GDT: Pens @ Craps - 03/01/2016 - 7:30pm EST

[doublewinder]

Went to the game...

First....this was the fewest amount of Pens fans in DC I have ever seen. 10-15% max, WAY less than 25-35% I am used to (and 50/50 from longer ago)...I was disappointed, but I guess it being a make up game from Sunday in January probably screwed things up for Pens fans?
There still were some there, enough to see plenty throughout, but not enough for the usual sustained "Let's Go Pens" chant. Hopefully this was a fluke.

Second, the game.

+Pens came out flying
+First period Malkin
+Pouliet's skating
+Rust...he really impressed me. I know he is not a top 6, but he is definitely not a "replacement" AHL call up. He had the puck on his stick a lot, making nice plays be it clearing the puck, getting it on net, being in position. He looks like solid NHL bottom six regular.

Even-Sid....pretty quiet
Even-3rd period Geno


-....Kunitz...invisible
-Kessel. Invisible as well, useless when he does not score. Saad would have been better.
-....I think the Pens got tired and woren down. We had no possession late second period onward throughout the game. Could not sustain any pressure. I think the Caps are too big and strong and would wear us down in series, but maybe the wear and tear of 3 games in 4 nights did it.

[meecrofilm]

From one replay I could have sworn Oshie lifted Geno's stick and that's why it came up. After what could be labeled borderline at best hits all night, I thought it was a weak call.

I thought the call was fine. It's a battle penalty though. It wasn't some vindictive slash or a lazy hook/trip. Just an unfortunate result of a 50-50 battle. Of course you've got Pee-air always trying to turn thing into something they're not.

[mikey]

That is correct. ^

That was actually a case of Malkin trying to do too much...bad break on the result, but it wasn't a reaching foul or anything...it was a compete penalty...I almost never get upset at my players for battle fouls...

[Lemon Berry Lobster]

The officiating is still a hot mess overall. Calls that weren't calls last week, ignoring obvious penalties, etc.

That's what bothered me about this game, and most NHL games this season. The officiating is so inconsistent and at times absolutely nonsensical.

It is awful for fans but it has to be inconceivably worse for players and coaches. There is no way for them to know how or what will get called that game.

[mikey]

Not to say that coaches and players don't get frustrated...but, in my experiences/conversations, it's the fans that make a way bigger deal about it...which isn't to say it's perfect by any means, but fans really play it up a lot more...

Even in college, we'll joke on the bench sometimes when fans overreact to something and we can hear some things being yelled...it's just like, "what are they even upset about...?"

[Avyran]

Well, after Monday's game Kessel made a slight rib against the officials, pointing to something I think may be within the locker room sentiment as a whole.

The Penguins scored a power-play goal for the first time since Feb. 2. I asked Kessel about this, and he made a good point.

“We got more chances,” he explained. “We got more than one or two for a change. That helped.”

The Penguins were 1 for 25 on the power play during their previous 11 games. This isn’t a good number, of course. But let’s focus on that second number for a moment. Kessel’s point is accurate, as 25 power plays in 11 games is barely more than two per game. Playing without Malkin during most of that stretch hurt the power play. Inactivity didn’t help it, either.

(Again, this was after the Coyotes game.)

[Lemon Berry Lobster]

Not to say that coaches and players don't get frustrated...but, in my experiences/conversations, it's the fans that make a way bigger deal about it...which isn't to say it's perfect by any means, but fans really play it up a lot more...

Even in college, we'll joke on the bench sometimes when fans overreact to something and we can hear some things being yelled...it's just like, "what are they even upset about...?"

I was just thinking along the lines of calls from period to period change, in some games that is. I've played a few pick up games so nothing remotely serious, but I couldn't imagine trying to play within the rules if the rules changed all the time. It's frustrating as a fan when the rules don't get called consistently. It is surprising it is less frustrating on players and coaches, but then again they are probably used to the kaleidoscope of calls the refs make every night.

[mikey]

By the time you make it to any meaningful level, you know the deal. And you can get hot sometimes, no doubt, we all have...everyone that's in the game knows that it's part of the game...balls and strikes in baseball, holding/interference in football, the hilarity of basketball officiating, etc. everyone knows the deal and can deal with that deal...that doesn't make it right, wrong or indifferent...but there's more understanding in the game, if nothing else...

The "rules changing from period to period" thing is kind of what I mean...that's not really something that happens...at least not in the way that it's being portrayed. Yeah, late in a tight a playoff game do you swallow your whistle sometimes? Yes, totally. And I support that to a degree. I'd rather that than one of these crumb-bum challenges or that stupid delay of game thing...but regardless of that nonsense, you gotta earn your chances when the chips are down, it's like that in every contact sport...

[Silentom]

I agree about the delay of game farce, but as for the whistle swallowing...can't stand it. A penalty is a penalty is a penalty and it should be always called consistently, and not situationally.

An interference call in the 1st period should be the same with 5 minutes left in the 3rd, regular season or playoff - doesn't matter to me, IMO.

[mikey]

In theory, yes, you are right. In practice, eh, but as a ref...you get one crack at it. No replays, no bird's eye view...you get the one split-second look at ice level...in basketball, fine, who cares, points don't matter there's 200 scored per game. Giving one team another shot or two shouldn't be the ultimate decider...in football, the play doesn't count or the original team gets a first down, impactful, but not earth shattering...in hockey though, you change the manpower advantage...it's tough to make a call in the last five minutes of a playoff game or in OT unless you're damn sure it wiped out a scoring chance...

Believe it or not, I'm pretty emotionally stable and I deal with pressure/stress really well usually...my blood pressure is 103/63, I'm borderline comatose...my first playoff game that I reffed, I was fine...totally fine, just another game...I remember looking at the clock with 10 or 12 minutes left and swallowing hard and thinking, "****, I can't mess this up..." I'm disappointed to admit I was distracted for nearly all of that shift (luckily, nothing happened apparently...at least nothing that anyone gave me guff about... )...I mean, eventually I settled in, but my heart was goin'...I was trying my damnedest to get in the right spot, I coming in way close to the net on net-mouth scrambles depending on my partner (the "far" ref) at center to make any calls in the slot so I could focus on the goal...

And there were a couple of things that maybe, possibly, could have been called...you get one bark about it and then the players re-focus, they have better things to worry about than me...but I think I still called it right that night, and going forward...luckily or maybe unluckily sometimes, I've only reffed in leagues that do not have instant replay, so no one gets to see it on the big screen and go "ooohhh! come on, ref!" or anything like that...

But I get why they do what they do, I respect what they do, I respect the job that they do...is it perfect? No. But I don't mind it being tougher to get a call late in a tight game...I do mind it being impossible though...

[Silentom]

snip

Fair enough.

[shafnutz05]

My only issue with Murray was that his rebound control wasn't tight last night. It didn't lead to any goals against, but it's worth noting.

I think that will get better with experience.

[NTP66]

My only issue with Murray was that his rebound control wasn't tight last night. It didn't lead to any goals against, but it's worth noting.

I think that will get better with experience.

No doubt, and it was only a minor issue in that game. He's clearly our future starter.