WEBVTT - HR 1 - Josh Yohe Talking Penguins 0:00:00.530 --> 0:00:01.870 I like this soundbite. 0:00:02.750 --> 0:00:08.780 Here's Jeremy Bernard talking about the demanding nature of being 0:00:08.820 --> 0:00:11.840 a rookie receiver playing for Aaron Rodgers. 0:00:12.740 --> 0:00:16.510 Learning as much as I can, getting him to trust me. 0:00:16.970 --> 0:00:19.189 He sees that I put in the work to prepare 0:00:19.230 --> 0:00:24.860 how I'm supposed to. interrogates me every single week. Like, literally, 0:00:25.220 --> 0:00:28.480 I swear it's like an interrogation. He's like, we go 0:00:28.500 --> 0:00:30.490 into the offensive meeting. He's like, all right, Jerm, you're up. 0:00:31.050 --> 0:00:32.769 And he's like, all right, well. 0:00:33.670 --> 0:00:36.710 He's like, name the players on their defense. Name the 0:00:36.729 --> 0:00:41.350 scheme on their defense. Name these plays in the game plan. 0:00:44.440 --> 0:00:48.479 I love the use of the word interrogation. Interrogation. 0:00:48.960 --> 0:00:52.410 It sounds like there's a single bare light bulb hanging 0:00:52.490 --> 0:00:54.610 over Bernard's head when Rodgers talks to him. 0:00:55.550 --> 0:00:58.550 And maybe thumbscrews or a standing cell. You better get 0:00:58.570 --> 0:01:02.110 it right, Rook. I'm not being critical. I like it. 0:01:02.590 --> 0:01:03.490 Let's learn together. 0:01:04.620 --> 0:01:09.660 Being demanding is an element that's missing today in sports 0:01:09.700 --> 0:01:12.200 with coaching and leadership. 0:01:12.900 --> 0:01:15.720 So good for Rodgers, good for Bernard. And good for 0:01:15.760 --> 0:01:16.500 Christian Kuntz. 0:01:17.360 --> 0:01:20.619 The long snapper, that was a soundbite from Kuntz's podcast, 0:01:20.640 --> 0:01:23.559 which is very good. He's a Duquesne grad like me, 0:01:24.340 --> 0:01:25.680 and I'd have him on the show, except what do 0:01:25.700 --> 0:01:28.080 you ask a long snapper about? Hey, how about that 0:01:28.120 --> 0:01:34.350 long snapping? And then crickets. 833-412-WXDX, get your calls in. 0:01:34.380 --> 0:01:36.700 We have Yowie at the bottom of the hour talking hockey. 0:01:37.620 --> 0:01:41.810 We have Tim Benz at 4 o'clock talking Stillers. We 0:01:41.850 --> 0:01:45.030 have King Jameson of the Post-Gazette at 4.30 talking hockey. 0:01:45.819 --> 0:01:47.560 Let's go to Chris from New Jersey. Chris, you're on 0:01:47.580 --> 0:01:47.960 with Mark. 0:01:49.470 --> 0:01:50.150 Good day, sir. 0:01:50.630 --> 0:01:51.410 I said good day. 0:01:51.430 --> 0:01:57.390 Hey, Mark, that Chicago game was hugely disappointing, as you'd 0:01:57.430 --> 0:02:00.650 mentioned before. You know, the players have got to execute, 0:02:00.710 --> 0:02:04.060 but the coach, you know, the lineup decisions don't make 0:02:04.110 --> 0:02:07.580 any sense to me. Why is Elmer Soderblom not in 0:02:07.600 --> 0:02:08.160 that line? 0:02:08.220 --> 0:02:10.990 The coach ain't losing the game. Elmer Soderblom's a bum. 0:02:11.030 --> 0:02:12.870 Who cares if he plays or not? You're really thinking 0:02:12.930 --> 0:02:16.390 Elmer Soderblom makes a difference. You're really thinking Elmer Soderblom 0:02:16.750 --> 0:02:18.989 not playing is why they lost to Chicago. 0:02:19.650 --> 0:02:22.389 Hey, Mark, let me just say, why is Nick Robertson 0:02:22.450 --> 0:02:23.230 on the fourth line? 0:02:23.930 --> 0:02:25.150 No, now there you're talking. 0:02:25.190 --> 0:02:29.340 He keeps getting demoted. Now he's on Kendall's line, but 0:02:29.720 --> 0:02:31.130 Kendall needs to play with Chinnikov. 0:02:31.160 --> 0:02:32.240 That's a hill I'll die on. 0:02:32.260 --> 0:02:34.360 Chinnikov's not delivering. 0:02:35.630 --> 0:02:39.930 No, Chinnikov is being slowed down by Tommy Novak, who 0:02:40.010 --> 0:02:43.150 is playing very well, but he's very east-west. Malkin, who's 0:02:43.190 --> 0:02:45.610 slow and plays east-west. But we've got to have the 0:02:45.650 --> 0:02:48.190 Russians play together. I think that's in the Bible. I 0:02:48.230 --> 0:02:50.380 think that's in the Book of Lenin. Or wait, that's 0:02:50.419 --> 0:02:54.040 the Communist Manifesto. Or maybe it's Miles' Red Book. Why 0:02:54.080 --> 0:02:55.480 do the Russians have to play together? 0:02:55.500 --> 0:02:58.320 It's a homer take. What's that? It's a homer take, Mark. 0:02:58.360 --> 0:03:01.860 I'm sorry. What are you talking about? It's not what's happening. 0:03:03.380 --> 0:03:04.300 Malkin has to play. 0:03:04.340 --> 0:03:04.820 He doesn't. 0:03:05.850 --> 0:03:07.150 Oh, no, so you're saying I'm right? 0:03:08.830 --> 0:03:09.030 No. 0:03:10.130 --> 0:03:11.890 Okay, so how am I wrong? So you think Malkin 0:03:11.930 --> 0:03:13.630 has to play with Chino? 0:03:13.940 --> 0:03:16.660 They win when he's in the lineup. 0:03:16.680 --> 0:03:20.419 Dude, you're a moron. You think this all boils down 0:03:20.460 --> 0:03:21.239 to Soderblom. 0:03:21.440 --> 0:03:23.700 You could not be more effing stupid, but I knew 0:03:23.740 --> 0:03:25.340 that when I heard you were from New Jersey. 0:03:25.380 --> 0:03:29.320 Goodbye, F off. Yeah, Elmer Soderblom. Play him and you'll win. 0:03:29.520 --> 0:03:30.339 Everybody knows that. 0:03:31.910 --> 0:03:34.890 If the Canadians of the 70s were at Soderblom, they 0:03:34.910 --> 0:03:35.230 would have. 0:03:35.170 --> 0:03:37.190 Won more than just the four cups in a row. 0:03:37.270 --> 0:03:39.730 What the frig am I dealing with? 105.9. I don't 0:03:40.470 --> 0:03:47.590 think so. Oh, I know so. The X at 105.9. 0:03:48.060 --> 0:03:52.960 Penguins at Denver on Friday. That's tomorrow. At Vegas on Saturday. 0:03:52.980 --> 0:03:54.700 Joining me now to talk about it because it feels 0:03:54.740 --> 0:03:58.900 like impending doom. From the Athletic, it's Penguins beat writer 0:03:58.920 --> 0:04:01.460 Josh Owey. Josh, I had a caller say if the 0:04:01.480 --> 0:04:04.120 Penguins played Elmer Soderblom, they'd win all the time. 0:04:04.140 --> 0:04:07.380 That when he plays, they win. It's that simple. Do 0:04:07.420 --> 0:04:07.880 you agree? 0:04:09.470 --> 0:04:10.810 Well, it looks like he's going to be in the 0:04:10.850 --> 0:04:13.270 lineup tomorrow night, Mark. So we're going to find out. 0:04:13.330 --> 0:04:15.310 And I mean, they are 2-0 with Elmer in the lineup. 0:04:15.330 --> 0:04:18.589 So I guess that's the magic solution. I find it 0:04:18.890 --> 0:04:20.770 a little curious that he has been out of the 0:04:20.810 --> 0:04:21.520 lineup so much. 0:04:22.360 --> 0:04:23.820 I don't think it's that simple. 0:04:23.880 --> 0:04:25.920 However, of course, all the readers are telling me that 0:04:25.960 --> 0:04:28.960 I'm wrong about Billy Kloivin and he's the next Marcel 0:04:29.000 --> 0:04:30.480 Dion and I'm not giving him a chance. 0:04:30.880 --> 0:04:32.620 So I don't even know at this point, Mark. 0:04:34.000 --> 0:04:36.480 I thought the loss at Chicago was as aggravating as 0:04:36.560 --> 0:04:40.540 it gets. I hate tweeted the whole game. That's just inexcusable, 0:04:40.580 --> 0:04:40.760 isn't it? 0:04:42.370 --> 0:04:44.830 I'll tell you what, Mark, that locker room after the game, 0:04:44.850 --> 0:04:47.909 it felt like a playoff loss more than a regular 0:04:47.950 --> 0:04:53.060 season loss. That's how unhappy I think people were with themselves. 0:04:53.320 --> 0:04:56.320 It's not like Chicago did anything well in that game, 0:04:56.360 --> 0:04:57.800 and it's not like they're a good team. 0:04:58.360 --> 0:05:02.460 They're really not. And the Penguins, just the self-inflicted wounds. 0:05:03.220 --> 0:05:06.400 I mean, from the horrible goal Miroslav allowed to, you know, 0:05:06.880 --> 0:05:09.089 coughing up the puck 20 seconds into the game in 0:05:09.130 --> 0:05:13.610 front of your own net. The power play just looking pathetic, really. 0:05:13.850 --> 0:05:16.240 We can go on and on, but that was a 0:05:16.279 --> 0:05:20.730 really poor performance, especially... uh as you foreshadowed look at 0:05:20.770 --> 0:05:22.880 the schedule the next week now that's the one game 0:05:22.920 --> 0:05:25.480 on the road trip that boy you really should win 0:05:25.500 --> 0:05:26.979 that one and you'd like to start a trip like 0:05:27.000 --> 0:05:29.500 this with two points in the bag so um no 0:05:29.580 --> 0:05:31.820 it was it was just a brutal performance and more 0:05:31.839 --> 0:05:34.100 than anything mark like we can talk about the x's 0:05:34.120 --> 0:05:36.320 and o's and the decision making it's the second time 0:05:36.360 --> 0:05:38.140 in the last week that dan muse has called out 0:05:38.200 --> 0:05:40.750 his team's effort i don't remember him doing that one 0:05:40.790 --> 0:05:43.409 time all of last season that's as aggravated as i've 0:05:43.430 --> 0:05:44.490 seen him after a game. 0:05:45.190 --> 0:05:49.330 Like Malkin said, the Penguins underestimate bad teams, and on 0:05:49.390 --> 0:05:52.830 top of that, I'll add, they're pretty close to being 0:05:52.870 --> 0:05:56.190 a bad team themselves. They overestimate who they are and 0:05:56.330 --> 0:05:59.229 what they got. They're a lot closer to being Chicago 0:05:59.270 --> 0:06:00.409 than they are to being Dallas. 0:06:01.589 --> 0:06:05.150 Yeah, I appreciate Chino's honesty, but at the same time, 0:06:05.570 --> 0:06:08.310 why would they ever overlook somebody, especially the way they look? 0:06:08.330 --> 0:06:10.150 Well, and at the same time, he mailed it in, too. 0:06:11.760 --> 0:06:14.159 It wasn't his best game. I mean, nobody played well. 0:06:14.420 --> 0:06:16.680 I thought Sid was good. That's about it. I mean, 0:06:16.700 --> 0:06:19.460 it was slim pickings if you're looking to see who 0:06:19.600 --> 0:06:21.989 played well. But that's a real problem. 0:06:22.450 --> 0:06:26.110 If the Penguins really did just overlook the Blackhawks and 0:06:26.330 --> 0:06:28.830 think it was an easy two points, I would start 0:06:28.870 --> 0:06:30.690 with Geno and the rest of the veterans. 0:06:30.750 --> 0:06:32.010 They're the leaders of that team. 0:06:32.029 --> 0:06:36.229 And if they sensed beforehand that they were overconfident, that's 0:06:36.290 --> 0:06:39.620 a real problem. Because you're right. The Penguins are not 0:06:39.630 --> 0:06:42.270 some team on... on other teams' schedules where they say, 0:06:42.330 --> 0:06:42.990 oh boy, it's going. 0:06:42.920 --> 0:06:43.680 To be a rough night. 0:06:44.010 --> 0:06:46.380 I mean, they're not in that upper echelon and they 0:06:46.420 --> 0:06:49.980 haven't been for a long time. So I appreciated the 0:06:50.060 --> 0:06:53.339 candidness of what he said, but boy, it really struck 0:06:53.400 --> 0:06:56.420 me as a strange comment because they shouldn't be taking 0:06:56.500 --> 0:06:59.719 any wins for granted, especially the way they've looked since 0:06:59.760 --> 0:07:02.120 the home opener in the last 10 days, or since 0:07:02.140 --> 0:07:04.760 the opener rather. It's been a brutal stretch of hockey 0:07:04.820 --> 0:07:06.040 except for the game against Dallas. 0:07:07.060 --> 0:07:10.670 Yeah, and it doesn't speak well that Sid snapped out 0:07:10.690 --> 0:07:14.050 of it, at least for night. He scored twice, but 0:07:14.130 --> 0:07:17.270 the rest of the team was terrible. The captain led, 0:07:17.350 --> 0:07:19.530 nobody followed. That speaks very badly. 0:07:19.550 --> 0:07:21.710 Yeah, it does. 0:07:22.110 --> 0:07:23.030 I mean, it really does. 0:07:23.270 --> 0:07:25.950 It was nice to see him break out, but I 0:07:26.010 --> 0:07:29.770 just didn't see a team playing with any passion at all. Like, 0:07:29.810 --> 0:07:33.230 they were just lethargic all night, just going through the motions. 0:07:34.010 --> 0:07:38.080 I honestly don't recall one effective forecheck or one legitimate 0:07:38.180 --> 0:07:41.880 body check that I saw all night. I don't know 0:07:41.900 --> 0:07:43.560 if I'd say they mailed it in. That might be 0:07:43.580 --> 0:07:47.130 a little too strong, but very much going through the motions. 0:07:47.330 --> 0:07:49.970 And I'm telling you, I know it's October. I realize 0:07:50.050 --> 0:07:53.970 it's early. There's an 84-game season. But after the way 0:07:54.010 --> 0:07:58.560 they've played, especially in the games against Washington, Columbus, Winnipeg, 0:07:59.490 --> 0:08:03.110 Those games should represent a red flag, and they should 0:08:03.150 --> 0:08:05.540 really be trying to get their act together right now. 0:08:05.570 --> 0:08:08.800 Just because they played one good game against Dallas obviously 0:08:08.840 --> 0:08:10.420 didn't mean all their problems were solved. 0:08:10.500 --> 0:08:13.520 And if they thought that, they very much thought wrong. 0:08:13.560 --> 0:08:15.800 It was just a terrible performance all the way around. 0:08:17.200 --> 0:08:21.640 Are we overestimating Sergei Morozov? Because that was a terrible 0:08:21.680 --> 0:08:23.560 goal at the end, not a great night overall. I 0:08:23.600 --> 0:08:26.760 know he's a rookie. Maybe we're expecting too much too soon. 0:08:28.040 --> 0:08:28.580 Probably. 0:08:28.600 --> 0:08:32.319 I might be guilty of that, too, because you see 0:08:32.360 --> 0:08:35.010 him in practice, you see him in training camp, you 0:08:35.090 --> 0:08:38.570 see the natural talent and the athleticism, and it's easy 0:08:38.590 --> 0:08:40.770 to get seduced into thinking this kid's going to. 0:08:40.750 --> 0:08:42.890 Be a star, and maybe he will be someday. He's 0:08:42.929 --> 0:08:43.350 not yet. 0:08:43.370 --> 0:08:47.020 I had somebody in the Penguins organization about a week 0:08:47.059 --> 0:08:49.360 ago tell me when he connects all the dots, he's 0:08:49.380 --> 0:08:51.460 going to be great, but he probably hasn't connected all 0:08:51.480 --> 0:08:52.240 the dots just yet. 0:08:53.080 --> 0:08:55.439 And that's what happens with rookie goaltenders. 0:08:56.400 --> 0:08:59.319 He sold them a point in Columbus, but he also 0:08:59.380 --> 0:09:02.300 gave away a point in Chicago because that's about as 0:09:02.380 --> 0:09:04.470 bad of a goal as you will see an NHL 0:09:04.490 --> 0:09:07.690 goaltender allow. I would imagine we will next see him 0:09:07.730 --> 0:09:10.150 in Vegas on Saturday night. That will be a tall 0:09:10.250 --> 0:09:13.329 order against that team. I'm very curious just from a 0:09:13.350 --> 0:09:16.250 mental standpoint to see how he bounces back because that's 0:09:16.790 --> 0:09:18.990 going to be on his mind, obviously, giving up a 0:09:19.010 --> 0:09:21.110 goal that bad. and now you get to play one 0:09:21.130 --> 0:09:22.770 of the best teams in the league on the road. Yeah, 0:09:23.470 --> 0:09:26.760 maybe we'll learn a little bit about his mindset and 0:09:27.880 --> 0:09:30.040 just where he is by how he plays on Saturday night. 0:09:31.040 --> 0:09:33.540 Here's something I don't like to see, and I haven't 0:09:33.559 --> 0:09:35.900 been too critical of Mews. I think he's mostly doing 0:09:35.960 --> 0:09:39.380 a good job. But Nick Robertson keeps scoring and keeps 0:09:39.420 --> 0:09:42.709 getting demoted. What's up with that? That tells the room 0:09:42.730 --> 0:09:44.490 it's about who you are, not how you play. 0:09:45.630 --> 0:09:49.350 How many times in NHL history... has a guy on 0:09:49.370 --> 0:09:52.990 the wing, started on the first line, scored four goals 0:09:53.050 --> 0:09:55.809 on the first seven games of the season, and been 0:09:55.830 --> 0:09:58.710 demoted to the fourth line during that stretch. That couldn't 0:09:58.730 --> 0:10:03.179 have possibly happened very often. He made one mistake that 0:10:03.220 --> 0:10:05.140 I can recall. He had a bad turnover in the 0:10:05.160 --> 0:10:07.390 Winnipeg game, led to an Adam Lowry goal. 0:10:08.210 --> 0:10:08.590 Okay. 0:10:10.090 --> 0:10:12.910 If we were demoting people based on the mistakes that 0:10:12.929 --> 0:10:16.430 they've made or the turnovers that they've committed... These guys 0:10:16.450 --> 0:10:19.229 would all be in Naples right now playing in the ECHL. 0:10:19.250 --> 0:10:21.650 I mean, it's just odd to me that he has 0:10:21.670 --> 0:10:23.460 been singled out like this. And I can tell you, 0:10:23.910 --> 0:10:25.900 based on practice today, it looks like he'll be on 0:10:25.920 --> 0:10:28.440 the third line with Kendall. So I guess he's moving 0:10:28.520 --> 0:10:30.200 back up the lineup a little bit. 0:10:31.059 --> 0:10:31.630 I don't get it. 0:10:31.660 --> 0:10:33.479 I think the guy plays really hard. He's got four 0:10:33.520 --> 0:10:36.950 goals in seven games. From the first day of training camp, 0:10:37.290 --> 0:10:40.969 he's been really good. He's been a positive. Really odd 0:10:41.010 --> 0:10:42.250 to me the way they've deployed him. 0:10:44.070 --> 0:10:47.210 Also odd to me is that Chinnikov has become the 0:10:47.270 --> 0:10:50.570 third option on that line with Malkin and Novak. Those guys, 0:10:50.670 --> 0:10:53.130 to me, are too slow for Chinnikov to play with. 0:10:53.630 --> 0:10:56.810 I would pair Kendall with Chinnikov. I'd put the young, 0:10:56.870 --> 0:10:58.550 dynamic guys on the same line. 0:11:00.170 --> 0:11:02.819 I'd like to see something different. You asked me about 0:11:02.840 --> 0:11:05.880 Chinnikov last week, too. At that point, his game wasn't 0:11:06.020 --> 0:11:09.300 really bothering me, nor was his usage, even though he 0:11:09.340 --> 0:11:11.570 only had the one goal. In the opener, he had 0:11:11.590 --> 0:11:14.770 the pretty goal against Montreal called back. But the Chicago game, 0:11:15.710 --> 0:11:18.170 especially in the first two periods, Mark, I don't think 0:11:18.200 --> 0:11:21.440 he touched the puck. He was nowhere to be seen 0:11:21.480 --> 0:11:24.940 the first two periods at all. That's a problem. 0:11:25.380 --> 0:11:28.000 Josh, that's part on him, but is that part on 0:11:28.020 --> 0:11:30.140 being the third option? Is that part of being the 0:11:30.640 --> 0:11:33.260 north-south player on an otherwise east-west line? 0:11:34.480 --> 0:11:36.020 It might be, and I will go back to the 0:11:36.059 --> 0:11:37.080 lack of foot speed. 0:11:36.880 --> 0:11:38.079 On that line that you mentioned. 0:11:38.800 --> 0:11:41.040 Not so much with Malkin, because at least those two clicked. 0:11:41.059 --> 0:11:42.100 But maybe with Novak. 0:11:42.500 --> 0:11:44.720 Because Chinnikov, if you go back and look at what 0:11:44.760 --> 0:11:47.380 he did last season, when he scored, he was on 0:11:47.400 --> 0:11:48.980 a 40-goal pace from the second. 0:11:48.740 --> 0:11:51.679 He showed up in Pittsburgh. The majority of his goals 0:11:51.780 --> 0:11:53.730 were on the rush in transition. 0:11:53.970 --> 0:11:56.989 That's where he's at his very best, and we're just 0:11:57.030 --> 0:11:59.190 not seeing that from that line at all right now. 0:11:59.970 --> 0:12:01.710 He's not the kind of guy who's going to score 0:12:01.730 --> 0:12:03.830 a lot of goals working down low or in the 0:12:03.870 --> 0:12:07.550 half-court offense, if you will. He is the guy who 0:12:07.570 --> 0:12:09.969 scores on the rush, and as good as that line 0:12:09.990 --> 0:12:12.230 was last season, I can't say that I've been overly 0:12:12.270 --> 0:12:14.530 impressed with it this season. They've got to do something 0:12:14.570 --> 0:12:16.739 to get him going, and I still would like to 0:12:16.800 --> 0:12:18.420 see him on the top power play, but the way 0:12:18.460 --> 0:12:20.640 he can shoot the puck, to me, that's just a 0:12:20.679 --> 0:12:24.000 weapon that's not being properly utilized, especially when you look 0:12:24.040 --> 0:12:25.800 at how bad the power play's been the last couple 0:12:25.820 --> 0:12:26.179 of games. 0:12:26.710 --> 0:12:29.000 Why I always get told I'm too hard on Malkin 0:12:29.130 --> 0:12:32.199 and there are times maybe I am, but why does 0:12:32.220 --> 0:12:34.320 he always have to play with the other Russian? 0:12:34.700 --> 0:12:36.800 Maybe that's good for Gino. Maybe it's not good for 0:12:36.820 --> 0:12:37.480 the other Russian. 0:12:37.900 --> 0:12:40.640 And the minute that power play struggled, he went right 0:12:40.679 --> 0:12:41.980 back on the top unit. 0:12:41.880 --> 0:12:42.839 And now it's even worse. 0:12:44.200 --> 0:12:46.140 No, there's no doubt about that. And they are a 0:12:46.240 --> 0:12:48.100 shorthanded goal waiting to happen. 0:12:48.120 --> 0:12:51.020 They've given up a number of odd man rushes while 0:12:51.080 --> 0:12:52.800 on the power play the last couple of games. It's 0:12:52.820 --> 0:12:55.390 not just Malkin. It's, When they put all of those 0:12:55.429 --> 0:12:58.510 guys together, we just know what's going to happen. And 0:12:58.530 --> 0:13:01.270 the power play was so bad the other night. They 0:13:01.309 --> 0:13:04.460 can't possibly use that same look again moving forward, even 0:13:04.500 --> 0:13:08.340 though who knows, maybe they will. As for Malkin and Chinnikov, 0:13:08.360 --> 0:13:09.880 I don't know. They haven't had that many Russians over 0:13:09.920 --> 0:13:13.180 the years for them to play with. Why does that matter? 0:13:13.860 --> 0:13:14.960 Why does it matter to either? 0:13:14.980 --> 0:13:17.380 It doesn't. It may be a thousandth. 0:13:17.420 --> 0:13:17.819 I don't know. 0:13:18.420 --> 0:13:21.330 I don't know that it matters. Maybe that's the coach. 0:13:22.010 --> 0:13:24.750 Way back when, did Jaromir Jagr want Ivan Vlinka to 0:13:24.770 --> 0:13:26.490 be his coach because they were from the same country? 0:13:26.830 --> 0:13:29.059 Sometimes people assume that who are running. 0:13:28.900 --> 0:13:31.540 The show, and maybe they shouldn't. Maybe the coaches thought, 0:13:31.559 --> 0:13:33.600 let's put the two Russian guys together. They'll be comfortable. 0:13:33.620 --> 0:13:37.560 I don't know. But I will say that there was 0:13:37.600 --> 0:13:40.140 a real chemistry between Malkin and Chinnikov last season. 0:13:40.679 --> 0:13:43.179 So I understand going with them to start this season. 0:13:43.760 --> 0:13:45.880 But whatever the case may be, if they don't get 0:13:45.920 --> 0:13:49.120 Chinnikov going, they're going to have a real problem. He's 0:13:49.200 --> 0:13:52.340 probably their most naturally gifted goal scorer, and he's not 0:13:52.380 --> 0:13:54.360 even getting good looks the last couple of games other 0:13:54.400 --> 0:13:57.000 than the one semi-breakaway he had in Chicago. 0:13:57.679 --> 0:13:59.780 He's got to get going at some point here. 0:14:00.700 --> 0:14:04.480 I thought Sid played better at Chicago. The two goals, obviously, 0:14:04.500 --> 0:14:07.140 a godsend. You know what might be killing Sid, Josh? 0:14:07.200 --> 0:14:09.300 Playing with Raquel. Raquel's a corpse out there. 0:14:10.980 --> 0:14:11.700 He really is. 0:14:13.340 --> 0:14:16.040 You could see Sid starting to play better against Dallas 0:14:16.059 --> 0:14:18.459 Saturday night. He didn't have a point in that game, 0:14:18.480 --> 0:14:21.250 but there was a crispness to his game that wasn't there. 0:14:21.260 --> 0:14:23.280 And I really think, I could be wrong, but I 0:14:23.350 --> 0:14:26.770 really think scoring the shootout goal against Dallas did something 0:14:26.810 --> 0:14:29.990 for his confidence level. Even one of the greatest players 0:14:30.030 --> 0:14:33.350 of all time, your confidence can still fluctuate. And he 0:14:33.410 --> 0:14:38.130 looked like Sid against the Blackhawks. That was encouraging. Raquel, 0:14:39.270 --> 0:14:41.310 for lack of a better word, Mark, he just looks slow. 0:14:41.860 --> 0:14:44.800 I mean, he is a step behind in every fashion 0:14:44.870 --> 0:14:46.810 right now, not just in terms of skating, but just 0:14:46.830 --> 0:14:49.490 the way he's seeing the ice. He's a step slow 0:14:49.510 --> 0:14:52.030 getting a shot off. Just everything is in slow motion 0:14:52.070 --> 0:14:54.910 with him. He's never been a burner. He's never been 0:14:54.930 --> 0:14:59.290 a speed guy. But we better keep our eye on him. 0:14:59.350 --> 0:15:01.930 Maybe he's one of those players who is impacted by 0:15:01.950 --> 0:15:03.550 the lack of a training camp. And he's always been 0:15:03.580 --> 0:15:06.420 a little streaky. But boy, I don't like his game 0:15:06.540 --> 0:15:08.970 one bit. And let me throw this out about Raquel. 0:15:09.620 --> 0:15:11.950 I talked with him in training camp about how good 0:15:11.990 --> 0:15:15.510 he was at center last season. And he indicated to 0:15:15.570 --> 0:15:18.170 me that he wouldn't mind playing there again this season, 0:15:18.190 --> 0:15:21.230 that he really enjoyed playing center. If you're thinking about 0:15:21.350 --> 0:15:24.150 fooling around with the lines and maybe sliding Kendall up 0:15:24.170 --> 0:15:27.670 the lineup, not the worst idea to try Raquel at 0:15:27.690 --> 0:15:29.450 center if he continues to struggle with Sid. 0:15:29.470 --> 0:15:30.170 Yeah, but the. 0:15:30.130 --> 0:15:33.450 Problem with that would be, Does Novak move the wing? No, 0:15:33.470 --> 0:15:35.050 because then he can't play with Malkin. 0:15:35.730 --> 0:15:37.870 You know, if you put Kendall between Novak and Malkin, 0:15:37.910 --> 0:15:40.950 those two are too slow for him. And they base 0:15:41.310 --> 0:15:44.430 the decisions on the comfort for the veterans, not trying 0:15:44.470 --> 0:15:46.580 to improve the young guys. 0:15:46.700 --> 0:15:49.420 And that's a one-way ticket to Palookaville. 0:15:50.440 --> 0:15:52.860 Well, and don't we think that's a problem with the 0:15:52.900 --> 0:15:55.240 Penguins in general right now? I just wrote a column 0:15:55.280 --> 0:15:58.060 at The Athletic a couple of hours about this. You know, 0:15:58.080 --> 0:16:00.180 for a while now, it's as though they can't really 0:16:00.220 --> 0:16:00.800 pick a lane. 0:16:00.870 --> 0:16:02.590 Like, You're going to go with the younger guys. 0:16:02.630 --> 0:16:04.910 You finally bring some up, but then you're signing Trevor 0:16:04.950 --> 0:16:09.600 Van Riemsdyk and Andre Kuzmenko, and people are being blocked, 0:16:09.630 --> 0:16:12.320 and now Koivunen's probably out of the lineup again tomorrow. 0:16:12.340 --> 0:16:14.640 He's been in the lineup the last few games, hasn't 0:16:14.660 --> 0:16:16.859 really played great, but has he really been given a chance? 0:16:17.020 --> 0:16:18.980 You can look at it in so many different directions. 0:16:19.880 --> 0:16:21.880 They just have too many forwards right now. People say 0:16:21.920 --> 0:16:23.880 it's a good problem to have. I'm not so sure. 0:16:23.720 --> 0:16:26.160 That it is. Not the way they're being utilized right now. 0:16:26.220 --> 0:16:27.220 I actually think it's an issue. 0:16:28.690 --> 0:16:32.650 These two games, tomorrow night at Denver, Saturday night here 0:16:32.670 --> 0:16:37.580 in Vegas, they feel like disaster. Like I should bet 0:16:37.620 --> 0:16:41.100 big on the home team both games, maybe parlay Colorado 0:16:41.560 --> 0:16:44.540 and the over. I feel like the Avalanche, Josh, are 0:16:44.580 --> 0:16:48.000 the worst possible matchup for the Penguins in the entire league. 0:16:49.300 --> 0:16:52.480 They might be, of course. The Penguins did beat the 0:16:52.520 --> 0:16:54.300 hell out of them in Denver last season. Then the 0:16:54.340 --> 0:16:57.400 game Malcolm came back from the suspension. So stranger things 0:16:57.440 --> 0:17:00.700 have happened. But yeah, I think the Penguins, and you 0:17:00.720 --> 0:17:03.140 saw Dallas last week, is not a fast team for 0:17:03.180 --> 0:17:05.500 as good as they are. And the Penguins, I think, 0:17:05.580 --> 0:17:07.440 are more equipped to handle teams like that. 0:17:08.619 --> 0:17:10.250 If you look at the schedule. 0:17:09.890 --> 0:17:12.189 Coming up, not just those two games, but then you 0:17:12.230 --> 0:17:14.570 have Monday night in Salt Lake City against a team 0:17:14.609 --> 0:17:17.790 that I think is really, really good. In all seriousness, 0:17:17.850 --> 0:17:19.470 if the Penguins find a way to get two points 0:17:19.510 --> 0:17:22.310 in the next three games, I honestly think that's a victory. 0:17:22.710 --> 0:17:26.100 And I know that's setting the expectations really low. But 0:17:26.119 --> 0:17:27.500 these are three of the best teams in the league. 0:17:27.520 --> 0:17:29.400 You're not playing while you're on the road playing three 0:17:29.420 --> 0:17:33.100 games in four nights. It's a nightmare setup for the Penguins. 0:17:33.119 --> 0:17:33.900 It really is. 0:17:34.859 --> 0:17:37.090 So we'll see how they respond. They did play very 0:17:37.119 --> 0:17:40.130 well against Dallas. They beat Montreal. So they've played well 0:17:40.190 --> 0:17:42.310 against good teams in the early going. There's something to 0:17:42.350 --> 0:17:45.670 be said for that, but I would be pretty concerned 0:17:45.710 --> 0:17:47.830 for their chances right now. I don't like the looks 0:17:47.910 --> 0:17:50.210 of this team right now, and I sure don't like 0:17:50.250 --> 0:17:50.790 the schedule. 0:17:51.530 --> 0:17:55.030 Jesus, I forgot there at Utah Monday night. Good God 0:17:55.090 --> 0:17:57.970 in the goose fat, that don't bode well either. If 0:17:58.020 --> 0:18:04.540 this goes sideways, what does Dubas do? I'm not talking 0:18:04.560 --> 0:18:07.140 about these three games, but what if they lose, say, 0:18:07.200 --> 0:18:08.220 six of their next seven? 0:18:10.280 --> 0:18:12.540 Well, if they lose six of the next seven, or 0:18:13.660 --> 0:18:16.909 even moving beyond that, if we get into November and 0:18:17.050 --> 0:18:20.090 they're well out of playoff position, I don't think he'll 0:18:20.130 --> 0:18:24.730 hesitate to sell at the right cost. It's going to 0:18:24.790 --> 0:18:27.170 happen at some point before the trade deadline if this 0:18:27.190 --> 0:18:30.239 team is well out of a playoff spot. Kyle's not 0:18:30.260 --> 0:18:31.979 really the kind of guy who makes a move for 0:18:32.000 --> 0:18:34.440 the sake of shaking up the locker room, so I 0:18:34.500 --> 0:18:37.730 don't necessarily foresee a move like that. Could a Rucker 0:18:37.770 --> 0:18:41.250 McGordy get recalled? Apparently he's played really well at Wilkes-Barre 0:18:41.290 --> 0:18:44.409 so far. Something like that, sure. I don't necessarily think 0:18:44.430 --> 0:18:46.240