Penguins salvage a point in Dan Bylsma's debut
See Islanders fans rejoice at Lighthouse Hockey.
Well that couldn't have gone as planned for Dan Bylsma.
In his first day as interim head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Bylsma watched his new team flounder for a pity point. A raucous 0-0-1 start is at least better than taking a regulation loss to the Islanders, but as the season dies down (emphasis on dies) and the chances of making the playoffs look slimmer by the day, one point against the Islanders is not a favorable outcome.
The Penguins looked like a sorry, sad, depressed and abysmal team today. No heart. No drive. No more adjectives.
The Post-Gazette and Tribune-Review ran a few stories today with player reactions. All seemed a bit taken back by the Michel Therrien firing. While it's definitely no excuse to lose a game, it's almost understandable that the players were shocked by it and Bylsma was practically thrown into a situation with no preparation whatsoever.
With that said, there's only one solution.
Fire Bylsma!
Just kidding.
Are the playoffs impossible? No. Will this pose as a trying task? Yes. Yes it will.
Twenty-four games remain on the schedule. The Penguins currently sit at tenth place with 60 points in the Eastern Conference standings. Given the proposition that 90 points guarantees a playoff berth, the Penguins have to go 15-9-0 to finish with exactly 90.
But by all means guys, if you're reading this feel free to pick up even more.
The good: Gonchar, Crosby and Whitney connecting for a goal. It looks like 2008 all over again.
The bad: Unfortunately Gonchar is still showing signs of apprehension. He's sending floaters to the net instead of rockets. Must change...
The ugly: The third period was atrocious. This game should've never made its way to overtime.
Next game: Thursday. Canadiens. 7:00.
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Comments
what was this, an afternoon game? and here I thought I’d have some form of entertainment to get me through a late night at work….
If you need a silver lining….ummm….three games ago, with the Sharks, Leafs and Isles coming up, you probably figured you had 4 points coming, maybe three at worst, right? And you got three points out of the stretch….
not helping, am I?
by ahtrap on Feb 16, 2009 8:43 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Yeah this was a rare 2:00 Monday game. I guess the NHL assumed more people had off on Presidents’ Day. Either way you make a point. Three over three games is nice and all, but really the Penguins are in no position to let ‘easy’ wins get away from them.
Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com
by FrankD on Feb 16, 2009 8:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
The Habs game aside...
I can say sincerely as a Capitals fan that I would LOVE to see Coach Bylsma get his first win against the thrice-damned Flyers.
Then we will see you all down here in your nation’s capital.
by Wisper on Feb 17, 2009 10:26 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

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