Pens at Isles Grades
Mike Adams | Grade "A" Reviews
Mar 25, 08:47 AM | Hype this story!
Aimless effort ends in embarrassment
Offense: F
The non-existent offense was pathetic. They rarely tested Doobie-Doobie-Doo. They were actually okay in the first ten minutes, as they seemed to have at least a bit of a sense of urgency. But after that, they just took the rest of the night off. They got nothing on the rush. They got no forecheck whatsoever going. It was as if they just counted the two points before the game, thinking the game is played on paper. Well, it ain’t. And what is basically an AHL team totally dominated them the rest of the night. There wasn’t one player you could single out, as they all just flat stunk. They followed up what might have been their best game of the year with one of their worst.
Defense: D
Well, just like the last game they had in the Big Apple (against the Rangers last week), the defense was not good at all. They allowed numerous great chances by a team that would have trouble scoring in the AHL. They let the only real offensive threats (Bill Guerin and Miro Satan) skate free all night. They didn’t backcheck at all. Again, it was a total lack of effort. When you don’t care, you don’t do the little things. That led to two even-strength goals by the Islanders. On the first, Scuderi and Whitney let Josef Vasicek waltz down the slot and slip a backhanded pass to a wide-open Guerin, who found the top corner over Conklin’s glove. On the final one, they let Satan shoot, then get his own rebound for a wraparound. Conklin stopped him, but Gill left Trent Hunter wide open for an easy tap-in. Yep, it really was that easy for the hapless Isles.
Power play: F
Ugly is about the only word to describe it. Yeah, they got a power play goal, but that was only after they had already allowed a shorty on the same penalty. On the shorty, Whitney just aimlessly dumped it into the corner, then lazily went after it. He got caught out of position and nobody covered for him, allowing Richard Park to slap one past Conklin. They came back with a wicked wrister by Sykora (now on the second unit for some reason known only to The Genius). Maybe they don’t want the ineptitude of the top unit to infect him. That top unit was just brutal. One missed pass after another. No effort. Nothing. I quit watching when they had a man advantage; otherwise I might have thrown something at the TV. They were just horrendous. That’s what happens when you don’t care.
Penalty kill: C
You might be right if you guess this is the highest grade I am giving out today. The PK wasn’t terrible, which is more than I can say about the rest of their game. They did allow one goal in five chances, but generally kept the Islanders from threatening too much. On the goal, it was the old get the puck to the net and go to work power play. Oh, did I say work? As Penguin fans, we probably don’t know what that word means after last night. They got the puck toward the net, and Orpik and Gonchar were unable to contain the vaunted Sean Bergenheim in front, and he whipped it past Conklin. They were reasonably effective killing the rest of the penalties, though.
Goaltending: D
If it wasn’t clear before this game who the number one guy is, it sure is now. Conklin made a couple great saves here and there, but his games lately clearly indicate he is back to being Ty Conklin. The Park goal was a bit weak. The Guerin goal was a result of him going down early and getting beat high glove. Not much he could do about the other two. But this was not the same Ty Conklin who made 50 saves the last time the Pens visited this building. He just doesn’t look in control anymore. They needed him to come up huge last night, and he didn’t do it. The Park goal set the tone for the whole night, and, as I said, that’s one he should have stopped.
Overall: F
Aimless. That’s the best word to describe their effort. They frittered away two points against a terrible, terrible AHL level team. It was just painful to watch. Therrien should have skated them after the game, as they surely didn’t expend any energy during it. It was nothing short of embarrassing. And just ask the Devils if there is carryover from an embarrassing effort one night into an important game the next. They snoozed against this same outfit last Friday, then got blown out by the Pens on Saturday.
And now, the rest of the story…
Leaders: F
I’m talking to you, Sergei Gonchar. I’m calling you out, Ryan Malone. I’m ripping you, Darryl Sydor. And I’m criticizing every other player on this team who fancies himself a leader. Where were YOU last night to lead by words, or example, when things were going south? You all were right down in the sewer with the rest of your teammates. Way to inspire, guys.
Evgeni Malkin: F
He always plays like crap against the Islanders (3 goals in 15 games), but he was especially brutal last night. He gave the puck up almost every time he tried a pass, and didn’t even come close to scoring a goal.
The Genius: F
It started before the game, when he decided to dress seven defensemen. I’ve said it before and will say it again. This is just plain dumb. It messes up both the defense and forward pairings, leading to a lack of continuity. And there certainly was no continuity last night. The lines were messed up. The defense was messed up. Now, I suppose Shero also shares blame in this for not calling someone up, but one has to think he consulted The Genius beforehand and this is the way they decided to go. It’s not as if they didn’t know well in advance they’d be short. They got guys here from Wilkes Barre on shorter notice the last time in.
Pascal Dupuis: A
Congrats to him and his wife on the birth of their third child. By not being there, he is also spared my wrath.
Marian Hossa: F
He was as invisible as he was the last time the Pens played on the Island.
Ryan Whitney: F
Talk about irony. The Versus announcers were commenting that the staff wants him to be tougher. At that very moment, he dumped the puck into the corner on the power play, then meekly went after it, leading to the shorthanded goal. Later, he just aimlessly dumped the puck up the ice, leading and Islander rush and goal. One has to suspect that he fears getting hurt in the playoffs and is playing to be the odd man out on the blue line with Scuderi back
Striped Buffoon Huh? Call of the Game
Good job, BlindMassenhoven. How can you, standing right there, not see that Sykora shot enter the net? It looked like everyone on the ice except you knew it was in. Thank goodness for the War Garage.
Monk Moment
It goes to the Islanders for stealing two valuable points right out from under the noses of the Pens.
A Guide to the Grades can be found here
Comments
Ashley Gallant
Mar 25, 09:44 AM
I’d also give Versus an F for those few minutes at the beginning of the game when the video was about 10 seconds behind the audio. I heard the Park SHG long before the puck even left the Islanders’ zone and wondered what the heck they were talking about.
And another F to all those broadcasters that use football analogies and terms during a hockey game. I know a lot of people like it, and it may be a way to reach out to Americans who don’t watch hockey, but I hate it.
DaBich
Mar 25, 09:48 AM
I almost cried.
That says it all…
Danny
Mar 25, 10:17 AM
WOW..What a massive turd. All teams shite on the ice every once in a while. Let’s hope it’s all out of thier systems and they come ready to play the Debbies tonight. If it’s another effort like this NYI game, it will be a long-long evening. Right on the money with the eval MCM.
Matt Bodenschatz
Mar 25, 01:25 PM
I don’t buy it, Hannibal. Anaheim won because of their style of play, not because of the home country of their players. I don’t believe Malkin will put up three points again against the Devils, but I’m also not so delusional to think that a roster of Canadians is a shoe-in for the Cup. If that’s the case, why don’t more teams simply go after Canadians and ignore the other players?
The best teams win. Period.
DaBich
Mar 25, 01:30 PM
Haha Hannibal. Don’t give up your day job, you’re a lousy comedian ;)
Matt Bodenschatz
Mar 25, 02:07 PM
Well, Hannibal, thanks for adding so much insight into the conversation. As per a previous warning, we’ll be seeing you around…or maybe not.
Tom
Mar 25, 02:07 PM
Mike, it is clear that Whitney cannot play defense. if we have excess defensemen (which we do not) play him as a wing instead of the latest WBS call up. The Penguins need defensemen who can defend. Our stock of skilled defenders is rather small. Scuderi can block shots and play good positional hockey; however, he is an average skater, does not hit with any authority and has no effective clearing shot. Gonchar is a good skater and plays fair positional hockey if it does not involve the possibility of being hurt, does not hit with any authority but has a a good clearing shot. Sydor is a slow and weak skater. He does not hit and has no good clearing shot. He plays fair positional defense when he is not outskated and cannot hold a pass. He has experience for whatever that is worth. Gill is slow; however, he plays fair positional hockey, clears the crease, hits/envelopes his opponent. He does have a powerful clearing shot. He matches up well with the speedy Kris Letang who covers Gill’s lack of speed. Orpik is a fair skater, hits well, clears the crease and blocks shots. He has an average clearing shot and is not afraid to play proactive/pre-emptive defense, a trait he shares only with Letang. Whitney is worthless as a defensive player in all aspects other than having a decent but slow developing clearing shot when he dares to hold the puck long enough to clear it. Finally, Kris Letang. The rookie makes rookie mistakes. Had he not pursued the puck around behind the net against the Islanders rather than cut over to defend his side of the goal, the shot that went past Gill would not have happened. However, he is our fastest, strongest and most agile skater. He has the strongest clearing shot and is a right hand shot. He is the team’s best passer from the Pen’s Zone. Letang hits with authority and protects the left wing boards where opposing forwards are becoming reluctant to challenge him. He causes turnovers with his quick hands, physical play and skating ability. He is, in short, a pocket Pronger who ought to be played as much as possible, and that is ignoring his absolutely amazing offensive abilities revealed in his shoot out successes and his juniors play off record of 30 points in 19 shoot out games last spring. He plays well with Orpic and Gill on the PK and at even strength. He needs to be played more on the PP where his right hand shot would add to an already powerful left hand shot from Gonchar. If one of our seven defensemen needs to sit, it is most certainly Whitney or Sydor.
Matt Bodenschatz
Mar 25, 02:43 PM
Tom, while I agree with your overall sentiment that Whitney or Sydor should be the player to sit, I think you are drastically underestimating the team’s defense.
As I type this, the Penguins’ defense ranks 10th in the NHL, giving up 208 goals. That number, by the way, is better than the numbers put up by defensive juggernauts such as Minnesota, Calgary, Montreal and Ottawa. While a lot of that has to do with a spectacular run by Conklin in January and a near-equally spectacular run currently by Fleury, it would be naive to believe this is in spite of the defense.
The fact is, the Penguins have no stud defenseman who can do it all. Letang is the closest to it in the sense that he does everything well, but he’s not elite (yet) by any means — and to suggest a rookie should be given the most responsibility on the defense is a bit dangerous. Now, if the defense was playing horribly, I would be much more resound to the idea — but 10th best goals-against isn’t something to sneeze at.
The player, at this point, who should sit is Whitney, as he has been pretty vicious lately. With that being said, the likelihood of that happening is slim to none, as there is a lot of money invested in him, and he stands to play a significant role in the team’s future. So, with Whitney almost certain to remain in the lineup, Sydor is next on the list.
The lineup then would look like this:
Orpik-Gonchar
Scuderi-Whitney
Letang-Gill
Three offensive defensemen to balance out three defensive defensemen. What I see there is a defense that has some physical elements, some solid skaters, a tremendous amount of offense, and a lot of good passers. It’s a lot better than you give it credit for.
rob
Mar 25, 02:47 PM
W-T-F was that last night? W-T-F was going through their heads?
Didn’t they KNOW that winning this one was major? Maybe even more major than beating NJD?
After consulting the wise Jack Daniels, I’ve come up with this conclusion: 1. It shows without a doubt who the real leader of this team is. I thought that 71 was getting it done, but this tells me otherwise. He’s got some growing to still do. After having the privilege of watching 66,10,68,55 hell even 27, 87 still has somethings yet to discover, HOWEVER, he is the absolute leader of this team and you can only go so far without your leader. 2. This team will not get very far into April. With an “effort” like that, how can they? W-T-F???? They make millions to play a game and can’t even bring the correct attitude to the ice? W-T-F????
Matt Bodenschatz
Mar 25, 02:59 PM
Rob, I understand your frustration, but they didn’t get into first place in the division by being lacksidasical. They had a bad game in which they appeared uninspired. If it becomes a trend, I’ll be worried, but prior to this game, they scored 27 goals in five games.
And, make no mistake about it, beating the Devils is much mroe important than beating the Islanders. Would it have been nice to win both? Yes. But beating the Devils keeps the Devils from earning two points and gives the Penguins two.
Ashley Gallant
Mar 25, 04:00 PM
Was last night’s game a bit of a stinker? Yes. Was it a game that the Penguins should have won, considering the Islanders’ roster was pretty much an AHL crew? Yep.
However, it was just one game.
Take a moment and breathe in: the Pens are still leading the division. Now breathe out: the Pens are still second in the Eastern Conference.
Every team experiences games like this in the course of a season. Consider it a wake up call, a reminder of what needs to be done in order to be successful.
As frustrating as last night’s game was, it is time to calm down and look ahead. The Penguins can still clinch a playoff spot tonight against the Devils, and a win will get them two points closer to clinching the division.
It’s not like the Penguins are on the outside looking in.
Michael
Mar 25, 05:06 PM
Back to the Islanders game.
Why was Taffe on the Hossa-Staal line? That was a bad substitute for Dupuis. The logical choices for the Dupuis substitute were Talbot, Kennedy, or even Ruutu who’s been hot. But Taffe with Hossa? No way.
Pulling Malkin off his powerplay-shift after a mere 45 seconds or so? Stupid.
{Gotta get Taffe out there to get his PP minutes, right?} And evidently the dumbass Mike Yeo .. again .. has Malkin serving as some sort of glorified passing-conduit and puck-fetcher for Gonch and Hossa ..? That’s just wonderful. And when Sid gets back, we can all look forward to The Greatest Passing Show on Earth. I just can’t wait.
Why was BGL trotted out there after nearly every Islanders goal was scored? What the hell was THAT supposed to accomplish? That was absurd.
And why was the Malkin-Sykora combo broken-up? Especially when Malkin was on the PP .. ?? WHY?? There’s no excuse for this .. none whatsoever.
When Ted Nolan took away the center of the ice after the First Period, what was MT’s response? He .. uhhh .. changed his lines. Therrien’s “concept” of making “tactical adjustments” to the opposing coach’s strategies is to .. uhhh .. “change one’s lines”. Brilliant.
Has Therrien ever actually__made__a bonafide tactical adjustment ..?
Therrien is (still) an idiot.
Apparently, Mike Yeo addressed the team at the First Intermission and told them to “selectively back-off” on their physicality. Can you believe this?! Yeah .. Yeo was reportedly concerned about the Penguins’ chippy play in the First Period. Maybe he was afraid they’d be taking penalties? Who knows. But obviously this team NEEDS to play with a physical edge, and they were doing it in the First Period. So then M.Yeo actually tells them to “back-off” ..??!! WHAT ??!!
Yes. And we saw how they came out and played, after that. Yeo is re-affirming that he’s an idiot.
It’s bad enough when the players are “flat” or are being “outplayed”. But a stupid coaching staff is another matter, and compounds the problems involved with players “not showing up” on certain nights.
This team has A LOT of talent. These last 2 seasons are a testament to that, and this has been in spite of the coaching staff.
I only hope that this team’s raw talent and self-motivation will overcome its coaching staff’s stupidity, during these playoffs, so that this team can at least make it to the second round.
Michael
Mar 25, 05:25 PM
I forgot something.
Yes, as MCM wrote .. using 7 defensemen messed-up the team’s entire flow, as it always does. This was (another) really stupid move. Where was Connor James? He had been playing well. He should have been called-up. Plus this was an ideal opportunity to scratch Whitney for a game, at least!!
Matt Bodenschatz
Mar 25, 08:36 PM
Michael, was it stupid to dress seven defensemen tonight, as the Penguins beat the Devils in a hard-fought game? I love how a coach can be an idiot while his team is first place in the Atlantic Division, which, by the way, is the most competitive division in all of hockey. I also am wondering what your thoughts are on Fleury and Conklin at this point, as Fleury wins is 11th in 12 games and Conklin, yet again, plays an average game at best.
DaBich
Mar 26, 06:17 AM
:;waiting with bated breath::
Tom
Mar 26, 02:48 PM
Matt, Let’s begin a campaign to keep Whitney at left wing on any line in order to improve the defense. I disagree that Letang is not among the elite defensemen in the league. Compare his skills with any other defenseman. Skating – strong – fast – agile, who is better? Clearing shot – powerful – well aimed – quick (without pause), who is better? Passing from the defensive zone (or anywhere) – quick – vision for open recipients – accurate – flat on the ice and fast (puck speed), who is better? Ability to take the puck from an oncoming forward and cause a turnover (a product of skating, fast hands and physiciality), who is better – perhaps Pronger? Shooting ability, best on the Pens and probably in the conference (Gill has a nice shot as does Gonchar, but they do not compare to Letang’s fast hands and overall shooting capacity). A good, deceptively strong and useful checker who gets few penalty minutes and disrupts the offense of the attacking forwards to the extent that they seem to avoid the left wing boards and circle. Others may deliver more devastating highlight hits, few are as well timed and placed. Orpik may be better when he plays his position responsibily and Gill can take out a forward, but recovers slowly. The plea that he is too young founders on the fact that he is the same age as Crosby and a year older than Staal. The early complaints that he did not play hard were ill founded. Yes he is an elite stud defenseman and the best defenseman on the Pens. Compare his skills and add his tremendous offensive potential (e.g. shootout shooting skills, last years playoff string of 30 points in 19 games while playing defense — figures comparable to Bobby Orr — and two years of scoring as well as defending in juniors and in all star games in international competition). I believe that he is up to whatever duties and pressures are placed upon him. He was “the man” at Val d’Or and can be here.
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