Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Locked On Penguins 2/26-Late night hockey!

Episode Date: February 26, 2020

In this episode of Locked On Penguins, Hunter goes over some practice updates before previewing this big road trip for the Penguins as they hit California. He previews the game tonight against the Kings, plus the rest of the road trip against the Ducks and Sharks. Hunter also explains how this is one of the best rod trips of the year as late night hockey is outstanding. 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.

Hello and welcome to a Wednesday afternoon or evening edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I'm your host, Hunter Hodes. Follow me on Twitter at Hunter Hodes. Follow the show's Twitter at L-O- underscore Penguins. Before we get started today with this episode, I do want to thank everyone who listened to the last episode when Jesse Marshall came on. It's by far the most downloaded episode that I've had so far, the most listened episode. I really, really appreciate that. He was, like I said, at the beginning of that last episode, he was one of the guests that I really wanted to do.

come on when I first started this podcast. You know, we both support each other's work. He does a hell of a job at the athletic. You know, it's almost like my dream job writing for that website. But, yeah, he provided a lot of outstanding insight. The conversation was great. And he's going to be back on again, hopefully, soon at some point. I'm going to hopefully try to have him on maybe in a few weeks.

And, you know, more talk about the penguins. So, like I said, thank you guys so much for listening to that episode. The Riding doesn't stop. I'll still be having more guests on it. I'll maybe try to have some other penguin reporters on, some other fans that have been on before, but some of that haven't. I'm going to try to get those people on. Yeah, Ryan does not stop people.

This podcast is a lot of fun. I didn't think I'd have as much fun doing it as I have been, but, you know, it really is a lot of fun. But, of course, for the Penguins this week, a big week, big road trip, the California road trip. Me personally, it's probably one of my favorites. I love standing up late and watching the Penguins. I know some of you old people that listen to this podcast that are, you know, you're not in

your 20s anymore. You guys can't stay up until, you know, 12.31 a.m. on a weekday watching the Penguins. You know, me personally, like I said, it's right up my alley. I don't go to bed until 1.30 to 2 a.m. anyways on basically any day. You know, it helps being a college student, but also I'm just used to my sleep schedule at this point. I get up at around 10 a.m. every morning for my last semester because my earliest class is at 1230. So, you know, I can basically do what I want. But, you know, for those that have to get up for a job, of course, you know, I'm going to have to be doing that very soon.

It's not going to be the same. I won't be able to stay up that late and sleep until 10.30 every day. That's just not going to keep happening. But, yeah, I love the California trip. It's just a lot of fun to stay after watching the team. Of course, it starts kicks off tonight. They play the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center, 10.30 p.m. start. We didn't get to watch the new guys.

Patrick Marlowe is going to be playing. Ivan Rodriguez and Connor Sherry. Based on some practice yesterday, it looks like Connor Sherry will be starting with Sydney Crosby and Jason Zucker. You know, no surprise is there. I figured Sherry would get his first crack up with Crosby. You know, Crosby really, really likes playing with them. Sherry. Sherry, I need to stop saying Shiri.

Sherry. Actually said Cindy Crosby is really easy playing with. He's real easy to play with, excuse me. So, yeah, I'm really excited to see how they mesh again tonight, see if they can rekindle some old habits. Patrick Marlow looks like he's going to be on the third line. He may get some shifts here and there in the top six, but I think they're going to be starting him on the third line.

On the practice lines yesterday, it looked like he was with Evan Rodriguez on the third line. He was centering it, and then I think Patrick Hornquist was on that line. But, well, I can double-check this real quick. Actually, my apologies. Hornquist was on the second line with Ryan Rust and v. Genni Malkin, and it was Dominic Simone on the third line. Jared McCann was not a practice, so Sam Lafferty was recalled on an emergency basis, so not really sure what's going on there.

He might be hurt. He might be sick. Apparently he was seen. Um, on the exercise vice after practice, so he was doing an all-fights workout. Um, there was no morning skate today. Mike Sullivan, of course, does not like morning skates for, he, he just hates them. Uh, I think he's been on the record quoting a bunch of times saying he just can't stand them. And he just absolutely despise them.

So yeah, no morning skate. So we're not going to know who starts tonight. If I had to make a guess, um, they may go back to Jari. I'm going to go Jari here, 50-50 shot. So, you know, we'll see if I'm right. If I'm not, you know, not the first time that I've been wrong. It won't be the last time I've been wrong as I say. all the time but if jared mccann comes back i think if jerry mccan please tonight comes back um i think

the line will look marlowe mccan and simone which would be a really really nice third line but of course russmalk and hornquist and then you can move um Rodriguez down with a bluger and tannib that's a really really good fourth line he's going to take the spot of uh Zachasian reese for now who is uh day-to-day not day to day week to week with a lower body injury or just an injury but also The big, big news yesterday coming out of practice was John Marino and Brian Duman returning to practice. I cannot be understated how important that is. I know the penguins got three-fourths at the deadline, but to me personally, this is more important. Getting back two of your best defensive defensemen, two of your best overall defensemen I should add.

I should add. And it's just, it's going to make the penguins that much more better. We can finally have two more defensemen that can actually make a breakout pass. Wow. It would be awesome. Besides Chris LaTang and maybe Marcus Pedersen, no one else can really make a breakout pass and no one else is really good in their defensive zone.

Hopefully Marcus Pedersen will have a much better game than he did against the Capitals because that was probably his worst game in the season. Probably arguably his worst game in a Penguin uniform. He was just that dreadful. I'm coughing up the puck like it was no tomorrow. But, yeah, I don't think they're going to be playing this week. They're not playing tonight.

They were not feared for contact just yet. John Marino was quoted after, practice saying, yeah, I'm not going to be playing until that three-week minimum clear. So that'll be next Monday. So after the California road trip, they have the Ottawa and Buffalo games. So look for John Marito. Hopefully be back next week. He's got to take some contact.

He should be back for that Ottawa and Buffalo game. Probably same for Brian Dumlin. I don't think we'll see Brian Dumlin this trip. But the fact that they're back practicing, they're going to be clear for contact, I think, pretty soon. We should, I think, see them by next week. And boy, that is as much needed for the Penguins, because now they can finally roll out their defensive pairs. of Dumlin-Littang, Marcus Peders and John Marino, and Jack Johnson, Justin Schultz.

That's most likely what they're going to do, and really, I think that's their best case of action. Hopefully, that helps Justin Schultz especially. Shout out to Jeff from the Penns blog for writing a great piece on Justin Schultz struggles this season. Jeff, if you listen to this podcast, that was a hell of a piece. Please go read it everyone. His Twitter handle is J-UF-817. said zero. That's how just pathetic I am today, folks. I don't know why I just said, it almost said zero. But yes, please go read that piece on Justin Schultz.

Hopefully, with him getting back down to the third pairing, it eases off him playing top four minutes, gets them back to where we need him to be. And, yeah, we can only hope at this point. But yeah, I'm really excited to see the new guys in action tonight. I'm excited to see how fast Patrick Marlow still is at 40 years old. Really excited to she's Sherry next to Crosby again, see if Sherry and Crosby can rekindle that mess. I doubt Conor Sherry is going to have how many falls per 60. As some of the fan base likes to say that he has,

I don't really know why the people. They have that weird claim about him for some reason. And of course, Evan Rodriguez, you know, he hasn't really had a lot of playing time this year. It was said that he asked out of a trade from the Sabres before the new year. As I said, on the last episode of Lockdown Penguins. So really curious to see how we're his game down. Apparently, a lot of writers have said that they've talked to people.

And apparently, Rodriguez, he's actually pretty good. good when you give them some decent ice time. So I'm excited about that. This is a very good stretch of games coming up for the penguins. They're very winable. We're going to be touching on that coming up here in this next segment. But yeah, good to have the team back. Like I said, also at the beginning, thank you guys so much for listening to the episode with Jesse Marshall.

I really appreciate it. Hope you guys can bear with me while he's not here as I try to bring you guys some really good penguins content on a daily basis. All right. So, as I said before, before the commercial break, the penguins do have a very, very key stretch of games coming up here. The Metro's gotten even tighter. It's very, very tight right now. The Flyers are now one point behind the penguins. Yes, you heard me correctly.

They are one point behind them. I know the penguins have a game or two in hand. But you know what? It won't matter unless you actually win those games in hand. And then you put some distance between that team. I think it was not only just a couple weeks ago that the penguins were what, seven and eight points up on the flyers. Nope, a little three-game losing streak, and voila!

You know, you're one point only ahead of them now. Cap rules have put a little distance between the penguins. They're four points up. The penguins, though, can cut it to two tonight with a win against the Kings. Yeah, I mean, these next five games for the penguins are very, very winnable. I think they can definitely win all five of these games. I think at the very least, you want to see three one and one, you know, four in one, four and O and one during these. these five games. I know there's a back-to-back sprinkling

there, but these California teams stink. And then the two teams after that, they stink. The Kings are absolutely dreadful. I guess we'll preview that right now. Of course, I know they have Bonsetor. He's always been underrated for as long as I can remember. Drew Dowdy. A lot of people have overrated Drew Dowdy for a lot of his career.

I remember this was back, I think, in the last decade, probably like six years ago or something like that. And there was always the hockey writers that would be like, yeah, man, a lot of you just don't. watch due down on a nightly basis and see how good he is. I mean, well, you know, some people started doing that and, you know, they were just overrating him

a little bit. People were trying to say he's better than Eric Carlson and Brett Burns and Victor Headman and I'm like, no, he's not better than those three. You know, he is a very good defenseman, don't get me wrong. I think he's also overpaid. And he's just, his career is kind of going down on a little bit as

we speak. I kind of feel bad for him in Los Angeles. They're kind of wasting away the last of his prime years. But, you know, They got a couple cups out of them, so I don't think they're going to be too worried when he retires. He's going to be a two-time, at least a two-time Stanley Cup winner. I don't think, though, that they're going to get back there anytime soon. Of course, they have Jonathan Quick in net. They traded, what was it, Jack Campbell to the Leafs, Jonathan Quick.

I remember when people used to call him the Mark Andre Fleury of the West, the numbers would support that in recent years, not like when he first started out, but Jonathan Quick, probably one of the most athletic goaltenders in the league, the saves that he can make when he looks down and out or just nothing short of fantastic. But he can also give up a lot of goals that make you just scratch his head. He does this on a nightly basis too. He's also very overpaid.

Whenever I hear Jonathan Quick, I think of that, if you guys remember that Los Angeles, Kings tweet when they signed him to that extension, it was, I'm trying to think of what year it was. I remember the wording of the week, that's 10 more years of our goalie being better than yours. I just don't remember the exact how many years,

years it was on the contract, but it was around there. And yeah, that suite was now it's made, look to let me be made out poorly because his play has dropped off a lot. I mean, just look at his numbers this season, everyone. I mean, this, I mean, 39 games played, you know, only 13 wins, although of course the Kings just absolutely terrible. 898, say 8.8 percentage. That's really, really bad. Last year, 88, but he was also hurt. The year before that, I mean, had a really good year, 921. I mean, he's had some decent years the year before that, 917, 918, 918. So kind of like around a little bit above average, but these last couple years, it has been a big, and I mean a big, yikes, for Jonathan Quick. He has just dropped off dramatically. He's also 34, so he's just,

he's going down a little bit, man. It's just, it's kind of sad to see how far he's fallen. You guys forget, you know, they also traded Tyler Tofoli at the deadline. He's not there anymore. Besides Copa-Tar, they had Alex Falo, 15 goals, 37 points this season. Drew Dowdy is actually their third leading score, believe it or not, 30 points in 60 games. Dustin Brown's been okay. Well, 13 goals, 28 points, 59 games. Though Dustin Brown has been known to be a little low-key dirty at times.

Adrian Kempe, 10 goals. Jeff Carter has had a little bit another nice Renaissance season, 17 goals, 27 points. Um, besides that, yeah, there's just, there's not a lot there. Um, they're just, there really, really isn't. This team is, uh, you know, though I will say Rob Blake is doing a decent job with the rebuild. He's recouped a lot of picks and assets, um, in selling this past trade deadline. He was getting a bunch of picks, you know, for a couple of picks, you know, for a couple of picks, you know, a couple more. Yeah, yeah, it's just, it was really nice job by Rob Blake. I think Kingsans have a lot more faith in. He's had to Folley's. I have a lot more faith in. him than they did with Dean Lombardi who was making some very curious decisions. That's putting it lightly with the roster. But yeah, I think the Kings, you know, they're on the right track, but they're still, this is a rebuild that has to take time. You know, there's just not a lot of talent there.

They have some good players, but, you know, they're not enough to compete for a roster, for a playoff spot. Oh, Jesus, like, I'm like screwing up my words today, you know. It'll do that. It's Wednesday. It's 5 o'clock. Yeah. But yeah, 10.30 p.m. start tonight, guys.

It is on NBC Sports Network. So nationally televised for everyone for a part of Wednesday night hockey. I forget what the first game is. Let me check to see who's calling the game real quick. One of my good buddies, Jake Baskin. Shout out to him. If he listens to this podcast, always tweets the broadcasters for each week on NBC Sports Network. Let me check real quick.

And it is Alex Foster and Jim Fox. If I'm not mistaken, let me just check this real quick here. I believe that is the commentary of the Los Angeles Kings. Let me just check real quick. Yes, yeah, he is the Los Angeles Kings played by play announcer in Los Angeles. So, yes, is the King's team that is calling it. But still, great that the game is actually televised. I don't have to go on SportsRge or read in the NHL streams to find a stream or whatnot.

Oh, the first game, of course, wow, I can't believe that they're actually showing this game tonight. The Sabres and the Abilansche. Wednesday night hockey, John Foresland, Eddie Olick, and Brian Bouchak. I don't want to go into a long rant about Wednesday hockey because, man, some of the matchups that they show are just so awful. And, you know, that's not a Wednesday at hockey matchup. The Sabres are awful. And, you know, they have a lot.

You're probably going to like the floor of them. I wish they could flex out some of those matchups, but you know what? We can't always get what we on. If I keep going on about that, it's just going to turn into a massive rant. But, yeah, I just gets a little preview about the game tonight. Penguins should be able to win this game, I think. Don't play down to an inferior opponent. They beat the Kings early in the season.

though, it came in a shootout. The Kings actually came back. It was a multi-goal deficit for them. The Penguins, it looked like they just stopped playing in the third period, and the king said, okay, you know, we'll come right back. But still, big game for the Penguins tonight. I get to see some of the new guys in action, and really, really excited for that. All right, so I guess we'll, you know, we'll preview the rest of the road trip a little bit. Friday and Saturday, they conclude the rest of the California road trip. They will play the Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks. Both of these teams are also just absolutely. awful.

I'll start with the docks. I feel really, really bad for John Gibson out there. I hope that there comes a point in time where he asks out for a trade because there's not a lot there anymore. Bob Murray continues to be Bob Murray. He trained at Andre Kase for a really, really bad return, getting the contract of David Backus and a couple assets in return that, you know, really, really don't move the needle.

Kase, his underlying numbers are, dare I say, very, very good. The biggest problem is, you know, is his health. He just has to stay healthy. And, you know, he's going to be really, I think he's going to be a really, really good fit with the Bruins. It just makes them that much more scary. The Ducks really weren't trying to do anything. I think else at the deadline there, they weren't going to trade Hamas Lindholm, Cam Fowler, Josh Manson, Jakob Silverberg. That was according to Elliot Friedman on the 31 Thoughts podcast.

You know, they probably, I think they would have had to have been blown away for a trade offer to consider doing that. Though I think of I'm not mistaken, Hamas Linhol. is hurt. And yes, that is correct. Yeah, he actually left after, he crashed into the boards last night, hurt in Tuesday's game. That's not good.

Hamphus Linholm, I've always found him to be one of the most underrated defensemen in the league. I know he has 22.0.54 games this season, but, I mean, he's just, he's always been just really, really good. There was a time on, I'm assuming you can say that he was better than Cam Fowler, though. I know Cam Fowler is still really, really good. But, yeah, the Ducks, of course, you know, they still have. a little baldy. I call Ryan Getslaw

Baldy because, you know, that nickname needs no introduction. At least he don't have any Corey Perry anymore so people can't just take a dump on Cory Perry every time he plays the Penguins. Every time he just played someone in a ducts uniform, he would just do something stupid. He was all,

Corey Perry was always one of those, like, sneaky little dirty players. He's always been like that throughout his entire career. Of course, this hasn't been there for a while. No Ryan Kessler. man, he fell off the face of the year with all those injuries. I feel really, really bad for him. But the Huo is also having a very good season.

He actually is tied for the league in points, the team lead in points for the ducks. Adam Henry, 24 goals, 39.63 games. The ducks were not interested in moving him. He's been really, really good. Since coming out from the Devils there, Ricard, Raquel, he always have to be just cautious when dealing with him, 35 points, 13 of those goals.

Yeah, like I said, it was Silverberg, 18 goals. 34 points. Sam Steele has actually not been bad. And old friend Carter Rowney, I always forget that Carter Rowney's on the Ducks this year, on the Ducks in general. He actually has six goals this year. Is that a career high for him? I'm going to have to look that up. That has to be close to a career high for that poor guy. And then they traded Derek Granaway. He was having a really, really good year. They got Sonny Milano in a trade from Columbus. They got Christian Jews. They traded away old pal Daniel Sprong. And yeah, like I said with poor John Gibson,

I know he has a 903% this year, three goals against average, but look what he's dealing with out in the Nile, man. The defense is atrocious. I know it's just the way they play, it's just, it's not good enough for him. And he's just, he's going to say, just please request a trade.

Like, please do it, please. He just bring him, go, send that guy to a team that, like, actually will, like, play, like, play, good in front of him so he doesn't have a meltdown. Yeah, just please. All right. Moving on to the sharks here. That'll be Patrick Marlowe's homecoming, everyone. Yes, so Marlowe's homecoming again, so I can't wait to see that. I'm sure he's going to get a raucous ovation out in San Jose. The one thing that I find really, really funny about this division

with this road trip, these are the three worst teams in the Pacific Division, and the ducks are actually the best of those three teams, 58 points, the sharks at 56, and then the Kings at 50. for the sharks it's just it's a mess I feel really really bad for that fan base they have a lot of talent on that team

but you know the thing with the sharks management that they screwed over time and time again goaltending you cannot go into a season with those two same starting goaltenders and Aaron Dillon Martin Jones and expect to compete for a playoff spot did it get you to the playoffs last year

yeah it did and then Oh, yeah. Look, they barely beat Vegas because, oh, they got a lucky penalty call when that. They easily should have lost that game. And then they got exposed the next round. Thank God. It's just, you got lucky last year that you got in because the Pacific sucks. And then the Pacific stinks again this season and you can't even get in. I know injuries don't help, but, you know, they've just, they've been absolutely terrible. Look at these stats. Well, here are these stats. Martin Jones, remember what, you know, Martin Jones from the 2016 Stanley Cup final,

when he was almost standing on his head at times. this year, 36 games played, 14 wins, 3.11 goals against average, 894 save percentage. Arundel is 907, only 12 wins, 2.94 goals against average. I'm sorry, that's terrible. And, you know, the fact that they, like I said, the fact that they doubled down on that again, that's just, that's bad management, man. They need to go out and do something about their goaltending position this off season. I'll be curious to see what they do.

I mean, they can't go back into next season with this goaltending tandem. Obviously, you know, Eric Carlson's out. I think he's out for the season. He had 40 points in 56 games. Timo Meyer is always underrated. 20 goals, 41 points. Brent Burns, I think he had the, I think he had the overtime winner against the Penguins in Pittsburgh,

if I'm not mistaken from the last game. That's right. The Sharks did beat the Penguins in Pittsburgh. I think it was a four-on-three-power play. 12 goals, 42 points for him. Evander Kane, 21 goals, 37 points. Tomosh Hurdle. Logan-Kuture.

Logan Kutcher actually just came back. from injury. I believe it or not. Yeah, I think Sharks fans were like, why is it coming back? The season's basically over. Well, you know, hockey players want to play it, so of course he's going to come back. You know, I feel really, really bad for Jumbojo that he didn't get traded to a contender. He has 27 points this season. Yeah, the comments that he made to the Sharks media the other day, everyone, that was a yikes. He was definitely not happy. I mean, can you blame him? I mean, the guy's, what, over 40 years old now? He's not going to have many more chances to get a cup.

He definitely wanted to get traded to a contender, though. Apparently, according to Elliot Freeman in these 31 thoughts, a lot of the contenders that Joe Thorne wanted to go to, they just didn't reach out to San Jose. I guess they didn't have any use for them. They didn't need it. So, you know, I'm going to be curious to see what Jumbo Joe does this offseason. I think the sharks are going to try to gear up for a run next year,

you know, get all those healthy players back, make some changes on the roster, see if they convince Jumbo Joe to come back. But, you know, I really wouldn't, you know, if I were him, I try to go somewhere else. I don't think you're going to win with the sharks, man. You were as close as you were ever going to come when he came in 2016 against the penguins when you lost in six games. I don't think you're going to get there with the sharks again.

And, you know, I did dump on Doug Wilson for the goal-tating situation, but the fact that man got a first-round pick for Barclay Goodrow at the trade deadline. I'm sorry, folks. That is outstanding. I don't know how Tampa gave up a first-round pick for a player like Barclay-Gudrow. But you know what? Doug Wilson was probably like, what? Okay, I'll take that.

And, you know, sure enough, he did. But, you know, yeah, the sharks, like I said, the sharks still have a lot of talent on this team. You know, yeah, Tim O'Meyer, you know, Brent Burns, Evander Cain, Couture's back, you know, Kevin the bank, you know, just as a little jumbo Joe can still do his thing a little bit. But, you know, the good part is, you know, their defense, I mean, well, yeah, a lot of their defense is not as good to shift course with

Eric Carlson out, and then their goaltending is just absolutely atrocious. So, yeah, all three of these games are very, very winnable for the Penguins. I want to go, I mean, if I were, you know, I would definitely want, of course, went all the games. But, you know, personally, good speaking, 2 and 0 and 1 would probably be really, really good. But still, you should be able to win these three games. You know, they're against teams that are not contending. You know, basically playing for pride at this point, they're not going to make a run to get into a playoff spot. They're just, all three of them are not nearly good enough to get in.

But, yeah, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode of Lockdown Penguins. I know I probably rambled on a little bit too much, stuttering a bunch of words. That's what I normally do. You know, today was probably worse than ever, but you know what? We'll deal with that. We'll have another episode coming tomorrow.

We'll be able to do an episode after the game tonight. It'll be 1 a.m. I'm sure no one will listen to it until tomorrow. Well, you know, I could do it after the game and then maybe I'll publish it the next day. But, yeah, that's what I may do. You know, I'll publish it in the morning. We'll talk about the game.

We'll see how the Penguins do against the Kings. Remember everyone, NBC Sports Network. If you don't live in Pittsburgh, I think they're still televising it in Pittsburgh at 1030 anyways. It's just, yeah, for those people that are not in Pittsburgh, NBCSN, we'll see how the team plays tonight. See how the new guys fit in. And, you know, we're about a week away from John Marino and Ryan Duhlin coming back. So reinforcements are on their way, everyone. Thank you guys so much for listening to this episode of Blockdown Penguins, and we will talk to you guys tomorrow.