Series Thread: Pens vs Rangers round 2

[element1286]

This scheduling whining is a bunch of BS...they used to play back to backs all the time and only get a night off for travel days when changing cities. If you don't want back to backs, get the MSG schedule changed or close out your series earlier. What a bunch of BS

Funny thing is they are scheduling around the dumb WNBA team that practices at MSG. Rags should probably put their foot down.

 

[element1286]

I agree he looks very uncomfortable with the puck. & looses battles for loose pucks, but he did make some nice defensive plays last night. I was more impressed with Scuderi than I was with Maatta to tell you the truth. Maatta has become a complete liability in every aspect, granted he's only 19, but he's been our weakest link.

Maata at his worst is still better than Scuds, IMO. At least he has the talent to break out at anytime. And really every defensemen was under siege last night, the Rangers had the puck the entire night in the Pens zone.

 

[mtm166]

When Brooks comes back, Scuderi and not Bortuzzo should be up in the press box. Not sure if Disco will have the stones to do it. Do teams still have a compliance buyout in the offseason for a bad contract? I could see Scuderi being a prime candidate for that if so.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

Funny thing is they are scheduling around the dumb WNBA team that practices at MSG. Rags should probably put their foot down.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

Maata at his worst is still better than Scuds, IMO. At least he has the talent to break out at anytime. And really every defensemen was under siege last night, the Rangers had the puck the entire night in the Pens zone.

Yeah but look at the passes Maatta has been making. Goes to a Ranger every single time. I cringed whenever Maatta would attempt a pass last night, seemed like a Ranger player would pick it off every time.

 

[element1286]

When Brooks comes back, Scuderi and not Bortuzzo should be up in the press box. Not sure if Disco will have the stones to do it. Do teams still have a compliance buyout in the offseason for a bad contract? I could see Scuderi being a prime candidate for that if so.

Can't do a amnesty/compliance buyout, but could do a regular buyout. You take part of his salary as dead money against the cap for a few years though. It's something like 2/3 of the remaining money spread out over twice the lifetime of the remaining years. So for Scuds it would be like 1 million of dead money for the next six years.

 

[element1286]

Yeah but look at the passes Maatta has been making. Goes to a Ranger every single time. I cringed whenever Maatta would attempt a pass last night, seemed like a Ranger player would pick it off every time.

Maybe I wasn't watching enough to notice his bad passes. I did notice he is constantly on the wrong side of the offensive player during board battles, and is constantly losing them.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

Maybe I wasn't watching enough to notice his bad passes. I did notice he is constantly on the wrong side of the offensive player during board battles, and is constantly losing them.

Fortunately he got bailed out but so many passes picked off by Girardi, McDonagh, Stepan, & Nash. Made things a bit too interesting.

 

[Darkstone42]

Fortunately he got bailed out but so many passes picked off by Girardi, McDonagh, Stepan, & Nash. Made things a bit too interesting.

At least one of those was also at least in part on Neal. Neal was open, but he turned his back to Maatta just as Maatta passed it, and it went right past him to a Ranger.

Maatta's likely tired and overworked, this is a long season for him. If Orpik replaces Scuderi, and we can trust our third pairing, Maatta won't be out there as long every game, and I think you'll see an improvement in his play.

I have really liked Bortuzzo's game, though. He's aggressive, and if he makes a mistake, it's an aggressive mistake, which are a lot easier to live with, since they have an upside. If he and Orpik were to be paired, though, one or both of them would have to reel it in a bit.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

At least one of those was also at least in part on Neal. Neal was open, but he turned his back to Maatta just as Maatta passed it, and it went right past him to a Ranger.

Maatta's likely tired and overworked, this is a long season for him. If Orpik replaces Scuderi, and we can trust our third pairing, Maatta won't be out there as long every game, and I think you'll see an improvement in his play.

I have really liked Bortuzzo's game, though. He's aggressive, and if he makes a mistake, it's an aggressive mistake, which are a lot easier to live with, since they have an upside. If he and Orpik were to be paired, though, one or both of them would have to reel it in a bit.

I'm not going to rag on Maatta too much because a 19 year old dman shouldn't be in this position, but he has been our weakest link so far (which is understandable considering he's a 19 year old dman). I don't mind him giving up the puck along the boards because the forecheck has been intense on both sides of this series. I do have a problem when he's got the puck in open ice, tries to pass it out of our zone, and it goes right to a Ranger - those are the type of turnovers that create odd man rushes and scoring chances for the other team.

I agree with your assessment on Bortuzzo, made the pass of the game yesterday and has been overall solid in relief of Orpik. Hopefully they keep him on the roster when/if Orpik comes back. Maybe we need to scratch Maatta and call up Despres?

 

[element1286]

At least one of those was also at least in part on Neal. Neal was open, but he turned his back to Maatta just as Maatta passed it, and it went right past him to a Ranger.

Maatta's likely tired and overworked, this is a long season for him. If Orpik replaces Scuderi, and we can trust our third pairing, Maatta won't be out there as long every game, and I think you'll see an improvement in his play.

I have really liked Bortuzzo's game, though. He's aggressive, and if he makes a mistake, it's an aggressive mistake, which are a lot easier to live with, since they have an upside. If he and Orpik were to be paired, though, one or both of them would have to reel it in a bit.

I think Brooks has done that naturally this year. I know people liked to rag on him for taking himself out of the play to go for a big hit, but really that's about the only way to make a huge hit, and it's a gamble.

I think he's making much more safe plays this year, and is much less physical.

 

[Darkstone42]

I think Brooks has done that naturally this year. I know people liked to rag on him for taking himself out of the play to go for a big hit, but really that's about the only way to make a huge hit, and it's a gamble.

I think he's making much more safe plays this year, and is much less physical.

That's true, but I'd still be nervous that putting them together would result in either both of them taking themselves out of the same play (even with Orpik's reduced tendency to do so) or frequent hesitation because neither is sure when the other is going to go for the hit.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

Not sure why you guys are so optimistic about Orpik. From what I've seen he's really been no better than Scuderi, only difference is that he has Paul Martin to bail him out. Otherwise, I would say that Orpik is the most turnover prone dman on the team this season. Maybe I'm missing something, hopefully I'm missing something, but I don't miss Orpik at all.

 

[scoutyjones2]

The team hasn't missed him either!


Also, I think there is/was a Billy freaking Joel concert and a Lady Blah Blah concert at MSG that caused Vignault some gas pains too!

 

[Darkstone42]

Not sure why you guys are so optimistic about Orpik. From what I've seen he's really been no better than Scuderi, only difference is that he has Paul Martin to bail him out. Otherwise, I would say that Orpik is the most turnover prone dman on the team this season. Maybe I'm missing something, hopefully I'm missing something, but I don't miss Orpik at all.

Yeah, but that's what Scuderi is, too, but Orpik's more physical and likely to win battles on the boards, and he's a better skater who is more apt to keep up with the Rangers' speed.

 

[element1286]

I don't see any comparison between Brooks and Scuds, Brooks at his worst is still serviceable. He makes positive plays. Scuds only ability to make a positive play is a nice pokecheck at the blueline or stopping a cross crease pass, when he isn't doing that, he is less than useless.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

I don't know if I'm sold on Orpik if the only argument for him is that he's better than Scuderi. I think there are plenty of prospects better than them both (e.g. Despres) who I would rather have playing for us than either Orpik or Scuderi. Both of them are just liabilities. A big reason the Rangers' speed isn't burning us this series is because Orpik isn't playing.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

The team hasn't missed him either!


Also, I think there is/was a Billy freaking Joel concert and a Lady Blah Blah concert at MSG that caused Vignault some gas pains too!

if Orpik were playing we would probably be giving up a lot more breakaways and odd man rushes. Rangers' speed hasn't burned us yet and a lot of it has to do with the fact that clumsy klutzy Orpik isn't playing.

 

[element1286]

I don't know if I'm sold on Orpik if the only argument for him is that he's better than Scuderi. I think there are plenty of prospects better than them both (e.g. Despres) who I would rather have playing for us than either Orpik or Scuderi. Both of them are just liabilities. A big reason the Rangers' speed isn't burning us this series is because Orpik isn't playing.

But Scuderi is getting burned, and he is a million times slower than Orpik. Say what you will, but Orpiks skating speed is better than every defensemen on the roster besides Nisakenen and Letang.

And we all know Despres isn't going to play, it's like arguing for Adams to come out of the lineup.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

But Scuderi is getting burned, and he is a million times slower than Orpik. Say what you will, but Orpiks skating speed is better than every defensemen on the roster besides Nisakenen and Letang.

And we all know Despres isn't going to play, it's like arguing for Adams to come out of the lineup.

Fine, if it's Orpik or Scuderi I'll take Orpik. Sucks that those are the only 2 choices when we have so many other/better options.