Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Locked On Penguins 2/20- One of those games

Episode Date: February 21, 2020

In this episode of Locked On Penguins, Hunter jumps around a lot as he is recording as the game is happening. He starts with a message to certain parts of the fanbase when talking about Matt Murray, then drifts to how the Crosby line was shut down and also talks about the potential loss of Dominik Kahun again and how big of a deal it is. Plus there's much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's going on, everyone. Welcome to this Thursday evening edition of the Locked on Penguins podcast. I'm, of course, your host, Hunter Hodes. Follow me on Twitter at Hunter Hodes. Follow the show on Twitter at L0 underscore Penguins. I'm actually recording this a bit early. I'm not going to do it after the game because this game is basically over. The Penguins are down for nothing to the Toronto Maple East right now.

Just a bad game in all facets for the Penguins. They were kind of due, I think, for a game like this. After the first period, the Penguins, you know, they were actually, it was a really good first period. I thought. They got some really good chances on Freddie Anderson, scoreless. Matt Murray looked really good. And then the second period came, really held a shot by Jake Muzin to beat him, hit the post and goes in.

So kind of lucky bounce. There's also plenty of people in front of Murray, so we had no chance on that. I will never blame a goalie for a five-on-three goal. I do not know why some people on Penguins Twitter were blaming Matt Murray for that second goal. But you do you. That's an easy mute button for me and a lot of people. You kind of see who really follows the team and who is a person.

a real big fan of this team when games are like this, as opposed to fans who just, you know, follow, barely follow in or just bandwagging them a little bit. Because I guess I'll start with, you know, some of the Matt Murray hate that was going on tonight was absolutely pathetic. You know, this is not the same. If Trishon Jari was in net and this happened, I know we would not see the same about that. You know, Matt Murray is not giving up four goals in the game in probably, what,

a month and a half now? It's probably been like five, six weeks. He's been really good. You saw that chart coming into tonight's game with Jari and Murray. I mean, over the last nine games together, ten games, they're identical. Like the same percentage, nine 27, nine 23, seven and one and one, seven and three. Goals against average was like, I think, 2.47 to 2.43. Shots face, shots saved, shots allowed, whatever.

Basically identical. And they both have been really, really good. You know, it's just also some people saying, well, why they have to keep going back and forth right now? Well, you know, that's what happens when you have a 1A, 1B situation. You know, Chicago is doing the same thing with Corey Crawford and Robin Lennar. I mean, those two goals are pretty good. And I know Chicago is obviously not going to make the playoffs this season, but still, this is what happens when you have two number one goaltenders.

It is not hard to comprehend. Matt Murray had deserved this start. I saw some people on Twitter were like, oh, well, you know, they could have started Jari in this game. He played so well against Toronto. I'm like, man, this game would still be a blowout with Tristan Jari and Nat Phyllas. You know, it would be the exact same. I don't really understand the need for Murray hate.

You know, like I said, I'm going to be muting some people probably. You know, this keeps happening. I already have at least. But, yeah, I mean, the third goal, just a breakaway. Casparey was a really nice shot to beat Murray Blocker's side. Don't know what the hell Yusoiko was doing on that play. That was kind of weird. He was caught flat-footed, had no chance to catch up to Kaepinan.

He just basically darted down the center of the other. Nice. And by then, you know, it was too little too late for the Penguins. You know, it was a nice to see Murray make the save, but that was a really nice shot. Really can't do anything about that. Like I said, I thought for the knee-lander going the 5-on-3, that's where, you know, the game went out of hand. You know, when you were down 1-0 and you took the 1-pennity, okay, you can probably kill that off. Then when you cleared the puck, the delay game penalty, it's just with 7 seconds into the first penalty, that's unacceptable. That's not okay.

It took them, I think, what, 40 seconds to score on the 5-on-3? one-on-one uncontested. Murray came out big. It looked like he was going to make the save, and it somehow trickles five-hole. You know, sometimes the puck will do that. It's a really nice shot by Nealander. I thought Murray could have had it,

but, you know, I'm not going to blame Matt Murray for that goal. I don't know why people would. You know, like I said, the Penguins lose this game with Tristan Jari Annette. They lose this game with me in it. They lose this game with my grandmother. That is, I mean, it's really that simple at this point. I also

But overall, I'll get to the next point in a second You know, I know what some people They have a little agenda to follow You know, I can tell very easily That they don't say the same crap When Tristan Jari has a game like this And oh, he has had games like this You know, ever since his hot start

And I know he's rebounded lately But still he's had games like this Where he's giving up three to four goals And oh, it's crickets It's crickets because he's played very, very well And it's like, yeah, well, You can support another goalie who's played really, really well and has ascended himself up to almost being back to the number

one goaltender. It is okay if a goalie sometimes has an off game. He cannot play good every night. This was probably Matt Murray's first. You want to call it an off night since the new year. And you know what? I'll take it. He's going to bounce back the next game. I don't care if you play him against Buffalo or Washington. You probably need to see Jari against Washington because I think you'll run into them in the playoffs. You know, it does not matter to me who starts those two games. Both of them give them a great chance to win. He will rebound and he will play better in one of those two games. I absolutely guarantee it.

You know, I don't know really what you can do with the Hyman goal. Just another nice shot, you know. I mean, and the game was already over at this point anyway. It's 4-0 still. I've been trying to refresh Twitter to see if any Penguin will score. It probably will not happen at this point, considering that it's getting a little later in the third period. I am curious about Justin Schultz. That's another really bad game for him.

He just looks flat every game now. He just has not been the same. I know he's, I don't know if it's a usage issue. I don't know if it's still hurt or something. I know he's battled a lot of entries these past couple years. I don't know. I truly don't know. I can't answer that for you.

But you know what? It's a problem. And, you know, I've seen the talk about, you know, trading Justin Schultz in the past couple days about on Penguin's Twitter. You know, I've seen that, you know, I think. Um, me personally, I mean, I would really only do it if it's netsy something back, uh, for now for this season. And like, don't trade them for futures. That's stupid. You would have to net back like a defenseman at the least or maybe even a forward. But, um, I really don't think Jim Rutherford is going to go down that route. I just, I don't see it. You know, he's talked about, you know, maybe adding a defenseman if Dumlin and Marino were a little bit behind schedule. But I don't think he's going to trade one of his defensemen, especially Justin Schultz, who has struggled and did struggle again tonight. Um, you know, it also doesn't hope that. help for tonight that the least are at 70% expected goals tonight. That's really, really good.

It's not very often that a team is that high unexpected goals. It just goes to show that this was a really, really off game for the Penguins. We'll get to the Crosby line in the next segment, I think. But yeah, you know, just it really is one of those games. You know, like I said, I'm going to get to the Crosby thing coming up. But, yeah, there's really honestly not much else to say about that effort. And yeah, I was garbage. That's unacceptable.

I'm sure Mike Sullivan is going to rip into the team after the game. He's probably going to say some stuff to the media. I mean, I don't think he's going to go full John Torrelli here, as of course, that's his mentor. But, you know, I think he is going to let the team know that that is unacceptable. And that's not okay to play like that, especially coming off a really nice win. And, you know, you expected Toronto to have a lot, a bit of a pushback. They were absolutely embarrassed on Tuesday night in Pittsburgh. The Penguins embarrassed them twice this season.

So, you know, they were expected to come out here and have a decent game. They were also embarrassed against Buffalo this past weekend. They lost, I think, five to two to them as well, which is, you know, pretty pathetic. Buffalo gave up seven goals to the senators the other night. That's really, really pathetic. But, yeah, you know, can't win them all, everyone. But, yeah, those were mostly some of my thoughts for now about this game.

All right, so, yeah, I think for the Sydney Crosby line, yeah, it was a very, very rare occurrence to see him hemmed in his own zone with his line. Two to three shifts in a row, it looked like it. And it was almost for a full minute each time. I can't remember his line and him struggling this bad in a game probably this entire season. I don't think they ever have this entire season. You know, the Zucker-Simone-Crosby line has been dynamite ever since Zucker came over from the Minnesota Wild. But, you know, sometimes the line is going to struggle.

Like I said, you know, the bleaks were just hemming them in their own zone, getting off all kinds of shots. The Penguins just couldn't clear the puck with them in their own zone. It doesn't help matters, you know, when Jack Johnson is on the ice for that as well. He can't get the puck out. He can't even take a simple pass. Yeah, it's just, it's all kinds of bad. You know, it was literally all kinds of bad for the penguins tonight. And, you know, like I said, you know things are going bad when the Sydney Crosby line is basically being shut down the entire game and hemmed in the run zone.

You know, the penguins are not going to win a game when their line is, when the Sydney Crosby line, excuse me, is hemmed in the run zone like that. It just won't happen. It never will. You know, luckily, right now the Canadians are helping out the Penguins a little bit. They're up 3-2 in the third period, though Alex O'Echkin apparently is being double-shifted to trying to get his 700th goal. If that happens during this episode, just congratulations to him. He definitely deserves it.

But also, I think the Malkin line kind of struggled a little bit with Rustin Cahoon. And I will want to say that. I think the game also turned when the Penguins failed to score on that power play. It was a really, really good-looking power play. They got some really good chances on Frederick Anderson-Latang. He had a bomb from, I think, the slot area. Crosby, yeah, that was the big chance on the power play, too. Cappanin and got back.

And if he doesn't disrupt the puck and take it away, that's a wide open net for Crosby. It would have been 1-0. And, you know, who knows how the game turns out at that point? You know, who knows if the penguins, how the penguins, excuse me, their level of play if it goes up or not after that power play. That was also, I think, the first time since the first game of the season where the penguins' power play against the Leafs did not work.

Of course, they were three for three, I think, in their game on Tuesday, on the power play against the Leafs, where they just tormented them the entire game. But, yeah, but overall, I really just don't have much else to say, like, these kind of games just suck because you don't really can take away a lot from it. Other than that, yeah, the team just sucked ass. I don't really know what else to say about it. I know I'm only 10 minutes into this episode, but I mean, I think that's basically the main point, you know? You can't win them all. You're going to have bad games where the team. just looks like crap.

Hopefully, I was listening to Elliot Friedman's 31 Thoughts podcast today. Apparently, it sounds like he said that Dumlin is getting closer to returning, which is good news, also on the GMJR show yesterday. Jim Rutherford confirmed that they are, I think, that John Marino is going to start skating this weekend. So that's really, really good news that both of those guys should be back. Hopefully relatively soon, maybe within a week, you know, maybe a little more of it. Still, you know, we can't, the Penguins overall, they just can't have Jack Johnson playing

top-perning minutes for much long. and same with Justin Schultz. They need to put those two guys on the bottom here, and they need to put those two guys out against third or fourth lines. In other words, good matchups for them where they're not going to get caved in their own zone. They're not going to play more minutes than they need to.

Yeah, I've already talked about Justin Schultz today. I don't know what's wrong with him. I know he's been injured a couple times a season. It's not easy coming off a, what was it, like a six weeks lower body injury. Of course, he had the fractured ankle last season that he came off of wasn't the same. He just hasn't been the same in the last three seasons.

And, you know, some team is going to make a big, big mistake by paying him a lot of money this off season. I can see it now. It only takes one team to do it. Some team is definitely going to do it, and they're going to be regretting it for however long they try to sign him. It's probably going to be maybe like a four to five year term. If Schultz gets more than that, that's even more ludicrous because he definitely, I don't

think, deserves that. you know he just needs to go to a team that will put him in the right role i.e. a bottom pairing role. He's just, you know, he's not a top-faring defenseman. And you really, you really can't even put him on the middle pairing right now because he's just, he just doesn't have it right now for some reason. This is like, this is just not the same player that we saw in 2015-16 and 2016-17. I mean, he's just falling quite far. And, you know, I've seen some people say, you know, maybe he's playing through an injury

or something like that. You know, that could be the case. I did see a quote the other day from, I think, Mike Sullivan, apparently that, why Zach Trotman was called up from Wicksbury was because some of the defensemen are going through some minor ailments. So, yeah, would not really be surprised if Schultz was one of the defensemen

that was going through a minor ailment. And also, he's been playing hurt for mostly this entire season. So, I mean, it would not, it would not surprise me in the slightest. At the time of this recording, since five minutes were left in the first period, the Penguins have,

10 shots on goal, we're over halfway through the third period. That's just, whof, that's bad. And I did see a tweet during the game. The Penguins took the delay game penalty. I thought it was really funny that Jed Daya, Jedd, one of my favorite penguins follows. He basically put up the game sheet of when the Penguins took three, yes, three delay a game penalties in Game Six of the Capital Series in 2016, which basically took, I think, 15 years off my life.

The Penguins were always in complete control of that game. And then, you know, Chris Kinnis, Nick Minino, and who was it, Ian Cole that decided to play Idiot, mode and take three delayed game penalties and I still don't know how the penguins won that game. So Jed, really funny tweet. I thought that would be really, really funny to talk, just to bring up, because considering that the other penguins took another delay a game penalty, you know, had to make this podcast a little amusing just to think about that, even though that memory was a little bad, but still they ended up winning the game.

I'm just, honestly, I'm just trying to figure out what else to talk about. And, of course, right as this recording, it looks like Dominic Cahoon. is potentially seriously injured. Yeah, just looking at the replay now. Oh, God, that's not good. Yeah, just saw the replay. Why are you blocking a shot down for nothing, man? That's just, that's, I can't even put in the words how dumb that is.

It looks like he looked like he broke his leg, honestly, with that shot. He's barely even putting any weight on it coming off the ice. That's just, that's not good. He was how it looks like he's being helped off the, ice. I can't barely even put weight on his leg. Yeah, he just came back from a concussion too. He's been one of their best forwards this season. That absolutely stinks. Hopefully get an update from Mike Sullivan after the game. I don't know how much an update he's going to bring. He's probably just going to be like, you know, I don't have much specifics on it. Well,

have an update tomorrow or have an update Saturday for the game or whatever. So who knows, he's always very vague with that. But if that injury turns out to be serious, I think Jim Rutherford is definitely going to have to get another, definitely get another forward, even though he's already considering it. And there could be an old friend that I've seen rumored going around. We'll talk about that in the next segment. I hope not, at least, but yeah, this is,

that's not good. He just came back. So, yeah, definitely not good news that Cahoon is now potentially out for a little bit. But we still don't know. We have to see the updates before we jump to any sad conclusions. All right, so obviously there's more trade talk going around the league right now. There's just a bunch of it. There's four days left to the trade deadline, believe it or not.

I still can't believe that at this point. I was listening to Elliot Freeman's 31 Thoughts podcast. I've seen it around Twitter. Sounds like yes, the Penguins are interested in bringing back Connor Sherry. You know, Jim Rutherford did say he wants to add a four that has championship experience, fits how our team plays, all that yada, yada, yada, good stuff. You know, I've seen people that like bringing about. Connor Sherry. I see people there are completely against bringing back

Connor Sherry. I'm in the middle. I'm kind of indifferent on it, honestly. Yeah, would he fit the team? Yeah, he would. I just, I question if he would actually produce in the bottom six. You know, we all know what he did with Sidney Crosby. I think he went to remember when he led, I think the, what was it, the league in a 5.5 points per 60. I think that one year was like 3.2 something. I'd have to double check. I know it was over 3, which was absolutely ridiculous. I never thought he would do that. Then the numbers came down. was career average. I think this year he's at 1.57 if I remember I checked this morning.

You know, still serviceable. You know, I mean, yes, yes, I know he falls down a lot. Like, a lot of people like to say. But I'm just, I'm indifferent. Like, I wouldn't hate it, but I also wouldn't like it either. I prefer someone else, honestly. Maybe like a Johann Larsson kind of guy. Maybe I saw Darren, who really good Penn's fan on Twitter, say Matt Nadeo would like that too. Just, you know, I feel like it's going to be someone that's, you know, not on, that hasn't really been talked about yet, because that's really how Jim Rutherford likes to do, these kind of trades,

is to just trade for someone that no one really expects. But, yeah, he's definitely got a trade for someone now, especially, like I said, if Dominic Cahoon is out for any sort of time. And, you know, you could just really tell that the Penguins missed Dominic Cahoon when he was out for the month with a concussion. The speed he brings, his goal-scoring ability,

his playmaking ability, how ferocious he is on the forecheck, the puck, just able to find his stick really, really nicely. That's going to be a big loss if he's out for a while. Or even just any period of time. I don't care if it's a game. I don't care if it's a week. I don't care if it's six weeks, the two months, whatever.

You know, any amount of time without Dominic Cahoon socks, man, it was just tonight that they reunited the Cahoon Malkin Ruslan, because, of course, Malkin missed the last game due to being sick. He was, of course, he came back tonight. He was feeling much better. You can kind of tell that if Gany Malkin was really sick, the last. game considering that he was kind of heaving his chest a little bit he would 100% probably went um into the locker room and barfed um right before the game started because he was just looking

really hell but anyways enough thinking about throwing up um yeah it's just that sucks you know that line is just so good they play so well together they they know how to i was going to repeat myself saying they play so well together they but they just they really do and it's it's gonna suck that he's out if he is. Also at this point, I'm just trying to see if the penguins are not going to get shut out tonight. It has not been very often

that the penguins have been shut out tonight. I know it's below five times. I think it's been only the Vegas game. There's another game they got shut out. I'm honestly trying to think of other games or the Penguins are shut out this year. I think the list is only about two to three right now. I'm not have to double check the schedule,

but I know it's below five. It's around two to three, I think. Penguins, yeah, the Penguins do not really get shut out. I know they're not one of the four teams that have not been shut out this season, because I know Vegas did it, and then I know some other team did it to them as well. It's like that team, it's almost like it's eluding me right now, and it's actually kind of annoying me. I mean, I'm going to get it at some point. I just can't remember right off the top of my head.

And, of course, as I'm saying this, who else but Tom Wilson decides to tie the game for the capitals with 20 seconds left? Thanks a lot, Montreal. You know, I really, we really needed them to lose a regulation. so now the caps are going to get at least a point, tie the Penguins in the standings. Hopefully the Habs can somehow beat them in overtime, though I'm not going to hold my breath. That absolutely sucks that the Habs did that. I think they've lost eight in a row coming into this game. And with that the Penguins, the game is now mercifully over.

Of course, they lose four nothing to Toronto. And yes, it is mercifully over. You know, I know I'm going all over the place on this podcast. I just wanted to really get it out of the way and just, you know, just talk, you know, about whatever. You know, like I said, I'm going all over the place. I felt like I had to, considering like there wasn't a lot to take away from the game other than, of course, the Cahoon injury and the Sydney Crosby line and wanted to get my stuff about the goalie. But, you know, please Montreal, please somehow take that second point and beat the Capitals in overtime or also, of course, the Capitals. We'll leapfrog the Penguins by being one point ahead of them, though.

Both the Penguins and the Capitals both have back-to-backs this weekend. I don't believe the Capitals go to New Jersey on Saturday. and then as if the Penguins will play, of course, they'll host Buffalo for the second time out of three times this season. And then, of course, the big game between Pittsburgh and Washington nationally televised on NBC Sunday afternoon, 12.30 p.m. Yeah, that game is going to be absolutely massive. And, you know, hopefully by some being a miracle, though Penguins hopefully will have Cahoon for that game and maybe some more reinforcements. Maybe there will also be a trade in place. You know, Jim Rutherford, I'm sure, is going to get the diagnosis on, he's going to try.

He's going to try to get that very quickly with the deadline now very soon to make sure that, you know, he has ample time to make calls, GMs, you know, see if a player is available, whatnot. So, you know, keep that in mind. You know, keep it right here on Locked-on Penguins. We're going to have it all for you. You know, we're going to have another episode coming tomorrow. Probably do a lot of mailbag. Probably do a lot of trade talk, I think. Monday is going to be a big day, of course.

With the, you know, the Trade Deadline Day, we'll have it all right here for Locked on Penguins. I think next week we're going to get a special guest on. One of the best penguin writers in the city of Pittsburgh, I think, is going to be coming on this podcast. I'll let you guys figure that out. In my opinion, he's probably in the top three, easily one of the top three best writers about the Pittsburgh Penguins in the city of Pittsburgh. That's all I'll say about it. I think he's going to be coming on. But yeah, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode of Blocked on Penguins.

I know it went all over the place. I hope it was still okay. And we'll talk to you guys tomorrow.