he looked behind the play, but overall he was fine. It really looked more like rust than anything. I expect a stronger showing tomorrow.

On a random note, I'm going to defend Ceci for a moment. While yes, I think he was an unnecessary acquisition and Ruhwedel is IMO better, and I've maintained Ruhwedel is good enough to be their full-time #6, I really didn't think Ceci was bad. Yeah, he had a few gnarly moments, but overall I thought he was ok.

Waiting on your plate of Crow with the 3rd line and these "wasted" 700k contracts?

Are you suggesting that large players who HIT (Wilson), put doubt in the heads of defenseman (Marino) when they try to make a play, and that leads to goals?

Ya, That's the idea. Hockey 101, but we need more Conor Shearys according to you
- TheGame316

Don't be giving Rutherford or Sullivan any ideas. Sheary was a healthy scratch yesterday for Daniel Sprong. Remember him? Also Simon was a healthy scratch for Calgary, then only played 7:43 last game, lowest on the team.

It's crazy that the Yotes and Knights play each other 4 times in a row this week haha