- All of you made some good points earlier today.
- So far this team has just been bad all around ...... offensively (23rd in league in goals/game at 2.67), defensively (32nd in the league at 3.86), and goaltending (terrible advanced stats ..... TJ 46th and 52nd out of 57 goalies in dSV% and GSAx respectively, Ned 50th and 51st, Blomqvist was 29th and 28th) ...... so not just one area as a problem (bad offensively, horrible defensively, and poor goaltending for sure).
- Regarding last nights game against Tampa Bay ..... TB controlled most of the game with puck possession in the offensive zone, Pens were in the game after 2 periods (and actually ahead 2-0) because Jarry was OUTSTANDING (All-Star level good)! ...... for 2 periods and 5 minutes of the 3rd period TJ was GREAT but in the last 15 minutes of the 3rd period and OT he was bad ...... "pittbb80" is correct that Goals 2 and 3 for TB were very bad goals, and even Goal 1 could have been played better with a much higher chance of a save.
- If you look at Goals 2 and 3 and ask whether it was mainly the defenses vs TJ's fault ...... they both were basically on TJ ..... Goal 1 was on both the defense and probably to a lesser extent Jarry.
- Goal 2 - TB skater took control of the puck behind the net and carried it out in front of the goal line on the glove side, he tries to make a bad angle pass through the crease from below the circle toward a teammate ..... TJ is in the rVH position on the near (glove side) post and appropriately tries to stop the pass from going through the crease with his stick, but he has his stick in a poor and awkward position, the puck hits the heel of his blade, jumps up into the air and into his own net (he deflected the puck into his own net) ...... problem was poor stick technique in the rVH position by the goalie.
- Goal 3 (in OT) - there is a pass to a TB player above the circles in the center of the ice and TJ is in good position at the center top of the crease, the puck carrier takes the puck into the left circle and tries to shoot from around the face off dot area, all TJ has to do is simply shuffle one or two strides to his left under good control and butterfly if the shot comes in, instead he power pushes to his left and can't control his slide and goes past the corner of the crease (where he wants to be) and ends up far outside the crease, in the meantime Crosby back checks the puck carrier and the TB player loses control of the puck (never gets a shot off) which goes forward behind the goal line right to B. Point, TJ is now 5-6 feet outside the crease and Point wraps the puck around the near post and into an empty net ...... all TJ had to do when the TB player had the puck at the top of the crease (and TJ was in good position at the top of the crease) was shuffle one or two strides to his right (which would have kept his movement under good control/balance) and butterfly when the TB player was near the face off dot trying to shoot and then slide back into the rVH position on the near post when the puck went to Point behind the goal line ..... no way Point scores if Jarry does that .... problem was poor angles, positioning, movement by the goalie.
- Goal 1 - Point beats Grzelcyk down the left wing and circles behind the net, doesn't try to wrap around or take a bad angle shot but comes around the net all the way into the low slot area (no Pen is there to pick him up) in line with the face off dot from the right circle and scores on an excellent back hand shot between TJ's left elbow and the near post ....... TJ was initially in good position in the rVH position on the glove side but as Point continues around into the slot, TJ stays too long in the rVH position and is now exposed to the far post ..... when Point shoots, TJ butterflies on the goal line and exposes the near post where the puck goes in ...... what TJ should have done was be in the rVH position as Point came out from behind the net and when Point continued toward the slot, TJ need to get out of the rVH position and telescope out as close to the corner of the crease as he could ..... if he does this, his chance of making a save goes WAY up (the shot very likely hits him in the chest) ...... problem for TJ again was poor angles, positioning, movement by the goalie.
- The entire team is bad and everyone is the reason we are losing NOT just the goalie ..... again in last night's game specifically, TJ was so good for the 1st 2 periods + and was the reason the Pens were in the game, but in the last 15 minutes of the 3rd period and OT, he was a significant part of the loss ..... there is enough blame to go around.
- Pickering in his 2 games, looks better than Graves so far to me ....... Poulin played better last night and the line of Puljujarvi-DOC-Poulin is doing pretty well ....... Ponomarev looks like an NHL player ...... play the young guys !
www.cbssports.com
