Pair at the Point: A Pittsburgh Penguins Podcast: Recent Episodes

The Faceoff Hockey Network

The Pittsburgh Penguins podcast of The Faceoff Hockey Network from a hockey obsessed couple. We rant and rave about the team's play, and break down relevant topics around the NHL.

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  1. The Penguins have acquired Rickard Rakell from the Ducks for Aston-Reese, Simon, a 2022 2nd Rounder, and Calle Clang.

  2. Scorer in, defensive forward out

  3. Trades around the league

  4. Fleury

  5. Giroux
  6. Chiarot

  7. Giordano

  8. Metropolitan Division

  9. Continues to get better

  10. Challenging path ahead for all teams in the Metro, East

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  1. Secondary scoring
  2. Trade Deadline rumors
  3. Mark Friedman v. Marcus Petterson 
  4. WBS call-ups and what that means for players like Kapanen and Simon

Follow us on Twitter: @PairAtThePoint
Pair at the Point Website: pairatthepoint.transistor.fm/
Follow The FHN: @theFHN
The FHN Website: thefhn.net

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  1. Crosby's 500th Goal
  2. Play of the Penguins top line
  3. Secondary scoring troubles and trade deadline rumors

Follow us on Twitter: @PairAtThePoint
Pair at the Point Website: pairatthepoint.transistor.fm/
Follow The FHN: @theFHN
The FHN Website: thefhn.net

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  1. Jake Guentzel turns it around
  2. Marcus Petterson's play
  3. Scoring needs from Kapanen and Zucker
  4. Jarry/DeSmith play so far

Follow us on Twitter: @PairAtThePoint
Pair at the Point Website: pairatthepoint.transistor.fm/
Follow The FHN: @theFHN
The FHN Website: thefhn.net

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  1. Analysis from the last four games.

  2. Panthers

  3. Blackhawks
  4. Stars

  5. Maple Leafs

  6. Standouts

  7. Players who have more to give.

Follow us on Twitter: @PairAtThePoint
Pair at the Point Website: pairatthepoint.transistor.fm/
Follow The FHN: @theFHN
The FHN Website: thefhn.net

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Pre-season Wrapped Up

  • Drew O'Connor not making the 23 man roster.
  • Brian Boyle contract

First Game Takeaways

  • No Crosby, Malkin, Guentzel, ZAR
  • Defensive play
  • Heinen's debut

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  1. Training Camp cuts
  2. Practice
    • Drills
    • Dump-in, puck retrieval, two-on-ones
    • Interesting Practice Combos
      • ZAR-Blueger-McGinn
      • Letang-Joseph
    • Interesting players
      • Drozg
  3. Scrimmage
    • Team Black vs. Team White
    • Lines
      • Zucker-Zohorna-Kapanen
      • Zucker-Rodrigues-Kapanen
      • Guentzal-Carter-Heinen
      • Boyle practicing with Rust
    • Defense
      • Marino
      • Matheson
    • Other players to mention
      • Poulin
      • Legare
      • Riikola
      • Lindberg
      • Bjorkqvist
  4. Preseason Game 1 - September 27 - Columbus
    • Roster Released

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  1. Development Camp Roster

  2. Offense

    • Justin Almeida (LW)
    • Raivis Ansons (LW)
    • Shaw Boomhower (LW)
    • Jonathan Gruden (C)
    • Filip Hallander (LW)
    • Sam Houde (C)
    • Nathan Legare (RW)
    • Kyle Olson (RW)
    • Sam Poulin (LW)
    • Valtteri Puustinen (RW)
    • Felix Robert (LW)
    • Lukas Svejkovsky (RW)
    • Josh Williams (RW)
  3. Defense
    • Niclas Almari
    • Isaac Belliveau
    • Cam Lee
    • Dylan MacPherson
    • Josh Maniscalco
    • Chris Merisier-Ortiz
    • Ryan McCleary
    • Will Reilly

  4. Goaltenders

    • Brett Brochu
    • Alex D'Orio
    • Filip Lindberg
    • Tommy Nappier

  5. Pre-Camp Thoughts

  6. Center depth is lacking

  7. Excitement for Poulin and Legare development
  8. Filip Lindberg should light it up at camp

  9. Filip Hallander - excited see how he’s developed and changed since getting traded

  10. Post-Mortem of Development Camp - 9/18/21

  11. Stand Outs

  12. Need More Time

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PLAY STYLE

  • Fast, agile, and surprisingly physical
  • Aggressive pinches and cross-ice passing decisions
  • Limited shooting ability.

PAST TO PRESENT

  • Career overview, improvements defensively in last few seasons
  • Performance trajectory for next season?
  • Beyond?

EXPECTATIONS

  • Pairing stability with Dumoulin
  • Injury factor
  • Point projections? Defensive performance?

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  1. Season Statistics - Then and Now
    • 2017-18: 64 points in 82 games played - .78 points per game
    • 2018-19: 42 points in 81 games played - .52 points per game
    • 2019-20: 41 points in 60 games played - .68 points per game
    • 2020-21: 18 points in 38 games played - .47 points per game
  2. Playoff Performances
    • 2017-18: 0 points in 5 games played - 0 points per game
    • 2018-19: No playoffs
    • 2019-20: 2 points in 4 games played - .5 points per game
    • 2020-21: 3 points in 6 games played - .5 points per game
  3. Heavy price to pay for Zucker in return
    • Calen Addison - Iowa Wild 2020-21: 22 points in 31 games
    • 1st round draft pick - Carson Lambos, D from WHL
    • 5.5M through 2023
  4. Can he turn it around?
    • What line should he be on?
    • Can he get the point production of 2017-18?
    • What else can he bring to the team if it isn’t point production?
    • Biggest wild card on the roster.
    • Can possibly make or break a playoff spot this year.
    • Need a big performance (especially while Geno is out).

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Mike Lange

  • Retirement

Rehash Hextall/Burke Hires

  • Discussion of Rutherford Exit
  • Hextall history in Philly/LA
  • Burke history in Toronto/Calgary
  • Has playing it safe closed the window?

Zach Aston-Reese Signing

  • 1 year x $1.725M
  • Good deal, but uncertainty added
  • More offense, could get paid

Lines

  • For Pittsburgh Post-Camp

Division Standings Prediction

  • Do the Pens make the playoffs?
  • Who falls off? Rangers, Devils, Flyers improvement?

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  1. Expansion Draft, RFA Losses
  2. Tanev
    • How will his absence affect the team next year?

  3. No qualifying offer for Millitec, Jankowski, Lindgren, Larmi

  4. Draft Picks

  5. (R2-#58)

    • Tristan Broz
      • 6’0 C, University of Minnesota (NCAA)
      • 90 points in 108 games (USHL)
  6. (R5-#154)
    • Isaac Belliveau
      • 6’2 D, Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)
      • 17 points in 37 games
  7. (R7-#194)
    • Ryan McCleary
      • 6’0 D (only 154 lbs), Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
      • 7 points in 18 games
  8. (R7-#215)
    • Daniel Laatsch
      • 6’5 D, University of Wisconsin (NCAA)

  9. (R7-#218)

    • Kirill Tankov
      • 6’1 C/RW, captain of bad MHL (Russian Junior) team SKA Varyagi
      • 19 y/o overager, 43 pts in 52 games

  10. Signings

  11. McGinn

  12. Heinen
  13. Rodrigues
  14. Simon
  15. Chaput
  16. Fedun
  17. Lindberg

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  1. News around the league
  2. Interesting trades
  3. UFAs not yet signed
  4. Players surprisingly unprotected/protected

  5. GMs gone wild

  6. Jared McCann

  7. Traded to Toronto - how does this affect the team moving forward?

  8. Thoughts and commentary on this trade

  9. Penguins Protection List and Expansion Draft Predictions

  10. Penguins Protected List

    1. Sidney Crosby
    2. Evgeni Malkin
    3. Jake Guentzal
    4. Bryan Rust
    5. Kasperi Kapanen
    6. Jeff Carter (ugh)
    7. Teddy Blueger
    8. Kris Letang
    9. Brian Dumoulin
    10. Mike Matheson
    11. Tristan Jarry
  11. What the team may look like in 2021-22

  12. Best and worst case scenario for the expansion draft with our unprotected players

  13. Preseason game schedule announced

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JESS’ PICKS

  1. William Eklund(C) - Sabres

  2. Matthew Beniers(C) - Kraken

  3. Owen Power (D) - Ducks

  4. Luke Hughes(D) - Devils

  5. Simon Edvinsson (D) - Blue Jackets

  6. Jesper Wallstedt(G) - Wings

  7. Dylan Guenther(LW) - Sharks

  8. Brandt Clarke(D) - Kings

  9. Mason McTavish(C) - Canucks

  10. Fabian Lysell(LW/RW) - Senators

SETH’S PICKS

  1. Eklund

  2. Power

  3. Beniers

  4. Wallstedt

  5. Lysell

  6. Hughes

  7. Guenther

  8. Clarke

  9. McTavish

  10. Solvidson

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  1. The Finals - final thoughts
    • How did our predictions pan out?
    • Will Montreal take it to 6 or 7?
    • How does home ice affect the series moving forward?
  2. Penguins UFAs - will we try to resign?
    • Colton Sceviour, Evan Rodrigues, Freddy Gaudreau, Cody Ceci
    • Who do we need?
    • Who will cost too much and sign elsewhere?
  3. UFAs around the league
    • Penguins linked to Grubauer - can we afford him? What would this mean for Jarry?
    • Goalies: Grubauer, Rask, Raanta, Mrazek, Driedger, M. Smith, Reimer, Ullmark, Rinne
    • Forwards: Ovechkin, Landeskog, Hyman, Saad, B. Ryan, Hoffman, Coleman, Hall, Armia, Sheahan
    • Defense (RHD): Hamilton, Savard, Stone, L. Schenn, Montour, Gudbranson, Hamonic, Bogosian, Hakanpaa, Barrie, Larsson
    • How do we get bigger? Do we try or leave it alone?

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  1. The Finals - news and thoughts
  2. Finals & Conn Smythe - thoughts and predictions
  3. Wrap up of playoffs overall

  4. Reffing discussion

  5. Penguins what if?

  6. Could they have beaten the Lightning? What about the Canadiens?

  7. Future of the league

  8. Penguins RFAs

  9. Main: Blueger and ZAR

  10. Qualification rules
  11. Must be qualified by July 22 - after expansion draft before draft
  12. Seattle
  13. Others: Jankowski, Zohorna, Militec, Bjorkqvist, Lindgren, Larmi
  14. Roster spots

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  1. Rust 

  2. Identity - What was the team’s identity this season? What is it moving forward?

  3. League at large - Rust says the league hasn’t fundamentally changed since 16-17, is that so?

  4. Physicality - Bigger teams that can skate are winning in recent years; Is there a quick fix to add size

  5. Guentzel

  6. High quality chances were created consistently; luck was poor, which is bound to happen with a small sample size

  7. What is his future with the Pens? Discuss rumors of potential trade this summer.
  8. Wants to score goals, has shooter mentality; his mentality changes when he can’t bury

  9. Crosby v Malkin - should Guentzel be switched to play on line 2 occasionally

  10. Crosby

  11. Different problems ended the Penguins' season in the past few years. Does there need to be another major tweak?

  12. Discuss each individual loss
  13. Keys to win in the playoffs next year
  14. What was wrong with Sid? Potential injury to hand?

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With the expansion draft looming, we dive into who we think the Pittsburgh Penguins will protect. Although the picks for protecting Defense and Goalie seem straightforward, there are some lingering questions with salary cap and performance. Listen in to see who we think will be protected and exposed when the expansion draft takes place on July 21, 2021.

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/pair-at-the-point/support

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With the expansion draft looming, we dive into who we think the Pittsburgh Penguins will protect. The forward core is deep and a lot of players will be left exposed. Listen in to see who we think will be protected and exposed when the expansion draft takes place on July 21, 2021. --- Support this podcast: 

https://anchor.fm/pair-at-the-point/support

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Get to know us more as we dive into some of our all time favorite Penguins players, teams, and more!

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/pair-at-the-point/support

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Our inaugural episode: in which we dissect the concerning play of goaltender Tristan Jarry, the suspect coaching decisions, the need to bulk up our forwards, and what went wrong in Round 1 for the Penguins against the Islanders.

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/pair-at-the-point/support