Pens

[HockeyGenie]

Last night was embarrassing but overall I am so happy with the pens this year. Again they have been pounded with debilitating injuries and again they are at the top. I think it's no question that, at full strength, this time is the most high octane scoring and most defensively restricting in the league.

As for individual stuff:

Crosby: awesome this year. I think he is paying a lot of attention to his defensive duties and it's showing.

Malkin: same thing. He is such a hardworking and unselfish person and I love it.

Perron: as soon as the oilers traded him, I picked him up in fantasy. I knew skating by sid his production would be better, I had no idea how unreal his scoring touch was and how much of an engine he has. Great move by management.

Fleury: the BS millennial fans (as aoki calls them) will continue to badger Marc when the pens are losing and praise him when they're winning but the honesty of it is, it doesn't matter. He's always been, is right now, and always will be a top 3 goalie in the league. He will look to be standing at the clear top of that podium at the end of this year with a Vezina to his credit.

[theoneandonly]

First of all I appreciate your optimism but disagree with just about everything you've had to say. The Pens have been pretty much healthy for a few weeks now and they still play like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. At this point in the season if anyone thinks they are going to beat the Rangers, Islanders and/or Caps in back to back playoff series you're nuts.

For the year they are 12th in goals per game and 6th in goals against per game.... not awful but I wouldn't call that "high octane" and "defensively restricting".

Crosby has been pretty normal so far this year... The word awesome doesn't even come to mind. He's been held pointless in 22 games this year (I think that's the number I heard the other day) That isn't normal at all for him. So far this year he is avg 1.09 ppg... well below his career avg of 1.37ppg. Do the math and that is about 23 points on the year. That's a substantial drop in production.

Malkin is in the same boat as Crosby, IMO. Sure he has had some flashes of brilliance but overall he has been below the standard he has set for himself. Malkin has a career avg of 1.35ppg and is at a current pace of 1.01 ppg. Or about 28 points over an 82 game stretch. That's a massive drop-off.

I love Fleury as much or more than the next guy but if you think he's winning the Veznia I'll take that bet... That award is going to Rinne or Carey Price. Fleury is a top 10 goalie right now and is playing great hockey but nowhere near award winning material.

This team has some other holes... Brandon Sutter is not a good hockey player and with a 3rd line center like him you're not going to make a run. Craig Adams shouldn't be playing in the NHL anymore... he's had a good run doing what he does for the team but they would be better off letting just about anyone take that spot. I love what Downie can bring to the table but so far this year he has directly or indirectly cost them 3 games (off the top of my head). Chris Kunitz is showing his age and isn't capable of playing a productive top 6 anymore. Robert Bortuzzo is an okay bottom pairing player on an okay team but shouldn't be playing any important minutes in a playoff series.

Baring some sort of monster trade (won't happen) or a few guys finding the fountain of youth or Malkin/Crosby playing like they are capable this team has a ceiling of the second round at absolute best. I hope I'm wrong but I really don't think I am.

[HockeyGenie]

2 weeks in a season long format is a pretty small sample size but I'll take it.

You're right I am optimistic. And for a lot of reasons. Look at the power play totals from this season to last. Empirically, meaning league wide, there has been a substantial loss in power play points. Last season penguins power play was electrifying. I'm not saying it was Crosby's only outlet but he got a lot of production from it. I think it's fair to say there's a strong correlation between his drop and the pp.

You named two goalies,, legitamately the only two goalies I hold in higher regard than Fleury. So I can't argue with that; especially rine.

As for your comment on Sutter, I am pretty neutral with him right now. I admit he hasn't been too great this regular season but in the playoffs I thought he played great. In fact, I thought he was one of the only bright spots.

You hit the nail on the head, it's optimism. Pittsburghs 6 games out of NYI, I don't really think it's time to fold yet but that just might be me.

[theoneandonly]

The Pens haven't scored a PP goal in the month of February... let that sink in for a second. Their PP is atrocious right now... Hell count in that shorty last night and it's -1 for the month.

Crosby is the best player in the world... It's very fair to expect more out of him than what everyone is seeing. I don't mind seeing him trying to spark the team with a fight but that's a clear sign he is beyond frustrated right now. Game 23 without a point this year. 40% of the games he hasn't registered a single point.

I used to like Sutter and think he was okay... he's not. I haven't taken the time to completely understand "advanced statistics" but his are horrible. He makes everyone else that plays on his line worse, according to those statistics. The only goals he scores are on the rush down the right side... that's it. You're right he was good last year in the playoffs but he's been mediocre for 5 months now.

I want the Pens to win... I think they can win... but they aren't. They have lost 5 games this month and scored 3 goals in those 5 games. That is unacceptable. Since the first of the year they have won 9 games and lost 12 (not counting OT points or whatever). That sure isn't the sign of a team that is headed in the right direction at all.

[abpk2903]

This team is awful. I don't see one playoff team in the east that they could beat in a series right now. Seriously look up their record against east playoff teams, ouch!!!!

Crosby and Malkin are still great players but the years and years of just putting 2 bodies beside them and turning them into All-Star caliber players are long gone. It is sinful that Crosby has played the prime of his career with wingers that were undrafted, cleared waivers, bounced from AHL rosters, and so on. The only real scoring threat they have ever paired with Geno was James Neal who management got the bright idea to trade away.

How many more years is management going to wait for Sutter to "develop" his offensive game? He isn't even that good on faceoffs anymore. His line is where wingers go to see any offensive production die. Heck Downie is having more offensive success with LaPierre than he did with Sutter. The book is out on him, too. The only way he has consistently scored over the course of his career was far post with the goalie off his angle. Guess what goalies take away now?

Defense is not a huge concern but Martin, Letang, Erhoff, and Scuderi absolutely have to be 100% healthy for any hope to win a playoff series. I think Depres could be alright back there, as well. Bortozzo can't get out of his own way sometimes and Poiliot just doesn't have enough experience to play more than a handful of minutes in a big game.

Flurry is having the best season of his career and I can't believe I'm saying this but thank God the pens have him right now. Last nights game should have been 3-0 at the end of the 1st but multiple big saves at least gave the pens a chance.

Bottom line: there just isn't very much skill on this team. Comeau is being treated like he is a top winger when before this year he spent his entire career on every other teams 3rd or (mostly) 4th line. Kunitz is not a top line winger anymore and it isn't close. Sutter kills the productivity of any winger you put with him, and the 4th lines mainstay is Craig Adams. Each line has a fatal flaw.

[abpk2903]

One&only: you beat me to a lot of my points (must have submitted at the same time). Good news is, I must not be the only one seeing these things.

[theoneandonly]

Haha yeah... I think we are pretty much on the same page abpk.

Honestly I wish they would trade Sutter for anything and let Spaling play 3rd line center... Sure wouldn't see much of a drop off in production.

Comeau has some skill and does have some chemistry with 71 but at the end of the day you're 100% right... he isn't a top 6 winger.

Perron is a legit 35 goal scorer. Hornqvist is a legit top 6 winger. That's it... no team is going to win a playoff series with that unless MAF plays like an absolute madman and steals 2 games.


In a nutshell.... this is doing to be a disappointing next 2/3 months unless some sort of magical turnaround happens.

[theoneandonly]

Pretty much sums it up...


http://www.sportingnews.com/nhl/story/2 ... eni-malkin

[HockeyGenie]

What you said about the power 1 & only. My exact point.

I love Spaling. I can't believe I'm saying this because of how much I liked Sutter by the end of the playoffs but I too would absolutely take him any day over Sutter. Sutter is one dimensional (storied on PK) and I guess it finally has caught up with him. April last year I was praising him and thinking that his playoff play would translate over into the reg season. But that clearly hasn't happened.

I'm going to give you guys a little side note that's completely unrelated: the buffalo Winnipeg trade, one of the most laughable moves of sports history. Buffalo gives up Tyler Myers (very good young player), Drew Stafford (decent goal scorer especially playing for buffalo), and a first round draft pick which could have very well been McDavid for Evander Kane. Just laughable.

[theoneandonly]

Buffalo had multiple first round picks... they didn't give up the one that will be used for McDavid.