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Matt Vensel's Penguins chat: 08.03.20
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Matt Vensel
10:06
Morning, Pens fans. It's a hockey night in Pittsburgh and I'm pumped to talk hockey with yinz this morning. We'll get today's PG morning skate chat started at 11. But feel free to leave your questions now.
10:59
Alright. The queue is crammed with questions. Let's get going.
Joe
10:59
Matt, Murray played well overall the first game. But between the Canadiens forecheck and the bad ice, isn’t there a very good argument that Jarry and his excellent puck handling skills would help the Pens exit their zone much better and that he should be playing instead?
Matt Vensel
11:01
Joe, I agree that Murray was OK the other night. He has to do a better job of controlling rebounds but he made some big saves and none of those goals were softies, IMO. I see no reason to make a change now and I doubt Mike Sullivan does either. To your point about the Montreal forecheck, I actually think they handled that alright. Certainly better than they did against Philly in the exhibition tune-up.
Guest
11:02
Matt, Why does Geno look bored? To me he seems a little slow to act when the puck is nearby.
Matt Vensel
11:04
With due respect, I really don't understand the criticism of Evgeni Malkin from you and others. Yes, he is paid to produce and he didn't do that in Game 1. But his line was excellent early on, setting the tone for that dominant first period. That tapered off as the game went on but didn't he finish with eight shots? Seems to me like he was pretty assertive, at least offensively. I bet that line scores tonight.
Guest
11:05
Pens biggest problem is that they had zero physicality and can’t outmuscle the Habs for the puck. Where was the hitting? When they lose this series will anything change?
Matt Vensel
11:06
Look, this team is built on speed. They make no bones about that. And they shouldn't stray too far from their preferred style of play. They start doing that and they're done. Sure, there will be tough matchups against bigger teams in the playoffs. But they showed just a few years ago that they can lift the Cup playing this way.
GSMP
11:07
What, if any, lineup changes would you expect to see tonight?
Matt Vensel
11:09
Their practices in Toronto are closed to media and Sullivan declined to discuss potential lineup changes. He did stand up for the third defensive pair of Jack Johnson and Justin Schultz. And Patrick Marleau talked as if the third line is remaining intact. So I don't know if anyone is getting yanked from the lineup. We'll see around 7:30.
Tom in Dallas
11:10
Did we see anything Saturday that was unexpected?  The performance was inconsistent like a game in the first month of the season compared to playoff hockey in April.
Matt Vensel
11:12
Tom, I thought the team played pretty well other than the woeful power play. Yeah, there were some defensive breakdowns and they'll need to clean that up. And yeah, they need to get more bodies to the net. But if they keep playing like they did in Game 1, they should win this series unless Price continues to play out of his mind.
Guest
11:12
Pens didn’t learn from their playoff exit against the Isles did they? I really think Sullivan has been outcoached in this series like against Trotz. Why does he stubbornly refuse to play matchups when he has the last change?
Matt Vensel
11:15
Sorry, but it's been one game. So let's hold off on declaring that Sullivan has been "outcoached." As for the matchups, Sullivan has never been afraid to go strength against strength with the Crosby line and he strongly believes that this team needs to roll four lines to win, wearing down opponents with speed and the forecheck. That's his philosophy and he has two Cups on his resume as a result.
Guest
11:15
With all of the positivity coming from the pens after that loss gets me worried that they won’t be desperate enough in game 2.  Do you think that is just media speak and they are more worried than they are letting on?
Matt Vensel
11:16
I just think they believe they played pretty well other than the power play and can fix some things. Would you prefer they panic?
Joanne
11:17
Hi Matt,  After practicing yesterday; what to you think the Pens have changed on the Power Play?  Sure hope Horny is on the 1st PP unit.  Thanks.
Matt Vensel
11:19
Joanne, I would be surprised if Hornqvist isn't on the top power play tonight. It blew my mind that they tried pretty much everything in Game 1 and the exception was parking him in front of Carey Price. It was even more confounding when Sullivan said after that game that they needed to create more traffic. Beyond that, I think Bryan Rust needs to be on the top unit, at least part of the time. I know Sullivan wants to manage his minutes since Rust is a top-six winger now and an important penalty-killer. But they really need to get the power play going and he's probably the best option for the left circle.
David
11:19
Not a question:  Marino looked excellent.  Very calm and poised with the puck, and good positioning overall.
Matt Vensel
11:20
Agreed. The rookie was great. Excited to see what his ceiling is. If this is it, he's still a heck of a player and a steal for the Pens.
GSMP
11:20
How much does the ice surface degrade from the first game to third game of the day? Is it a noticable change?
Matt Vensel
11:21
Players around the league seem to be saying mixed things about it. I believe Justin Schultz said after Game 1 that it wasn't great.
David
11:22
As a follow up to my Hornqvist question, a diminished role for Sheary may be the result.  Maybe Rodrigues getting a sweater sooner than later (for Sheary)?  I feel he can make the 3rd line (as C) better if Hornqvist moves up to the top line and moving McCann to wing.
Matt Vensel
11:24
One lineup change I would consider is sitting down either Patrick Marleau or Jared McCann in favor of Evan Rodrigues. Let's see what he can do. It wouldn't be easy sitting down a respected veteran in Marleau, but winning should be the priority. Give him the night off, move McCann to the left wing and slot Rodrigues in at center. Plus, with another righty in there in Rodrigues, that gives Sullivan more flexibility to make additional changes in-game if the team comes out flat, such as flip-flopping Conor Sheary and Hornqvist.
Guest
11:25
Thoughts on Sheary on the first line? Can that line benefit more with a winger that has some grinding qualities?
Matt Vensel
11:26
I definitely see the logic behind that suggestion but I would give Sheary another shot. If he buries one of his many, many chances, the Pens win and the conversation is much different this morning.
Ln
11:26
Hi Matt ,  do you think there is too much for the pens to fix in order for them to turn it around ?  The pp, third line , needing more net front presence and a little more toughness .
Matt Vensel
11:28
I don't know if the Penguins will go on a deep run but I still think they win this series. Right now, it's about surviving after such a long layoff and hopefully figuring out some things in the process.
Tom in Dallas
11:28
Assuming the Pens rebound and win the series, I would think it's better to win a playin series that goes four or five games, verses a sweep in 3.  More real game time on the ice....   I think the teams that don't sweep will be better in the next round.  Agree?
Matt Vensel
11:29
Tom and I are on the same page here. Some adversity right out of the gate is a good thing for this team, assuming they survive it.
Guest
11:29
There was so much early talk about price being able to steal a series , do you think he is in the pens heads now ?
Matt Vensel
11:30
No. If they hit the net more often, pucks will get through Carey Price.
chrisv
11:30
Any thoughts on the idea that's been floated by a few folks to find a way for Lafferty, who looked great in scrimmages, to play? Perhaps bumping Marleau from the 3rd line?
Matt Vensel
11:32
I've had a few folks mention how great Sam Lafferty was in camp. Not to take anything away from the rookie, who did look good in the scrimmages, but consider that he was often matched up against minor-leaguers. He is certainly an option at right wing, not at center, but I wouldn't expect him to be a difference-maker.
sarah
11:33
Thanks for doing these gameday chats Matt! Haven't read any of the prior comments, but I have a few questions for you... Sid definitely does not look 100%, right? Given the compressed playoff schedule, probably no chance for him to get healthy and I don't really see us advancing out of this round or beyond without Sid being his usual impactful self (I know he scored, but he didn't seem to have his normal power in the corners and around the net)
Matt Vensel
11:35
Sarah, good observation. I think Sid has showed flashes in spurts but he was not a dominant force in either the exhibition or Game 1. That's something that not a lot of people are talking about. The Penguins will probably need peak Crosby to go all the way and it's fair to wonder if he can give them that if the core injury he was reportedly dealing with persists throughout the postseason.
Joe
11:36
Pens haven’t won a playoff game in two years. Doesn’t something have to change? They really looked like they lost confidence after Montreal took the lead
Guest
11:36
I think normalcy bias prevented the change needed after the Isles sweep. And Sheary and Marleau add what? Two ?'s
Matt Vensel
11:37
Guys, can we play more than one game before we start talking about sweeping changes? If the Pens get bounced by the Canadiens, I definitely encourage you to pop into another chat and remind me that you predicted it. But I need to see more than one overtime loss before I start writing the eulogy for the Crosby-Malkin era.
Guest
11:38
Hi Matt ,  that game was so disappointing but maybe we should have saw it coming after they didn’t look too good in the scrimmage .  Are you surprised that Sullivan didn’t tinker with the lines during the game like he so often does to get a spark ?
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