Official Recriminations Thread

[NTP66]

I still don't understand why Simon was dressed in the last two games. He had shown absolutely nothing.

I hated it, but there was nobody who could take that spot.

Kessel was a black hole, Sheary was garbage...Sprong had no real experience again. ZAR getting hurt did some serious damage.

I disagree. I think Sprong could have filled in, personally.

[Dickie Dunn]

Simon has played in 38 regular season games compared to Sprong's 26. Simon's 8 games of playoff experience all came this year. I really don't see how "experience" is a reason for keeping Simon in the lineup over a more talented player whose go to offensive instinct is to shoot the puck when the only player in our forward group consistently looking to put the puck on net was Hornqvist.

In general, I was less than pleased with Sullivan's lineup decisions and became significantly more less than pleased when he decided to breakup the only line that was producing.

[mikey]

Simon really wasn't blocking Sprong in large part...they aren't the same handedness and don't play the same position...

[NTP66]

And yet, that wouldn't have prevented me from trying it.

[Dickie Dunn]

mikey is obsessed with handedness. Simon spent the last three games on Sid's RW, which is the position Sprong plays. So I don't give two flying **** which handedness Simon is or what position he's listed as playing, because he was playing RW.

[Silentom]

I thought Simon had decent jump last night.

[darkstar57]

i fully expected CP to return and say how we can't win with kessel on our team

[Dickie Dunn]

I thought Simon had decent jump last night.

He was fine. Looked better once they switched lines around. I just don't think he has any business on Sid's RW. He's a bottom six guy.

[Robot B9]

'Jump' is fine, especially since so many injured skaters were lacking in it, but it still boils down to effectiveness. Wasn't much. Seriously let down in the drop off from Sheary and Rust in this department.

[Dickie Dunn]

'Jump' is fine, especially since so many injured skaters were lacking in it, but it still boils down to effectiveness. Wasn't much. Seriously let down in the drop off from Sheary and Rust in this department.

Both looked terrified to shoot the puck.

[NTP66]

Terrified to shoot described half of the team, honestly. We kept waiting for the 'perfect chance', and last night wasn't the first time that happened. Which is why I wanted a guy with a shoot first mentality in the lineup.

[robbiestoupe]

Offense wasn't the issue in these playoffs, defense was. Why argue over who would have scored more when your two biggest issues are Letang and Murray?

[NTP66]

To make up for the lack of defense?

[RonnieFranchise]

Goodbye to my gray-ass playoff beard. Apparently it just doesn't have it anymore. Retire already.

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

let's play guess the injury

- Malkin torn MCL
- Kessel fractured wrist
- Letang broken psyche

[Dickie Dunn]

- Brassard pulled groin.
- Murray no left hand.

[shmenguin]

Management went down with the sinking ship, and it wasn’t a good choice. They deserve so much praise that it’s hard to call this out, but it’s true. They gave up on brassard, they kept kessel out there on the pp even though he was a ticking timebomb for turnovers, they didn’t change the lineup until it was almost too late. Bleh.

Maybe this was a situation where they all looked around before the game last night and silently acknowledged, “we all feel like dogshit and it’s not gonna get better. This is it.” And then they just went out there and gave a bit of token mental and physical effort and packed it in.

It’s just a weird thing to see this team give up. And it’s a little on the coaches that their decisions contributed to some iffy complacency.

[Orlando Penguin]

Rust is still sleeping...and I saw him on the side of the milk carton at breakfast.

[Jim]

... it’s a little on the coaches ...

I say much more than a little. While I do not think that anything on this team stunk... I have been commenting on poor line management all year. However, overall, only 4 teams went further than the Pens this year so even the negatives aren't all that negative.

[Troy Loney]

What sucks is that this team looked like they were really getting their mojo, at the time of the Brassard trade. Then kerplump, they barely held on to the second place in the division, Hunwick forced himself out of the picture after they tried him again following the Cole trade, and bumping Sheahan down to the 4th line didn't really seem to give them the rolling lines they had assumed. Sheahan was really looking good with Kessel for a while there too. Maybe Kessel's injury played a part of that too.

Who knows, either way, **** washington.

[shmenguin]

Guentzel...he get rocked in this series or just too much too fast and he burnt out?

[Gabe]

Thanos

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

Heard at work:

If we still have fleury we win that series

[shmenguin]

Heard at work:

If we still have fleury we win that series

Well...maybe. Murray would have gotten the hook after game 5. Not game 3 though. So I guess it probably wouldn’t have mattered.

[Gaucho]

If we still had Fleury we'd all be free and noone would die of cancer ever again.