Getting to Know the Penguins - Five Questions with Pensburgh

by Ben Rothenberg on Oct 1, 2009 9:00 AM EDT in Features

While the Keystone State's two NHL franchises don't always get along so well, the Flyers and Penguins communities here at SB Nation are a model of cordiality and cooperation.

With that spirit of brotherly love in mind, FrankD of Pensburgh and I asked each other five questions each to get a look into how things are going on the other side of Pennsylvania. You can (and should) read all ten questions and answers after the jump.

Broad Street Hockey's Questions for PensBurgh:

1. True or false: The Flyers were the toughest opponent the Penguins faced in the East on their way to the Cup.

"Toughest" is open to interpretation. If by toughest you mean references to fistacuffs, hits, scrums, etc. then yes, the Flyers were the toughest team the Penguins played. However if by toughest you mean hardest to play against, I'd have to give the nod to Washington. Although Pens fans generally despise both fan bases, I think Washington put up the biggest fight to bring the series to seven games.

2. How would the end of last season have been different if Michel Therrien had stayed at the helm? Would the turn around have been possible without the coaching change? Or was the bigger difference the addition of Guerin and Kunitz?

I really don't think the Pens would've won the Cup if Therrien was still around. Shero might have made moves for Guerin and Kunitz regardless, but who's to say Guerin wouldn't have considered another team with a better chance of winning it all? With Therrien the Pens could've maybe, maybe squeaked into the playoffs at the eight seed. But really the coaching change was necessary. At that point in the season, far out of the race and looking for a spark, it's hard to rally the team around a coach who many claim "lost the locker room." Bring Dan Bylsma on board and giving the team a fresh place to lift off from really worked wonders. That much was evident after the first round when Pittsburgh extended a contract to Bylsma, more or less expressing their interest in keeping him on board regardless of the overall outcome. Of course the overall outcome only made that decision look all the more prophetic.

3. Do you think there will ever come a point where the Penguins won't have the cap room to keep both Malkin and Crosby?

I don't think finding room for those guys will ever be a problem. As long as there isn't some sort of blow up or reason for the guy looking to test the market, I really can't see how or why they'd choose to leave Pittsburgh. I mean, in the past a guy like Jaromir Jagr WANTED to test free agency, so anything is possible. But given the current situation, the chemistry with the team and the overall success I can't see any reason right now. Besides, the Penguins will likely give them any asking price.

4. As a percentage, what are the odds the Penguins win the Atlantic division this year? They've only done it once since realignment.

I'm not concerned about seeing the Pens win the division. They didn't win it last year and still won the Conference and Cup. I say bring on low expectations from pundits and so-called experts. Pittsburgh defied the odds once already and plays better in those kinds of situations.

5. The Penguins have not been a particularly popular pick to repeat even as champions of the East, with the Flyers, Caps, and Bruins all getting picked more by the so-called experts. Why do you think that is, and do you think the Penguins should be considered the favorites to make it back to the finals?

Everyone will reference the "hangover" and such that is supposed to make this season seem like the Pens are skating through sludge. But you know what? That was the same reasoning behind Pittsburgh's not-so-hot start last season. A lot of commentary even around the all-star break continued to focus on Pittsburgh trying to recover from the hangover. Then what? They turned everything around, although not without a dramatic coaching change and a move at the deadline.

The odds are stacked against them. Like I said in the previous question, that doesn't even seem to be a consideration for the team or fans. And hey, the East is strong. Not much has changed in the conference with regards to these four teams that would make you think either will suffer or do worse this year than last. Pittsburgh is relatively unchanged, Philly added a punch, Washington will now potentially start with the goaltender who carried them through the playoffs and Boston, minus Kessel, can still match with the others. It's going to be an interesting year.

PensBurgh's Questions for Broad Street Hockey:

1. Lets get right to it. Ray Emery and Chris Pronger - the answer?

They're certainly an answer. Emery is a goalie with a great playoff track record, which is what the Flyers needed. Pronger is obviously a beast--a shutdown d-man, which is something every team can use more of. His vocal veteran leadership will be a huge help to this team, as will his offensive presence. For how scoring the offense was, the Flyers D had been seriously offensively-challenged. The double-digit goals Pronger should bring to the table will certainly be appreciated.

2. Last season Philly posted six different 25-or-more goal scorers - Jeff Carter (46), Simon Gagne (34), Mike Richards and Scott Hartnell (30), Mike Knuble (27) and Joffrey Lupul (25) - no doubt an impressive showing. With Knuble and Lupul signing elsewhere in the offseason, do you think Philly has two guys who can step it up and replace them or will this be an area where the Flyers might struggle?

Philly absolutely has two guys who can replace Lupul and Knuble in Daniel Briere and Claude Giroux, two guys who both saw limited ice last year. I'm pretty sure Briere and Giroux will combine for more than Knuble and Lupul's 52. Mika Pyorala has also been incredible in the preseason, so he might well break 20 as well. This is a case of the rich staying rich.

3. In your honest opinion, are the Flyers a better team on paper this season than last?

I'd say yes, but not by a whole lot. Losing Mike Knuble sucked, because he was a gritty veteran guy who got a lot of huge garbage goals. Losing him to Washington sucks even more, because he's exactly what they needed offensively down there. But Pronger, a healthy Briere, and a clear starter in Emery make this a better team this year than last. And they were pretty damn good last year.

4. Why is it that whenever the Flyers make a move (Pronger specifically here) it's seen as a deterrent to Pittsburgh? It's not like you guys play the Pens 82 games a year.

Every team uses some other team as a measuring stick. Some use the Stanley Cup Champ, some use their biggest rival, and some use the team who knocked them out of the playoffs the year before. The Penguins are all three of those for the Flyers, so it's no wonder that's who the Flyers are always compared to. Makes a lot more sense than saying "those Islanders better watch out for Pronger."

5. I guess on that similar note, for two-straight seasons Pittsburgh bounced Philly from the playoffs (as if you needed a reminder). Some would argue Pronger was brought in as a guy who can prevent that from happening again. Discuss.

Pronger will make the Flyers better against everybody, which includes the Penguins, for sure. The Flyers were a blown three-goal lead from forcing a Game 7 against Pittsburgh last year, so I don't necessarily think they needed a big move to be able to beat them this year. Pronger should be effective in shutting down Crosby and Malkin, sure, but also Ovechkin, Gaborik, Tavares, Kovalchuk, or whoever else comes his way. 76 of the Flyers games this year will be against teams that aren't Pittsburgh, so I don't think that move (or any move) was made with one opponent in mind.

Poll

How many games will the Flyers win against Penguins this regular season?

0 or 1

30 votes

2 or 3

93 votes

4 or 5

127 votes

All 6, Baby

42 votes

292 votes | Poll has closed

Tweet Comment 16 comments | 0 recs |

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Comments

Nice work Ben. And you thought you needed help. Psh.

Broad Street Hockey -
Makin' it look mean since 1967.

by Geoff Detweiler on Oct 1, 2009 9:16 AM EDT reply actions

Thanks guys for the fair and balanced treatment. Good articles on both sides.

And Geoff…even Drexel ladies like to get off first! It’s not my fault you only think of yourself!! :)

by Ulf Murphy on Oct 1, 2009 9:57 AM EDT reply actions

Bringin it over here? Psh… Now I’m pretty sure you just meant Pens fans get off the bandwagon first.

Broad Street Hockey -
Makin' it look mean since 1967.

by Geoff Detweiler on Oct 1, 2009 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions

I’m not exactly sure how to take that comment, but I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to be offended…

by DragonGirl0583 on Oct 1, 2009 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions

I think a more pertinent poll would’ve been:

“How many games will the Flyers win against the Pens in the postseason?”

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on Oct 1, 2009 12:05 PM EDT reply actions

That would assume you chumps make the playoffs ;)

The Daily Forehand -- SB Nation's Tennis Destination.
Broad Street Hockey.

by Ben Rothenberg on Oct 1, 2009 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions

Same can be said of Philly

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on Oct 1, 2009 2:42 PM EDT up reply actions

What is it with douchebags with D in their name?

Nah, I’m pretty sure that the Pens staff will decide they’d like another first rounder and tank during the regular season again.

by BroadStreetBully on Oct 1, 2009 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Been there, done that. Of course Pittsburgh also had the NHL fix that lottery for them, so really it doesn’t matter, right?

And finally, someone decoded what the D in my name really means. It’s about time.

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on Oct 1, 2009 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Same can be said of anyone, really.

If a team is beset by a rash of injuries to star players, they’re up the creek sans paddle. I don’t care how good they are.

Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?

by mikefive on Oct 2, 2009 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Easy!

Four!

Assuming we face each other in the playoffs again, the series will take all 7 games regardless of who wins.

Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?

by mikefive on Oct 2, 2009 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions

I am not sold on Bylsma to be honest. I mean I know they gave him the extension and you can’t take away the fact that, in the end, Bylsma was behind the bench for the Penguins when they won the Cup. However, I’d like to go back to the Penguins first half of last year.

Apparently Therrien lost control of the locker room but I heard a lot of rumors about certain players bitching and whining about Therrien and how the team eventually turned against him, in a sense. It seemed like they were playing badly and the players ended up scapegoating Therrien for their poor play. Am I recalling that incorrectly? Why was that?

Now my second question is, how much of a difference does Bylsma really make? Was the Penguin’s second half success because Bylsma changed the system drastically as opposed to what Therrien had them doing or was it the fact that he was a new coach with some different ideas and once they got rid of Therrien, the Penguins decided to start to play hockey again. I guess what I am getting at is do the Penguins have motivation issues? And what is stopping them from throwing another temper tantrum and blaming it on Bylsma if they play poorly?

Then again, it’s not like coaching is the Flyers strong point.

by Mitchell Green on Oct 1, 2009 7:57 PM EDT reply actions

Solid points. It’s true that Bylsma hasn’t really faced much adversity as head coach in Pittsburgh, and it will happen eventually.

There is something very important to be said about the turn around they had when he stepped in though. Of course, you also could argue that any change in coach would’ve taken the weight off and allowed them to do what they did.

I’m intrigued to see how Bylsma responds to pressure, for sure.

Broad Street Hockey - SB Nation's Philadelphia Flyers Blog. Makin' it look mean since 1967.

by Travis Hughes on Oct 1, 2009 8:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Bylsma ostensibly installed a system which played to the Penguins’ strengths. They could score, so Bylsma focused on offense. I’m sure that helped.

I definitely noticed a difference in the Penguins as the season wore on. They played a lot better, and some credit has to go to Bylsma for that.

FrankD, if you’re still looking at this thread, how would you define Bylsma’s coaching style? Additionally, how would you describe Crosby’s “captaining” style? For example, Mike Richards has been described as the quiet, inwardly intense, lead-by-example kind of guy. I saw Malkin as Richards-esque (but having more fun) late in the season and in the playoffs, and quite frankly I think he should be the Penguins’ captain. But maybe Crosby has a good rapport with the guys, or maybe he’s got some other leadership skills which are not immediately apparent.

I ask about the captaincy in connection to what flyrsfrk05 heard about Mutiny in the Locker Room. In 2002, former Flyer captain Keith Primeau was seen as the main force driving then-coach Bill Barber out of town, as we had our own Mutiny in the Locker Room back then. I wonder if Crosby is seen the same way in Pittsburgh – assuming there actually WAS mutiny.

Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?

by mikefive on Oct 2, 2009 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions

From what I’ve seen/read, Bylsma is a players’ coach. I mean, having played not too long ago in the league is still has a pretty good grasp on the whole atmosphere and can really relate with the players. He keeps things loose but also uses that as an opportunity to get some heads to turn when he lays down the hammer.

Crosby is similar to Richards in that respect. He’s not a boisterous, outspoken sorta guy. Taking the team on his shoulders and leading by example is exactly his style. Guys like Guerin are more apt to step it up in the locker room and get more vocal. As a vet he can really get the room’s attention and rally them around whatever issue is at hand.

Maybe one day Malkin can contend for a captaincy position somewhere, but right now his language barrier is still an issue. He’s coming along quite well though I might add. Two seasons ago he could barely introduce himself. Now he’s cracking jokes and saying whatever’s on his mind. In due time.

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on Oct 2, 2009 8:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Even as a Pens fan it’s hard to say if Bylsma was really the catalyst to the turnaround last season. I think the act of removing Therrien was more the factor than anything else. Therrien did, in fact, lose that locker room. It was so obvious just through interviews with players that they just lacked that fire every team/player has when they’re winning or driven to win.

So really, perhaps any coach could’ve come in and turned things around. Maybe it was just as much a Therrien dismissal as it was a Bylsma hiring, if not more.

Now as far as differences go, coaching wise, Therrien was getting way too conservative with guys like Malkin and Crosby. He was keeping them bottled up and started utilizing the trap defense. Even at the time I said that defensive scheme wouldn’t work with the Pens. They’re not a defense-first sorta team. They have to score and keep scoring. Simply put, and as stupid as this sounds, they win by out-scoring the opponent, not by containing them. So when Bylsma came on board and let those guys loose, it was really like night and day. He knew how to use them and used them the way any coach should when he has two players like that. After that, with those two guys cranking it out, the rest of the team followed and the run really began.

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on Oct 2, 2009 8:57 PM EDT up reply actions