Recap: Hockey Offseason '12

As we continue through September and (some) players return to their teams for informal workouts, it’s time to say goodbye to another NHL offseason.  Though there is still plenty of CBA uncertainty and a lockout looming on the horizon, the actual offseason will be over as of September 15^th.  Yes, the calendar moves on even if the NHL does not.

It has been four long months since the Penguins were knocked out by the Flyers, how have we passed the time?

April 22:  Pens season officially ends at the hands of a 5-1 loss to the Flyers in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.  Memories of the series: Blown 3 goal leads, Neal Suspension Watch, Kris Letang shushes the crowd, Crosby fights Giroux, Collapse of the Defense/PK/Fleury, Jordan Staal’s potential assent to stardom.

This moment will live in infamy.  How will he explain that to
his kid one day?!?

April 25:  Joel Ward scores the winner for Washington to knock the defending Cup Champion Bruins out of the playoffs.  Tim Thomas gestures at his daughter to smile in the crowd while Ward gets berated by racists on the internet.

May 12:  The Conference Semifinals end as the Rangers, Devils, Kings, and Coyotes advance.  Pens fans rejoice at seeing the Flyers and Caps go down while NHL fans are confused to see the existence of a Pacific Division that plays at 10pm EST.

May 25:  The Conference Finals end as the Devils and Kings advance to the Stanley Cup Final.  NBC executives sob in a dark corner due to the unexpectedly sudden death of their tv ratings.

May 31:  Future Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom retires thinking that the NHL’s postseason had already ended.

June 4:  Tim Thomas announces on facebook that he will take a year off from the NHL.  Millions realize it’s time to get off of facebook.

Yes.

June 11:  The Los Angeles Kings win the Stanley Cup in a 6-1 rout, forever boosting their fan base unless something crazy like a lockout might occur 3 months later.

June 14:  Fans go f*cking crazy about the f*cking Kings thanks to Jonathan f*cking Quick.

June 20:  The NHL wows its fans in Vegas with a horrible awards show.  Brendan Shanahan is not amused.  Malkin takes home ALL of the awards (literally, for display at the draft).

June 27:  At the NHL draft in Pittsburgh, fans go wild as Jordan Staal is traded to Carolina in the first round.  Fans later go wild again when the Trib’s Rob Rossi suggests that the team might acquire Keith Yandle from Phoenix.  Reports are later confirmed that the Pens actually just gave away Zbynek Michalek as a charitable donation to Phoenix instead.  Rumor has it, the donation was tax deductible.

June 29:  Pittsburgh agrees to a 12 year deal worth $104.4 million with Sidney Crosby.  Instead of rejoicing over a signing, Pens fans tear each other apart over whether the term was too long and what Malkin should get.

June 30:  NHL fans hit DEFCON 1 as they prepare for a free agent frenzy that is led by bidding wars for Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.

July 1:  The “frenzy” begins at 12:30 as Jonas Gustvasson signs with Detroit.  10 hours later, NHL fans realize they have no life in the summer.  Meanwhile, HockeyyInsiderr reports that Parise and Suter will both go to Pittsburgh, Detroit, New Jersey, Minnesota, or some mystery team over the course of a few days.

Errrrr....

July 1:  Jordan Staal signs a suspiciously familiar 10 year, $60 million extension with Carolina.  Pens fans start to consider the idea that maybe he didn’t want to stay in Pittsburgh, but go unconscious at the thought of such a concept.

July 2:  Parise Watch continues as the media and fans fight each other about where Parise will end up.  Mark Madden leads the charge with arguments suggesting that there is no way Parise would turn down Pittsburgh and Crosby.  Fans vomit.

July 3:  Everyone hits the snooze button as the watch continues.

July 4:  In a patriotic move that forces reporters to do work on a national holiday, Parise and Suter sign with the Minnesota Wild.  Pens fans call them stupid for turning down a chance to play with the magical Sidney Crosby and for the best franchise that was every created in the history of the universe.  Ha, and Tortorella thinks Pittsburgh is arrogant…

July 5:  Pittsburgh shifts to Doan watch after the Parise debacle.  Historians later determine that the Mayans were not predicting the end of the world, but actually suggesting the end date for Doan Watch.

July 12:  As the wait for Doan continues, head coach Dan Bylsma suggests that Eric Tangradi could play a role on one of the top lines as the Pens search for a winger.  Fans call for Bylsma’s head, begin questioning Shero’s abilities, and look to bang bodies.

July 14:  The NHL makes its first CBA offer to the players.  The offer restricts seemingly everything about player careers, ranging from contract lengths to brands of toothpaste.  Fans side with the players and the lockout monster dusts himself off after a 7 year slumber.

July 17:  The Flyers offer Shea Weber a massive offer sheet worth $110 million over 14 years.  The contract is truly in the spirit of the new CBA offer as it would violate every single clause of it.  Nashville has 7 days to match as they argue that they can’t afford to compete in the NHL with these player salaries.

July 23:  Scott Howson wakes up and realizes it has been roughly a month since his last trading gaffe.  Forgoing his traditional call to Philadelphia, he decides on the Rangers and sends Rick Nash to New York for role players.  This would also be the last morning that Artem Anisimov and Brandon Dubinsky would ever smile.

July 24:  Nashville matches the Weber offer sheet as the NHLPA scratches its collective head about the owners not having enough money to spend.

August 1: Doan watch continues as he is reportedly interested in every NHL, AHL, KHL, and somehow OHL team, according his agent.  He has also been spotted in 8 different cities with 4 different kids wearing 6 different jerseys at the same time and is expect to sign “soon” with all of those teams.  There is also a rumored mystery team that offers him a winning powerball ticket.

August 13:  Reports come out that HockeyyInsiderr is a 17 year old kid.  Thousands of fake accounts continue to follow him.  More concerning, thousands of real accounts continue to do so as well.

Read:  This is how much the Owners care.

August 14:  The NHLPA finally sends the NHL a counteroffer after a month of consideration.  Bettman tells the media that the NHLPA clearly put some thought into their counteroffer.  In a helpful and revolutionary method of protest, fans begin using 3 seconds of their day to type “No Lockout”, create twitter accounts, and sign petitions.  The owners use those 3 seconds to double check their bank accounts instead of paying attention or caring.

August 21:  EA Sports releases their NHL 13 demo.  The game receives universal praise for gameplay while dealing with harsh critiques about its realism with no lockout mode.

August 29:  The NHL provides the players with their 2^nd CBA offer.  Hope grows as the media leaks that the NHLPA will provide a counteroffer within a day or 2.

August 30:  NBC releases its national tv schedule for the NHL.  Advertisers take note of which 3 hour periods to avoid until 2013.

August 31:  The NHLPA meets with the NHL briefly; talks stall and break off completely with no future scheduled meetings.  The lockout monster swallows hope whole.

September 1:  An anti-lockout video goes viral as fans try to protest the upcoming lockout.  The video runs 8 minutes and 31 seconds.  NHL owners collectively earn thousands of dollars in interest during that time and laugh about it on their way to the bank.

Want the harsh truth?  Together we can't make a difference because together we don't matter.  Get over yourselves.  Also, if you cry over a lockout, I strongly urge you to reconsider what you're doing with your life.

September 4:  Gabriel Landeskog is named the captain of the Colorado Avalanche.  Pens fans have a meltdown that Crosby is no longer the youngest captain in history, arguing about Crosby’s achievements and skill level in comparison to Landeskog.  Crosby finds out he was once the youngest captain in NHL history and shrugs.

Today, September 6:  Nothing.  And nothing is anticipated until…

September 15:  Expected Lockout.

Offseason Podcast #8: The CBA Debate Continues

Welcome back for Offseason Podcast #8!  As the NHLPA has now presented their "counteroffer" to the owners, the bulk of the podcast is devoted to that topic.  Adam and Meesh attempt a 15 minute simulated debate as Donald Fehr vs. Gary Bettman, respectively.  The debate begins at the 21:30 mark FYI.

Also on this week's podcast: A reference to the Big Bang Theory, signings and injuries around the NHL, a statement to Meesh's music tastes, some discussion about Eric Tangradi, and a "Where Are They Now?" segment that leads us to wonder...wait, where are they now, we're a little worried about them.

While we were recording, Wayne Simmonds signed a 6 year deal with the Flyers. The deal is worth roughly $4 million per year.  Ummm, too much money.

Listen below or get it on iTunes!

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Can't find a Staal shirt at the Pens store?  Try Haiti.

Offseason '12: Podcast #1

Discussing the Staal and Michalek trades, Parise and Suter possibilities, and other free agents as we head to July 1st.

Enjoy and critique!

Staal Saga Ends, Shero Makes Waves at 2012 Draft

Friday started with Pens fans still reeling from the Staal contract rejection news.  Would he be traded?  Would he be signed?  What could the Pens even get for him?  When would all of it happen?  How was his wedding going?

Oh the NHL Draft...more drama than a family  reunion.
Wait a second...

Well, the answers came flying in quickly on the first day of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, during his wedding.  The draft was simple and ordinary through the first seven picks as only small side deals were made, none involving 1^st rounders.  But then came the Carolina Hurricanes with the 8th pick, quickly followed by the flashing sign of “Trade Alert” on the screen behind Gary Bettman.  The crowd oooed and awwwed before even hearing the trade, and then a bombshell came down.

Carolina receives: Jordan Staal

Pittsburgh receives: The #8 pick overall, Brandon Sutter, and Brian Dumoulin

Within 5 days, the Staal saga turned from far-fetched rumor, to a contract offer, to a contract rejection, to a statement he didn’t want to negotiate right now, to a plane ticket out to Carolina.  Goodbye Jordan, thanks for the memories – especially in 2009, and I hope it didn't ruin your wedding (since he found out during the reception while with half the Pens).

I'll miss your PK, your defensive abilities, your shot...
but most of all, I'll miss your "WOOOOO!!"

The Pens used the #8 pick to draft defenseman Derrick Pouliot (weird, another defenseman) and continued on their regular path after shocking the crowd.  At #22 the Pens took, oh you guessed it, another defenseman in Olli Maatta, and that was it for their draft.

But Ray Shero was not done making waves, rumors started flying again as the draft neared an end.  Shero was getting awfully friendly with the Coyotes table.  The Coyotes were talking about moving Keith Yandle, could this be the move?  No, it wouldn’t be.  Instead, Shero threw out an aftershock by completing the following deal.

Phoenix receives: Zbynek Michalek

Pittsburgh receives: Harrison Ruopp, Marc Cheverie, and a 3^rd round pick (81^st overall)

Who?

Saturday morning and afternoon went quietly, and now we have a new team heading into the week before free agency starts on July 1^st.

One step at a time though, how do we feel about how Day 1 went?  Here are my thoughts:

A moment that Jordan will never have to worry about again.
Also, Marc Staal's new re-occuring nightmare.

Staal Trade:

I flat out love this deal.  Ray Shero had no business getting a decent return on Jordan Staal after the past week’s events as I wrote on Thursday.  Carolina had all of the leverage, Jordan Staal had a lot of leverage, and Ray Shero had very little.  To that, Shero said “eff this” and did everything his way, somehow still getting a great return for Staal.

Logically, Staal said he only wanted to extend with Carolina, and he didn’t want to negotiate with Pittsburgh right now.  Carolina could have waited as long as they wanted to for this trade.  They could have waited a year and signed Staal as a UFA – his intentions were clear.  But somehow, Shero managed to pick up three assets for a player who was already leaving.  Good for you Ray Shero.

I am a big Brandon Sutter fan.  This started in his first full season, largely because the girl I was dating then was a Hurricanes fan so I watched them a lot, but I’ve been a huge fan of him since then.  He is a very smart two-way center.  Sutter is great positionally, shows a high amount of discipline, and still has some offensive touch.  In my head, he has always been Jordan Staal with less shot power and less size (though 6’3, Sutter only weighs 180ish).  He’s not a gritty guy, but he knows where to be at all times and he will intercept a lot of passes and create turnovers.  He’s a perfect true 3^rd line center for the Penguins, though he could generally be a 2^nd line center on many teams.

Has Staal ever done this?  No, no he hasn't.  Point Sutter.

Brian Dumoulin fits the mold of a Ray Shero defenseman lately.  He is a bigger guy at 6’3-6’4, but a very fluid skater and offensively minded.  He is a two time NCAA champion with Boston College and should slide right into WBS at the AHL level this year.

The first round pick was used to take Derrick Pouliot.  Pouliot is a smaller defenseman, only 6’0, but of course is offensively skilled.  He is a solid puck mover and can QB the powerplay in the future perhaps.  It is likely he won’t turn pro for another year though and he has some positioning issues.

In the end, after the interviews, we now know that Staal eventually wanted to play with his brother and the 10 year deal scared him away.  He fully intended to test free agency at this point and wanted to play with Eric eventually. Shero did the best he could with what he had.

Trade Winner:  Carolina.  Let’s be honest, Staal is the best player in this deal and Carolina is immediately better.  Pittsburgh is immediately worse for this deal.  Carolina wins the trade.

Trade Winner under the circumstances: Even.  The Pens simply could not have done any better than they did here.

And then there were two...

1^st Round Pick:

With their original pick in the 1^st round, the Pens selected Olli Maatta at #22 overall (Insert joke about player with aa in his name being a Penguins roster requirement).  Maatta is considered a skilled two way defenseman that is very reliable in his own end first.  He can add some offensive prowess, but his strengths are in the defensive zone.  One thing to note about him – he has spent some time playing with Pens prospect Scott Harrington as well.  Maatta was expected to go higher and this was a great value (and in my opinion, need) pick for Shero.

Michalek Trade

As of right now, I do not like this trade but that depends on what it turns into.  This was clearly a salary dump.  Michalek wasn’t incredibly comfortable in Pittsburgh after this year, Phoenix missed him, and it all worked out to a trade where the Pens picked up no NHL salary in return.

Michalek was the Penguins only true defensive defenseman who was a minutes-eater.  Orpik is not a shutdown defenseman necessarily and is on the decline.  For this reason, I am slightly concerned about trading him away without knowing what we will have in the future to replace him.  He got a bad reputation in Pittsburgh as he was often-injured and struggled at times, but he was also a key reason that the Pens survived the Crosby and Malkin injuries a year ago.  I certainly did not want to see Michalek go.

Thanks for taking the abuse, Z.

Ruopp is a youngster at the age of 19 who still has improvements to make if he wants to be an NHLer.  He is a very tough defenseman, both in terms of hitting and fighting, with pretty much no offensive upside.  I don’t expect much of him, especially given the Pens depth with young defensemen.

Marc Cheverie is a goalie that was drafted by Florida in the 7^th round in 2006.  He is currently in the ECHL and grew up in Cole Harbour with Sidney Crosby.  He adds depth for WBS and Wheeling, but that’s all that needs to be said about him.

The 3^rd round pick was used to take Oscar Sundqvist from Sweden.  He will likely spend another year in Sweden and fill out more before coming to the US.  He’s 6’3 and has an aggressive game, but is too far from the NHL to predict well or scout out for me.

Winner: Phoenix.  They gained a strong defensive defenseman and gave up a lot of nothing.  The Pens may have wanted to dump salary, but there is no question the Coyotes won the deal, especially without knowing what happens with extra room under the salary cap.

So that was it for transactions and the 1^st round pick (I won’t go through all of the picks because frankly, there are better sites for you to read about that on).

The feeling you get when you realize Martin still makes $5 mil
and Staal and Michalek are gone.

How did the Pens fare? Plain and simple, this team is worse than it was going into Friday. The current day roster gave up Jordan Staal and Zbynek Michalek for a return of Brandon Sutter. That is something everyone needs to remember and understand before the free agency frenzy begins. This team is absolutely worse than what it was.

With that being said, now the rumors have begun.  Shero appears to be after both Ryan Suter and Zach Parise.  Parise has a link to Crosby.  Suter has a link to Parise.  The Pens will likely make a hard push on July 1^st for both.  I, along with all of you, hope that it works out.  I hope we get Suter more than Parise because defense is a much bigger issue than scoring on this team.  Parise may be flashy, but the biggest weakness is the defense – Suter is far more valuable to this roster.

But, if the Pens get left in the dust on Suter AND Parise, what happens?  And don’t just argue this by telling me Shero will get it done; actually take the time to think about it.  The free agent market is awful this summer.  Here is a list of your top free agents.  After Parise and Suter, the only guys I would like on that list are P.A. Parenteau, Bryan Allen, Jason Garrison, and that’s it.  Don't forget 29 other GMs are in on this too.

With Craig Adams, Sutter, and Parise, the Pens may
finally surpass most teams in literacy.

If Shero finds a good use for the cap room he just created, then the Pens will ultimately look back at the 2012 Draft as a win.  But it’s not a win until that has happened, so stay tuned for a wild July 1st, and hope to everything you believe in that the Pens get who they want.  Because if not...

The Jordan Staal Saga

For anyone who cares about where Jordan Staal will call home in the future, this week has been a crazy one.  FYI – that group includes Pens fans, NHL media, some NHL fans, and oh yeah, his fiancé that he will marry today.

Sorry puck bunnies, he's off the market.
Sorry Pens fans, he might be on the market.

It all began on this past Monday, when the Trib’s Rob Rossi reported that he had heard Carolina made a rough offer of Brandon Sutter, Justin Faulk, and the 8th overall pick for Jordan Staal. Fan reaction went crazy, which was rather hilarious to watch. Canes fans felt they were giving up too much. Pens fans felt it wasn’t enough. Regardless, the questions about Staal’s future went into overdrive. (Personally, I’d take that deal in a heartbeat.)

There had been several rumors and touchy-feely stories suggesting that Jordan would like to play in Carolina with his brother Eric and that Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford was looking for a player of Jordan’s talents (without naming him, to avoid tampering), but nothing was concrete about anyone’s intentions until Rossi came out with that gem.

Maybe Jordan can teach Eric about positioning.

Less than 48 hours later, Dave Molinari of the PG began tweeting out a different story.  It was one that included a talk with Pens GM Ray Shero.  Amongst the topics: Staal hadn’t told the Pens he wanted to leave, Shero was not negotiating trades even though teams were interested, and Shero wanted to sign Staal (not trade him).  The Trib joined in with the Shero talk and all of the news outlets finally reported that Shero intends to sign Staal and that the masses could calm down now.

The masses did calm down, and Pittsburgh began to prepare for the draft before abruptly being shocked yet again within 48 hours.  TSN’s Bob McKenzie, the worldwide leader in hockey transactions as far as I’m concerned, tweeted out that Staal turned down a 10 year (rumored to be $60 million) deal and told the Penguins he did not want to negotiate now.  His agent would not say more than he did not want to negotiate a contract extension at this time, leaving the NHL masses to start speculating where he wants to go again. 

As of right now, we are left with rumors that Jordan is open to negotiating with Carolina if a trade can be made...but no word on anything else, including the Penguins.

So Jordan, why do you not want to negotiate a contract right now?  Is it because you are a Top 2 center stuck in a 3^rd center’s role?  Maybe you want to go play with Eric?  Perhaps you just want to wait and see what your options are?  Maybe it’s even because you’re getting married in a matter of hours?!?  (I don’t think it’s the latter one, if that was the case there wouldn’t have been a rejection leaked, just no word at all).

Top Pens scorer of the playoffs, doesn't want to stay?

Everything from here on is just my speculation and thoughts:

First off, this news does nothing but hurt Shero’s poker hand a little bit.  Staal’s trade value drops immediately if he won’t negotiate a deal before becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Now there are many paths this could take:

1) Shero feels the need to trade Staal now because he is getting the best offers he thinks he may get.  Staal is traded this offseason, life goes on.

2) The Pens continue to negotiate with Staal later this summer and sign him before the season starts.

3) The Pens decide to keep him for his value on the ice and make one last strong push for a Cup with their 3 center system.  Staal either:

a) re-signs next June before becoming a UFA,

b) has his rights traded for a mid to late round draft pick before July 1^st, or

c) walks for nothing on July 1^st.

4) The Pens keep him but decide to trade him at the deadline due to his performance, their performance, or the idea of getting a return on him.  His value will be diminished greatly unless traded to a contender who can sign him long term.

5) Wanting to maximize trade value, the Pens trade Staal this summer with the intentions of trying to bring him back as a UFA next summer.  It is rare, but this move has happened before (more likely for veterans at the trade deadline). 

If I was betting on this, I would certainly favor either 1) or 2) and I would have to be leaning 1) pretty heavily.  Shero has a team to assemble for next year, a captain to re-sign to a long term extension, and a new CBA and potential salary cap to worry about.  He is not going to let Staal sit in the driver’s seat.  The last time he let a player into the driver’s seat, Marian Hossa turned down a long term deal to go to Detroit.  So what do I think Shero will do?  I think he will do what is best for his franchise, which likely amounts to trading Staal this summer rather than risk no return on a very valuable asset.

For those of you that thought Sutter, Faulk, and 1^st rounder weren’t enough for Staal? – get ready for a lower return.  The Pens are destined to lose any possible deal on the sheer fact that Staal will be the best player involved.  Let’s just hope Shero can get a return that helps us win another Cup.

And FYI – I want Staal to stay, I’m a big fan of keeping him around.  I just don’t see that being a likely path unless he decides he’s willing to negotiate a long term deal soon.

EDIT - another interesting note, per Dejan Kovacevic of the Trib...the Pens leaked the news to the media, not Staal's camp.  That's a very interesting move for a team that just hurt their own trade value if that's the case.

2012 Pens Playoff Performance in Review.

Now that the team has had their final meetings and press conference, including the all-important “injuries that we hid from the world” disclosure, it’s time to take a look back at the playoffs, and eventually the season, and what’s that?  Half of you have already traded away some combination of Staal, Malkin, Crosby, Shero, and Bylsma for the 1976 Soviet team?  AND FOR SHEA WEBER’S BEARD???  Brilliant trade proposal, but anyways, let’s take some time to mourn the team as is and take a look back at the ever so short playoff run that ended on Sunday.

The long uncertain stares of a team that knows its fate. 

#4 Penguins vs. #5 Flyers: Brief Summary

Game 1:  4-3 (OT) Loss.  The Pens roared out to an incredible 3-0 lead before backing into a defensive shell that forgot to include defense.  The Flyers scored their 1^st goal on an offside play and the Pens showed the defensive fortitude of “Alex” Kovalev the rest of the way.  Fleury kept the team alive, but OT doesn’t get you a point in the playoffs as a wide open “Jake” Voracek gave the Flyers the win and a series lead they would not relinquish.

Game 2:  8-5 Loss.  The Pens came out strong again, posting up a 3-1 lead after the first period which even saw a Paul Martin goal!  But yet again, the defense failed, as did the special teams.  The powerplay allowed 2 short-handed goals and the penalty kill allowed a powerplay goal as both Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier recorded hat tricks.  The Pens simply could not keep momentum for longer than a minute and the Flyers took advantage every single time.

Talbot was a big key to Laviolette winning the coaching matchup.

Game 3:  8-3 Loss:  A trip to Philly turned the series into an ugly disgrace that was embarrassing to the concept of hockey.  The Pens played the role of sore-losers as Crosby dropped the gloves with Giroux and then tried to fight Brayden Schenn and/or Scott Hartnell.  Arron Asham cross-checked Schenn and then punched his face into the ice.  Craig Adams had to jump into a fight with Hartnell as 3^rd man in, which also cost Bylsma $10k, to protect Sid.  James Neal started head-hunting Giroux after crushing Couturier.  This was not a hockey game; this was a display of immaturity and a lack of common sense.

Game 4:  10-3 Win: The Pens finally brought their puck possession game, scoring 5 goals a piece on Bryzgalov and Bobrovsky and demonstrating just how dominant they could be when they did not turn the puck over and take massive amounts of needless penalties.  Jordan Staal led the way with a hat trick and the powerplay scored 4 goals in what looked to be a beautiful potential series-turning game.

Half of Pens nation had traded him away before
he came out with his first playoff hat trick.

Game 5:  3-2 Win:  Coming back home to a raucous home crowd, filled with belief, the team put together their closest attempt at a full 60 minute game all series, capped off by Fleury’s refusal to be beat in the 3^rd period.  There were still ample amounts of stupid penalties, but Fleury’s magnificent play towards the end and another brilliant game by the Staal line kept the Pens in the series.

Game 6:  5-1 Loss, End of Series:  It apparently took all of 2 wins for the Pens to fall back into awful habits.  They were outworked in the final loss, showing a lack of discipline again, and just a lack of will in the defensive zone.  The biggest stat to this game was the 40 blocked shots by the Flyers vs. the 18 by the Pens.  The Flyers simply wanted to earn it more (note what I said, not wanted it more, but wanted to earn it more), and that’s what they did as they shook hands with the Pens and said au revoir.

From fighting in Game 3, to a handshake after Game 6.
The sport of hockey and its traditions always deserve respect.

  

Top Penguins of the Series:

Jordan Staal – Though he couldn’t help the PK all that much in this series, he was easily the best 5 on 5 forward for the Penguins, scoring 6 goals on just 12 shots and leading the team with 9 points.  He played on different lines throughout the series, but seemed to have an impact every time he was on the ice, regardless of position or linemates.

Tyler Kennedy – Likely lost in the first round upset was the play of Tyler Kennedy, who had disappointed everyone through most of the regular season.  Kennedy was tied for second on the team with 3 goals and led the team in takeaways with 6.  I encourage you to read that again, KENNEDY LED THE TEAM IN TAKEAWAYS.  I doubt you’ll hear about it anywhere else, but TK played up to his potential in the series.

Say it with me, Tyler Kennedy played well.

Worst Penguins of the Series:

Brooks Orpik – While offense isn’t Orpik’s game, defense is supposed to be.  Those numbers didn’t work out very well as Orpik was on for only 5 goals for, and 14 goals against (7 during PKs).  The team leader in hits and reliable shut down defense during the regular season was a no-show for the playoffs, getting dominated in front of the net and taking some bad penalties around the crease.  What’s sad is Orpik wasn’t even called as much as he should have been, as he draped himself on JVR for 20 seconds without getting a penalty and committed numerous other infractions out of desperation (which usually didn’t work.)  It was a forgettable series for Orpik.

Textbook defense for a player getting owned all series.

Chris Kunitz – Expected to be an energy player that can mesh with any top line combination, all Kunitz did was take stupid penalty after stupid penalty in his best attempts to cost the Pens the series.  He was a momentum killer throughout the series and though he threw the body a lot, couldn’t find a way to energize his team via forechecking and hitting.  He led the team with 4 minor penalties in this series.

Evgeni Malkin – Before you start freaking out that I’m a Crosby fanboy, he’s coming up in the next section.  Malkin makes it here for his lackluster player and his inability to stay focused.  He led the team with 8 giveaways and 18 missed shots as 19 year old Sean Couturier shut him down.  Much of this was of Malkin’s own making, as he insisted on skating through multiple Flyers instead of dishing the puck off or adapting to their form of defense. 

Noteable Absentee Penguins of the Series:

Sidney Crosby – Sid was pretty much an absentee captain through much of the series.  He had nice goals to start Games 1 and 2, but tailed off as the games progressed.  I was encouraged by his fight with Giroux in Game 3 to spark the team, but then he acted like a child for the rest of the game trying to pick a fight.  He pretty much disappeared in Game 6 when the team needed him most.  He wasn’t awful..he just wasn’t there.  One big salvaging factor for Crosby was his 54.8% faceoff number, and he was flat out dominant in defensive zone faceoffs, even going 9 for 11 in one game.

Where was this fire in Game 6?

Kris Letang – Letang was going to be amongst my worst, but I’ll give him a little bit of a pass since he has been nursing a hip injury as we found out today.  His playing style was a cause for concern in the series though as he was solid offensively but nowhere to be found in the defensive zone.  He was also a turnover machine throughout the series.  The fight in Game 3, along with the Talbot shhhing maneuver, demonstrated great immaturity from the team’s best defenseman. 

Marc-Andre Fleury - He was solid in Game 1, good enough in Game 4, brilliant in Game 5, but not very helpful in Games 2, 3, and especially 6.  The defense did not help him out by any means, but elite goalies need to make timely saves to keep a team alive.  Fleury just couldn't consistently come up with the big saves that he made throughout the regular season.  Perhaps it was fatigue, perhaps it was a lack of confidence in the defense, perhaps he simply just didn't have it, but regardless, the team needed more out of Fleury to survive.

Interesting Individual Stats:

- Staal, Dupuis, and Orpik were all on for 7 PPGs against.  Staal and Orpik were on for 14g against, Dupuis for 13.

- Eric Tangradi was on for 2 goals for, 0 against.  Simon Despres was on for 4 goals for, 0 against.

- On the other side, Joe Vitale was on for 0 goals for, 4 against.

- Zbynek Michalek was on for 5 goals for, and only 6 against (only 3 while PKing), much better numbers than many would expect from him.

Michalek does more than you probably realize.

  

Interesting Team Stats:

- The Pens will finish the first round with close to the most missed shots in the league (84)

- They were almost dead last in takeaways (27), and almost the worst with giveaways (53).  The complete lack of puck possession and a huge negative turnover ratio cost the team greatly.

*I keep saying almost since the first round isn’t over yet.

- The powerplay finished with a 31% success rate, which is wonderful, but they also allowed 3 short-handed goals.

- The penalty kill finished with a 47.8% rate.  I don’t have words for how truly awful that is.

- Goals by Period: 1^st – 13, 2^nd – 11, 3^rd – 2.  That is the opposite of clutch.

Pictured: The Penalty Kill.

Key Unknown Injuries

- James Neal had a thumb injury

- Kris Letang had a hip injury

- Steve Sullivan had a foot injury

- Matt Niskanen had a shoulder injury

- Paul Martin had concussion-like symptoms (insert joke here)

So there ya have it, it’s not hard to see why the Pens lost with some of those ugly numbers.  Team Eulogy (not meant to be humorous, or anything like Puck Daddy), and Season recap (player by player) coming in the next few days.  Thanks for reading.

Sweep Averted, Work to be Done as Pens Win 10-3

Quick Notes:

- I just created a facebook page for this site and other random hockey stuff if that’s more your style: https://www.facebook.com/CrosbyFTW

- Okay, not to burst everyone’s bubbles, but that was not a statement game; that was just 1 win.  If that was a statement game, then the Flyers have already made 3, so they are leading the statement game battle, 3-1.  One game at a time…but let’s move on to the happiness!!!

- Finally, this is the weirdest effing playoff series I’ve ever seen in any sport.

a) props to Pens fan there. b) lol @ porky pig sign.

Result:

Pens  10  Flyers 3

Goals:  Malkin (1) from Dupuis, Park

            Niskanen (1) (PP) from Crosby, Sullivan

            Crosby (3) from Niskanen, Malkin

            Staal (3) from Tangradi, Cooke

            Letang (1) (PP) from Crosby, Sullivan

            Staal (4) (PP) from Kennedy, Cooke

            Sullivan (1) (PP) from Fleury

            Dupuis (2) from Kunitz

            Staal (5) from Engelland

            Malkin (2) from Kunitz, Kennedy

               

Interesting Stats:

- 45 goals through the 1^st 4 games of a series is a new NHL record

- The 10 goals scored tonight set a new road playoff record and ties the overall playoff record for Pittsburgh

- Matt Cooke finally accumulated his first PIMs of the series, getting 2 for high-sticking, 2 for holding the stick, and then a 10 minute misconduct for being attacked (?)

How dare you get cross-checked 3 times!? Go to the locker room!

- Joe Vitale played only 7 minutes despite only 11 forwards dressing.  Meanwhile, Jordan Staal led the forwards with 23 minutes.  Anyone spreading rumors of him being unhappy with his role should probably go reconsider their line of work (more on that at the end).

The Good:

- Let’s start with the easy one, PENS SEASON ISN’T OVER!!! With their backs against the wall, the Pens came out with a very dominant win after a shaky start.  Their reward: another must-win on Friday.

- The powerplay came to play in this one and it was very clear that adjustments had been made with the 2 days off.  The Pens moved the puck quicker on the PP in this game than I have seen them try all season.  That was huge because the Flyers PK is one of the more aggressive units in the league, and their players could not shift fast enough to catch a big break or go the other way unhampered.  Also, for much of the PP, Crosby went back to his natural position on the half boards / rover.  This is no slight to Geno, but with Crosby scoring and Geno cold going into the game, I’m glad the adjustment was made.  It seems to have worked for both.  Finally with the PP: Niskanen was a stud on the point both in puck control and making quick decisions.  No complaints about the unit as a whole in this one.

- Malkin finally got on the board with 2 goals (and also an assist).  His first goal was pure will as he stormed to the net from the penalty box, gave the puck up to Dupuis and went to the net to pick up the rebound and score.  His second goal was also because he went to the net without the puck.  This is a big difference from the first 3 games where he wanted full control of the puck crossing the blue line every time.  The Flyers D clearly was not ready for it and stayed tight on him at the blue line, giving other players plenty of room with the puck and Malkin a chance to burst past clueless defensemen.  Great adjustment by Geno.

- The team finally provided support to players who were beaten by the Flyers puck carriers.  In the first 3 games, if one of the Pens was beaten on a play, there was no support and no chance of help.  In this game, there was always a second and sometimes a third man ready to shift into position.  The Pens played as a team tonight rather than as 18 talented individuals.

Puck support to the max.

Jordan Staal – Have to start with Staal, who backed up a very mature Game 3 with an explosive Game 4.  He scored his 1^st career postseason hat trick, on 3 shots.  He also led the forwards in ice time with almost 23 minutes, 2^nd on the team to Letang.  Another big part of his game was in the faceoff circle where he went 15 for 23 (66%).  He pretty much played a strong all-around game and made every shift count with every different set of linemates.  Everyone looks to Geno and Sid, but after his attitude in Game 3 and afterwards, plus his Game 4 performance, we may be watching Staal mature into that 3^rd franchise center and leader right now.

Steve Sullivan – Having Sullivan on the point for the powerplay clearly makes a world of difference for the team.  His poise and passing ability works great from the point as he (cliché) QB’s the first powerplay line.  His goal was a giant middle finger to the Flyers too, since they clearly did not respect his speed or slapshot which he just blasted past Bobrovsky.  All of this aside, I have Sullivan here for what he did defensively though.  On the PP, he made sure he stayed back and didn’t get caught in the offensive zone in a situation he couldn’t recover from.  At even strength, he was frequently the first forward back and was always there to cover the 3^rd Flyers forward coming in.  He showed great attention to detail in making sure every Flyer was covered, and that’s exactly what the Pens needed.

I'll be honest, didn't think Sulli could shoot like that.

Pascal Dupuis – Sullivan was only outshined by one forward in the defensive zone and that was Dupuis.  While Dupuis did add a goal and an assist on the scoresheet, I made many notes of the amount of times he covered a forward on Fleury’s crease or hustled back to cover the slot.  His defensive positioning was perfect all game and it was a big boost to the Pens defense and Fleury. He also tipped away at least 3 cross-ice passes in the defensive zone, doing a great job of keeping his stick in passing lanes.  While the defense has been crapped on all series, note that these forwards have a significant ability to make a difference in the defensive end. 

Commitment to defense, check.

The Bad:

- The refereeing performance was just ridiculous at times.  They started by calling every little detail, to the point that things that were almost a penalty actually became a penalty.  They then shifted to calling just regular penalties.  Then they let players play a little bit.  Then once the game was clearly out of hand, they went back to overreacting (though probably best for the sake of both teams).  It would be nice to see a full 60 minutes called the same way for the sake of, I don’t know, consistency?

- I know people are clamoring about Fleury’s play and the defense, but I’m still not sold on either one yet.  Fleury only faced 25 shots, about half of which were during the 1^st period when he did not look good.  The 1^st goal was partially his fault as he was scrambling and left his 5-hole open.  The second goal was all on him as it was a shot from the point that beat him 5-hole. Most of his shots after that were when the game was getting lopsided and as a goalie, it’s much easier to act confident when you have a big cushion to work with.  That being said, he did make some nice saves down the stretch, so the key will be if he can bring that confidence to the start of Game 5.  As for the defense, they received a lot of forward help and also benefitted greatly from having 7 defensemen in the lineup.  Everyone looked fresh throughout the game, though I personally believe the forwards (their forechecking and backchecking) are the reason that the Flyers only got 25 shots and pretty much rolled over by the end.  Let’s just say I’m cautiously optimistic about the D right now.

Kris Letang – Per usual, people will likely kill me for this, but Letang is off of his defensive game.  I counted 3 blatant giveaways from him in the defensive zone and his positioning wasn’t the best.  On the first Flyers goal, he followed Engelland into his opposite side corner unnecessarily, which left Giroux alone to beat Fleury for the 1^st goal on the PP.  He needs to be much smarter than that on the PK when defending the crease is imperative.  He did score on the PP, but honestly I discount that as a weak goal on Bryzgalov, who did not slide into his position with any sort of speed and was pulled immediately after.  Letang is not playing to Norris trophy form right now, and we all know he is capable of it, so it would be nice to see it when the games are do or die.

Stay in position and this won't happen, Kris.

Chris Kunitz – Kunitz is on here simply because he continues to take idiotic penalties every game.  Maybe the Flyers bought the interference call on him, but even if they did, he knew the game was being called tight and he put himself into that position to be called for it by skating into a player he could have easily avoided.  With the PK being absolutely horrendous, he needs to stop doing this immediately.  It was a big momentum shifter in Game 3 and he should have learned his lesson then.

The Ugly:

- If nothing else, you can say the penalty killing unit is consistent.  They entered the game killing just 4 out of 10 penalties, and then killed only 2 out of 5 in this one.  The 2^nd goal was on Fleury, but the 1^st and 3^rd ones were definitely on the penalty killers.  Both defensemen were out of position for the 1^st one.  The 3^rd one was the same Voracek play that I have complained about in every recap since Game 1.  Voracek is always looking for the puck from the backside and does not leave that area, but no one even looks at him as they all watch the puck.  This is inexcusable on so many levels since it has happened numerous times now.  The Pens apparently cannot take a penalty or their PK will inevitably finish their season off on their own.

Thoughts:

- So the sweep has been averted, but as we all know, only 3 teams have come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series.  The 2010 Flyers are amongst that small group.  Is this a good thing or a bad thing for them though?  On one hand, they are aware it’s possible, so they will be vigilant in keeping the Pens from doing it.  On the other, they are aware it’s possible, so they know that the Pens are capable of it and it plants a seed of doubt in their head.  Which is it?  I’ll tell you in a week.

- Expect Bryzgalov to start on Friday unless he has re-injured his foot.  He looked very slow to pick up the play last night and had difficulties controlling rebounds.  His side to side was slow as well.  I’m not sure if his foot injury would cause anything but the 3^rd one, but the Flyers certainly lost their Ace in the hole when Bobrovsky came in and got lit up for 5 goals still.  The goaltending battle has now turned into a war of attrition and a contest to see who can make just one or 2 big saves in a game.

Bryzgalov played his best this year when he wasn't talking the media.
Whoops.

- It will be interesting to see if the Pens go with 7 defensemen again on Friday.  As of now, Despres is still with the team and practicing today, but it’s also an optional skate.  Unlike everyone with pitch forks and torches, I have no problem putting Martin back into the lineup.  The whole D has been bad, not just him, so there is no point in blaming him for more than his share.  Personally, I’d love to see him in the lineup but only getting about 12-13 minutes of ice time.  Note, I’d sit Strait, not Despres.  Despres is a wonderful defenseman fundamentally and I see no point to ever sending him down again personally.

- Neal and Adams will be eligible to play in Game 5, so what does that mean for the lineup?  The PP operated fine without Neal, which is a lineup question in itself.  Neal obviously re-enters the lineup, but at whose expense?  Strait to even up the lines?  Tangradi, Vitale, or Park?  Vitale only played 7 minutes, easily the least on the team, so I would not be surprised to see him get scratched and Neal to step in with 7 defensemen still in place.  Bylsma loves to stick with what’s working, so 11 forwards might be his calling card.  Also, I would expect Adams to come back in for Park to sure up the PK…not that it has made any difference all series anyways.

One of the more unique box scores I've looked through.

- One caveat to Game 5: Hartnell has yet to make an impact on this series.  Look for him to go crazy on Friday, whether it be scoring on the Pens or physically attacking them and giving the Pens PPs.  He is the Flyer to watch on Friday.  Also, James Van Riemsdyk is a near lock to return to the lineup, giving the Flyers another skilled forward to work with.  The D will have its hands full.

- Finally, a note on Twitter, Re: Staal trade rumors.  Before you go crazy and start spreading rumors you hear or react to what people are suggesting, consider the original source and what they actually said.  No one ever said Staal is unhappy in his current role; I dare you to find that original quote.  The reporter’s quote was that “Staal would be unhappy (if kept in his current role).”  WOULD BE.  Meaning it’s speculation, and hypothetical, which is a proper analysis but has absolutely no bearing on this team right now or how Staal feels right now.  The simple nuances of a sentence can vastly change the meaning, so take the time to look into it before losing your mind.

Would Staal hold TK like he was the king of the world if
Jordan didn't want to be here?

Keys to Game 5:

- DEFENSE AND PENALTY KILL.  Also, ADJUSTMENTS.  The defense still needs to be sharper and keep their heads on a swivel, and this needs to extend to the penalty kill in the worst way.  Expect Laviolette to come back to Pittsburgh making some major adjustments against the Pens style, and Bylsma needs to be ready to adjust on the fly for it.  Fleury is still going to have to steal a game at some point in this series.  My gut feeling is that Friday is going to be that game as the Flyers want to crush any momentum the Pens can possibly build.

And remember...one game at a time.  Focus on game 5.

Flyers lead series 3-1.  Next Game: 4/20 vs Phi, 7:30pm, Root Sports / NBCSports

PS - Podcast Discussing Game 4 and Previewing Game 5 will be up tonight

Pens Disgraceful in Embarrassing Game 3 Loss

Quick Notes:

- Dan Bylsma has now coached more Pens games in playoff history than anyone else (47, passing Eddie Johnston)

- Niskanen came in for Lovejoy and Park in for Vitale.  Vitale had 0 hits and only took 2 faceoffs last game, so he became expendable.

Just a bad sign to start with.

Result:

Flyers  8  Pens  4

Goals:  Staal (1) from Kunitz, Michalek

            Neal (1) from Niskanen, Malkin

            Neal (2) (PP) from Malkin, Crosby

            Staal (2) from Neal, Kunitz          

Interesting Stats:

- 5 Pens with 10 or more penalty minutes: Asham, Engelland, Neal, Letang, Adams

- Dupuis finally didn’t get on the scoreboard and was a -2 with 2 giveaways.  Also didn’t get on the PP even with Crosby and Sullivan were in the box, which baffles me.

- Matt Cooke had 0 penalty minutes.  In this mess, he deserves all the praise in the world for staying true to his reform.  Very impressive.

- The Pens have lost 6 playoff games in a row for the first time in franchise history.  They have also set a new record for goals allowed in the 1st 3 games of a series (20).  They have also allowed 8 goals in 3 of their last 6 playoff games dating back to last year.

The Good:

- Well, Matt Cooke played a clean game.  The powerplay went 1 for 5, so that isn’t bad.  No one died.

Jordan Staal – Going through the Pens roster, Staal is literally the only player I did not mark down in my notes as having an awful play and he added 2 goals on top of it.  The bar was set very low in this game for what is classified as “good”, but Staal put in work offensively and managed to not get into any ridiculous scrums or throw any controversial hits.  I’m glad one of our players showed some character AND playing ability at the same time today.

Perhaps the most mature player on the ice today.

The Bad:

- The goaltending was bad on both sides, but of course, it hurt the Pens more.  Bryzgalov had a bad game for Philly, but his team made it so no one will remember it.  Fleury did not have the solid game he needed, letting up 2 very soft goals on the 1^st and 4^th Flyers goals (Talbot shorthanded on misplay of puck and Read 5-hole alone in front).  He also had no help on the rest of the goals, which included a few cross-crease passes and a breakaway, but the point is, he wasn’t able to come up big when the team needed him most.  Brent Johnson couldn’t change anything in the 3^rd period either as he let up a goal 27 seconds into the period with no help from his defense.  I tend to wonder if the goalies have so little confidence in the D right now that they can’t do the little things right because they are worried about 2 steps ahead every play.  Just one part of a very bad team collapse.

James Neal – Neal was on my good list for 90% of the game and was the Pens top player with 2 goals, an assist, and some nice hits.  Then came the ugly Couturier hit, completely unnecessary as the puck was not there.  Then he chased after Giroux and went for his head it looked like but Giroux ducked.  Just awful tactics by Neal and the type of stuff I would NEVER expect from a clean, hard-working player.  I don’t know if Neal just lost his mind after taking some big hits (Grossmann did go knee to knee on him), but I expect more from Neal.  The only reason I don’t harp on this more is because this is not in his character, but it was bad regardless.  I would not be surprised if he got fined (suspended is probably too much based on Shanahan’s recent rulings). 

Sidney Crosby – I have no problem with Sid fighting Giroux, or chirping and asking Schenn to fight.  However, hitting Voracek’s glove away was childish and immature.  I admit, I laughed at the time, but in retrospect it was stupid and pointless, why are you firing up a team that is dominating you and what does that say to your team?  Also, he put Craig Adams in a horrible situation late in the game when he got into it with Hartnell, who clearly did not want to fight him.  Adams was forced to jump in because that’s his job and may be sitting out a game because of it since he was 3^rd man in and got an instigator with less than 5 minutes left.  That also could get Bylsma a fine too.  Sid is supposed to lead by example, which he did early in Games 1 and 2.  I thought the Giroux fight was a great spark, though him fighting with his concussion history is stupid (Giroux is stupid as well for doing it with his history too).  The rest of it was nonsense though, Sid is smarter and better than that.

This image will cause nightmares for Shero, Holmgren, Bettman,
the NHL, etc. for many many years...2 stars risking their careers.

Evgeni Malkin – Where art thou 50 goal scorer Geno?  I don’t know what to say, he just seems off.  His shots are off, his passing is off, his puck control and movement is off.  I have to wonder if just a quiet game 1 and a bad game 2 have gotten into his head so much that he’s just frustrated and unsure what to do.  He hasn’t done anything so awful that I have noted him for it, but he just hasn’t done all that much positive either for his usual enigmatic playing style.  Geno is in a weird position this series, nothing is going wrong but nothing is going right.  I suppose that’s good compared to most of the team right now.

The Ugly:

- Michael Therrien would call this defense worse than the one he had back in 2006 when he accused them of trying to be the worst defensive team in the league.  No one pays attention to anything in the defensive zone.  I can’t harp on it enough, no one watches the back side of the play, ever.  Go back and watch the replays and every Penguin is staring at the puck and the puck carrier for at least 3 of the goals.  Which of course, leaves the breakaway goals and goaltending gaffes as the rest.  This defense is the worst I have seen in a very long time in the NHL right now; I’m not even exaggerating.  The players don’t trust themselves, each other, or anyone; they don’t work as a team; and they have no defensive awareness at all.  They even stopped putting their sticks in passing lanes to stop cross crease passes or passes through the slot.  This defense is fundamentally a joke and they could learn a thing or 2 from a high school team right now.

"Good luck Fleury, I'll watch from here."

- Piggy-backing off of the defense issue is how horrible the PK has been.  The Flyers went 4 for 7 on the powerplay today and are 6 for 10 on the series.  This was a top 5 PK all season.  There is simply no excuse for how bad they have been this series.  They might be better off laying in front of Fleury at this rate.  It’s pretty much every problem with the defense compounded by the fact there are only 4 guys out.

- The refs had 0 control of this game, yet again.  That’s the only reason all of this chaos occurred.  The NHL needs to address that ASAP.  That’s all on that topic, everyone agrees on it, the refs are horrendous at keeping control.

Chris Kunitz – Kunitz had a decent offensive day but took two STUPID penalties that were completely needless.  This isn’t all that surprising as he has taken quite a few stupid penalties all season, but they were huge turning points in this game.  The first one was a slash in the offensive zone as Malkin was buzzing around with the puck.  It was a completely pointless and needless slash and it killed momentum for the Pens.  The second was backchecking as he lost a Flyers’ forward and then leaned into him to take him down.  With how bad the PK has been, those were brutal penalties to take.   And of course, the Flyers scored on both chances.

Kris Letang – Letang hasn’t played well defensively to begin with.  Then he took a stupid cross-checking penalty for no reason out of frustration.  He then followed that up by a fight with Kimmo Timonen which got both players thrown out of the game.  If Letang wants to act like the best defenseman on the team, he needs to a) play defense and b) not put himself in stupid situations like that which hurt the team immeasurably.  On top of it, not that it made a difference to the game, Letang tried Talbot’s “shhhh” maneuver on his way off the ice.  How arrogant and embarrassing.  It was a pathetic copycat move and just made the team look even more stupid.  Thanks for nothing in this game, Letang.

It was spontaneous and pure when Talbot did it.
Who are you kidding Kris?

Arron Asham – Asham’s display was simply a disgrace to hockey.  His final line was 3 shifts, 42 seconds, -1, 10 PIM, match penalty for intent to injure.  He was thrown out of the game after cross-checking Schenn in the throat.  While Schenn went down, clearly in pain, Asham punched the back of his head into the ice.  If Laviolette wants to call something gutless, that was the definition there.  It was an embarrassment to hockey and Asham should and likely will be suspended for it.  I don’t expect to see Asham in a Pens jersey ever again, and good riddance after that play.  The Beagle fight looked bad as is earlier this season, this definitely crossed the line.

A year ago, this was Cooke's normal look.  He changed.
Asham likely won't get the chance to with this team.

Thoughts:

- I don’t think it’s time to fire Bylsma but I wouldn’t be doing a good job if I didn’t talk about his future with this team.  This will probably be the 3^rd straight early exit for the Pens.  Montreal knocked the Pens out 2 years ago by appearing to be much better prepared in vital situations.  The Pens squandered a 3-1 lead in the series last year to Tampa Bay as their special teams could not adjust.  And now you have this year.  Bylsma seems to do much better with teams that are underdogs or have less skill on them, but he is having issues with how to handle his fully healthy team.  It is certainly not cause for his head yet, but it’s okay to be concerned.  His leash will shorten considerably next year as the prime years of this team and core aren’t being capitalized on.

His job isn't in jeopardy yet...but it's time to scrutinize.

- I know this won’t happen, but after the Islanders debacle last year and Lemieux coming out to call out the NHL, its refs, and the Isles; I would love to see Lemieux come out into the press and call out his own team for such a disgraceful display of fighting and dirty hits.  The Pens proved everyone right about everything in Game 3 by acting arrogant, dirty, and disrespectful throughout the whole game.  It was an embarrassment to the sport of hockey as a whole.  Lemieux is doing a disservice to the organization that he owns if he doesn’t come down hard on the team and say something.

- I never thought I would be saying this.  But give some of the Flyers credit for being classy in this game. Crosby asked Schenn to fight, said he was okay to fight, and Schenn was clearly hesitant and shook him off.  Thank you for not ruining our franchise captain, Schenn.  I’m glad he at least had sense when Crosby didn’t.  The second one goes to *gulp* Hartnell.  Hartnell also had the chance to fight Crosby, Sid was going after him pretty hard and Hartnell resisted and shook him off.  Eventually Adams came over and Hartnell finally gave in to a fight.  Both Schenn and Hartnell could have easily gone with Sid and landed potentially career crushing blows.  Appreciate the fact that they didn’t.

- Bylsma said Fleury starts the next 4 games…which we shall all hope means all the way through Game 7.  The chances look bleak for this team, not because of the 3-0 deficit as much as how they got to a 3-0 deficit.  However, somewhere in that locker room is the same team we have seen throughout the regular season that could come back from absolutely anything.  So I still have hope, and I still believe that team can show up.  Whether they do is a completely different question, but we won’t know until the end of Game 4.

Keys to Game 4:

- Defense. Play it.  Look around for guys in the defensive zone.  Sticks in passing lanes.  Keep track of coverages.  Just, defense.  Win 1 game and work from there.

Flyers lead series 3-0.  Next Game: 4/18 @ Phi, 7:30pm, Root Sports / NBCSports