PenguinPoop - Pittsburgh Penguins Blog

Could the Penguins lose Malkin in 2 years?

Disco Stu — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:23:43 PDT

The KHL has announced, according to multiple sources, that all returning Russians from the NHL will not count against the salary cap. What will the Penguins do in 2 years if some crazy, stupid, rich KHL owner offers Geno $25 million tax free per season like Jaromir Jagr was making in Omsk? Sure it’s the KHL, but Geno speaks the language, eats the food and wouldn’t have to pay for mom and dad to come visit him. He has already won a Stanley Cup so take that out of the equation too.

I have a feeling you’re going to see quite a few Russians bolt back to the KHL with the first being Alex Semin and possibly two of the top draft pick prospects, Nail Yakupov and Grigorenko. Why would these guys play for 3 year entry level wages when some KHL oil billionaire would pay them top dollar in year one?

An NHL with a salary cap, cannot compete with the KHL when that league does not have a salary cap (for NHL players). This latest move will lure a LOT of NHLers.

Penguins Should Learn From the Devils

STH35 — Sat, 12 May 2012 08:45:47 PDT

I hope that the Penguins management team had a close eye on the Flyer-Devils series. The Devils put on a clinic as to how to win a playoff series. First and foremost, play hard every shift. The Penguins most certainly did NOT do that. Next is play with a strong defensive posture – know what man you are responsible for and pressure him everywhere on the ice. The Flyer players skated around the ice with ease against the Pens. Continuous solid goaltending is also vital to playoff success. Fleury did NOT provide it for the Penguins.

Coaching also plays such a significant role during playoffs. Matching lines and making tactical adjustments are necessary when playing in a series. Dan Bylsma and staff’s inability to find a way to stop the Flyers’ power play was inexcusable. The Devils watched and found a way to do it. Back to the key word ‘pressure’ – In an interview with Bryce Salvadore after the Devils beat the Flyers four straight he said the following – They watched the Flyers skate freely around the Pens and they were not going to let that happen to them.

Will the Pens be able to win the Stanley Cup again? With the offensive firepower that they have, the answer should be yes. Goals are hard to come by in the playoffs. They do not need as many chances as their opponents to score. But they do desperately need (...)
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Phil Krundle: Should There be Changes in the Penguins Future?

Phil Krundle — Wed, 02 May 2012 09:43:31 PDT

Here at PenguinPoop we are taking a hard look at whether or not the Pittsburgh Penguins organization needs to make any changes. Sixth up is Phil Krundle.

Phil Krundle

Perhaps looking at the big picture is needed before we make the Penguins owners, management, players and peanut venders walk the plank. Yes, the Penguins had an early first round exit. The Penguins didn’t lose in 5 games to an eighth seeded team like the Canucks. The Penguins weren’t the defending Cup champions who got ousted by a seventh place team. The Penguins lost to the third best team in the Eastern Conference.

When you look at how the teams finished during the regular season, the NHL had the 2nd place Penguins play the 3rd ranked Flyers. Stupid is probably be the nicest way to describe that. This does not hide the fact that the Penguins lost handily.

The Penguins have one of the best skilled teams in the NHL. There is no way to sugar coat this, the Penguins were out coached. This does not mean the Penguins should make a coaching change. Dan Bylsma has won a Jack Adams coach of the year award and a Stanley Cup as coach of the Penguins. You hear people say that he was not quick to make changes. If he did rush to make changes people would say (...)
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Just kicking around some crazy Penguin trade ideas

Disco Stu — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:29:52 PDT

I was sitting around with a couple of my buddies talking, what else, Penguins hockey and what they might be doing in the coming months ahead. We wondered what would happen if NHL general managers acted like fantasy hockey owners so we started throwing around some crazy trade ideas just to see which ones might actually be feasible in today’s NHL.

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Art Vandelay: Should There be Changes in the Penguins Future?

Art Vandelay — Tue, 01 May 2012 05:57:58 PDT

Here at PenguinPoop we are taking a hard look at whether or not the Pittsburgh Penguins organization needs to make any changes. Fifth up is Art Vandelay.

Art Vandelay

Undisciplined, Outclassed, and Out Coached

This past Sunday the Pittsburgh Penguins fell to their bitter rival the Philadelphia Flyers 4 games to two. Going in to the series I predicted the Penguins would win in 6 because they would be more disciplined. I was wrong it was the Pittsburgh Penguins that were outclassed by the Flyers. There were 3 Pittsburgh Penguins that were suspended for actions during game 3. Their actions could have been prevented if they simply would keep their cool and played hockey. In game 6 the Penguins were out coached. The Flyers game plan was simply if Bryzgalov is not going to stop the puck for us, the team will. The Flyers blocked 40 shots in game 6 and 116 in 6 games. Hate to say it “Outstanding”. The Penguins had a great game plan throw as many shots at the net. The law of averages says the more shots more goals. The Penguins were out coached. Disco Dan and staff should have realized the Flyers were doing an outstanding job protecting Bryzgalov, and their net. The Penguins should have done something else to try to get shots on net. Bryzgalov finished the game facing 30 shots. I do not know about you, but I can only recall (...)
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Reg Dunlop: Should There be Changes in the Penguins Future?

Reg Dunlop — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 06:13:47 PDT

Here at PenguinPoop we are taking a hard look at whether or not the Pittsburgh Penguins organization needs to make any changes. Fourth up is Reg Dunlop.

Reg Dunlop

So the Pens disappointed everyone for a second straight season by taking a first round exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It couldn’t be more disappointing considering the loss came at the hands of the dreaded Philly Flyers. Add to that, the Pens were picked by many to be Stanley Cup favorites and it becomes that much more disappointing.

Where do the Pens go from here? What changes need to be made to ensure that they do not see another disappointing showing in the playoffs? The feedback I am hearing ranges from replacing Dan Bylsma to starting over with whole new defense. These are obviously extreme scenarios.

One thing that almost everyone agrees on is that the defense was not good throughout the series with the Flyers. Most will also agree that Fleury did not have a very good showing. To be sure, he did not play well. He is not, however, the sole reason the Pens failed. They Penguins are not going to get rid of Fleury. If anything, they are probably considering finding a back-up goalie to replace Johnson.

There are a lot of reasons that the Pens lost this series. Let’s start with (...)
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Doug MacRay: Should There be Changes in the Penguins Future?

Doug MacRay — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 06:01:46 PDT

Here at PenguinPoop we are taking a hard look at whether or not the Pittsburgh Penguins organization needs to make any changes. Third up is Doug MacRay.

Doug MacRay

What should the Penguins do in the off season? Here are some things they should and shouldn’t do.

Let’s start with what they shouldn’t do…

They shouldn’t fire anyone on the coaching staff. This is the third straight year they have had an early exit from the playoffs. Last year was due to injuries, but this year should have been different. I agree. However, they lost in the first round to the Philadelphia Flyers, a 100+ point team that has had the Penguins number all year (I feel sick writing that, but it is true). If the Penguins finished strong at the end of the year and played a different opening round team and then lost to Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference finals, no one would be upset. But they played the Flyers in the first round. They were out played and out coached. But Dan Bylsma or anyone on his staff shouldn’t be fired because of this early exit. We are complaining about someone who has won a cup, made the playoffs every year, and is considered one of the best young coaches in the league right now. Disco Dan will (...)
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STH35: Should There be Changes in the Penguins Future?

STH35 — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 06:01:50 PDT

Over the next week or so each of us here at PenguinPoop will be taking a hard look at whether or not the Pittsburgh Penguins organization needs to make any changes. Second up is STH35.

STH35

The most important thing that has to be done if the Penguins are going to win another Stanley Cup is fix Marc Andre Fleury. He shows spurts of brilliance. But then, so does every other goalie in the NHL. A goalie’s job is to make big saves at key times and not allow bad goals at critical times. In the Pens series against the Flyers, he performed this task during two minutes of Game 5. The rest of the series he was busy putting the puck in his own net. Every time the Pens generated any momentum, he ended it. Nothing breaks a team’s spirit more than when a bad goal is allowed soon after the players have scored a goal to get back into the game. MAF did this often in this series. It also could be said that nothing lifts a team like a big save at a key time. MAF did this in only one game.

MAF was a first overall pick in his draft year. His physical tools are certainly among the best in the league. His problem is (...)
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Disco Stu: Should There be Changes in the Penguins Future?

Disco Stu — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 06:01:01 PDT

Over the next week or so each of us here at PenguinPoop will be taking a hard look at whether or not the Pittsburgh Penguins organization needs to make any changes. First up is Disco Stu.

Disco Stu

Time to Blow it up, or just do a remodeling job?

After three consecutive years of heading into the playoffs as prohibitive favorites to get to the Cup and then crashing and burning in the early rounds, the Penguins have to start wondering why they can’t turn regular season excellence into post season success. It’s a little difficult to know what the Pens will be able to do over the Summer with the new labor agreement still not settled and therefore no idea what type of salary cap they will be working with. Never the less, we can at least look at who the Penguins will need to resign, who they can start negotiating extensions with and who should be let go.

Let’s start at the top with (...)
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Penguins Update: History Repeating Itself

Rick Buker — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:58:57 PDT

In nature everything runs in cycles. Seasons change from winter to spring to summer to fall, and back again. The same holds true in sports. Championship teams are cultivated and nurtured through a combination of drafts, trades and free-agent signings until they peak. Then they gradually diminish until they enter a rebuilding phase.

Only three years removed from their thrilling Stanley Cup victory in 2009, the Penguins have entered a post-championship funk eerily similar to the one they experienced in the early-to-mid 1990s.

Following their second Cup in 1992 the black and gold looked like a dynasty-in-the-making. Indeed, with a lineup packed with future Hall-of-Famers such as Mario Lemieux, Ron Francis, Joe Mullen, and Larry Murphy—not to mention 50-goal man Kevin Stevens and rising star Jaromir Jagr—the Pens seemed a lock to win another Cup or two.

The dynasty never happened. In 1993 the plucky New York Islanders dethroned the defending champs—arguably the finest team in franchise history. Favored by many to regain the Cup, the Pens endured early playoff exits the next two seasons.

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Pictures: The Penguins Stopped by Excuses Again.

Southside Shultzie — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:09:34 PDT

Well the Penguins stopped by their favorite hockey bar for their traditional end of season

: LANGE’S GANGER PEGGY WITH BRENT JOHNSON

gathering. There are no tales of karaoke tragedies but it appeared the boys had a few beers and tons o’ fun. If you were lucky enough to be at Excuses Bar and Grill Tuesday night not only would you see the best wings in Pittsburgh but some of the best WINGERS as well.

Our Excuses pal Peggy Sullivan (a long time member of Excuses’ Lange’s Gang) said the guys had a ball. She said at first it was like a Junior High dance with all the Pens along one wall and the rest of the Excuses gang on the other. Peggy said it didn’t take long before everyone was mingling and having a good time. Peggy had to laugh as she told me about Jordan Staal and Brent Johnson “duking it out” when it came to picking up the tab. The argument was settled with a (...)
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Penguins Must Wait ‘Til Next Year

Rick Buker — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:29:42 PDT

As a long-time Penguins fan, writing the summary for yesterday’s Game 6 loss to the Flyers was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. It was somewhat akin to writing an obituary for a dear friend who suddenly had passed away.

Watching the game was even more painful. With dreams of a dramatic comeback from an 0-3 series deficit dancing in their heads, the Penguins never got untracked. Indeed, the enduring image from Sunday’s defeat occurred five seconds in, when Philly superstar Claude Giroux deposited our captain, Sidney Crosby, on his wallet. That pretty much summed up the whole game—if not the entire series—in a nutshell.

Give Philadelphia credit. While the Pens appeared to be skating in mud, the Flyers played with purpose and fire. They scored early. They capitalized on the power play. They forechecked hard. They protected their goalie to the tune of 40 blocked shots. When Evgeni Malkin scored a potential momentum-changing goal, they immediately countered to take the wind out of our sails. In short, Philly did all the right things.

The Flyers also got big-time performances from their best players. Giroux, who had a fabulous series (14 points), scored the game-opening goal and assisted on two others. Philly’s leading regular-season goal getter, Scott Hartnell, notched the game-winner by diving into the crease on his belly and poking the puck home. Maybe it was goaltender interference and maybe it wasn’t. Either way, Hartnell displayed a ton of passion.

(...)
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Flyers Throttle Penguins 5-1, Advance to Second Round

Rick Buker — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 14:33:23 PDT

The Sports Illustrated jinx is alive and well. Seven days after SI posed the question—“Who Will Stop the Penguins?”—on the cover of its April 15 issue the new-look Flyers provided the answer. Paced by Claude Giroux’s three-point effort and some stingy defense (40 blocked shots), the Flyers eliminated their surprisingly subdued rivals in Game 6 on Sunday afternoon before a capacity crowd at Wells Fargo Center.

For the Penguins, who hoped to become the fourth team in NHL history to rally from an 0-3 series deficit, it was a bitter end to a season filled with promise. But the black and gold fell behind the relentless Flyers early and remained a step behind throughout a long and fruitless afternoon.

“Being down 3-0, we were confident, and we remained confident, but we just ran out,” Pens center Jordan Staal said.

It was clear from the opening faceoff the home team was locked and loaded. Seconds into the contest Giroux flattened Pens captain Sidney Crosby at the Pittsburgh blue line to set the tone. Moments later, the redhead ripped the puck past Marc-Andre Fleury on the short side to stake his team to a 1-0 lead.

Taking full advantage of an interference call on Matt Cooke, the orange and black widened the gap to two at the 13-minute mark. Following an initial save, the puck trickled between Fleury’s pads. Typifying the Flyers’ intensity, Scott Hartnell dove headlong to the ice and jabbed the rubber across the line for Philly’s 12th power-play goal of the series.

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Penguins Can Still Beat the Flyers in Six

Joey Wales — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:01:04 PDT

Figuratively, of course, but if the Pens knot this series at 3-3 this afternoon, the Flyers won’t have what it takes to finish the series back here in the ‘burgh. Why? I think Phil hit on the #1 reason in his last post The Penguins Are Now in the Flyers’ Heads: they are showing tell-tale signs of being a shell-shocked team on the verge of absolute shambles. And that was after our first victory! Pile on Game Five’s 3-2 win, and whatever the Pens do today, and you have three times the heart-break and finger-pointing.

In my mind, there are three things the Pens need to do today to make sure we see a largely ceremonial Game Seven:(...)
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Flower Powers Penguins Past Flyers 3-2

Rick Buker — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:05:55 PDT

During the first four games of their incendiary opening-round series, the Penguins and Flyers provided enough fireworks to rival any Fourth of July pyrotechnics display. On Friday night Marc-Andre Fleury stole the show with a goaltending effort for the ages. In perhaps the most brilliant performance of his career “Flower” made 24 saves—including 14 to blunt a ferocious third-period Flyers surge—to pace the Pens to a 3-2 victory in Game 5.

“He won them the game, plain and simple,” Philadelphia’s Scott Hartnell said.

Desperate to slow the avalanche of goals (a record 45 in Games 1-4), Pens coach Dan Bylsma and his counterpart Peter Laviolette each made adjustments. While the visiting Flyers occasionally lined up in the famed “Tampa T,” the Pens favored a modified left wing lock.

The stab at better defensive play had the desired effect as the high-octane rivals combined for a comparatively paltry three first-period goals. However, Philly continued to torture the Pens’ overmatched penalty killers. With Deryk Engelland serving a roughing minor, Matt Carle beat Fleury with a bomb from the point at 11:45.

Three minutes later the Pens countered with a power-play tally of their own. Kris Letang faked a shot from the slot and slipped the puck to Steve Sullivan on a back-door play. The peppery Pens forward beat Ilya Bryzgalov from the left-wing circle to knot the score at 1-1.

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The Penguins are Now in the Flyers Heads

Phil Krundle — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:31:40 PDT

Earlier in the season the Penguins lost six games in a row. All the talk around Pittsburgh was about how the Penguins wouldn’t make the playoffs and who should be traded. After losing the six in a row the Penguins went and won eight games in a row. Going into last game the Penguins had lost six playoff games in a row. The Flyers got blown out on Wednesday and are beginning to question themselves.

The Flyers tried everything in their trick bag to get the Penguins to retaliate on Wednesday night. The Flyers resorted to constant face washings, dives, cross checks and when they didn’t work they just flat out punched the Penguins in the face. The Penguins to a player, even Matt Cooke who Hartnell said earlier in the season was the dirtiest player in hockey, took it and walked away.

If you can explain to me why Asham without a prior history got suspended for four games for hitting a guy while he was down and Rinaldo who has a history does the same thing to a concussion prone player got nothing I will hand out a gold star. Rinaldo even said after the game that (...)
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PenguinPoop Radio Tonight at 7PM – Penguins Live to Fight Another Day

PenguinPoop.com — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:52:38 PDT

Tonight on Penguin Poop radio, we’ll be discussing last night’s spectacular 10-3 victory over the Flyers in Game 4 of their best of seven series. We’ll also be talking about what changes the Penguins made last night and how they can hopefully carry that momentum over into Game 5 Friday night. We’ll be taking your calls and seeing what the market is like for brooms now that 20,000 of them went unsed last night at the Wachovia Center. We’ll also be talking about what impact the returns of James Neal and Craig Adams will have on the team as well as why good things always seem to happen to the Penguins when Paul Martin is in street clothes.

Hosts: Disco Stu & Art Vandelay

Call the show: 858-947-6604

We’ll be taking your calls so join us Thursday, April 19th between 7 – 8 EDT

You can listen live online : Pittsburgh Penguins live to fight another day

Flyers finally show their true colors or Anyone want to buy a broom cheap?

Disco Stu — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:18:18 PDT

No matter the result of last night’s Game 4 between the Penguins and the Flyers at “Whatever the hell bank bought us this week” Arena, the Penguins would be coming back to Pittsburgh today either to get the golf clubs out of the closet or start preparing for Game 5 at the Consol Energy Center Friday night, and thanks to the arrival of the “Real” Philadelphia Flyers(And seriously, what took you guys so long to get here?), it is the latter.

Flyer fans showed up in full force last night all wearing their highly imaginative, Sidney Crosby comment inspired t-shirts

and waving brooms as they anticipated sweeping the Penguins in four games, something which has never been done to Pittsburgh in a seven game series. (...)
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