TIOPS Inside Buzz: 09 Comparisons Mounting for Penguins
TIOPS Inside Buzz Report *Rumblings, Musings, Opinions* 1. The comparisons to the 2009 Penguins are mounting for this Penguins hockey club. Even Dan Bylsma see’s some similarities. “I do. I do see a lot of similarities in how they’re playing and the way their team is playing,” Bylsma said via the Tribune-Review. “Frankly, that’s a little bit scary. Should be scary for a lot of people. “They’re playing with a ton of speed. They’re really testing teams with the length of which they play and the speed of which they play. Right now, you watch (Sidney Crosby) and (Kris Letang) play, pretty dominant performances they’re putting in on the ice.” The obvious similarity is with the coaching change of going
Penguins X’s & O’s: The process won out in come from behind victory over inferior Sabres
PENGUINS – SABRES X’S & O’s The Pittsburgh Penguins fell into a 3-0 hole in the first period against a bad Sabres team missing Evander Kane that played the night before. Sloppy play and mental breakdowns put the Penguins behind in the first period but the process won out in the Penguins getting a 5-4 shootout win over the Buffalo Sabres. Despite trailing 3-0 after twenty minutes, Pittsburgh held an 18-9 lead in shots and had a massive 22-6 edge in shot attempts 5 v 5 after one. The odds were strong of the Penguins making a game at least of it and they did as Pittsburgh stormed back in the second period with four second period goals. 1:28 Ben
Adding to Prospect Pool, Vesey/Pens, Sprong in plans for this season?
LATEST PENGUINS BUZZ 1. The Penguins added to their prospect pool today with the signing of St. Cloud defenseman Ethan Prow (5-11, 185). Prow a puck moving defenseman, fits the identity the Penguins are establishing with their blue-liners. Scouts have praised Prow’s offensive instincts, the ability to jump in the play and one area the Penguins really like about Prow in scouting him the last couple seasons is how smartly he pinches along the wall. That’s an important trait the Penguins are now seeking in defenseman they add. He’s pretty similar to Jeff Taylor, a seventh round pick of the Penguins in 2014 who the Penguins like. How much NHL upside Prow has remains to be seen. Many older undrafted
Hagelin Creating Chaos, The Week Ahead, Scouts Buzz on Pouliot
RANGERS COULD NOT HAVE IMAGINED HAGELIN WOULD BE BACK IN THE EAST SO SOON The New York Rangers determined in the summer Carl Hagelin wasn’t a $4 million a year player and they’re probably right that he isn’t, but the Rangers could not have imagined he’d end back in the Eastern Conference so quick as he did and with a rival they’ll likely meet for the third straight post-season. New York also gambled that getting a cheaper version of Hagelin in Emerson Etem, a player with excellent speed to go with a first-round pedigree would help ease the loss for the present and potentially be a more impactful player long-term. That obviously didn’t go as planned as the Rangers quickly
TIOPS Inside Buzz: Stallings Hire might be a tough sell but there’s still some intrigue about the hire
TIOPS INSIDE BUZZ *Rumblings, Musings, Opinions* 1. A young up and coming coach with Pittsburgh ties who coaches at Dayton had no interest in the job, showed immediately during the Panthers coach search of how the program is viewed. Pitt was never going to get a named coach like Sean Miller from Arizona that brought great excitement to the fan base but some had to at least hope Pitt would get the attention of his brother or a coach like him. They didn’t and some of this also isn’t Pitt’s fault as a program. Many coaches, notably some of the top young coaches, weren’t interested in the job because of who they have to compete with in the ACC, the
Penguins – Rangers X’s & O’s: Gap has been closed
PENGUINS – RANGERS X’s & O’s The Gap has closed. The Penguins earned their third straight victory of the season over the Rangers Sunday night with a 3-2 overtime win. Pittsburgh has not only removed the mental block that they can’t beat the Rangers, the Penguins have proven over the last month that they’ve closed the gap, with or without Evgeni Malkin, and that a Rangers – Penguins likely first round series is setting up what should be a 50/50 series. New York’s ability to keep the Penguins to the outside was Pittsburgh’s biggest problem in matching up against the Rangers in the past. That has started to change. What the Penguins have shown in the last three meetings is
Pitt officially tabs Kevin Stallings as new head coach
Kevin Stallings has been officially named the head coach of the University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball program. It was announced by Pitt Athletic Director Scott Barnes Sunday afternoon. “Coach Stallings and I share the same vision for Pitt — playing in the Final Four,” said Barnes in a released statement. “Kevin has a successful track record recruiting the ACC footprint and beyond, and is one of the best coaches in the country at building an offense around his talent. He plays a fun up-tempo style that players love and fans will enjoy. Kevin runs his program with impeccable character and has a high care factor and connection with his student-athletes. He is a Power Five conference coach whose experience and
Panthers down to two candidates in coaching search, negotiations heating up
The Pitt Panthers coaching search is reaching the final stages and increasing talk among Pitt boosters and university officials is that the school is confident of making an hire in the next 24-48 hours. Two candidates have now emerged as finalists with the process accelerating and negotiations intensifying.[hide] One is Vanderbilt’s Kevin Stallings who looks to be emerging as Pitt’s preferred candidate and is expected to be offered the job based on the university engaging into discussions with Vanderbilt about a buyout. Stallings, 55, has been at Vanderbilt for the last 17 years, reaching the NCAA Tournament just seven times during that span. Stallings has a record of 6-9 in the NCAA Tournament with no final four trips. A hiring
Penguins ability to provide major momentum swings stands out again in rout of Wings
MOMENTUM SWINGS, FINDING THAT NEXT LEVEL What has made the Penguins a much more dangerous teams than earlier in the season and even last year, is a lot of factors that have been talked about for weeks now, but the one element that could make them a tough out in a playoff series even without Evgeni Malkin is their ability to take their game to another level when they get a goal to climb back into a game or take control of a game. Pittsburgh has evolved into a team again that can be getting outplayed and can turn that switch on out of nowhere. Today’s thumping of the Detroit Red Wings, 7-2, saw Pittsburgh pounce on the Wings with
Big Weekend for Penguins, Fleury vs Mrazek today
PRE-GAME The Penguins embark on another weekend of back-to-back games and both are the typical four point swing games. What the Penguins need to avoid for the second straight season is going into the final day of the season needing a win to get in the playoffs. A regulation win vs the Red Wings (85 pts) this afternoon and Pittsburgh would go five points up on the Red Wings with eight games remaining, putting the Penguins in a strong position of avoiding the type of situation they were in last spring. A bad weekend for the Penguins and the script flips again for them with just over two weeks left in the regular season. It is also a big weekend