A New Low
The Penguins did not play a game since December 3rd. They were reportedly working very hard to right all the wrongs that have plagued them this season, including special attention to their anemic power play. The players were saying all the right things in the media and talked of the Thursday night match up with the Minnesota Wild as a very winnable game. A game that they thought they could add to the win column. That just didn't happen, causing the Mellon Arena crowd to try and figure out what was worse, the product on the ice or the 6" inches of snow that was coming down outside the building.
The evening started off with another turnover in the defensive zone. Center Shane Endicott tried to carry the puck into the neutral zone, only to have it knocked away by Marian Gaborik. Gaborik used his great speed to gather in the biscuit, deke Thibault and deposit a backhander in the net. All this in the first minute of play.
The game spiraled out of control from there. The Penguins allowed the low scoring Wild to grab a 5-0 lead as Alexander Daigle(2), Wes Walz and Brian Rolston all beat goaltender Jocelyn Thibault. The Wild's Manny Fernandez faced only 22 shots and was rarely tested as he posted the shut out.
The Penguins looked inept in all facets of the game. Their defensive work was very shoddy. It was obvious that the team could not keep up with Minnesota's speedy forwards, who cycled in the Penguins zone as if they were on the power play most of the time. Speaking of the power play, the Penguins did not have one until very late in the 3rd period and they did not produce anything other than frustration.
The team is starting to resemble a table hockey squad, they do not skate. They stand in a spot and bend, spin, twist and poke at pucks rather than skate. Their feet are not moving at all. This is not that way to succeed in the new NHL. The league had a popular bubble boy promotion in the past, but it is horrible when it is on your home ice.
When is the shake up going to come? A move has got to be made. I am not a fan of firing the coach when a group of underachievers is not getting the job done, but some kind of change is necessary. Craig Patrick should be held accountable if he stands pat on this one. At least look like you are trying to right the ship. The only untouchable players on the NHL roster should be: Sidney Crosby, Marc Andre Fleury, Eric Christensen, Ryan Whitney and obviously, Mario Lemieux. Aside from those guys, there is talent that can be moved. Craig Patrick has already tried the "let's put people on waivers and see who grabs them" move and it hasn't worked. He has got to realize that there is a new playing field, one with a salary cap. Regardless of the talent level of a player on waivers, a team is not going to just pick up all the additional salary. Patrick has to learn that you have to take some dirty laundry to get rid of some. A prime example, Kristian Huselius was recently traded to the Calgary Flames after they could have had him for nothing more than a waiver claim. They waited until they could offset picking up his $1,216,000 salary by forcing Florida to take on Steve Montador and Dustin Johner. The move wasn't a complete wash, but it was enough to get the deal done. Patrick better figure out the ways of the new NHL or he risks losing the excitement that was generated by winning the Sidney Crosby lottery. Fans are in the seats right now because they were sucked in by the hype and bought season tickets early, they have to come. They will not spend that money next season if things do not improve...and improve in a hurry.
The evening started off with another turnover in the defensive zone. Center Shane Endicott tried to carry the puck into the neutral zone, only to have it knocked away by Marian Gaborik. Gaborik used his great speed to gather in the biscuit, deke Thibault and deposit a backhander in the net. All this in the first minute of play.
The game spiraled out of control from there. The Penguins allowed the low scoring Wild to grab a 5-0 lead as Alexander Daigle(2), Wes Walz and Brian Rolston all beat goaltender Jocelyn Thibault. The Wild's Manny Fernandez faced only 22 shots and was rarely tested as he posted the shut out.
The Penguins looked inept in all facets of the game. Their defensive work was very shoddy. It was obvious that the team could not keep up with Minnesota's speedy forwards, who cycled in the Penguins zone as if they were on the power play most of the time. Speaking of the power play, the Penguins did not have one until very late in the 3rd period and they did not produce anything other than frustration.
The team is starting to resemble a table hockey squad, they do not skate. They stand in a spot and bend, spin, twist and poke at pucks rather than skate. Their feet are not moving at all. This is not that way to succeed in the new NHL. The league had a popular bubble boy promotion in the past, but it is horrible when it is on your home ice.
When is the shake up going to come? A move has got to be made. I am not a fan of firing the coach when a group of underachievers is not getting the job done, but some kind of change is necessary. Craig Patrick should be held accountable if he stands pat on this one. At least look like you are trying to right the ship. The only untouchable players on the NHL roster should be: Sidney Crosby, Marc Andre Fleury, Eric Christensen, Ryan Whitney and obviously, Mario Lemieux. Aside from those guys, there is talent that can be moved. Craig Patrick has already tried the "let's put people on waivers and see who grabs them" move and it hasn't worked. He has got to realize that there is a new playing field, one with a salary cap. Regardless of the talent level of a player on waivers, a team is not going to just pick up all the additional salary. Patrick has to learn that you have to take some dirty laundry to get rid of some. A prime example, Kristian Huselius was recently traded to the Calgary Flames after they could have had him for nothing more than a waiver claim. They waited until they could offset picking up his $1,216,000 salary by forcing Florida to take on Steve Montador and Dustin Johner. The move wasn't a complete wash, but it was enough to get the deal done. Patrick better figure out the ways of the new NHL or he risks losing the excitement that was generated by winning the Sidney Crosby lottery. Fans are in the seats right now because they were sucked in by the hype and bought season tickets early, they have to come. They will not spend that money next season if things do not improve...and improve in a hurry.
posted by Bmetzer66 at 9:07 AM
1 Comments:
Thanks! That is what I was thinking when I watched some of these guys last night. They were in cement shoes, trying to poke check everyone etc. What a waste! There is a rumor being spread by Mark Madden on Pittsburgh radio that LeClair and Recchi are coming down hard on the young guys. I guess we will see if that is true. I am not sure....
Thibault has looked bad...Not sure what Gonchar's deal is....
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