Crosby and Malkin Better Not Escape Criticism

[JustAsking]

Thats is the reasoning on adding a center so the defense cant focus on the centers. I am sure the Habs would be content with letting every winger on the Pens beat them as long as it wasnt Sid or Geno. A line is not made up of one star and 2 throw ins.

I still think you stay the course with the centers. The Pens have some depth that hopefully, 1 can pan out to be a top line winger. Sid and Malkin should be making the players around them better. Not signing Gonchar/Feds/Guerin will free up some cash to sign a better winger for one of them. Too much off an upside having three quality centers.

If they resign Cooke.. 3rd and 4th lines are complete. Tangradi should make one of the top two lines. Sign a FA winger (money saved from above) Kunitz is a quality winger for Sid. Kunitz-Sid-FA : ???-Malkin-Tangradi.

 

[loki604]

I still think you stay the course with the centers. The Pens have some depth that hopefully, 1 can pan out to be a top line winger. Sid and Malkin should be making the players around them better. Not signing Gonchar/Feds/Guerin will free up some cash to sign a better winger for one of them. Too much off an upside having three quality centers.

If they resign Cooke.. 3rd and 4th lines are complete. Tangradi should make one of the top two lines. Sign a FA winger (money saved from above) Kunitz is a quality winger for Sid. Kunitz-Sid-FA : ???-Malkin-Tangradi.

I agree that Fleury was not great this series. My argument stems from all the Pittsburgh idiots that will no doubt put this entire series loss on him. Let's look at the scores of this series:

Pens - 6 Habs - 3
Pens - 1 Habs - 3
Pens - 2 Habs - 0
Pens - 2 Habs - 3
Pens - 2 Habs - 1
Pens - 3 Habs - 4
Pens - 2 Habs - 5

Total goals scored: Pens - 18 Habs - 19. The Habs outscored the Pens in the series. The Pens gave Fleury good goal support in ONE game, maybe two if we're being lenient with the words "goal-support". He recorded a shutout in a 2-0 and almost a shutout in a 2-1. Fleury won his games of the series. Where was the offense to bail him out once or twice?

 

[ELYEAH82]

So by that logic the Habs gave Halak goal support in 2 games. As for the goal total, The Pens had over 50 more shots in the series and still got outscored...I dont blame him for the whole series, but he was outplayed and was/is not worth 5 mill a year unless he gets more consistant.

 

[johnnytata]

the more i see and hear about this, the more i see so many similarities between this and the prior habs series. it's interesting that montreal has pens fans asking all the same questions the caps fans were asking.

i'm starting to think that the outcome of this series (as well as that of the last), is 80% what the canadians did, 20% what their opponent's didn't do.

the pens and their goalie just were too inconsistent to beat a team that has a good gameplan, that executes the game plan as a team, and who has a stellar goalie playing at the top of his game.

as much credit as you may be giving the habs, they deserve more.

 

[loki604]

So by that logic the Habs gave Halak goal support in 2 games. As for the goal total, The Pens had over 50 more shots in the series and still got outscored...I dont blame him for the whole series, but he was outplayed and was/is not worth 5 mill a year unless he gets more consistant.

Well, no shit Halak outplayed him. I just don't get why Fleury gets lots of the blame for not making saves and the offense gets the "well, Halak was good!" excuse. Get a couple past him. It wasn't like we were winning 5-4 games. Him being outplayed by the best goaltender in the playoffs for one series doesn't mean he isn't worth five million a year.

 

[ELYEAH82]

Well, no shit Halak outplayed him. I just don't get why Fleury gets lots of the blame for not making saves and the offense gets the "well, Halak was good!" excuse. Get a couple past him. It wasn't like we were winning 5-4 games. Him being outplayed by the best goaltender in the playoffs for one series doesn't mean he isn't worth five million a year.

HIS SHITTY STATS ARE WHY HE IS NOT WORTH 5 MILLION!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT IS NOT THAT HARD A CONCEPT

 

[JustAsking]

The problem I have with Fleury is this, and I believe this to be accurate.

3 of the 4 losses this series, he gave up a goal within 2 minutes of the 1st period...give or take a few seconds.

 

[esls79]

I think Gill and Scuderi made Fleury all that much better in the Cup run last year. He made the key saves at the key times and had better coverage to make sure his rebounds didn't go into the net behind him. This year, Fleury was average and the defensive coverage was average at best as well - the rebounds that the defense cleared out of the zone last year didn't get cleared this year and that to me made all the difference. The defense this year had too many lapses or brainfarts and Fleury couldn't bail them out enough. It's a two way street with Fleury and his defensive corps.

If you ask me, the Pens should have never got rid of Martin Skoula...

 

[Urkie]

Neither Malkin or Crosby were very good in this series but the guy who stood out to me was Gonchar. Do Pens fans honestly want that guy back? He looked like he's lost a step and it looked like he just completely gave up a few times last night.

If it were me I wouldn't want him back.

I really do think the Pens need just one elite winger too but that's another debate entirely. And I might be going a little overboard but I think trading Malkin wouldn't be a bad thing for the Pens at some point. Jordan Staal has more to give then just being a third line center I believe.

 

[ELYEAH82]

Neither Malkin or Crosby were very good in this series but the guy who stood out to me was Gonchar. Do Pens fans honestly want that guy back? He looked like he's lost a step and it looked like he just completely gave up a few times last night.

If it were me I wouldn't want him back.

No, his time has passed (hopefully)

 

[scottflyers88]

So by that logic the Habs gave Halak goal support in 2 games. As for the goal total, The Pens had over 50 more shots in the series and still got outscored...I dont blame him for the whole series, but he was outplayed and was/is not worth 5 mill a year unless he gets more consistant.

i agree and this is what i try to tell people. i said on the espn message board something like, he has bad regular season except once and people just say o well he will step it up in the playoffs. he has had 1 good playoff year also. then when he does not do well in the playoffs they say, o well he is good in game 7s.

well last night he was not very good so i guess they can not say that anymore. well not for a while at least. i think he should be getting about 3 mil a year. he is a good goalie who can have big games although nothing special for his career except 1 year.

 

[loki604]

Neither Malkin or Crosby were very good in this series but the guy who stood out to me was Gonchar. Do Pens fans honestly want that guy back? He looked like he's lost a step and it looked like he just completely gave up a few times last night.

If it were me I wouldn't want him back.

I really do think the Pens need just one elite winger too but that's another debate entirely. And I might be going a little overboard but I think trading Malkin wouldn't be a bad thing for the Pens at some point. Jordan Staal has more to give then just being a third line center I believe.

No, I DON'T want him back. He was -3 on the series. Thanks Gonch! See ya later.

 

[loki604]

i agree and this is what i try to tell people. i said on the espn message board something like, he has bad regular season except once and people just say o well he will step it up in the playoffs. he has had 1 good playoff year also. then when he does not do well in the playoffs they say, o well he is good in game 7s.

well last night he was not very good so i guess they can not say that anymore. well not for a while at least. i think he should be getting about 3 mil a year. he is a good goalie who can have big games although nothing special for his career except 1 year.

He was great in two playoffs, two long runs that encompassed eight series. Yes that's a better sample size than two series this year.

 

[postmaster]

After Gonch's display on the shorthanded goal, I would not only say see you later, I would pack his bags for him. That was one of the worst plays by a d-man I have ever seen.

 

[scottflyers88]

He was great in two playoffs, two long runs that encompassed eight series. Yes that's a better sample size than two series this year.

his stats show he had 1 good year. and he was on some pretty good teams also so he should have no problem with his stats.

 

[Darkstone42]

Neither Malkin or Crosby were very good in this series but the guy who stood out to me was Gonchar. Do Pens fans honestly want that guy back? He looked like he's lost a step and it looked like he just completely gave up a few times last night.

If it were me I wouldn't want him back.

I really do think the Pens need just one elite winger too but that's another debate entirely. And I might be going a little overboard but I think trading Malkin wouldn't be a bad thing for the Pens at some point. Jordan Staal has more to give then just being a third line center I believe.

I've wanted Gonchar gone since about mid-season. Maybe a little earlier. He looked disinterested this year. And he was terrible defensively, which needs to be his first responsibility as a defenseman.

The Penguins should let him walk and go out and sign a top-tier defensive defenseman. Those cost about $3-4 million, so they'd actually save money on the deal and improve their team. Golgo, Leo, and Tanger can be the offensive-minded guys. I'd actually let Eaton go, too, and let Orpik, Lovejoy, and this top-tier signing be the defensive-minded guys. I think Lovejoy could basically be Eaton, but is a better skater and passer.

 

[scottflyers88]

i could see them letting gonchar walk. there are a bunch of good free agent defensemen this year.

 

[puckhead]

I agree that Fleury was not great this series. My argument stems from all the Pittsburgh idiots that will no doubt put this entire series loss on him. Let's look at the scores of this series:

Pens - 6 Habs - 3
Pens - 1 Habs - 3
Pens - 2 Habs - 0
Pens - 2 Habs - 3
Pens - 2 Habs - 1
Pens - 3 Habs - 4
Pens - 2 Habs - 5

Total goals scored: Pens - 18 Habs - 19. The Habs outscored the Pens in the series. The Pens gave Fleury good goal support in ONE game, maybe two if we're being lenient with the words "goal-support". He recorded a shutout in a 2-0 and almost a shutout in a 2-1. Fleury won his games of the series. Where was the offense to bail him out once or twice?

I posted somewhere on the board that the game 1 score would NOT be indicative of the series (not going to claim I saw saw Mtl winning the series though). take away that game, and the Habs had the Pens contained pretty durned well - they only scored three goals once in the last six games. In comparison, habs got three or more in four of the last six games.

Montreal was coming off of a huge game 7 while the Pens were resting. It is just impossible to carry over game 7 emotion into a new series. Now, that should probably put the eastern final on a more even keel, as both teams are coming off game 7s. give the edge in game 1 to the Habs though, as they have more time to settle down from it.

 

[SFNL]

All the radio & tv shows here in Pittsburgh have the blame going everywhere. No one is escaping the blame. I think the majority of the problem though was our defensemen and a hot Halak.

 

[scottflyers88]

i only saw the first period and i think the problem was the start of the game. the canadiens scored first and were the better team in the first.