4 Pittsburgh Penguins v. 5 Tampa Bay Lightning Series Thread

[evolver115]

Kunitz is a moron. Our forward group is already composed of 90% third and fourth liners. Why the fuck would he do that? He'll get two.

As for Neal, yeah he needs to score. But I'm guessing it's not the easiest thing in the world to go from playing with Brad Richards to Mark Letestu. We're not going to know his true value until next year, so all the Internet GM's (not here) need to shut the hell up in regards to evaluating the trade as if we can know the full impact.

Anyways good win and great to see TK get one. He'll feed off that, I think.

Yep, agree 100%. Kunitz is a dumbass. WTF is he thinking? With how short-handed the Penguins are in the goal-scoring department, why the hell is he doing stupid crap like that?

Neal is going to make an impact in this series, and in a lot of ways, i think he already has. Errey pointed out last nite that he backchecks like a demon, and his physical presence up front is forcing the TB defense to constantly check their backs when they go into the corners. Not to mention, Neal probably just took what little ability Bugsy had in this series and chopped it in half.

 

[johnnytata]

FTFY

what does ftfy mean?

 

[SLY]

i think its "fixed that for you"? Maybe "fuck that, fuck you"? Or "forty three fucking years"?

 

[pixburgher66]

Neal is getting a bad rap from a lot of Pens fans, and it's ridiculous because they're clearly only looking at one aspect of his game. He's had a tremendous positive impact on the team, and that trade is still a steal in my mind (especially with the solid play from Nisky). He's a backchecking/forechecking machine, he hits, he plays the puck, he's a bull in a china shop out there and it's creating great plays. I guess they just want to ignore the gorgeous pass to Kovy in Game 1? He's a fantastic player, and the goals will come.

 

[pixburgher66]

just saw the kunitz elbow. fuckin bitch move. for any penguin to make a play like that is just fuckin horseshit.

get the fuck off the ice and stay off.

the downie hit is spectacular but what the fuck do you jump for? jeebus.

this series is gonna get nasty now.

Why a Penguins player? It's a horrible move, yes, but it's a horrible move for anyone really.

 

[Darkstone42]

Neal is getting a bad rap from a lot of Pens fans, and it's ridiculous because they're clearly only looking at one aspect of his game. He's had a tremendous positive impact on the team, and that trade is still a steal in my mind (especially with the solid play from Nisky). He's a backchecking/forechecking machine, he hits, he plays the puck, he's a bull in a china shop out there and it's creating great plays. I guess they just want to ignore the gorgeous pass to Kovy in Game 1? He's a fantastic player, and the goals will come.

Right before that pass to Kovy, he made a pretty saucer pass from behind the net right onto Letestu's stick in the slot. Neal's got hands, and he's shown that. He lifted that puck last night, he didn't roof it, but he lifted it, but Roloson anticipated (or got really lucky) and picked his leg up off the ground to make the save. Neal's been putting the puck toward and on the net, and every chance he gets seems to be quality. The goalies are just making the saves on him right now.

 

[postmaster]

Congrats on the win.
I went there with the intention of rooting for the Lightning but it didn't even last until gametime with the fucking super annoying noise maker things they handed out at the entrance to get so much under my skin, I switched to wanting the Pens to win and cheering for them. Of course, being with Dare made it much easier.
For some reason, I didn't get a playoff feel from the game but was glad to be a playoff game regardless and also meet ghost.
Ghost, thanks for the beer, thanks for the great forum and a pleasure to meet both you and dare.

 

[postmaster]

The Penguins are 11-1 in the playoffs when Superstar scores a goal. Interesting stat.

mind looking up the stats when Abdelkader scores a goal?

 

[evolver115]

Glad u saw a good game, Post! Dare, u and ghost should go back for game #4, superstition and all

 

[JustAsking]

Neal taking some abuse from fans/media is well founded in some respects. He WAS brought in here to score goals... which he is not. So, in regards to goal scroing, there is some justification. He's shooting wide, high, or some not high enough. He needs to start finding the back of the net in a big way. It would be a shame if Poni out scores Neal in the battle of trade deadlines goal scorers. With that side... Neal is NOT a liability on the ice... he makes smart plays, back checks, hits, works in the corners, etc.. everything that has been said.. but... again, he was traded for to score goals... he needs to score goals.

Kunitz... nothing needs to be said... move Dupper up on line 2 with Staal and TK? Asham to the 3rd line? Tangradi on the 4th? Tangradi straight to 3rd line? No Tangradi but Comrie... Comrie on line 3? That makes most sense... oh, maybe Comrie on line 2 with Staal and TK and leave lines 1, 3, 4 alone... that makes the most sense now. Comrie on line 2 is what I expect.

 

[loki604]

Congrats on the win.
I went there with the intention of rooting for the Lightning but it didn't even last until gametime with the fucking super annoying noise maker things they handed out at the entrance to get so much under my skin, I switched to wanting the Pens to win and cheering for them. Of course, being with Dare made it much easier.
For some reason, I didn't get a playoff feel from the game but was glad to be a playoff game regardless and also meet ghost.
Ghost, thanks for the beer, thanks for the great forum and a pleasure to meet both you and dare.

LMAO. That's hilarious. Those things even sounded annoying on TV.

And as for Neal, he was brought in here to score goals, but this team is a shell of what it will be. Offense isn't coming easy for anyone right now. He's getting opportunities and, as pointed out, has been a positive force for the team. I think he'll be okay.

 

[dare2be]

Those stupid tommyknockers (that's the name I've given them, based on the Stephen King novel, what a horror show) were not being given out to anyone wearing Pens gear, but Rob managed to get one as his clothing was neutral. I still have it, and it's still in its plastic bag, keeping it silent

 

[dare2be]

Glad u saw a good game, Post! Dare, u and ghost should go back for game #4, superstition and all

I can't take any more time off work

 

[Ho_Brah]

 

[pixburgher66]

Those stupid tommyknockers (that's the name I've given them, based on the Stephen King novel, what a horror show) were not being given out to anyone wearing Pens gear, but Rob managed to get one as his clothing was neutral. I still have it, and it's still in its plastic bag, keeping it silent

What the heck? If I were one of the first 10K or whatever, I'd demand one. Who cares what jersey I had on, I paid for a ticket...give it to me so I can set it aflame. I hate noise makers at any sporting event. Use your voice. And Thunder Stix belong in basketball courts, not hockey rinks.

 

[evolver115]

vs

(Pittsburgh leads best-of-seven series, 2-1)

TV: CBC (HD), RDS (HD), ROOT (HD), SUN (HD)

Big story: The Penguins regained home-ice advantage on Monday following a hard-fought 3-2 win at St. Pete Times Forum. Despite the victory, Pittsburgh is defying the odds as the team has yet to click on the power play in 15 opportunities while yielding four power-play goals on 11 chances given to Tampa Bay. While the power play has been relatively non-existent without injured stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins' resiliency shines through. The team has scored seven 5-on-5 goals from six different players.

Each team will have some roster decisions to make prior to puck drop after the NHL levied one-game suspensions to Tampa Bay forward Steve Downie and Pittsburgh forward Chris Kunitz for separate incidents in Game 3.

Team Scope:

Penguins: Make no mistake about it, the play of the Penguins' fourth line has been nothing short of remarkable since the start of the playoffs. Veteran Craig Adams centering Mike Rupp and Arron Asham has actually accounted for three of the team's seven goals in this series. Asham leads the team with 2 goals, but the line has accounted for 5 points and an astounding plus-9 rating through three contests.

"I think we've played pretty well as a group and Rupper and Ash worked a great goal (on Monday)," Adams said. "I think everyone is playing with intensity but that's the nature of playoff hockey."

Lightning: The Lightning are in dire need of some secondary scoring outside Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis, who have accounted for four of the team's seven goals in this series. Steven Stamkos, who finished second in the NHL with 45 goals and ranked fifth with 91 points during the regular season, will need to find his niche very soon. The third-season center did win 7 of his 13 faceoffs (54 percent), generated a playoff-best 3 shots on goal and notched his first career playoff point -- an assist -- in the first period on Monday.

"It's something that has been too prolonged for my liking, but at the same time I've picked up other aspects of my game that are going to need to be there to be successful in the playoffs so I'm happy where those parts of my game are at," Stamkos said. "Now I'm just trying to find a healthy combination of the both to move forward and help this team win."

Who's hot: Penguins defenseman Kris Letang doled out 5 hits, took 5 shots and chipped in with 2 assists in a 3-2 victory in Game 3 on Monday. Meanwhile, fourth-line right wing Asham has 3 points and a plus-3 rating in three playoff games. … Tampa Bay goalie Dwayne Roloson, despite losing two of three games against the Pens, sports a 2.02 goals-against average and .943 save percentage.

Injury report: Defensemen Randy Jones (ankle), Marc-Andre Bergeron and Matt Smaby (lower body) skated on Monday but remain day-to-day. Left wing Ryan Malone suffered an upper-body injury on the opening shift of Game 3 and was limited to 11:12 of ice time. He is probable for Wednesday's Game 4. … Crosby skated with the team on Tuesday and worked on the power play but remains out.

Stat pack: The Penguins have now won six straight Game 3s and are 10-1 in them dating back to the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The club is 32-18 all-time in the third game of a playoff series, including 20-8 on the road.

Puck drop: "(Pittsburgh) has been playing like this since the all-star break and they've learned to play without those two guys (Crosby and Malkin)," Lightning forward Simon Gagne said. "They play a little bit of a different style than when Malkin and Crosby are in the lineup, but even without them they are one of the best teams in the league, so no, we're not surprised by the way they play. They're very dangerous."
​

 

[dare2be]

lol at the logos for tonight's matchup

 

[evolver115]

lol at the logos for tonight's matchup

I was going with the retro look, and the never was look

 

[dare2be]

I was going with the retro look, and the never was look

Retro look, maybe a picture of Ben Franklin for the Lightning?

 

[evolver115]

Retro look, maybe a picture of Ben Franklin for the Lightning?