Crap! Completely forgot Tangradi. He played a solid game. He does some small things like crashing corners and being physical. Where he messes up is when he doesn't keep his feet moving. He needs to keep grinding in the corners and come back to the defensive side.
Outside of that, good showing by the big dog.
There's promise there, and I'm sure there will be improvement. Question with him is the same as I've got with Dupuis: Is he the guy you want with Geno when the playoffs come? That's the ultimate frame through which I'm going to evaluate Tangradi.
I dunno, if you look at how we were matching their lines it worked out pretty well. I'm sure spending 2 minutes in the box at the end didn't help much either.
I'll also say it is interesting how split everyone is about Tangradi today.
Question: How many of the people complaining today about Sid having no helped ****** at me for saying Sid needs a RW, that Dupuis is fine for the regular season but he and Kunitz are both third wheels?
I don't think anyone would disagree Sid could use an upgrade to his RW. It wasn't just today's performance that sparked the commentary. I've been lamenting it for a while. Kunitz should be the third wheel on a line, not the best winger on a line.
- Tangradi. Dude is lost out there. I'll give him another game, but if he performs like he does today against the Rangers, do we see a very quick Bennett call up?
Only if you want to be totally illogical and see somebody who's even more lost in the NHL in the NHL.
Agree on Tangradi. He needs to continue to get ice time with his line. His play picked up every period and he had some noticeable hustle/positional plays in the 3rd.
Jeffrey didn't play that bad. Crosby did the exact same "horrible" pass across the middle. Everyone had a bad play or two.
Niskanen is a top 4 D-man. May take some more games for people to be convinced, but I hope we keep him and find a way to sell high on Martin and bring in a top 4 crease clearer.
Sid starts slow and is gonna be rusty. But I hope Shero sees what that line looks like when Sid isn't going all out. No excuse to not have an upgrade on his line come postseason.
Neal/Geno look dangerous. Hopefully Tangradi builds on that 3rd period.
I really wish I wasn't heading into work in an hour.
I can't even remember the last time I watched a Pens-Flyers game completely sober.
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“The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile, but that it is indifferent. If we can come to terms with this indifference and accept the challenges of life within the boundaries of death, our existence as a species can have genuine meaning and fulfillment. However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light.” - Stanley Kubrick
I don't think anyone would disagree Sid could use an upgrade to his RW. It wasn't just today's performance that sparked the commentary. I've been lamenting it for a while. Kunitz should be the third wheel on a line, not the best winger on a line.
I know that I wasn't alone on that one. Definitely need an upgrade.
Still hopeful with Tangradi, but that one may (I think 'will', but I'll reserve judgment) need an upgrade.
I'll say this again, having watched Geno last year and this first game. There's a noticeable difference in his defensive play. I haven't seen him backtrack on the play and protect his net like that since the cup year. And, frankly, while the explosiveness wasn't there and there weren't a ton of chances, I thought he never really tried to force anything. As I wrote earlier, I think Paul Maurice's influence shows, and that's a good thing.
Yay for group think! Since one person said a player was bad that means it must be true. I mean he had two bad plays, so of course that negates anything else he did in the game!
I'm surprised people are saying it was a crappy game (quality). It really wasn't bad for a regular season game. That's what I expect at the beginning of the year. I didn't think it was too poor for a regular season game. The chemistry was off.. but the quality was still pretty good.
Also a great comment made on the last page about the Pens staying out of the antics of the Flyers. There was no frustration.
Yay for group think! Since one person said a player was bad that means it must be true. I mean he had two bad plays, so of course that negates anything else he did in the game!
What? If anything, there's a pretty healthy divergence of opinion here today, aside from the universal Sutter love.
If Tangradi hasn't started putting up numbers by the 15-20 games then waive some one & bring up Bennett or try DJ, maybe even Megna. Until then let's see what he can do & finally find out what we have in him or don't have in him. Right now Paul Martin is our leading scorer so lets agree it was one game either way.
Interesting seeing the comments on Tangradi, very polarizing. Wonder if everyone is being objective, or rolling knee deep in some confirmation bias.
I'm probably one of the least pro Tangradi people here but even I want to give him at least 10 or so games before I'm ready to start leaning towards changing that line.
I do think by the end of the season Bennett will be up and playing in the top six, or Ray will bring in a rental.
He never played on the first PP unit. But Giroux misses him five on five, imo. Jagr draws attention. He's probably not even better than Brayden Schenn at this point, but he makes Giroux better.
But no, Jagr wasn't a PP factor last year. The five guys they put out there today were the usual first unit for them last year. Jagr used to play with Briere and JVR and the rest of the second unit.
