Solid game from the Pens tonight, but I need to see more. If they think they are back on track because of one game, they easily could fall back into the sloppy play.
Hopefully Niskanen is OK, but I wouldn't mind seeing Bortuzzo get a shot over Lovejoy/Despres.
What about brining him in and moving Malkin who cant win a face off to a wing?
Malkin on the wing has never worked. He's much better as a center.
Jason Arnott is still available. There was a report he signed with the Rangers, but aparently the deal fell through. I don't know if he can play wing, but I wouldn't mind him on that line with Malkin and Neal. He's big, physical, can put the puck in the net, and is responsible defensively. Plus he's good at faceoffs. He can take them for Malkin, especially in the defensive zone, and then let Malkin take over as center once the puck is in play. I've been wanting him since before the lockout.
Its hard to point out flaws when talking about the best players in the world.Physically you are correct, but that doesnt let them off the hook for sloppy mental mistakes, or lazy play. You need your top paid players to earn their money more than just offensively. And especially your leaders need to lead by example.
I mean they both arent doing well on d i guess, but they are contributing excellently on offense.When this team is completely healthy, this has been the problem though....the idea that they dont really need to play smart or sound defensively as long as they score goals. And a lot of it is leadership...when Crosby and Malkin were out, this team was awesome defensively, so its not like they arent capable.
Once again they are still way too careless with the puck.
It was lightyears ahead of where they were the last few games, though, and they did a much better job of insulating Fleury.
I don't really blame Malkin for the turnover that lead to the goal. He saw Neal coming late with a ton of open space and tried to get him the puck. Neal just couldn't play the puck yet. If the change was a little bit faster, Neal would have had a glorious scoring chance.
I have to agree with the majority on Sutter. He has been very good defensively which is exactly what the Pens need him to be. I am a little bit disappointed with his puck possession, but let's remember, he's still only 23 and adjusting to a new system. I don't expect him to ever be a big scorer, but he will likely be in that 15-20 goal range most years (assuming an 82-game season). That is fine by me if he continues to play defense the way he has been and there's no reason to think he won't.
Apparently he failed his physical, which is not a good sign for him.
Dang. He would help solve so many of the Pens problems. Top 6 forward - Check. Veteran leader - Check. More defensive responsibility - Check. More grit - Check. You can never have too many faceoff guys either.
It says he had knee surgery in the offseason. A 38-year-old who just failed a physical and is coming off knee surgery is probably something you want to stay away from.
I don't really blame Malkin for the turnover that lead to the goal.No, but then instead of getting back on defense, and backchecking, he went for a low percentage steal at the blue line, which led to the oddman rush and the goal. I do blame him for this. That is classic Malkin. He is not a solid defender. He goes for the steal instead of committing to defense. Agree with a lot of comments from crowdog and pete. The defense is playing a little better, especially the defensemen. Martin has been solid the games I have seen. Engelland made a huge play to break up a breakaway, and Letang had a couple of real nice defensive plays also. I thought Tangradi looked a little bit more comfortable out there. As pete said, it is too early to close the book on him. I don't think he has the makings of a star, but he still has time to become a decent player.
