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Jason Mackey's Penguins chat: 3.21.19
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Jason Mackey
2:01
Hi folks. Welcome to my Thursday chat. Thanks for participating. Let's get started. FYI, we're going to have a hard cap at 3; I have some copy to turn around. So I'm going to avoid answering questions that have already been answered. Hope you understand.
LordDale
2:01
How long is Malkin & Reece gonna be out ?
Jason Mackey
2:02
Malkin is week-to-week, ZAR longer-term. They're expected back by the postseason. I do not believe either is skating at this time.
Popa
2:02
Kessel's gone 24 games without a 5v5 goal. It's been 28 for Hornqvist. No goals for the fourth line in 19 games. Does this team have enough scoring depth to make a run even if Malkin comes back?
Jason Mackey
2:03
Not with those numbers, Popa. They might win a round like that, not much more. Even with Malkin back, that's too many passengers to make a run. That said, they have capable people. But they have to get more five-on-five from those guys, and they have to get the occasional contribution from the fourth line.
Jeremy/ Springfield,Mo
2:03
So are the pens ever going to get out of this slump? And the coughing up game tying goals with under a minute is really driving me nuts.
Jason Mackey
2:03
I think they will. I think they're gonna be OK. But I hear ya. As a fan, I'm sure it's maddening right now. I just have a hard time seeing this team, with what it's been through, with what's at stake, failing to rise to the challenge here.
Mike
2:03
Do you have a feel of the overall vibe the penguins have about everyone getting back healthy for the playoffs?
Jason Mackey
2:04
The vibe is that they expect to have everyone back. I also think there's a vibe -- confidence, something -- of feeling like they're going to be just fine playoff time.
Rob
2:04
Hi JM, big fan of the Post-Gazette's Penguins coverage all the way from St. John's, Newfoundland.  When Mike Sullivan took over as HC he seemed to instill in the team a level of composure vis-a-vis the referees that it previously lacked.  Does it appear to you that the team is losing/has lost that composure?  Are the Pens re-acquiring (assuming they ever lost it) a reputation among the officials for being whiny/disrespectful?
Jason Mackey
2:05
Hi Rob, you bring up a good point. I don't know about acquiring a reputation, but I do think they yap more than they used to. Just last game, look at Crosby and Letang. That stuff doesn't happen on March 19, 2016. Sullivan would've put an end to it. I think they need to stop worrying about the officials so much, right or wrong, and just play. Feel like someone should coin that phrase.
Syl Apps
2:05
I've always been struck by how professional the pens are in post-game comments, even after they lose and are expressing frustration.  How much of this is attributable to the example set by Sid, who is clearly seething at times but is unfailingly polite? Considering how good they seem to be in answering questions from the media, is it challenging to get a sense of when to not push too far? I really can't think of the last blowup by someone in the locker room.  Thanks.
Jason Mackey
2:06
I think some of it is Sid, but I also think it's attribute to the Penguins employing good people -- regardless of what you think about how they play hockey -- and also the culture of the sport. There's not a single Big Chest in the entire league. It's one of the reasons I (and others) love it so much. They're frustrated, sure. But hockey players are a different breed of professional athlete.
Mike
2:06
When Olli Maatta is healthy who is the odd man out on defense?
Jason Mackey
2:08
When everyone is healthy ... two points. ... It looks like it could be Maatta, honestly. He was full go today -- and not in the lineup. I think you could see Sullivan potentially play matchups, using Gudbranson against more physical teams, or go 11/7, though he has always hated 11/7. ... I think they can kick the can for one more game, but probably Saturday in Dallas they'll have to make a legit decision. Tonight could have a lot to do with who's scratched.
Hairyest True-man
2:08
Why hasn't Dominik Simon ever been mentioned in discussions of possible fourth-line centers, despite having been a successful center for WBS?
Jason Mackey
2:08
Sullivan has said a few times that he doesn't view as an NHL center. You can disagree -- and probably do. But the coach likes his playmaking ability on the wing more.
Guest
2:08
What’s gonna happen to Olli? Will he come back in the lineup? Is he gonna be traded this summer? The defense seems to have held up well and it seems like they can move on from him.
Jason Mackey
2:09
First part: It's TBD. They also might juggle. ... Same for his status. Let the season play out (I know that's hard, that we all have to have answers now.) That will dictate whether he's actually traded. I know this: GMJR will likely move a defenseman over the summer. Olli is in the conversation of guys who are candidates.
Guest
2:09
What do you think the terms on the ZAR and Pettersson extensions will look like?
Jason Mackey
2:10
Too early to accurately predict anything there, but they're not going to be bank-breaking.
Guest
2:10
Olli Maatta: traded or no by July 1st?
Jason Mackey
2:10
My gut says no, but I wouldn't rule anything out.
Frank
2:10
Would it be wise for the Pens to seek to trade some of their above-30 players with limited no-movement clauses before having to protect them in the next expansion draft?
Jason Mackey
2:11
Yes. And I think you will see them do that this summer, although I don't think it's as much related to the expansion draft as it is trying to skew younger and sustain their championship window with the right guys and cheaper contracts.
GSMP
2:11
Is Juuso Riikola's demotion a sign team has lost faith in him or a case of Zach Troutman passing him on the depth chart?
Jason Mackey
2:12
They haven't lost faith in him, No. 1. But Trotman has played very well. Riikola can go to WBS and work on stuff. They like that. I think they have a pretty good idea what type of player Trotman is and can be. With Riikola, I think he's still figuring out who he is over here. So, Trotman has passed him, but I think there's a bit of an asterisk attached to it.
AB420
2:12
Do you think Dumo only thought the hit from Simmonds was clean because he can't remember it all that well due to being concussed by such a dirty hit.
Jason Mackey
2:12
No. I think someone probably showed him the same camera angle I saw, which honestly absolves Simmonds. They should release it.
Stephan
2:12
What do you expect the Dcore to look like going into next season? Are we going to move Maatta?
Jason Mackey
2:12
It's too early to tell, honestly.
Christian
2:12
Hi Jason, what is wrong with Phil? Is it his conditioning, his age? He doesn’t look confident and isn’t playing with assertiveness. He loses a lot of 1 on 1 battles and is a turnover machine. He looks nothing like the player he was 2-3 years ago.
Jason Mackey
2:15
I think there's a couple things going on with Phil. One, confidence. It's lacking. He's mentally twisted up right now instead of playing instinctual hockey. Two, I think he's in a spot -- maybe it's age, maybe it's not -- where he's not getting as much separation as he used to, thus he's not shooting as much. I think he needs to get over that ... or do whatever he has to do to shoot more. It's not conditioning, I don't think. And c'mon, when he was producing, how many one-on-one battles was Phil winning? He's a goal-scorer. There's a problem because he's not scoring goals, which is fair. But I'm not about to start questioning his board work or something like that.
guest
2:15
Hi Jason, it has been a very frustrating roll coaster year to be a Pens fan.  I think it best to just accept they are one of many above average teams that will not get past Wash or Tampa.   Too many things to correct to right the ship.
Jason Mackey
2:15
I think it's too early to make that sort of determination. Also, how many "fans" just say, "Welp, they stink. I'm done." C'mon now.
guest
2:15
It was interesting watching the Philly game in that it never seemed to get nasty or too physical.  Do you attribute that to Simmonds being gone from that team and he was the route cause of alot of the nastiness?
Jason Mackey
2:16
I don't think so. I think Philly knew it needed that game to keep its playoff hopes alive, and any sort of stupidity would only take away from that. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself.
Matt in Cleveland
2:16
When Matta returns, doesn't he have to replace a left hander (Petterson most likley) since the right/left combos have seemed to stabilized the D?
Jason Mackey
2:17
He could. It depends on how Sullivan wants to construct his six. I think he likes having everyone on their strong sides, but I don't think he's married to it, either. I think he'd rather have his best six on the ice.
Matt in Cleveland
2:17
Do the Pens and/or the Pens Media have an NCAA pool?
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