Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Penguins are in a HEAP OF TROUBLE after Game 2 loss!

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a heap of trouble going down 2-0 back to Philadelphia, and Pat and I are going to break down game two coming up right after this. 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 to the Tuesday edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I'm one of your host, Hunter Hodes. You can follow me on Twitter at Hunter Hodes, joined by my host, Patrick Damp, you can follow him on all social media platforms at Sin and Verwet.

Starting point is 00:00:40 You can also follow this show's Twitter at L.O. underscore Penguins. And you can find us on Instagram at Lockdown underscore Penguins. Of course, thank you all so much for making this. Your first listen slash watch of the day. We are free and available on all platforms. Pat, I just want to say this is going to be a pure therapy episode. We all know everything that went wrong yet again in game two. the penguins are in a lot of trouble down 02 going back to the hornets nest in Philadelphia

Starting point is 00:01:09 but i know you wanted to say something before we get into all this i'm just going to give this over to you real quick so you and i were talking about this uh over the morning in after the game last night listen if you're a flyers fan who's coming to this page especially on youtube to get your kicks good you deserve it thank you for the view but here's the only thing I'm going to ask of you. And this is this is going to be before we get into anything on the game, because I got to say some stuff to my fellow Penguins fans here. But if you're here as a Flyers fan and you want to talk your mess, good. You deserve it. You've earned it. Your team has earned it. You should be here bragging a little bit because through two games, you have been the better team.

Starting point is 00:01:53 But I'm just going to ask one thing of you if you're here. Keep it respectful. Keep it creative. Keep it fun. I'm a little disappointed in Penguins fans right now because I was at the game last night. And if you have been part of this rivalry for as long as someone like I have or Hunter has, and I know in the grand scheme of the Pittsburgh Penguins, I'm still pretty young. But if you know me personal, if you know me in your everyday life, if you've followed me on social media, if you've worked with me, away from this show, you know I have no issues with profanity. There's a four-letter word that rhymes with puck that I use as basically a comma. But there were a lot of F-F-Filly chance last night, F-the-F-F-F-the- Flyers chance last night.

Starting point is 00:02:48 There were people in my section just being as vulgar as humanly possible during the game. and we like to tell ourselves as Penguins fans and Pittsburgh fans that we don't do that here and that's a Philly thing, well, guess what? We just lost that high ground because it wasn't once or twice. It wasn't a one-off. It was all night long. And this isn't a professional wrestling show. This isn't a bar. This isn't sitting around the locker room with your teammates. It's supposed to be an all-ages thing. And I get you want to make it a hostile atmosphere. I get you want to make it a tough place to play. But there are so many other ways to do that. And it was really embarrassing, in my opinion. So to the Flyers fans who are here that are

Starting point is 00:03:38 going to chirp us, bring it on. But this is a community we're trying to build. And we want it to be fun. We want it to be creative. We want it to be welcoming. And we're not going to sit here and and deal with the vulgarities, the personal insults, and the attacks. If you want to chirp us for Crosby and Malkin looking old and you're telling us that the Flyers are going to retire them after this series, by all means, go for it. Just keep it respectful. That's all we ask. That's it.

Starting point is 00:04:09 We all know how our community is. We love the community that we have built here. Just keep it respectful overall. But I didn't mean to interrupt you there. I just, I knew. And that's really the crux of it. So let's, like Hunter said, this is going to be a bit of a therapy episode. because I'll start here now that we get into the game.

Starting point is 00:04:27 Go ahead. I'm going to say the same things I said after game one. Rick Tocke and the Flyers deserve a ton of credit because they have a game plan. They wanted to execute against the Penguins and they have executed it to damn near perfection. It has been a master class defensively for this Flyers team. And for a Flyers team that is chock full of young, exciting talent, getting them to buy into playing what is essentially boring hockey says a lot about Rick Tocke. On the other end of it, the penguins themselves, whether it's through stubbornness,

Starting point is 00:05:03 whether it's through lack of ability, they are playing directly into it. And they've made some adjustments, but not nearly enough to break what the flyers are doing. And that's where I'm at as well, because I do think somewhat they played a bit better in game two, despite not scoring. but it's still not nearly enough to do what you need to do to break through this trap that the flyers have set. It's a 1-1-3. They're stacking three guys of the blue line,

Starting point is 00:05:30 and they are daring the penguins to get it to the middle of the ice, and they're daring them to just fly out attack them. But as I said, going into this game, you need to hit the red line, dump it down, try to beat their defensemen, which, again, I still think are beatable, and you need to work at low to high, get the cycle game going,

Starting point is 00:05:48 get to the high danger areas more, excuse me, and they have just not been doing that on a consistent basis. They were doing it a little bit to start the game, Pat. I liked the start, despite not scoring. They strung together some good shifts in the second period, but then it felt like the air was taken out of them when Porter Martone made it 1-0 in the second period. And then the Flyers just put a huge chokehold on them.

Starting point is 00:06:13 You then have the shorthand-goat. We'll get to the power play struggles because this has been an embarrassment for a unit that has been very good all year. the Flyers penalty kill, to their credit, has been really good this series, better than I personally expected. They are winning that battle pretty handily so far again. We'll get into that a bit later. And sure, there was a little bit of pushback to start the third period, but by that point, the Flyers are still doing what they're doing in their own zone. And Dan Vladar is just locked it. I mean, he was playing very well again last night. He was tested, you know, a little bit more,

Starting point is 00:06:46 but the Penguins are still, to me, not getting to the. high danger areas enough. It's still not good enough. This series, like, I'm not pissed off. I'm not upset. I'm mainly just disappointed. It's the same feeling I felt when I watched the 2019 series against the Islanders, because it feels like to me it's almost going the exact same way,

Starting point is 00:07:08 where the Islanders under Barry Trots, they played a low event style, kind of like a trap pat. It's not fully the 113, but it's close to it. And they frustrated the hell out of the pan. penguins, including their stars. And the penguins players didn't fully adjust to it. And they got swept, the Islanders in that round. Yes, I understand, you know, the players were different.

Starting point is 00:07:30 Barry Trots was the head coach. He's not right tocket. But the similarities are there for me when I compare these two series. And if the penguins want to come back in this series, they're going to have to, A, adjusting a bit more. And B, start turning some of this zone time because they did have some zone time last night, they need to start turning this zone time into actual quality chances. A lot of the chances they got last night were well to the outside. Again, credit to flyers for that. They are packing the

Starting point is 00:08:00 house in, they are preventing them from getting the high danger areas, and that goes to show how well the job that Rick Tocke is doing. He has been the better coach by far in this series over Damn News. But the Penguins to get back in this series, they simply need to start getting a hell of a lot better chances. And Pat, I hate saying it, they need more from every single one of their top players. The only player that I showed up in this series to me is Stu Skinner. He has been awesome and go. I don't want to hear really any complaints about him through two games. Yeah, I know. I was probably a bit nitpicky for the Porter Martone goal in game one. But Skinner has been awesome. This is, I think, been the best goaltending this team has gotten in the playoffs since probably 2017 when they

Starting point is 00:08:43 won their second of back-to-back cups. So he's been great. It's funny. The last few times I made the playoffs, Pat, they can score. They couldn't get saves. Now they're getting saves and they can't score. That is a good jumping off point for me because I understand the compulsion to compare this to the 2019 Islanders series.

Starting point is 00:09:07 And there are similarities. But the difference to me is this. 2019 you have to take into account a couple of things one it was their fourth playoff in a row where they had spent the last three playoffs winning a Stanley Cup winning another Stanley Cup and then going deep into the second round and it was largely a lot of the same team doing it they were just dead they were just burnt out and then you put that on top of Matt Murray that was the beginning of his descent as the penguins goaltender. He was not very good against the New York Islanders in 2019.

Starting point is 00:09:47 Now, still at the end of the day, you get swept, you run into a team that plays a very similar style. Those are very apt comparisons for what the penguins are going through right now. But I will also say this on the other end of it. The Islanders mostly outplayed the penguins in that series. I will continue to give Tocquet and the Flyers and their team credit. They're not so much outplaying the penguins as they are setting a trap for the penguins and the penguins are going right into it.

Starting point is 00:10:22 I think it's both. I think the Flyers have been the better team. I think they have outplayed them. But I also do think the penguins, they're not doing themselves any favors. I will continue to say it on the show. This trap is beatable, but they're not willing so far. two games in to put in the work to actually beat it. We've seen them, you know, you go back to 2017.

Starting point is 00:10:44 It was a similar type system against Ottawa. They beat it in seven games. But since then, you've seen the blueprint 2019 against the Islanders, now against the Flyers. Hell, if you want to say 2020 against the Canadians to a lesser extent, sure. 2013 against Boston, though, that was more coaching malpractice to me than the players. Also, it doesn't help that Tuka Rasque was 980 in that series, but I think it's both. The Flyers have outplayed them, but the penguins are not doing themselves any favors.

Starting point is 00:11:14 It is beatable, but they're just not, you know, putting in the overall work to do it and may need more from a lot of the players on the ice. Right, because, and you kind of hinted at this earlier, the start of the game, I do think a lot of fans and analysts need to kind of reset their expectation for the way these games are going to go. The first period was, in my estimation, not a horrible period by the penguins. They're being pulled into a slog of a game, a slog of a series. Yes. It's going to be low event. You can sit there and tweet and yell and scream and mumble into your icy light that they only got three shots in that period.

Starting point is 00:12:00 That's the kind of game the Flyers are going to make you play. Like, I understand you want them to get 10, to 15 shots a period. That's what I want in an ideal world, but we're not in that ideal world. What they are going to have to do is they are going to have to slog their way through these games and find a way to break it. And you're going to have offensive zone possession that doesn't lead to much. You're going to have to be opportunistic. And it gets into what you were saying. You're going to have to put the puck in deep. You're going to have to beat their defenseman to the corner either beat them or get them to a 50-50 and win the puck battle, which is something they

Starting point is 00:12:40 haven't been doing when they're dumping it in when the times that they do this, they're not winning the race to the puck or at the very least they're not turning it into a 50-50 and winning possession. So there are going to be periods where the penguins have four shots, the flyers have two, and that is the kind of game that they are going to be forced to play. and through two games, it doesn't look like the players want to play it. Yeah, and this is the type of system when you're playing against it. You have to stay disciplined.

Starting point is 00:13:11 You have to stay patient. You remember, you go back to game two of that 2017 Ottawa series, Pat. Remember how you saw Phil Kessel always going to the bench, frustrated? He's talking it up with funny enough, Rick Tocket was obviously on that bench. And he's frustrated. Evgeny Malkin's frustrated. Hell, the top one's frustrated because the senators are playing the type of trap that was just annoying the penguins,

Starting point is 00:13:33 which were a very high-flying offensive team. But you're able to win that game, thanks to Phil Kessel goal late in the first period, third period, I should say, excuse me, and you were able to tie up the series. Now, I know they lost game three, but still, after that, they figured it out winning three of their last four games.

Starting point is 00:13:50 You have to stay patient when you are playing a team like this, and right now they're still too impatient, and they're down 02, and it's deserved going back to the Hornets Nest in Philadelphia. Now, it's not over by any stretch. If you win on Wednesday, you're right back into it. But you better win that game.

Starting point is 00:14:11 You go down 03. It's not looking good to say the least. It's not looking good right now. It will especially not look good if you go back to Philly on Wednesday and lose and go down 03 in this series. But that's going to do it for this first segment. Coming up in the second segment, Pat and I are going to. going to discuss the power play, how bad it's been, what the flyers are doing to really annoy them on that unit, all that plus a lot more coming up on this edition of the

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Starting point is 00:16:04 Don Penguins podcast. I'm one of your host, Hunter Hodes, joined by my good friend in coast, Patrick Damp, and Pat, we got to discuss it, man. The power play has been a complete abomination through these first two games, and I know it was struggling down the stretch. You and I were talking about it on the show. Todd Nelson has not done enough to help this unit. I think they still need to put Igor Chinov up there, just because, again, I'm seeing, it feels like the Ta Rurden Power Play come out from a couple of seasons ago, where the zone entries are terrible. I can can only watch them, dump the puck so many times leading to easy clears from the flyers, like, before I just have to pull my hair out. Like, it's been really bad. Even when they do gain the

Starting point is 00:16:46 zone, they're overpassing. And the flyers are doing a good job of getting their stakes into shooting lanes, also into the high danger passing lanes. They're really frustrating the Penguins with that. So I will give them credit for their penalty kill is playing a lot better than I thought they would. But the Penguins' power play is also just not helping themselves. They're not getting back to basics. Those own entries are terrible. Again, they're playing Patty Cake a little too much. They're not getting to the high danger areas. They don't have the shoot first mentality. I think they need to change up the personnel a little bit. Everything about that unit has been awful this series. And there were times yesterday, Pat, to really, you know, either take a lead or get back into the

Starting point is 00:17:24 game after the Flyers took their lead and the power play just had no interest in doing it. Both units have been terrible. You know, the short-handed goal was especially embarrassing to say the least. I don't know what anyone is doing on that play in the defensive zone. Chris, let's hang, Pat. I mean, come on, man. Like, that's bad. And I know his underwings were solid last night, but I test wise, he had another really rotten game. And it stinks because I thought he was playing better down the stretch. Same for Sam Gerard. He also did not play well last night. Either that pair has just been really bad two games in. Again, they had legit momentum going into the playoffs, but they have a complete non-factor in this.

Starting point is 00:18:04 series, as well as a lot of the other players on this team. But Pat, what would you change for this power play? Because it is also like their five on five play, just sinking them right now. Much like the penguins play through two games, my answer to that is going to be wholly unsatisfactory because it's simple. It's effort and execution. Because here's the thing. The dump around the boards, I compare it similarly to the news. neutral zone drop pass. It's a play that has value. It's a play that can work, but only if you do it correctly. I've said it on this show a million times, especially over the past two seasons, not this one included under the previous coaching staff, that if you're going to do the neutral

Starting point is 00:18:54 zone drop pass, it's fine if you have movement through the neutral zone, if you've got puck support. When they did it in the final two years of Mike Sullivan and his staff, it was just leaving the guy who picked up the drop pass on an island and teams were able to just stack the blue line and turn it into an ineffective maneuver. It's the same thing with the dumping around the boards. The way the flyers are playing at five on five, at five on four, whatever, they are stacking the blue line every time, whether it's even strength, penalty kill, power play. they stack the blue line. That is their defensive game. They are telling you you have to dump it deep. So if you're going to do that on the power play,

Starting point is 00:19:37 your weak side winger, forward, defensemen, whomever is on that side, as soon as the person with the puck winds up to put it deep, you have to take off. You have to be a bat out of hell and you need to win that race. They aren't doing that. I'm not against the rim around the board's play

Starting point is 00:19:54 to get possession in the zone on the power play, but you have to be willing to come. admit to it. As a wise coach I once played under said, it is called a dump and chase, not a dump and watch. You have to dump and then chase. They are not chasing. That is their problem. In the moments where they have tried to beat this Flyers defensive quagmire, they aren't doing the second part. They're dumping it in and then they're just watching the puck. That's not how you this. You have to beat them to the puck. And I'm going to throw it out there now. This is the team we were told we were going to get at the start of the year. They look old.

Starting point is 00:20:41 They look slow. Yeah. They look disinterested. They do. And if this was a series against the Columbus Blue Jackets who are young, fast, and talented, I know they didn't make it because they struggled down the stretch. If this was a series against the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Montreal, Canadians. I would say, you know what? I don't care that this team is old. They're playing a damn good, damn talented team. The Flyers are that, but they aren't those guys. And the penguins, at the end of the day, five on five, short-handed power play, all aspects of the game. I come back to what I said after game one. They are simply getting outworked. They have been. They've been outworked, outclassed, and outplayed in these two games. And the

Starting point is 00:21:28 flyers very much deserve having a 2-0 lead going back to Philadelphia, which we all know it's going to be a very hostile environment. Everyone knows me. I'm positive by nature. I always look for the optimistic side of things. You know, this team does play better on the road. They had a better road record this year compared to at home at PBG Paints Arena. So maybe that helps going into game three where the flyers, you know they're going to be amped up if they can get away potentially from their trap, you'll have a chance, but, you know, I still think they're probably going to be very committed to that for the rest of the series. They've shown no signs of going away from that. And that's also another thing here, Pat. Yes, I know the Penguins beat this team twice during

Starting point is 00:22:09 the regular season, but when I look back and I watch those four games, the Flyers were playing a bit different in their own zone. They weren't this defensively responsible. They weren't playing this one-one-three in their own zone. To his credit, Rick, pocket has adjusted and it has paid huge dividends. Huge credit to him. He is out coaching DMUs in this series. And again, it is on the players to want to put in the work and stay disciplined and patient going into the system. And it is still on the coaching staff to find new and creative ways around this system. That's what it comes down to for me. I talked about Stuart Skinner a little bit earlier, Pat. He has been so good in this series. I don't want to really

Starting point is 00:22:52 hear any complaints from anyone about Skinner. And yes, I understand. I was a little nitpicky on that third goal from Porter Martone. And my God, what a player. He already is. I, you know, this fan base is going to learn to hate this guy a lot over the next several years. There is a reason. I don't know if I've said that's on the show before, but it's common knowledge, I think, to a lot of people. There was a reason why he was third on the Penguins draft board last year. It was Schaefer, Mesa, Martone, and then Ben Kendall. And I have that on very good authority. And you're seeing why he was third on their board. This kid is a third. a gamer. He is electric to watch. He has been really fucking good in this series. I've been waiting for

Starting point is 00:23:28 Ben Kindle to show up a little bit more, Pat. When he missed that wide open net last night, I was like, all right, it's definitely not their night there. That was one of their golden chances in that game. But going back to Skinner, he made so many huge saves to keep them in it last night. You saw after the penalty shot, which yeah, I know Tippett missed. He even motioned to the bench. Like, come on. I'm helping you guys out. Like, get back in the game here. And they're not giving him. that helps so far. Like again, this is some of the best goaltending they have gotten

Starting point is 00:23:56 since they won that cup in 2017 and it simply hasn't mattered. If you follow the locked on network on social media, I don't know if it's been posted yet or not, but I was tasked with doing the, here's how the Pittsburgh Penguins can win the Stanley Cup,

Starting point is 00:24:15 social media short video. And I said at the very end of it, for the penguins to get to where they want to go, Stuart Skinner doesn't have to win them, games, but he can't lose them games. Through two games, he is the only player who gets a positive mark on the penguin's roster because in game one with some early stumbles, he kept the minute, he kept it close.

Starting point is 00:24:37 Last night, same deal. The Flyers didn't have as much of an offensive push despite the score as they did in game one. But when they got most of their chances, Stuart Skinner was there to stop them. And the two goals he gave up, you can be met. added the Martone goal for the rebound, but the Penguins blew the defensive coverage in the zone. Hunter Clifton screwed that up. Like, I think he did not play that well there. Like the rebound wasn't great, but Martone should not be that wide open to get to it.

Starting point is 00:25:06 And then the shorthanded goal, everyone in front of them just vomited down their sweater and there's nothing he can do about it. So he has played really well for this team. He's kept the minute. He's given them a chance. And the rest of the roster is just letting him down. because we were worried going into this series that that could be the X factor and the weakness. Dan Vlodar had a great season. Stuart Skinner had an okay season. It was really the biggest, in my opinion, discrepancy between the two rosters. And while I don't think Vlodar has been bad, Vlodar hasn't been tested all that much.

Starting point is 00:25:46 And Stuart Skinner has, and he's been equal to the task. But at the end of the day, your goalie's given you a chance. You eventually have to reward them and they simply have not. I agree with you on that. And I think Ladara has been good, but to your point, he has not been tested in the way that I want to see him tested because the penguins are simply not generating enough offense from those high danger areas in the slot 10 to 15-ish feet out.

Starting point is 00:26:12 But that's going to do it for the second segment. Coming up to end the show, could we get a couple lineup changes for game three? Pat and I are going to discuss that, plus what we would make the lines coming up right after this. But before we get to that, we have to tell you all about our second sponsor, which is HIMS. ED is way more common than most guys think. Millions of guys deal with it at some point, and that's exactly why Hymns offers a straightforward way to handle it. Hymns connects you with licensed health care providers online, giving you access to legitimate ED treatment options from the comfort of your home.

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Starting point is 00:27:47 Penguins podcast. I am one of your host, Hunter Hodes, joined by my co-host Patrick Damp and Pat. that it's time to bring Justin Briseau into this series. I think you kind of have no choice at this juncture. You saw Damuze juggle the lines last night, which was the right call, especially to start the third period. We're getting some zone time. Again, not enough high danger.

Starting point is 00:28:09 But you saw Raquel back with Crosby and Rust. I would stick with that going into game three. I would stick with Chinakov, Novak, and Malkin. I 100% think that is the right call. And you know what? I would reunite Mantha, Kindle, and Brazo.

Starting point is 00:28:26 Manta and Brazo had great chemistry during the regular season. Brazil was one of their better depth scores. I felt that he definitely struggled a bit down the stretch, which is why especially you see

Starting point is 00:28:36 someone like Elmer Soderblum in for the playoffs. And I don't think he's been bad by any stretch. He needs to be better, but again, the whole team outside of Stu Skinner, I think needs to be better.

Starting point is 00:28:48 The fourth line, you're not taking out Blake Lazotte. He has been, you know, really good on the PK at least. The BK at least has been solid, but that's, other than the goal to any bad, that's been the best unit for the Penguins so far in this series. No, O'Hari, I don't think you're taking out.

Starting point is 00:29:02 I think it really comes down to Pat Elmore Sardblam or Conor-Dur. And I normally wouldn't say Connor Dewar, but I think he looks hurt right now. So if you take him out, I think it's partly because of that. And that's why you'd bring Justin Brzeau in. Soderblom, again, I loved his play down the stretch. I think he deserved to play in these first. two games. But if you take him out, I'd understand why, just because they would want to keep Duer Lazot and Achari intact on the fourth line. I think at the very least, you got to put

Starting point is 00:29:32 Brzo back on that third line, reunite him with Mantha and Kindle, and see if that line can give you anything offensively. But all in all, it's time for Justin Brzo to enter this series. Yeah, I think Soderblum's the odd man out. And I liked his game a lot down the stretch. he made himself undeniable, but through two games, he has not played that way. And I don't expect him to be a big time bruiser. I don't expect him to be a brute. But there was an element of that in his game down the stretch. He wasn't afraid to throw hits.

Starting point is 00:30:07 He wasn't afraid to muck it up. He hasn't done a lot of that through two games. And you've got to stick with what got you to the dance. And he's not doing that. And I know that doer looks like he might be. be hurt, but let's be real here. Like a lot of the regular season, at times the fourth line has been the only one giving you any sort of consistency or momentum, even if Dewar hasn't been all that great.

Starting point is 00:30:33 That line is still getting you some momentum. It's still getting you some solid shifts. So I'm not ready to break them up. Yeah, they were starting to really understand the assignment last night of getting Pucks deep, working their defenseman below the dots, and working it low to high. Again, it was a start, but at least it felt like for at least to start that game, Pat, they were the only line willing to do it. And here's, and here's the thing.

Starting point is 00:30:59 To that point, I have said that I do think Crosby and Chinikov do have some chemistry, but this is not the time to work through that and get it to its end point. That was during the regular season and between Crosby's injury and everything else. You didn't have time to work through it. the way Chinikov plays is more is going to work better with Novak and Malkin. Their styles all mesh together well. On the other end of it, we have talked about this all episode long. The way you beat this Flyers team and the way you beat this Flyers defensive posture

Starting point is 00:31:36 is essentially playing a grinding game. Guess what? You put together Crosby, Rust, Raquel. Yeah, there's a lot of goal scoring talent on that line. But that line will grind your bones into dirt if you give them the opportunity. And Muse kind of got back to that in the second period. But it should have been that way for the entire series. I like what Tommy Novak has brought,

Starting point is 00:32:05 but he can't be the focal point of that second line. That's not his job. That's not his goal. So if you put Malkin and Jinnikov back with him, they're going to be better. You put Rust, Raquel Crosby back together. They're going to be solid. For the majority of the year, even when they weren't scoring, Kindle, Mantha, and Brazo were an effective line.

Starting point is 00:32:29 And then you still have your fourth line. That is a change that I think needs to be made. And then on defense, I mean, you're not, I think you've got to reduce the minutes of 58 and 49 just because of how poorly they've been playing. and at this point, I'm taking Clifton out and I'm bringing in St. Ivney, just because I, Clifton last night made so many mistakes. And buddy, you're supposed to be a physical third pairing defenseman.

Starting point is 00:33:04 He was anything but last night. And as much as I like him, we don't have time for niceties. We don't have time for, I want you to work through it anymore. It's the Stanley Cup playoffs. You're in this, and you are now two losses away from going home. I think I'd honestly rather bring Soloviov in than St. Ivany. That's just my opinion. I think Soloviov offers you a bit more offensively.

Starting point is 00:33:30 I think for the most part, he's a bit steadier defensively as well. That's what I would do. If you want to move Shea up from the third pair and put him back with Latang, at least to try it. Sure, go ahead just because Gerard Latang has been. been, you know, oil and water. Once again, it's been a pure disaster class. After having legit momentum at the end of the regular season going into playoffs, they have now reverted back to the early form where you and I were really going after that pairing because they were not playing very well together. So you want to change those two up. That's fine with me. You know,

Starting point is 00:34:04 the top pair, you're not going to mess with, obviously. And then for the power play, I put Chinov on the top unit. You need more of a shooter on there. He has an insane early. put him on there, see what he can do. So those are just a few lineup changes, at least for me. Do you have anything else to add for this wonderful therapy session before we call it quits and go off into the rest of the day here? I am changing the top power play unit almost entirely, if I have my way. I'm taking Malkin off the top unit and I'm putting either Chinikov or Mantha in his place. I'm taking Rust off of it as well. And I'm putting Chinikov or Mantha. in their place.

Starting point is 00:34:45 And I'm telling, Manta, your job is to plant your ass in front of Dan Vlodar. You're not there to make passes. You're not there to shoot. You're not there to do anything, but make it so you take one of their defensemen away and take Vlard's eyes away. Listen,

Starting point is 00:35:01 you can give me the shock, the doom guy shocked look, but it hasn't worked. It has not worked for two games. And it not only is, it's not a matter of they haven't scored. It's a matter of they haven't been, effective whatsoever.

Starting point is 00:35:16 And I just said it about the defense. I'm saying it about the power play. We're not here for you to work out your problems. We're not here for you to figure out chemistry. We're not here for you to say, give you a little pat on the head and say, it's all right. We like you. Figure it out.

Starting point is 00:35:31 You're two losses away from getting bounced by a team that you know that you can be. So you've got to make these changes and you have to be relentless. So this is my final point of the show. and we can all go about our Tuesday. This is gut check time for Dan Mews. We're going to find out how good of a coach he is because he's going to have to hurt some feelings here. I know Gino's a legend.

Starting point is 00:35:56 I know his number's going to hang in the rafters at PPG. This first power play hasn't been effective, and I look at the rest of them, you're not taking Carlson off, you're not taking Crosby off. And then the other three, Rust, Malk, and Raquel. Chinov's got the better shot. Mantha's got the size.

Starting point is 00:36:15 That's the change I would make. Pat's going nuclear for the top power pole unit. And, you know, at least I understand why, considering how bad it has played. But again, it's not over. It's a race to four for a reason. But they are still in a heap of trouble. And it makes Wednesday's game basically a must win. If you want to come back and win the series, you win that one, you're back in it.

Starting point is 00:36:39 You lose. Flyers have. even more of a stranglehold over you because it is rare when teams come back and reverse sweep in the NHL. But that's going to do it for the Tuesday edition of the Lockdown Penguins podcast. Thank you also so much to take the time to listen to slash watch this one. Pat and I will be back with a fresh episode for you all on Wednesday, getting you all set for game three in Philadelphia against the Flyers and giving our keys to victory. So for Patrick Damp, I am Hunzer Hodes. Thank you all so much for tuning in. We appreciate it. We'll be back on Wednesday.

Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Penguins are in a HEAP OF TROUBLE after Game 2 loss!

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