GDT: Pittsburgh @ Toronto - 14th of Feb

[langway05]

Penguins - Maple Leafs Preview and can be seen here: CBC (HD), RDS (HD), NHLN-US

Pittsburgh (27-24-5) hasn't looked much like the team that went to the Stanley Cup finals last season, and one of the major reasons has been the absence of Gonchar, who was injured on a hit in the team's first preseason game.

Gonchar was second among defensemen with 65 points last season, and his 38 assists on the power play were far and away the most of any player in the league.

The Penguins were fourth in the NHL on the power play in 2007-08, converting 20.4 percent of the time. This season, that success rate has dipped to 16.3 percent - 24th in the league.

The team right behind the Penguins is Toronto (20-25-10), which has beaten Therrien's team twice, but the two are separated by nine points. The Maple Leafs haven't won consistently all season, putting together just one streak of three wins.

They've dropped their last two games - first a 5-4 overtime loss Tuesday at Florida after blowing a three-goal lead with 12 minutes left, then a 6-4 loss Thursday in Tampa Bay as they fell behind 4-1 after the first period.

"We're scoring four or five goals and that's not enough to get two points, let alone one" coach Ron Wilson said.

 

[langway05]

and it's confirmed: Pens' Gonchar to make season debut tonight against the Leafs!

 

[burebuyer]

4-2 Leafs eight minutes into the 3rd. Four straight goals for Toronto, including 3 in the third.

Fleury just made a spectacular glove save to rob Jason Blake of his hat-trick.

 

[drearick]

It's official ... this team has no heart ... it's almost embarrassing to be a Pens fan. Hate to say it but there's not much that a trade will do (since they don't have much to give up) so there's only one thing that may wake them up ... it's time for Therrien to go. Pretty sad to see how this team has fallen after making it so far last year - and honestly, other than Hossa, I really didn't think they lost that much (Malone - overrated, Ruutu - Cooke is better, Laraque - not gonna help them score, Hall - career 4th liner at best, Roberts - way over the hill) - I guess there's something to be said for chemistry, but this team has the two leading scorers in the league and is floundering - I just don't get it.

 

[hadesvengeance]

Wow 6-2 for the leafs and they beat them again lol.Didn't the leafs beat them a week or so ago?Anyways I still stand by my trade moves for the pens thread.This pens team needs to make some moves.Can you say wingers...and a big mean defencemen.
But on a whole sweet win for the leafs.
mike

 

[fly4apuckguy]

Crosby and Malkin need some help on the wings. This team is built to lose. You can't have everyone down the middle and no one on the wings.

 

[scooby1970]

Michel Therrien needs to get fired. There is no way Crosby should be playing with utility forward as his linemates. Why doesn't Staal play his wing even if staal is a centreman. Malkin and crosby should play on the same line from now til the end of the season.

Pittsburgh cannot afford to lose many more games if they want to see the playoffs. With Gonchar back, this will help the powerplay, but it may be too late.
Coaches don't play the game, but he puts the lines together, therrien line juggling may have cost the pens the season. They can't afford to juggle lines and rely on the powerplay.

As a leaf fan , the win is great, but as having Crosby as a fantasy player on my fantasy team, its painful watching pens games and seeing crosby playing with the likes of kennedy and dupuis, their good players but not players that should be playing on crosby's wings.. Lately crosby and malkin only play on the powerplay and late in games when the games are out of reach. There is no excuse for this , Therrien is not putting his best lines out there trying to win every game. I hope Therrien sees this as I have a line combination that may work for him, Send the cheque in the mail.

malkin, crosby, fedetenko
staal, sykora, satan
dupuis, kennedy, thomas
talbot, cooke, roy

I would alternate double shifting malkin and crosby every other shift.

Its exciting watching crosby and malkin play on the same line, Too bad the pens coach thinks he needs to spread his offense out, meanwhile you're sitting 5 points out of the playoffs with the other team(s) having a game in hand.

PULL THE TRIGGER SHERO







GO LEAFS GO

 

[fly4apuckguy]

Michel Therrien needs to get fired. There is no way Crosby should be playing with utility forward as his linemates. Why doesn't Staal play his wing even if staal is a centreman. Malkin and crosby should play on the same line from now til the end of the season.

Pittsburgh cannot afford to lose many more games if they want to see the playoffs. With Gonchar back, this will help the powerplay, but it may be too late.
Coaches don't play the game, but he puts the lines together, therrien line juggling may have cost the pens the season. They can't afford to juggle lines and rely on the powerplay.

As a leaf fan , the win is great, but as having Crosby as a fantasy player on my fantasy team, its painful watching pens games and seeing crosby playing with the likes of kennedy and dupuis, their good players but not players that should be playing on crosby's wings.. Lately crosby and malkin only play on the powerplay and late in games when the games are out of reach. There is no excuse for this , Therrien is not putting his best lines out there trying to win every game. I hope Therrien sees this as I have a line combination that may work for him, Send the cheque in the mail.

malkin, crosby, fedetenko
staal, sykora, satan
dupuis, kennedy, thomas
talbot, cooke, roy

I would alternate double shifting malkin and crosby every other shift.

Its exciting watching crosby and malkin play on the same line, Too bad the pens coach thinks he needs to spread his offense out, meanwhile you're sitting 5 points out of the playoffs with the other team(s) having a game in hand.

PULL THE TRIGGER SHERO







GO LEAFS GO

A lot of interesting stuff here, and some of the things I have been complaining about for a long time, so I know where you are coming from.

The problem with playing Malkin and Crosby together is that it makes the other three lines basically non-scoring. Also, they play a similar game. Neither one is a pure goal scorer. This makes it too easy for coaches to match lines.

The Pens issue is not really Terrien, it's with the work they do (or do not do) in the off-season. They screwed up signing fourth-rate players who don't compete. I talking about Miro Satan in particular, but I'd include Sykora in that, too. Sykora is a bit better, but not worth the money he is being paid.

Matt Cooke is a heart and soul guy, but heart won't put the puck in the net. Talbot is the same type of player as Cooke. I am not sure why the Pens would have used cap space on a guy who is an older version of Talbot.

They need a pure goal scorer, plain and simple.

I don't know if anyone is even available to fit that need, but I know that wasting money and time on guys like Miro Satan is ridiculous.

As a big fan of Crosby, it is frustrating to watch him feed cherry passes to non-finishers like Dupuis and Ryan Whitney game in and game out, only to have them lose the puck, overskate it, or shoot three feet over the open net. If he had a guy like Jeff Carter or Rick Nash on his wing, he'd have 100 points already. Instead he has to hope one of the guys he plays with gets a lucky bounce off a leg or something.