94 thoughts on “Penguins Last Night, Another Home [Shootout] Loss”

  3. The bad ice in Brooklyn claimed another victim. First it was Nash, and last night it was Taveras. Yet another reason Forbes Taveras to be in Toronto after next season.

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  5. Unlike the rest of y’all, not bothered by the AV line juggles. Some of this just reacquaints guys with line mates from past months (or seasons). In JT’s case, I think AV has plans for the kid and needs to get him a little away time from Hayes/Grab. On D, are you trying to tell me that 5/8/18/27 don’t know each others tendencies by now? Heck I think even Skjei and Holden have played enough with each of those guys this season to know as well.

    This is a flawed, young team (from 2nd oldest last year to 8th youngest now) that has made the playoffs (most thought unlikely) and are on the cusp of another 100 pt season – even with the star goalie having an off year/in decline. The way some of you talk, AV and the coaching staff had nothing to do with this and in fact, had they not been here, clearly we would have 125 pts and the presidents trophy!

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  8. I wouldn’t call it bothered. It’s more of, ok, let’s set up what we are going use in the playoffs. The benefit of what he has done lately is, I think some fringe guys have played there way in ( Lindberg), and out ( Buchnevich).

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  10. Hank was the bright spot last night, but, the shootout made it clear he is not the player he was even 5 years ago. Fortunately there are no more of those to worry about. We are going to test the old question about whether it is best to be competing down to the wire or be rested for the playoffs since the Rangers have taken the last month of while the Habs have been battling for first place in the Atlantic. This reminds me of other times they limped into the playoffs and it hasn’t gone well for them. I hope I’m wrong and all the optimists are right. On the other hand they competed for 20 minutes last night and got to OT. I would be more concerned if they were playing all out for 60 minutes and losing. They certainly have room to improve. The question is can this group step it up when they need to.

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  12. Did it between the 2nd and 3rd during the skate-around where the teams switched jerseys in a between-periods promo. Crosby ran him. He’s out until the third period of the next Penguins game. Not good news.

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  13. I don’t think this tailspin is nearly as bad as last season’s, and it hasn’t cost them anything — except maybe some bad habits. The results haven’t meant squat. I’m not as sold on them as I was a few weeks ago because of the defensive structure and PK and goalie.
    But this is a great time — a bonus most teams don’t ever get — to experiment and find your best 18 skaters and combos. Looks like that’s what they’re doing.

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  18. I’ve been saying it for a few months now, this team is horrible defensively and Lundqvist is half the goalie he used to be so he won’t bail them out. Rangers will be done in 6 games against the habs.

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  20. I’m more pumped for baseball season than I am with the rangers making the playoffs. Hopefully this year my metsies can stay healthy, something they haven’t been able to do in three years yet they went to the world series and a wild card game last year. I feel this year is like last year regarding the rangers. I don’t see them doing much in the playoffs or the 1st round.

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  24. If last night’s game is Lundqvist being “half the goalie he used to be” then he undoubtedly used to be the greatest goalie that ever played the game… He played extremely well under really tough circumstances and I don’t see how anyone can say otherwise. The shootout is a stupid way to end a great game and not indicative of anything for the most part other than luck for either the shooter or the goalie.

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  27. Hockey Sitoo,
    Lundqvist was good but there was a time when he would steal games that the rangers had no business winning. That’s what I’m referring to, he’s still good at times but he isn’t the goalie he used to be in his 20’s, that’s a fact, don’t know what else to tell you if you think he is still that goalie.

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  32. So Skjei was again minute leader.. by a good margin at 25:09, 23:03 ES. Saw Talbot played in his 69th… seems he can handle the everyday load just fine, eh? Imagine the drama if he gets a cup before Shampooboy

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  47. Good morning, boneheads!
    I think Proust dropped Lucic with one punch a few years ago too.
    Let’s hope Gudas gets better. But not fast enough to play tonight. Last thing they need is him concussing someone with his cheap shots

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  49. Speaking of Talbot. He won his 40th game of the season… One win shy of Oilers’ win record for a goalie…. with all those great Olier teams it’s hard to believe that no goalie won more than 40 games for them.

    HAS HENRIK LUNDQVIST EVER WON 40 IN HIS CAREER? 🙂

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  51. Hank’s contract has to be viewed in the context of when it was signed. The options were to sign him, trade him and go into the playoffs with an unproven backup or let him walk for nothing as a UFA. There were other teams that would have paid him the same or more. Rinne’s and Rask’s contracts are similar. In 20/20 hindsight Sather could have gone another way, but, he would have been savaged for trading the cornerstone of a cup contender. With the cap essentially frozen an $8.5 million goalie may be a luxury no one can afford. Let’s see what happens when Price and Holtby become UFAs.

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  52. Speaking of all time great goalies.

    Yesterday, back in 1994, Mike Richter recorded his 38th win of the season, breaking Ed Giacomin’s single season record. Richter finished the season with 42 wins.

    Vintage hockey.

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  53. In the past three years, Lundqvist has been outplayed by his own back-up TWICE.

    By Talbot in 14-15 season and now by Raanta…. and that’s a fact (Hi, Norm).

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  57. @ORF: Disagree on HL contract – they bid against themself. Think odds anybody else would pay him an $8.5M cap low, especially judging by follow on contracts (see http://p.ip.fi/enwi ranked by GP) HL has a cap it $1.1M over the next highest and $1.5 over the second. While it is true that its Dolan’s money (and those of you who buy tickets), that extra cap limits what the team was able to do elsewhere (ie, Hags). Hopefully NYR have learned from A-Rod/Ellsbury contracts what not to do with guys over 30.

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  59. Once they signed Hank to the contract they had to live with the consequences. He is untradeable even if he waves the NMC and his cap hit makes a buyout impossible until the last year or two of the contract. The best case is they bring in a replacement in a year or two on an ELC and gradually shift the load to him over a couple of seasons like the Devils did with Brodeur at the end. They seem to be stockpiling goalie prospects now in hopes that one of them pans out.

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  61. Agree, they are stuck with it now as he is a) unlikely to waive NMC and b) NYR would have to eat too much of the contract to make it a viable trade. They really gambled on the cap going up significantly, another misread. Fire Sather!

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  64. FWIW, I think they’ll win tonight. I expect the Rangers come out hitting and to play hard in yet another non-must-win.
    Grabner puts one in.

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  78. How do they tell the difference between Gudas’s pre and post-concussion behavior? Maybe he stopped dragging his wife around by the hair?

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  79. It always looks to me like staal drifts to the wrong side of the ice with the other D man and then there is a guy wide open in the slot…quite honestly could be due to too many lefties playing out of position or musical partners, but always seems like 2 D men on same side when staal is on

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  82. First inning of first game with your ace on the mound and you’re down 3-0 tells me that you are ill-managed, ill-prepared, and soft.

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  83. Things that stand out about this season around the NHL.
    kucherov’s numbers
    skinner hitting 30goals again
    eric staal’s resuragence
    Torts turning the Jackets around in his first full season
    Talbot’s numbers
    Matthews, Marner, Nylander leading the leafs in pts and to the playoffs.
    Avalache complete crash and burn.

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  84. I agree with AV regarding Grabner. He’s playing really well and hard. I’ve seen he’s getting frustrated by it and I think he’s gripping his stick, gritting his teeth, and causing his own scoring woes because he’s thinking and trying too hard once he’s in a scoring position. Just let it unfold, use your skills and instinct.

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  86. JPP – Lately, we’re kinda seeing the Grabner that everybody thought we were getting – his speed gets him tons of chances, but stone hands. He’s definitely not the (around) 30 goal scorer he was that one year with the Isles, and this year with us. But he’s not the single-digit guy from last year in Toronto either. Typical season for Michael Grabner is probably 15-16 goals. And even getting just that out of him makes him a huge bargain.

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  87. Yeah I hope he’s not pressing trying to look and act the part of NHL sniper and goal machine. Just do the things that get you goals and see how many you get. Keep it simple.

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  88. This team goes the way hated and machine go, the two most impactful skaters for the rangers the last half of the season.
    –
    I’d give machine a look on the pp

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  91. Will probably be bad ice tonight, (shocker).

    Keep it simple. Dump and chase. Bodies in front of the net. ots of shots. Let Hank see the shots. And for God’s sake pick up the man in front!!

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