Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Can the Penguins keep the bad times rolling for the Sharks?

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Pittsburgh Penguins are set to take on the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night. And to start off today's episode, Pat and I are going to preview that game, plus how the Penguins can beat the worst team in hockey. You're locked on penguins. Your daily podcast on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day. Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Locked On Penguins podcast. I'm one of your hosts, Hunter Hodes.

Starting point is 00:00:39 You can follow me on Twitter. at Hunter Hodes, joined, as always, by the best co-host on the planet. Patrick D'am, you can follow him on Twitter at Sinom for Wet. And you can follow these shows, Twitter, at L.O. underscore Penguins, of course, thank you all so much for making this your first list and slash watch of the day. So we're one day away from Penguins Hockey returning, and they will be on their California road trip,

Starting point is 00:01:00 and they will start that trip with the game against the worst team in hockey, the San Jose Sharks. They are 0 and 9-1 to start the year. They have been outscored 45 to 10, in those 10 games. So a minus 35 goal differential. And oh yeah, they have a 17% goals 4 rate at 5 on 5 during those first 10 games. This is one of the worst starts I've ever seen from a team in my lifetime for a season,

Starting point is 00:01:30 I think, to be honest, bad. This team stinks. And God forbid the Penguins lose this game. You might as well just leave the coaching staff in San Jose when you, before, you go to Anaheim and Los Angeles and all these other places. There's no excuse to lose to this team. They just got blasted 10 to 1 by the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night. The sharks are awful, to say the least.

Starting point is 00:01:54 It's really hard to look at the numbers for this team. Like you said, they've been outscored in 10 games this season, 45 to 10. So they're averaging one goal a game. Historically that. Their goal differential, that makes it minus 35. And I was saying to this to you, I was saying this to you before we hit record. Their goal differential is minus 35. The next closest in the National Hockey League is Calgary with a minus 16.

Starting point is 00:02:27 Their goal differential is almost twice as bad as the next closest. Their leading score is Tomas Hurdle with five points. Behind him is Fabian Zetterland with four. behind him is Philip Zadena with two. And like you just said, they lost 10 to 1 to Vancouver, who while having a pretty solid start this season is not a very good hockey team. And if the Vancouver Canucks are putting up a touchdown extra point and field goal on you, that's a problem.

Starting point is 00:03:05 Right. And I think everyone expected the sharks to be pretty, bad this year. This was a team that was set up to tank by general manager Mike Greer. Heck, they didn't really get anything back in the Eric Carlson trade. Their second line center right now, Pat, is Michael Granlin. Obviously, former penguin, that trade did not work out well. For Ron Hextall, that was the nail in the coffin for him when it comes to his penguin's tenure. When your second line center is Michael Granland, you have quite a bit of problems, in my opinion. Your top line is Anthony Duclair, Fabian Zetterland, and Thomas Hurtle.

Starting point is 00:03:40 They do have William Eclan, at least, who I think is going to be a pretty solid player in the NHL. I think he's their best prospect right now, at least in my opinion. But you go down this lineup. E5 confirmed. What was that? Will that be E5 confirmed? E5 confirmed Eclan.

Starting point is 00:03:55 Yes, it is. I like that you made that reference on the show. But you go down this lineup. That's for all the OG hockey Twitter people out there. Those of us who lived in those trenches. During every trade deadline, I would live for seeing those tweets from that. Oh, they were just, like you Twitter. It was just, it was always so funny if we can go on that tangent real quick.

Starting point is 00:04:17 It was always so funny because he would either be, and I'm pretty sure it was a he, I can't remember, but he would either be dead on completely accurate or so far off that it was embarrassing. And there was no middle ground. There was never like, ah, you know, he was sniffing around. He got real close, but not quite. It was always like, oh, damn, he got that absolutely 100% correct or there's not even a syllable in this that's correct. And when he would get them wrong, like, he would be like, oh, this player is going to this team, but then it would go to like a rival team.

Starting point is 00:04:50 It's like, how do you get it that wrong? So that would always be funny. Wild West days. Take you back sometimes to some simpler days, at least eight or nine years ago. But anyways, you go down this lineup, Pat. Mike Hoffman, he's not what he used to be. That's for damn sure. Nico Sturm, Ryan Carpenter, Jacob McDonald.

Starting point is 00:05:11 I mean, there's just not a lot here for this forward group. Defensively, you got Mark Edward Vlasic, who is still signed to that awful contract. You have Yon Ruta, who's on the third pairing, obviously, former penguin. Mario Ferreiro is on their top pairing. When that guy is on your top pairing, your team is really bad. And I know the sharks are going to come out in this game trying to play their best. you can't tell players to tank games. Now, a GM and a coach can set up a roster to tank.

Starting point is 00:05:43 And I think that's what David Quinn and Mike Greer have done here. But the players are still playing their tails off every night. And the penguins are going to have to be prepared for that on Saturday night. Just because this team is really bad doesn't mean they're just going to roll over and die. They're still going to give it their best shot. I mean, they're professional athletes, for God's sakes. So I have this question for you. What do the penguins need to do to come?

Starting point is 00:06:05 come out on top and snap this five game losing you. Well, snap this losing straight that they're on. Well, first and foremost, they have to pretty much do exactly what they've been doing for the past two weeks. And that's come out, come out fast, come out with a purpose. Five out of six, excuse me, I should say for their losing streak. All right. Come out fast.

Starting point is 00:06:26 Come out with a purpose. Get as many shots on Kacken or Blackwood, whoever starts as you can. put them under siege early. And it wouldn't hurt to get a goal in the first five, seven minutes. Because here's the thing about a team like San Jose. There's some talent on this roster. Let's not get that twisted. I've been saying this for a while.

Starting point is 00:06:47 I actually wrote about it in my column today on KDCA that the NHL is in a moment where they've had probably more talent in the league than they've had it any other time. I agree. So there's still talent on this roster. But the way their first 10 games have gone, if you score on them in the first five to seven minutes, shoulders are going to start slumping, heads are going to start going down, and the immediate body language and mentality of this team is going to be,

Starting point is 00:07:14 well, here we go again. And you have to build off of that. And you look at this roster, I mean, you brought up all the names, Anthony Duclair, Phillips Adina, Tomas Hurtle, those are three guys that they need to play well and they will play well because here's what they're playing for, a trade. They're playing to be traded at the trade deadline to a contender. And that's exactly what San Jose is an organization wants.

Starting point is 00:07:40 They want these guys out the door by the trade deadline so they can get assets. They can get young players. They can get high draft picks. And they can really start restocking the farm and moving this rebuild forward. So to your original question, a lot of shots, fast start. A goal in the first five to seven minutes won't hurt. Yeah, you don't want to let a team like this hang around. Because then they'll start believing like, oh, we can get our first win of the season against the team that's coming in.

Starting point is 00:08:08 That's reeling a little bit. If we can hand them another loss, make it six out of seven, who knows what will happen. And we'll get to that now before we head to a break. I tease a little earlier, Pat. Penguins lose this game. I think Kyle Dubus might have no choice but to make a couple serious changes. I don't know if Mike Sullivan gets fired if they lose this game. But I do think you see some sort of coaching change happen if you lose this one.

Starting point is 00:08:33 There's just, at the end of the day, there's no excuse to lose this when you've had the days off that you've had. You've had the practice work that you've had. You've prepped for this team for numerous days at this point. You watched, obviously, the film against the Canucks. Someone is going to get let go if they win this game. And honestly, I mean, it's funny. I kind of joked around saying, oh, leave the entire staff in San Jose if they lose this game. but there's like a low possibility that that could actually happen.

Starting point is 00:09:04 I think it's more likely that maybe an assistant coach gets fired, but you need a result here. This is the kind of game that if they were to lose it, gets Mike Sullivan put on what I refer to as coaching probation. This is where everybody that's not him on the coaching staff gets let go. Right. And Dubus brings in his people and says, you're either going to perform with these guys or you're just not going to perform.

Starting point is 00:09:30 And you got, everyone who listens knows, big Mike Sullivan guy. But this is a game. You, barring everybody in the top six getting hurt in the game, there's, that's about the only excuse to lose this one. And I'll further that a little bit more. If Tristan Jari puts up a sub 900 save percentage in this one and the penguins do what they've done the last week where they get 35, 40, 40, score two or three goals in Tristan Jari gives up four or five and has sub nine hundred, then it's time to bench Tristan Jari. You give up four to five goals to the sharks.

Starting point is 00:10:10 You have serious problems. I think it might, which is based on how they've played so far this season. You cannot give up four to five goals to that lineup. And I'll have more on Tristan Jari coming up in the second segment for a player that needs to have a big trip. So there's a little bit of a hint, hint for that one. But overall, yeah, I want to see a fast start.

Starting point is 00:10:27 If you can get a couple goals in those first 10 minutes to really put them morale down for the sharks, that would be big. I want the power play to really contribute in this one. This is honestly the perfect team you really go up against for a power play that's struggling. A sharks team that really hasn't done anything right at five on five or on special teams. If you can help continue that, you can really hopefully get the power play going heading into those next couple of games against the ducks and the kings. But that will do it for this first segment.

Starting point is 00:10:54 Coming up in the second segment, Pat and I are going to discuss who needs to have a big, California trip for the Penguins. But before we get to that, we got to tell you all about Park View Advance. As a business owner, you realize there are times when receivables might fall behind, but that doesn't mean you need to fall behind on vendor payments, payroll, or rent. For more than 25 years, Park View Advance has helped businesses secure working capital from 5,000 to 1.5 million. Parkview events can approve your working capital in as little as 24 hours. It's a much easier process and you might imagine, we invite the many entrepreneurs that are locked on NHL fans to learn more by calling us at 203-675-0071 or go to Parkviewadvance.com. One more time.

Starting point is 00:11:40 That's 203-675-0071 or Parkviewadvance.com. If your business needs working capital, call Parkview Advance today. That's Parkview Advance, helping businesses with their working capital. Again, one more time, go to Parkviewadvance.com. All right, we're back here on this Friday edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I'm Hunter Hodes, joined by Mike Co's Patrick Dam. So I kind of teased it right before we head to break. But one player, I really have an eye on heading into this California trip as a whole.

Starting point is 00:12:14 Tris and Jari, he needs to have a big trip overall. And I expect him to get most of the starts on this trip. I definitely expect him to get the start against the sharks. If he can't perform against that team with how bad they've been, there are serious problems with him for the rest of the season. And if he does have a good start, okay, that's good. Let's see how he does against the ducks again after the way he performed on Monday. Let's see how he does against the Kings who are off to a pretty good start. I have my eye on him heading into this trip. He needs to be better after the last couple of below average

Starting point is 00:12:50 to just flat out bad starts. I mean, I think I'm being nice with that. You are being very generous. That was the topic of my column on KDK today. I literally titled it The Trouble with Tristan Part 2, which tells you I wrote this last year as well. But here's the thing. This is going to be a constant theme, especially for my contribution to this segment, for especially Saturday's game.

Starting point is 00:13:17 This is a game for this team to get right. This is a game for this team to build some confidence. This is a game for Tristan's, Justin Jari to come out and play against the subpar team who's struggling. It's only been able to muster 10 goals and 10 games. And just he doesn't have to be spectacular. He doesn't have to make 10 bell save after 10 bell save. Get yourself right.

Starting point is 00:13:40 Stay in position. Make the saves you need to make. Be aggressive on the puck when you have to be aggressive on the puck. Just make the saves you have to make because that's what he hasn't done so far. Along with that, the other group I'm looking at to have a big road. trip, especially Saturday night. It's the bottom six. They haven't done a whole lot offensively.

Starting point is 00:14:00 Third line's been a lot better. Third line's done some good forechecking, had good expected goal rates, gotten some shots, played well, provided energy. Now this is where they score. This is a game where you can put up a goal or two from your bottom six. This is where Drew O'Connor and Big Z can make a difference. This is where Vinnie Hinoistroza can make his presence felt should he come into the lineup for Jeff Carter.

Starting point is 00:14:21 This is where Nolachari and Matt Nietto can finally establish them. So Saturday is a classic get right game for this team, and they don't have to overthink it. Just go out and play the game you're supposed to play, and you can beat this team pretty easily. Yeah, I agree with you. And honestly, this should be a team that you should be handling. Even though the Penguins have lost five of their last six games heading in, they are better than this team in all facets. And outside of Tristanjari, I really do want to see what Vinnie Hino-Hinisroza can do on this. By all accounts and purposes, it looks like Jeff Carter is going to be a scratch in this game against the sharks.

Starting point is 00:15:00 If Hinoistroza can perform well and give that fourth line a spark, I think he's going to continue to get minutes later on in this trip and eventually when the Penguins get home next weekend because they have a pretty tough November schedule. If you really pull it up and look at it, they have some tough games. And if Hinostrosa can play well against these three opponents heading back home, at least again, give it a spark. maybe if you can get a goal out of him, that will be awesome. That would be the fourth line's first goal of the year. I mean, I would love to see that happen in one of these three games. But I'm really looking at him to see if he can play really well on this show to keep Carter in the press box.

Starting point is 00:15:38 And while it is annoying that you have over $3 million of salary cap space in that press box, he's not playing well. And this is an opportunity for Hino Shrozo to really show that, hey, I belong in this lineup on a nightly basis. Yeah, agreed. we kind of touched on that yesterday is that he just needs to assert himself and no better game than tomorrow somebody else i'm looking at here to kind of make their presence felt on this road trip is letang i don't think he's been bad by any stretch of the imagination in fact i think he's been pretty good it's just by chris latang's standards he's been a little quiet so i think this

Starting point is 00:16:19 would be a good road trip for him to assert himself because for better or for worse, all the shines on Eric Carlson, big shiny new toy, offseason acquisition, running the top power play. Chris LaTang has been solid in penalty kill. He's been solid on the second unit, but this would be a good trip for him to score a goal or two, put up a few points and just look like the Chris LaTang he's always been, and been this year, just a little bit more pronounced if you get what I'm saying. I feel like I haven't really notice Let's hang good or bad that much this season. And I feel like that's fine because Eric Carlson's been the flashier player. But I agree with you overall. It would be nice to get

Starting point is 00:16:59 a quote unquote vintage Latang game in this one. And hey, he's had one of those before against the Sharks, Game 6, 2016, where he was, I thought, the best player on the ice and that one. If he can play even close to that level, that would be tremendous in this one to really get the penguins out of this rut that they're in. Another player who I will say that I have my eye on, Pat, Ricard Raquel. Amber alert out for him. It's time for him to get on the score sheet this season. Just hasn't done enough at all on either end of the ice. And it's time for him to start finishing some of these chances. Because if this continues, I might see Mike Sullivan putting him down to the third line. Yeah, you kind of took the words right out of my mouth on that one. That was my last one.

Starting point is 00:17:46 Ricard Raquel. Again, he talked about it to, I believe it was Seth Rorbaugh of the Trib about his season so far. And he hasn't been bad. He just hasn't scored. And he kind of said, hey, listen, I'm gripping the stick a little too tight. I'm in my head about not scoring. I know I'm getting chances. It's causing me to overthink everything I do. And I love this road trip, not as a fan, because I can't watch. hit most of it. But I like this trip and what it represents for the team because there's nowhere else to go for these guys.

Starting point is 00:18:24 You are on the road. You're on the plane. You're on the bus. You're in the hotel. You're at the practice ring. You're at the arena. You're out to dinner. You're doing all your team activities together because you're on the other side of the

Starting point is 00:18:34 country. So it's a good chance for these guys to kind of just get away from everything and play hockey for four days. So I think if anything else, this is a good chance for Ricard Raquel to get himself back on track and not just against San Jose. just against all three teams. And he gets some nice warm weather out there in California as well. And I believe he also talked to Josh Yoey for a story of the athletic.

Starting point is 00:18:55 And Joshua had a really good story on Raquel just being pretty frustrated. And he definitely really wants to get going here, especially after the 60-point season he had last year. So I'm looking forward to hopefully him bouncing back on this trip. But I think that will do it for this second segment. Coming up to end the show, Pat and I have a cool little segment that we're going to do. We're going to just make some predictions for this game against the show. sharks and see if we can get some right or if we're going to get old takes exposed. But before we

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Starting point is 00:20:18 I'm Hunter Hodes. joined by Patrick Dam. So let's have some fun with these predictions for Saturday night. And I will start with my first one. Teased it a little bit in the second segment. I do think Ricardo Raquel gets on the score sheet for this one and scores a big goal for the penguins to really bring home this win. I do think the penguins are going to get back in the win column.

Starting point is 00:20:39 I pray to God that I do not get old takes exposed on that one. The Raquel one I can live with, but God forbid they lose this game. and then I just hear it from everyone listening to this show, I hear it from social media, all that stuff. I do then the Penguins win, and I do think Rickel especially gets on the score sheet. That's one of my predictions for this one. Yeah, I'm with you on that.

Starting point is 00:21:02 I do think Ricard Raquel finally gets on the scoreboard. I think we're going to see a classic Sydney Crosby game on Saturday. I think we're going to see him. Maybe it doesn't show up on the score sheet. Maybe he doesn't score two goals, two assists, something like that. But I think we're going to, the makings of it have been showing up the last week or so. I think we're in for a game with Crosby where he is effective in all three zones.

Starting point is 00:21:30 He's all over the ice. He's constantly around the puck. He's engaged in the defensive zone. He's getting chances. He's dishing the puck in ways that only he can. And maybe that does lead to a goal in a couple assists and assists. But I think one of the first things we'll see is Crosby having a vintage Crosby. game. Along with that, a less exciting one that I know is going to annoy everybody, but I think

Starting point is 00:21:57 Tristan Jari is going to give up a bad goal in this one. I don't think he's going to lose the game. I think he's going to give up one goal against. San Jose is going to keep up their trend of averaging a single goal a game. And that goal is going to be a howler. It's going to be something that all of us go, oh, my God, make a save. But everything else. is going to stay out of the net. I think he's going to give up one. It's going to be a absolute stinker, but he's going to be able to bounce back from it. So those are my two quick predictions for Saturday night in San Jose in the tank. A shark tank. I always love how they come out of that massive. Dude, it's so cool. It's so cool. It's so cool. Just that that whole arena, like, I know prices are

Starting point is 00:22:41 crazy, so I might not be able to ever afford it. But I would love to see a game there just because it's an older arena, tin roof, lower root, lower ceiling. And when they played them in the finals, man, that was, that atmosphere was awesome. Oh, unreal. Yeah, it was amazing. And heck, even before the penguins played them in the final, every year the sharks would make the playoffs, I would always say to myself, can I go to the shark tank and be in this environment? Because it would get loud. Yeah. It looks like. And I always love seeing them skate out of that shark's mouth. And the goal horn is just blaring as they're all coming out. Man, and then those some of those sharks teams were so good to like sharks.

Starting point is 00:23:19 They're also very loyal. I said it when the penguins got Wilson for the front office, man. The 2010s, the San Jose sharks were like pretty much the team of that decade that didn't win. They were always really good. He made some mistakes towards the end of his tenure. But when he had the sharks as a playoff contender every year, he built those teams really nicely. So I'll always have, I guess,

Starting point is 00:23:47 fond memories of watching this shot as a teenager. And that they're back, and that they're back to wearing that classic TEO color again. Oh, I love that. It's gorgeous, man. It is absolutely gorgeous. One more for it before we call it here. I think we're going to get a goal from the fourth line. I don't know who it's going to be, but I think one of Vinnie Hino Shosa, Noah Chari, or Matt Nietto is going to score in this game. Put a stamp on it. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. But I do think we finally get a goal from the fourth line, mainly because Jeff Carter looks like it's going to be in the press box. And funny, as we're talking about that, the penguins are practicing right now in San Jose and

Starting point is 00:24:22 Jeff Carter again, not taking line rushes. So it very much looks like he's going to be scratched. And you imagine if we come on, if we come on this show Monday morning and all of our predictions came true. Do you imagine? I think that everyone that listens or watches the show will label us as profits, right? Oh, yeah. you know the internet notoriously complimentary i mean i know i know people we did predictions i think

Starting point is 00:24:48 for a game that was like a couple weeks ago and then i heard it from a couple people in the youtube comments and a couple dms i got i'm like hey you know i tried to do like the best i can with these if they pan out they do if they don't well then you know i look like a complete moron but we're just having fun here folks sports is fun never forget that absolutely and i think that will do it for this episode of the locked on penguins podcast i really hope everyone enjoys watching that game against the sharks, especially seeing Mike Sullivan versus Mike Sullivan on the other bench because David Quinn

Starting point is 00:25:17 sounds and looks just like Mike Sullivan. Seriously, if you have never seen David Quinn or listen to him speak, you probably should because he is a Mike Sullivan clone. But I love late night hockey. I really hope a lot of other people do as well. Late night start. I absolutely love it.

Starting point is 00:25:36 But again, that will do it for this episode of the Walkton Penguins podcast. Thank you all so much for listening to slash watching this one. Pat and I will be back with another episode for you all on Monday to recap this game against the sharks and get you all set for the rest of the week ahead with the California trip plus games next weekend. So again, thank you all so much for tuning in. We'll talk with you all on Monday.

Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Can the Penguins keep the bad times rolling for the Sharks?

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