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Jason Mackey's Penguins chat: 10.11.18
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Jared
1:00
Will the penguins be looking for a goalie ?
Jason Mackey
1:01
I don't think so, Jared. I think they're encouraged by the progress Matt Murray has made. Skated this morning, took shots, etc. I think, ideally, they're going to be looking for him to potentially take the next step and play Saturday in Montreal. Assuming, of course, his head cooperates.
Christian
1:01
Now with Murray out with another concussion coupled along with his injury history, if he continues to struggle, will the Penguins name a new starter in goal and make Murray the backup?
Jason Mackey
1:02
I don't know if they'll do that officially, but I do think -- and this could've easily been the plan before -- they'll be liberal with whomever his backup turns out to be long-term. No need to stress Murray too much. But openly demoting him because he's been hurt a lot? That seems like a bit much.
Jimmie
1:02
Which Penguins are potential Hall of Fameers?
Jason Mackey
1:04
Good question, Jimmie. Crosby and Malkin are obvious. Fleury, too, although I realize he's no longer a Penguin. Someone like Kessel intrigues me. I think by the time he's done the numbers he's produced are going to be Hall of Fame worthy. However, I don't think I'm being mean here when I say Phil's not a terribly well-rounded player. Yet in an era where it's tough to score goals, he does it. Bottom line, I don't know. Time will tell. Phil could get there. Letang, too. But I think we need to see more.
Cosmo K
1:04
From what I can recall, a shot off the post is not considered a shot on goal. I don't understand why a goal that is scored off the post or crossbar is considered a shot. Can you explain that? I feel like a shot off the post or crossbar should be considered a shot on goal... Also, is there a stat kept for shots that go dink for players and teams? love the pens coverage from you and the entire Post-Gazette team. Thank you
Jason Mackey
1:11
Hey Cosmo, love the name, and thank you for the kind words. I agree with you, first off. I don't understand that part of NHL logic. If it hits the goal, to me, that should be a shot on goal. ... Because wasn't that about as ON GOAL as you can get? But the NHL does plenty of screwy stuff with stats, trust me. There is a stat for it. The Penguins had the 23rd most last season with 42. You can find that here: http://www.nhl.com/stats/team?report=shottype&reportType=season&season...
Steven
1:11
Do the Penguins have a more conservative concussion protocol than other teams as a result of Crosby etc?
Jason Mackey
1:12
Meaning they move slower with this stuff? I don't think so. We saw a guy now (Murray) get concussed Monday, and he's back with the group Thursday. That's fine. I get it. But I don't think they're too cautious or not cautious enough. I think it's fairly standard across the league how docs deal with this stuff, but it's hard because they are unpredictable.
Feeds
1:13
Do you see HCMS switching up the lines? Maybe putting Sprong with Sid or Rust with Geno/Phil? Any changes other than Riikola?
Jason Mackey
1:13
Nope. You're lines and pairs are going to look like this. They've practice this way for three-plus days: Guentzel-Crosby-Hornqvist; Hagelin-Malkin-Kessel; Simon-Brassard-Rust; Cullen-Sheahan-Sprong ... Dumoulin-Letang; Johnson-Schultz; Oleksiak-Riikola.
Clint
1:13
Do you think of all the D so far, was Olli the guy you would have sat if you were going to make a change on the blue line for tonight?
Jason Mackey
1:15
He is, but I think it's more to get him to unplug. Their shoddy puck management and everything going wrong right now is certainly now Olli's fault. But I wouldn't sit Dumoulin, Letang or Schultz ... it's hard to sit Johnson for Game 3 because you're gonna get hammered publicly, and I want Oleksiak against a Vegas team that's more physical than many expect. At the same time, I agree with what Sullivan is doing: showing his team that there will be changes if things don't change.
Dyl
1:15
If the Penguins keep playing sloppy, does GMJR make any trades? What's your opinion?
Jason Mackey
1:16
It depends for how long. One more game? No. That's too reactionary. GMJR generally likes around 20 games to see what his team has or doesn't have. If they're doing this around the quarter mark of the season, then yeah, I think he'll make some changes. He's not shy, and GMJR realizes his mandate is to win now. So he's going to try and do that at all costs.
DR
1:16
From all of the interviews or time spent with the Penguin players, do you know of any special talents or skills some players have that we might not be aware of?  I
Jason Mackey
1:16
Well, Patric Hornqvist rides a unicycle to the rink every day, and Phil Kessel is a terrific juggler. Is that the sort of stuff you mean?
1:17
(In all seriousness, a couple players are decently music -- Murray and ZAR. Some are pretty good at other sports; Schultz, for instance, is a tremendous golfer. But as far as special talents, I can't say I know of much.)
Guest
1:17
Hey Jason. What's the deal with the PPG lower bowl lately? Looks like a leaf game... I know they are "sold" but the game on Saturday it looked half empty.
Jason Mackey
1:18
Was a little more empty against the Caps than I would've expected. I thought the crowd against the Canadiens was plenty lively, if we're being honest. I didn't notice what you're talking about, at least for Saturday's game.
AlJohn
1:18
Why is Maatta the one sitting tonight when Schultz and Oleksiak have been worse and Johnson has been comparable to Maatta?
Jason Mackey
1:19
My best guess is that Oleksiak helps in the physicality department, Schultz has power-play duties, and they'll get crushed publicly if they sit Johnson. I also think Johnson was better than Olli or Oleksiak.  Lastly, it's not the worst thing in the world to get Maatta straightened out early, which I think is part of it as well.
HB
1:19
Does the NHL get last dibs on the schedule like do concerts and NBA games take precedence over NHL games, is that why it feels the nhl schedule is always a mess.
Jason Mackey
1:20
That's a good question. I don't know who gets preference in certain buildings -- like Toronto -- where they have all three. My guess would be first-come, first-serve and/or all of the entities sort of working together while acknowledging that, if the Grateful Dead were playing a show on Jan. 25, neither the NBA nor the NHL team would have building access.
Guest
1:21
If Riikola works out, do you think it would be better if Maatta was dealt? He’s too young and valuable to be a healthy scratch long term, imo, and won’t benefit and develop his game sitting in the box. If so, He was drafted by Shero, do the devils take a chance on him?
Jason Mackey
1:21
I think we should cross that bridge when we come to it. It's the Penguins we're talking about here. If we get to a point where they have eight healthy defensemen for an extended stretch, one so long they have to think about trading someone, I'd be stunned. Be patient. Wait for this to play out. Things things have a way of self-correcting.
1:22
It's tough, though, to trade a guy who's a $4-plus-million healthy scratch, I will say that.
Guest
1:22
Do you believe the Pens story that the concussion happened during practice? He took a hit during the Montreal game.....
Jason Mackey
1:22
My suspicion is that both are correct. I think the Gallagher hit was the starter, then either symptoms presented in practice or something else happened to make matters worse.
Steven
1:22
I’m going to the game tonight, what is the chance that Flower will play tonight?
Jason Mackey
1:23
Zero.
JP
1:23
First chat I can hop into this year. Love them, keep up the great work Jason. Now, is Sprong an untouchable? I love the potential there and he definetly looks like a new and improved player compared to his 18 year old self, but on the 4th line he doesnt do us much good there. It is unfortunate with the way we are set up our top 6 is pretty solid with Guentzel Hornqvist Sid Malkin Hagalin and Kessel. We could get some serious help on a solid top 4 defensman and maybe even a pick, no? Sorry if this was hard to follow as well!!
Jason Mackey
1:24
I know what you're saying, JP, and thanks for joining. No, I don't think Sprong is untouchable. Not by any stretch. But the problem is we're talking about a young kid who may or may not be limited in his all-around game who recently hasn't proven to be a consistent scorer so far at the NHL level. What's his value? Not being critical of Sprong. Many take time to figure out how to do that. But if they decide they're going to move him, it's not like you're going to have 30 GMs dangling their best players to try and get them some Spronger.
Pens Fan
1:24
Jason, you & your Pens coverage is really outstanding.  I enjoy your articles & radio stints.  Now it’s only 2 games, but, my question is after all the breakaways & sloppy play from this team last season, why is this sloppy play continuing? Didn’t they learn anything from last season?   And as for Malkin, is he just too thick headed to understand “playing hockey the “right way?”
Jason Mackey
1:26
Thank you very much for the kind words. It's an honor to get to do this and have you guys care what I say or write, trust me. ...  Yes, it is two games. And they've been kinda ugly. But I think there's a couple things happening here. I think guys are, at times, forcing plays that aren't there. That's happening for a couple reasons. One is trying to do it all at once, refusing to create offense the patient way. Another is carelessness, which has long been a problem the Penguins have had to deal with. They're sort of related. As for Malkin, I think he's sort of in the same boat. I think he feels almost infallible because he's in great shape. He's not. And he's finding that out the hard way.
Guest
1:26
Scoring seems high league wide. What do you think the cause is? Do you think this is sustainable? Are we back to the 80s?
Jason Mackey
1:26
I don't think it's sustainable. I think this is an early-season blip. You'll see things even out soon, as coaches freak out and teams tighten their overall play.
HB
1:26
If Riiiiiiiiiikola does a good job then to sum it up is he playing to keep his spot or does he have to lose the spot with bad play?
Jason Mackey
1:27
If Riikola plays well, he'll stick. That's been Sullivan's MO for a while now. For the team, too. I don't remember the last time he changed his lineup -- aside from goaltender -- after a win. I think it's an interesting question: What happens if Riikola does really well tonight? Totally reasonable.
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