mikey's Thread of Penguin Randomness

[Dickie Dunn]

Are there non-atrocious playoff exits?

First playoff appearance of the Sid/Geno era. Got curbed stomped and it was obvious from the get go that the young players on the team had no idea what they were in for. While there’s a certain atrociousness to getting bent over by Daniel Alfredsson, any expectations of success disappeared in the first period of that series.

[Lelldorin]

Are there non-atrocious playoff exits?

Getting beat in 7 by Tampa when we had Crosby and Malkin injured?

[shmenguin]

Are there non-atrocious playoff exits?

Of course. 2015 is a good example. They tried hard, put up a good fight, and lost to a better team. No melt downs. No big blown leads. No bed shitting. 2018 is similar. We were just not good enough. Although it’s another year where the big kids stole our lunch money and we thanked them for it.

[nocera]

[dodint]

Coach Sullivan is a stud

I can’t reconcile this (and what we’ve seen for 2-3 years now of this type of gutsy effort) with how much we shrink under pressure in April. It makes no sense how little this team is prepared for higher stakes hockey when they play half the season with sandbags strapped to them.

Bylsma was great with the stars out of the lineup, too.

[relantel]

Woof. Attendance projections must be looking shitty.

I didn't answer the call because I didn't recognize the number, someone from the Pens' ticketing office left me a message today asking me about my ticket plans for this season. I haven't been a STH in six years. They must be calling up everyone who ever was a STH to pitch them tickets.

Haven't gotten to me yet. I last had tickets in 07-08. And my contact info is unchanged. We're just too far away to be able to manage more than a game every couple of seasons at this point.

[King Colby]

Coach Sullivan is a stud

I can’t reconcile this (and what we’ve seen for 2-3 years now of this type of gutsy effort) with how much we shrink under pressure in April. It makes no sense how little this team is prepared for higher stakes hockey when they play half the season with sandbags strapped to them.

Bylsma was great with the stars out of the lineup, too.

Was he?

[dodint]

Yeah, I was specifically thinking of that crazy run around Christmas 2013 when Philip Samuelsson was getting reps.

https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/tea ... 0&sid=2014

[NTP66]

Called it.

[Gaucho]

[NTP66]

[mikey]

Sometimes I wonder how we survived two consecutive Cup runs...

[shmenguin]

Rust is gonna have a short career. I hate it.

[Pavel Bure]

Rust is gonna have a short career. I hate it.

He was already in his late 20’s before producing. By hockey standards he’s been having an abnormal production curve.

[King Colby]

His penguins career is ending after this year anyway

[shoeshine boy]

Rust is gonna have a short career. I hate it.

I was just thinking during game 2 that it seemed to me that Rusty was finally back to full speed.

[NTP66]

Matheson returns to the lineup tonight.

[Dickie Dunn]

So POJ was called up to rot?

[Orlando Penguin]

Are there non-atrocious playoff exits?

Getting beat in 7 by Tampa when we had Crosby and Malkin injured?

That was a 3-1 Penguins series lead after winning both games in Tampa (and a double OT snipe by James Neal, who hadn't scored since the 8th grade picnic). They came home and played a Saturday afternoon (and early too, I think) game and got boatraced 8-2. That day, I had a bad feeling that we weren't going to see the 2nd round. Losing 1-0 in the clincher at home was an extra gut punch.

[Orlando Penguin]

Are there non-atrocious playoff exits?

First playoff appearance of the Sid/Geno era. Got curbed stomped and it was obvious from the get go that the young players on the team had no idea what they were in for. While there’s a certain atrociousness to getting bent over by Daniel Alfredsson, any expectations of success disappeared in the first period of that series.

I did a shoot with Mark Recchi shortly after this playoff exit for features we were doing leading up to the US Open at Oakmont and he told me how much of an eye opener that series was and the young kids weren't quite ready for prime time. Then he said that it wouldn't happen again and that they 'got it' now and would be a force going forward. Little did we know then...

[willeyeam]

[King Colby]

Johnny hockey or Freddy hockey?

[King Colby]

So POJ was called up to rot?

Sent back down the other day, plus Friedman is the better player

[meow]

Matheson makes us way more dynamic and exciting.

[Dickie Dunn]

So POJ was called up to rot?

Sent back down the other day, plus Friedman is the better player

Didn’t see that he was sent back down. Absolutely agree on Friedman being the better player. Big fan of his skill set, skating, and energy. I just hate calling up young players for them to not play. It would inevitably backfire because HCMS loved him, but that’s where guys like Trotman come in handy. I don’t care about his development and if he needs to play 10 minutes after doing nothing for two months he won’t hurt you too bad. Ruhwedel could be that extra wheel but he’s actually playing for the first time in half a decade. Riikola is too expensive. Fedun is bad. I’m not sure we have that sacrificial lamb depth defenseman right now.