My notes from this season.

The Good: 1st line (with and without Jake), Eller, Ned, Pettersson, St Ivany and Shea pairing, BJC (the fact that he is gone after this season)
The Meh: Ek & Letang underwhelmed and underperformed, Geno & Rakell also.
The Bads: Coaching, 2nd line, R. Smith, Jarry, Coaching, special teams (PP not producing while giving up shorties), everything after regulation time, Coaching.

Let's see what happens in the offseason ... they made it fun to watch over the last couple of weeks but in the end dug too deep of a hole for themselves.

Right. How many of us were saying early in the season that the PP was going to cost them a playoff spot if it's not fixed. Sully would swap out a player or two, but no real change in scheme. I think it's shocking it came down to the last couple games of the season with a PP this bad. Just goes to show you how bad some of these other teams are.

All season long, the Pens had opportunities to add to leads or tie a game with 3rd period PP's and they almost NEVER got it done.
- madmike71

Oh we all beat that dead horse often...because it was true and we had nightly reminders of it. Yes, we can look at other stuff like the bottom 6 not scoring, even though they were scored on much less than the season before, but there was many f'n games lost by one goal they were 0 for something on the PP and in quite few of those actually were scored on while on PP haha. Not fit.

My notes from this season.

The Good: 1st line (with and without Jake), Eller, Ned, Pettersson, St Ivany and Shea pairing, BJC (the fact that he is gone after this season)
The Meh: Ek & Letang underwhelmed and underperformed, Geno & Rakell also.
The Bads: Coaching, 2nd line, R. Smith, Jarry, Coaching, special teams, everything after regulation time.

Let's see what happens in the offseason ... they made it fun to watch over the last couple of weeks but in the end dug too deep of a hole for themselves.
- chimpira

Pretty good summary. Though I am more critical of Jarry than anyone here, I would say he was Meh. He is what he is, a regular season goalie that will do well when fresh and there is limited pressure on him. He was solid to start the season and then he did what he always does.

I would add Dubas to the bad category. The Jake trade certainly looks good seeing how Bunting was able to jump Malkin but he had a bad offseason and enabled the worst case scenario AGAIN... bad enough to miss the playoffs but not bad enough to get a good draft pick. He either needed to do something early to spur the team or totally sell out earlier to give young guys a look and potentially tank. Would have preferred he did something positive early in the year of course.

Pens this season are:

12th goals allowed
9th in PK
13th in 5 on 5 xGF%
11th in 5 on 5 HDSC%
12th in 5 on 5 CF%

Thats all playoff team material.


31st in PP

Flyers are 32nd in PP....both of those teams are in the playoffs with an average PP. Its crazy.
- MattStrat

I think saying we were 31st on the PP is generous, since it doesn't account for the SH against. In terms of net GF we were 32nd, i.e. dead last at only +26. Our PK was decent at -38, but not enough to make up for the worst PP in the league.

Pretty good summary. Though I am more critical of Jarry than anyone here, I would say he was Meh. He is what he is, a regular season goalie that will do well when fresh and there is limited pressure on him. He was solid to start the season and then he did what he always does.

I would add Dubas to the bad category. The Jake trade certainly looks good seeing how Bunting was able to jump Malkin but he had a bad offseason and enabled the worst case scenario AGAIN... bad enough to miss the playoffs but not bad enough to get a good draft pick. He either needed to do something early to spur the team or totally sell out earlier to give young guys a look and potentially tank. Would have preferred he did something positive early in the year of course.
- MacPatty

I was willing to give Dubas a pass this year. He tried to make the roster better and I think on paper, he definitely succeeded (I really didn't like the long-term Jarry contract). I think the stubbornness of the Coach and arrogance/lack of self-awareness from some of the players handcuffed some of the progress.

I think saying we were 31st on the PP is generous, since it doesn't account for the SH against. In terms of net GF we were 32nd, i.e. dead last at only +26. Our PK was decent at -38, but not enough to make up for the worst PP in the league.
- MickV

Fair enough.

Pretty good summary. Though I am more critical of Jarry than anyone here, I would say he was Meh. He is what he is, a regular season goalie that will do well when fresh and there is limited pressure on him. He was solid to start the season and then he did what he always does.

I would add Dubas to the bad category. The Jake trade certainly looks good seeing how Bunting was able to jump Malkin but he had a bad offseason and enabled the worst case scenario AGAIN... bad enough to miss the playoffs but not bad enough to get a good draft pick. He either needed to do something early to spur the team or totally sell out earlier to give young guys a look and potentially tank. Would have preferred he did something positive early in the year of course.
- MacPatty

Im happy to hand over that pick this season. Doesn't bother one bit.

Anyone watching the playoffs? What teams are you guys rooting for? I imagine some are going to be pulling for the Canes because Jake Shakes.

Anyone watching the playoffs? What teams are you guys rooting for? I imagine some are going to be pulling for the Canes because Jake Shakes.
- chimpira

The Canes are the only team in the playoffs in the East that I don't hate. Out west, there are a lot of very good teams and story lines, though unlikely I'd stay up late for most of those games (until the finals).

Anyone watching the playoffs? What teams are you guys rooting for? I imagine some are going to be pulling for the Canes because Jake Shakes.
- chimpira

Of course I'm watching stress and anxiety free playoff hockey hahaha...the Pens cup runs, and even years with 1st and 2nd round exits, have taken years off my life.

So for me Id like to see one of the Canadian teams get it done, preferably the Oilers or Leafs. Leafs because they are the one of the, if not most, deserving fans bases in all of pro sports of a championship IMO...its been a looooong time for them. Not to mention so many of my family and close friends are diehard Leafs fans. I really like Matthews as a player as well. Oilers because of McDavid, would like to see him win it.

I've never really minded the Canes and they now have Jake and stipulations with us for getting to the finals. So, a 2006 cup rematch would be okay with me.

Im happy to hand over that pick this season. Doesn't bother one bit.
- MattStrat

It's not the end of the world, but if we are going to miss the playoffs this season, it would have been nice to have a top 10 pick as an asset to improve the roster for next year. Think we still have a lottery chance to get a top 5 but obviously not good odds.

Would have been happy to give it away if we were in the playoffs.

First month of October with over 50% brand new roster they went like 3-9 is a killer here too.
- MattStrat

I might roll with that excuse if there problems at the start of the year got better. But they did not.
The same problems from the October games were the same problems from the December-March games. Blowing leads, PP, short handed goals, high risk - low reward turnovers, inconsistent play from period to period, Graves, Smith, the depth, 3 on 3, the break outs, steady net front presence, Geno scoring like 1 goal in 20 something games, etc…. These problems lasted all year not just October.
Not to mention, Dubas did absolutely nothing all year (mid season) to attempt to kick start them when it was clear there were holes.

I was willing to give Dubas a pass this year. He tried to make the roster better and I think on paper, he definitely succeeded (I really didn't like the long-term Jarry contract). I think the stubbornness of the Coach and arrogance/lack of self-awareness from some of the players handcuffed some of the progress.
- chimpira

I want to feel the same way. The Karlsson trade to me is a debatable result, all of the guys we traded away have had good years (coaching?). Jarry, Accari & Graves deals were really bad.

More than any of that, and maybe out of his control, he is also responsible for the coaching of the team which was an abject failure by every measure. If we had better coaching, some of those moves might have worked out better.

I might roll with that excuse if there problems at the start of the year got better. But they did not.
The same problems from the October games were the same problems from the December-March games. Blowing leads, PP, short handed goals, high risk - low reward turnovers, inconsistent play from period to period, Graves, Smith, the depth, 3 on 3, the break outs, steady net front presence, Geno scoring like 1 goal in 20 something games, etc…. These problems lasted all year not just October.
Not to mention, Dubas did absolutely nothing all year (mid season) to attempt to kick start them when it was clear there were holes.
- pens4life-66

They went 8-4-1 in November and 7-4-1 in December. There were stretches of times they were playing so well after it turned 2024 people were in here saying they could see them doing damage in the playoffs and winning rounds...but yes, the PP never did improve.

October and the lull around losing their top 2 wingers for a period then trading away one did real damage. Just one more win and OT loss and they're in the playoffs hahah

They went 8-4-1 in November and 7-4-1 in December. There were stretches of times they were playing so well after it turned 2024 people were in here saying they could see them doing damage in the playoffs and winning rounds...but yes, the PP never did improve.

October and the lull around losing their top 2 wingers for a period then trading away one did real damage. Just one more win and OT loss and they're in the playoffs hahah
- MattStrat

Nowhere did I say they didn’t have stretches of good play… I’m saying it wasn’t an October only excuse when people try and use the chemistry excuse this was all season long.
October: 3-6-0
November: 8-4-1 PP% 9.4
December: 7-3-3

January: 4-4-3 PP% 12.2 PK% 74% (worst month for PK)
February: 5-5-1 (Jake hurt Feb 14th game played entire game) (Rust hurt Feb 25th)
***In February they were 1-3 with Jake and Rust***

March: 5-8-3
April: 6-1-1

Pretty consistently inconsistent with the worst 2 power play months coming in November and January (with Jake and Rust) These same problems lasted all year. Overall, the health was pretty damn good all year. Every team is gonna have some injuries and they will have injuries next season.