Dual OOT GDT: Canes @ Sens, Sabres @ Rangers

[Patrick Sundstrom Ghost]

1 hour ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Well the Devils saw it your way.

Luke's NHL career starts tonight.

OK Luke, best of luck, looking forward to watching your career unfold!  Hope he has a solid first game.  

We all want Luke to play great, and I think he will have great moments but also make mistakes, and that's okay because we all have lived with Dougie making some terrible mistakes this year, and it has worked out pretty well.

Same with Damon who while he has feasted especially in the second half on teams bottom 6ixes, he also still is Damon, so yeah Luke might very well do some bad stuff tonight or Thurs if he plays as I hope he does, but the fun stuff, that will be worth it for now and what the future holds.

 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

9 minutes ago, Patrick Sundstrom Ghost said:

We all want Luke to play great, and I think he will have great moments but also make mistakes, and that's okay because we all have lived with Dougie making some terrible mistakes this year, and it has worked out pretty well.

Same with Damon who while he has feasted especially in the second half on teams bottom 6ixes, he also still is Damon, so yeah Luke might very well do some bad stuff tonight or Thurs if he plays as I hope he does, but the fun stuff, that will be worth it for now and what the future holds.

 

That's fair, the only guy who rarely has WTF?! moments is Marino...I swear at least 90% of the time he just seems to have a knack of doing whatever the situation calls for.  Seves, Hamilton, Graves, Siegs, Smith...obviously some of the guys on this list we like quite a bit and Hamilton is having a sensational offensive year, but they all make their share of mistakes and head-scratching decisions...enough that they've all been ripped at times.  Bahl's done a solid job as he's settled in, after it looked like he might never take to the NHL.

Anyway, if the Devils are all-in on Luke at this point, so am I.  For one, of course we all want great things for him, and for another, I'm not going to start ranting and raving about "How can the Devils take this kind of chance with so much on the line?"  This year has largely been quite magical, especially with how far the Devils have exceeded expectations.  Maybe Luke just adds to that...might as well be positive and have lots of fun with this.  

Edited April 11, 2023 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Jimmy Leeds]

1 hour ago, Patrick Sundstrom Ghost said:

 

Now I want to watch that game to see who the heck was the player who had that half a net open, but I can't watch that game, it still burns too much. I don't think I have watched the game since that week, the worst live experience of any event I have ever seen. Walking across the old long ass above the ground tunnel thing to the Giants parking lot and all the Rangers fans going crazy with 3 other hating Rangers fans who surprised me that afternoon with tickets but none of them Devils fans, what a terrible last 21 minutes of a hockey game.

Thank you for correcting me though.

 

 

It was Tom Chorske

I was there.

It still hurts

[ajsgolf]

1 hour ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

That's fair, the only guy who rarely has WTF?! moments is Marino...I swear at least 90% of the time he just seems to have a knack of doing whatever the situation calls for.  Seves, Hamilton, Graves, Siegs, Smith...obviously some of the guys on this list we like quite a bit and Hamilton is having a sensational offensive year, but they all make their share of mistakes and head-scratching decisions...enough that they've all been ripped at times.  Bahl's done a solid job as he's settled in, after it looked like he might never take to the NHL.

Anyway, if the Devils are all-in on Luke at this point, so am I.  For one, of course we all want great things for him, and for another, I'm not going to start ranting and raving about "How can the Devils take this kind of chance with so much on the line?"  This year has largely been quite magical, especially with how far the Devils have exceeded expectations.  Maybe Luke just adds to that...might as well be positive and have lots of fun with this.  

Why do you always have to put things into perspective so well? Lol  Especially right at the end of the season which hopefully equates to a long playoff run by the Devils.  Think that kind of post could have waited until the off-season.  I def agree with what you have stated, def exceeded expectations but then again I just have the need to be greedy especially since we’ve all waited so long for this type of success and don’t want it to end.

In addition, how great has it been that I haven’t posted anything recently, especially after a loss?  I’m trying to not let these games get to me as much anymore.  My older son always complains about my behavior when they play poorly, so right there that had to provide me with a reality check.  I’m sure njdevs is also appreciating that.

[Satans Hockey]

1 hour ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

That's fair, the only guy who rarely has WTF?! moments is Marino...I swear at least 90% of the time he just seems to have a knack of doing whatever the situation calls for.  Seves, Hamilton, Graves, Siegs, Smith...obviously some of the guys on this list we like quite a bit and Hamilton is having a sensational offensive year, but they all make their share of mistakes and head-scratching decisions...enough that they've all been ripped at times.  Bahl's done a solid job as he's settled in, after it looked like he might never take to the NHL.

Anyway, if the Devils are all-in on Luke at this point, so am I.  For one, of course we all want great things for him, and for another, I'm not going to start ranting and raving about "How can the Devils take this kind of chance with so much on the line?"  This year has largely been quite magical, especially with how far the Devils have exceeded expectations.  Maybe Luke just adds to that...might as well be positive and have lots of fun with this.  

 

The only time this season I remember Marino having a wtf moment was when the whole team had that stomach bug and you could just see the whole team was off cause of it

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

16 minutes ago, ajsgolf said:

Why do you always have to put things into perspective so well? Lol  Especially right at the end of the season which hopefully equates to a long playoff run by the Devils.  Think that kind of post could have waited until the off-season.  I def agree with what you have stated, def exceeded expectations but then again I just have the need to be greedy especially since we’ve all waited so long for this type of success and don’t want it to end.

In addition, how great has it been that I haven’t posted anything recently, especially after a loss?  I’m trying to not let these games get to me as much anymore.  My older son always complains about my behavior when they play poorly, so right there that had to provide me with a reality check.  I’m sure njdevs is also appreciating that.

I just spent a fortune on playoff tix for the first couple of games...definitely not in "OK good enough" mode...I'm hoping for more surprises for sure! 

All I was really doing was talking about Luke and why I'm not going to knock the decision to play him...I probably wouldn't have had him make his debut tonight, given the stakes, but now that he's playing I'm hoping that he can help to add more chapters to what's been a great story to date.  Like @Nicomo said elsewhere...if he and Jack figure in on a goal together, that place is gonna explode.

Glad you're taking deep breaths and keeping it all in perspective.  The beginning of a window where everything feels new and fun is often the best time.  In the thick of the "We're supposed to win a championship now!" where nothing but being the last one standing is good enough...that's when it can become oddly less enjoyable.  Where suddenly coming up short in, say, a hard-fought Conference Final is grounds for feeling like the whole season was somehow a waste.  Or even worse, having in-their-prime talent but constantly getting bounced...see Leafs, the Maple.

[Rock]

Who gets the puck if Jack Assists on Luke's goal and it is the first goal of the game?😀

[MadDog2020]

7 minutes ago, Rock said:

Who gets the puck if Jack Assists on Luke's goal and it is the first goal of the game?😀

They can cut it in half lol

[StarDew]

Then put it in a case and give to mom. 😀

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

23 hours ago, Patrick Sundstrom Ghost said:

It's the last home game of the regular season, his brother is 1 point away from the all time regular season scoring record, it's the perfect time to play Luke, not sit him and watch his brother break it, let him be a part of it.

Buffalo is DOA, they know it, we know it, they will play hard, but they have no chance of making it, Pitt would have to lose to the 2 worst teams in the league who are both trying to lose every game they play.

Florida would have to not get a point in a must win game at home.

The Islanders would have to lose at home to Montreal.

Buffalo would have to beat the Devils and their other two games, the first one is not happening I don't think as NJ is much better, but that team is fun, too bad they sh!te the bed for weeks when every other team was as well or they would be in.

Well so much for Pitt taking care of business.  If we’ve learned nothing else this season, it’s that there’s truly no gimmes.  

[Patrick Sundstrom Ghost]

22 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Well so much for Pitt taking care of business.  If we’ve learned nothing else this season, it’s that there’s truly no gimmes.  

Sid the kid will have to live this one down and understand his record will have a huge blemish on it now.

Losing to a team trying to tank at home on fan appreciation night, Mario would never have let his team choke like that.

 

[MadDog2020]

23 minutes ago, Patrick Sundstrom Ghost said:

Sid the kid will have to live this one down and understand his record will have a huge blemish on it now.

Losing to a team trying to tank at home on fan appreciation night, Mario would never have let his team choke like that.

 

I think Sid’s legacy is pretty secure.

[Patrick Sundstrom Ghost]

7 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said:

I think Sid’s legacy is pretty secure.

Legacy sure, but a huge blemish on that legacy, also sure.

You can't lose that game tonight, it's beyond embarassing, and that is on Sid as the captain that he allowed his team to choke like that.

 

 

[MadDog2020]

14 minutes ago, Patrick Sundstrom Ghost said:

Legacy sure, but a huge blemish on that legacy, also sure.

You can't lose that game tonight, it's beyond embarassing, and that is on Sid as the captain that he allowed his team to choke like that.

 

 

It’s definitely embarrassing. Losing 5-2 at home to the worst team in the league with the playoffs on the line is pretty much as bad as it gets. I’m just saying I doubt it’ll be thought much about when #87 is being raised to the rafters. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

8 hours ago, Patrick Sundstrom Ghost said:

Legacy sure, but a huge blemish on that legacy, also sure.

You can't lose that game tonight, it's beyond embarassing, and that is on Sid as the captain that he allowed his team to choke like that.

 

 

C'mon, Sid's teams made the playoffs EVERY SINGLE YEAR prior to this one (with the exception of his rookie year), with three championships in there.  Yes, it's obviously a very bad loss for his team, but in the end, I think this loss says much more about this year's Penguins than it ever could about Sid...they were just way too up-and-down and not consistent at all...they're now only 21-22-6 in their last 49 games.  In the end it feels like this current group of Penguins simply isn't good enough anymore...a fact punctuated by the very lackluster record over what is now too significant of a sample size to dismiss, and the fact that they couldn't beat a dead-men-walking Blackhawks at home.  

Anyway, no one (well, almost no one) is going to think of this season as some major blight on a highly decorated career.  Like MD2020 alluded to, no one is going to be thinking "Well back in 2022-23..." when Sid's #87 is going up to the rafters, and all of his accomplishments are being rattled off as the fans are going nuts.  

Edited April 12, 2023 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Also fair to point out that the Pens have NOT been eliminated yet.  Yes, the Isles have an "easy" opponent in the Canadiens tonight, but that team won an OT game against the Isles and lost a second game to them 2-1.  Also pretty sure that we've learned that anyone can win any given night.  The Isles somehow finding a way to lose this one wouldn't come as any great shock to me. 

[Patrick Sundstrom Ghost]

Yeah, no, Sid has a blemish on his career, if you don't see it, I can't help you there.

This is a team that traded away more futures to try to make the playoffs, they were handed chances galore by the other teams choking, and he did not get the job done in the biggest game of the season.

Having a blemish in a hall of fame career will not change that, but if you think he personally does not and will not look back on last night as anything but a disaster, well you think way less of Sid the kid than I do.

 

 

Edited April 12, 2023 by Patrick Sundstrom Ghost

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

47 minutes ago, Patrick Sundstrom Ghost said:

Yeah, no, Sid has a blemish on his career, if you don't see it, I can't help you there.

This is a team that traded away more futures to try to make the playoffs, they were handed chances galore by the other teams choking, and he did not get the job done in the biggest game of the season.

Having a blemish in a hall of fame career will not change that, but if you think he personally does not and will not look back on last night as anything but a disaster, well you think way less of Sid the kid than I do.

So basically if someone doesn't see things exactly the way that you do...kinda seeing a pattern here.  

Where did I say that he wouldn't be disappointed with last night's outcome?  I'm sure that he is.  But compared to everything that came before it, I don't see how ONE season where assuming his team doesn't make the playoffs (they're not out yet) somehow becomes Sid's blight to bear alone and atone for, for which he must wear some scarlet letter representing failure.  Maybe other guys should have been able to step up at times this season? 

He's not the only player on the team.  Like I said, 21-22-6 in their last 49.  Maybe there's a hell of lot more going on than "Sid didn't get it done this one game so now he has a black mark on his career!"  Maybe even if the Pens did try to make win-now moves to keep the train going longer, in the end it turned out that they weren't the RIGHT moves?  Could it just be a case of "Ultimately not good enough in 2022-23 to claim a playoff berth, even when it was there to be taken?"  

[Satans Hockey]

Their goaltending and defense was atrocious last night too, but yeah it's Sid's fault he's finally on a team that actually sucks, come on lol... 

 

 

 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

10 minutes ago, Satans Hockey said:

Their goaltending and defense was atrocious last night too, but yeah it's Sid's fault he's finally on a team that actually sucks, come on lol... 

 

 

 

Imagine where that team would be WITHOUT him...

[Nicomo]

Crosby has 91 points this season. Putting this on him like he didn’t do enough is ridiculous. The problem is outside of him, Malkin, and Guentzel, that team is just not very good anymore. Kris Letang missed almost 20 games, and they are obviously missing Marino way more than they thought they would. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

1 hour ago, Nicomo said:

Crosby has 91 points this season. Putting this on him like he didn’t do enough is ridiculous. The problem is outside of him, Malkin, and Guentzel, that team is just not very good anymore. Kris Letang missed almost 20 games, and they are obviously missing Marino way more than they thought they would. 

I can tell from his tone re:  this topic that PSG is one of those fans that thinks that Sid just have some incredible motivational speech ready to go at a moment’s notice to stir up his team, or a hat trick tucked away in his back pocket that he can just cash in whenever his teammates need it.  What PSG doesn’t understand is that a flawed team like the Penguins aren’t even RELEVANT at this point without Sid there.  Even the generational superstar player can only do SO much if there’s not much around him.

And of course, Ron Hextall is the GM…yeah, if I’m a Pens fan, I’m feeling REALLY good about what he’ll do going forward…

[Nicomo]

20 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Even the generational superstar player can only do SO much if there’s not much around him.

Yep. Hell, before last season McDavid had never even made it out of the 2nd round. And at 26 he’s still looking for his first Cup appearance. 

Crosby had already been there twice by that age, and won one of them. His legacy is beyond reproach. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

14 hours ago, Nicomo said:

Crosby has 91 points this season. Putting this on him like he didn’t do enough is ridiculous. The problem is outside of him, Malkin, and Guentzel, that team is just not very good anymore. Kris Letang missed almost 20 games, and they are obviously missing Marino way more than they thought they would. 

At the very least, Pittsburgh has to wonder if they should just cut bait with Hextall before it gets worse.  The Marino deal looks like a disaster in the making...yes, it was cap-driven, but he was dealt to make room for now-35-year-old Jeff Petry's $6.25 million AAV cap hit, and he has two years left on his deal to boot.  The Granlund deadline deal was pretty roundly criticized when it was made, and it obviously didn't pay off at all (5 points in 20 games for him as a Penguin, though part of that is due to less time than he was getting with the Preds).  They're stuck with him for another two years beyond this one. 

Crosby has two years left and Malkin has three...hard to imagine that Hextall (or whoever succeeds him, should he be canned) will trade either one of those guys and blow this up...they're probably going to try to make some more "Right fvcking NOW" moves to keep this thing alive while those two are still there.  The Pens do have all of their first-rounders for the next three seasons, as well as their 2024 and 2025 second-rounders...they also have some cap space to work with for next year, though they have holes to fill.  There's enough there to work with that a good GM should be able to do enough to get the Pens back into the playoffs...maybe they won't be true Cup contenders, but at least they should get in and possibly win a round or two.  But damned if I trust friggin' Hextall to be the guy to handle this.