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NHL Season 2018-19

#445
MJ5150 said:
Pens blow a three goal lead at home. Sullivan is going to need to start looking for a job. It's clear Pens management want Rutherford to stick around.

-Mike
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Did you see the OT? Those guys looked like they'd never played together before. Malkin/Kessel/Letang/Guentzel...no chemistry, no communication, and errant passes led to Eichel's GWG. :rage:

They could have gone up 5-1 with an extended PP earlier, but couldn't make that happen despite a ton of shots. I'd really hate to see Sullivan go but they'd better send Recchi and Martin down the road with him.

But who is out there? Retreads Therrien, Sutter, Stevens, and as of today, Yeo. Quenneville might be an interesting fit, don't ya think?
 
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#447
dwm74 said:
Did you see the OT? Those guys looked like they'd never played together before. Malkin/Kessel/Letang/Guentzel...no chemistry, no communication, and errant passes led to Eichel's GWG. :rage:

They could have gone up 5-1 with an extended PP earlier, but couldn't make that happen despite a ton of shots. I'd really hate to see Sullivan go but they'd better send Recchi and Martin down the road with him.

But who is out there? Retreads Therrien, Sutter, Stevens, and as of today, Yeo. Quenneville might be an interesting fit, don't ya think?
Click to expand...

Yeah, and that's a good assessment.
Malkin usually plays disinterested much of the time, until he goes on one of those hot streaks where he plays out of his mind for a few shifts, but the last few games seems even more so. Perhaps something non-hockey related has consumed him.
Definitely something broken on that team. Sullivan used to have all the answers, but not lately.

-Mike
 
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#449
grrg63 said:
Blues canned former Pens assistant Mike Yeo after a 7-9-1 start. Craig Berube named interim coach.

Man, I used to hate Berube when he was a player.
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The Oilers just fired McLellan and replaced him with Hitchcock.
I'm not advocating the dismissal of Sullivan since I think part of the problem is also the roster Rutherford gave him. There seems to be a disconnect between those two.
I think the moves Rutherford has made has forced Sullivan into line combo changes to try and make it all work the way he (Sullivan) wants it to.
Sadly, it may cost Sullivan his job if he can't.

-Mike
 
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#451
Yeah, but Billy Martin always knew he'd come back some day. Again and again and again...;)

Hitchcock in Edmonton doesn't seem like a good fit. He's always been a defensive-minded coach, and when you've got the most offensively-skilled player in the league on your roster, along with a below average defensive corp, I'll be curious to see how he implements his system with those players.

Years ago, Steve Yzerman was hitting 100-150 pts a season, then a similar coaching change made him re-invent his game into a totally different style. He never came close to those offensive numbers but he did win a few Stanley Cups. Curious to see if history repeats itself in Alberta.
 
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#453
Crosby returns tonight against the Stars. Hopefully it'll make a difference, but in all honesty the losing streak was well underway before he got injured and continued along. We'll see. It's always a good thing to have 87 one the ice rather than off it. (I think he would have made a dramatic difference in the god-awful exhibition the Pens showed in OT against Buffalo the other night.)

There have been several articles on various NHL sites regarding the recent coaching changes, and while some of them mention others on the hot seat who may be gone soon, not a single one of the articles mention Mike Sullivan in danger of losing his job. I'm somewhat relieved as I certainly do not want to see him gone.
 
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#455
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#456
#457
GoLeafsGo said:
Looking at the Eastern conference standings, things look a bit odd...
1 Toronto
2 Tampa Bay
3 Buffalo
4 Columbus
5 Montréal
6 Boston
7 NY Rangers
8 Washington
9 NY Islanders
10 Carolina
11 Ottawa
12 Philadelphia
13 Detroit
14 Florida
15 New Jersey
16 Pittsburgh

Really did not expect to see Habs, Sabres, or Penguins where they are at this point in the season....
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Coincidentally I was just poring over the standings yesterday and making a mental list of who's overachieved and who's underachieved.

Buffalo, Montreal, and NYR certainly are in that first category, whilst my beloved championship-pedigreed Penguins are floundering at the bottom of the conference. Never would'a thunk that was ever going to happen in the Crosby/Malkin era.
 
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#460
dwm74 said:
Coincidentally I was just poring over the standings yesterday and making a mental list of who's overachieved and who's underachieved.

Buffalo, Montreal, and NYR certainly are in that first category, whilst my beloved championship-pedigreed Penguins are floundering at the bottom of the conference. Never would'a thunk that was ever going to happen in the Crosby/Malkin era.
Click to expand...

They'll turn it around. Whatever it is bothering Malkin will clear up. We have the right goalie now, so it's a matter of Sullivan settling in on the pairings and Rutherford leaving him alone to do so.
Not that I want to be in last place ever, but I'd much rather be in last place today than in March.

-Mike
 
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