Gameday 61: Da Shtars

PITTSBURGH (38-14-8) VS DALLAS (24-28-10)

AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER. DALLAS, TX.

8:30 PM EST. ROOT SPORTS

It’s February 28th and the Penguins are in Dallas to finish off their month. The Penguins currently have a 7-1-3 record during the month while amassing almost 50 man games lost in that same span. So now they are in Dallas in the first of a back to back that sees them travel to Chicago tomorrow night. The trade deadline happens at some point between these two games and because it is a back to back situation, there will be two different starting goaltenders.

DALLAS SUCKS AND CHICAGO IS RESPECTABLE, SO IT MAKES UNLIMITED SENSE TO START FLEURY TONIGHT

There, now when they say that Fleury is starting tonight you can hop on Twitter and take a shot for every “they are only starting him because they are trading him tomorrow” tweet. Maybe they will trade Fleury, that decision was left up to Fleury to decide. If they do, don’t get your hopes up for a huge return. If the biggest fish in the sea Shattenkirk was only worth a 1st round pick and a 2nd round pick that the Capitals don’t even have, Fleury is sitting around a 4th. Of course, Sullivan could start Fleury tonight because it makes the most sense for the team to try to get 4 points in the next two games, but hey, I’m just a blogger.

Dallas and Pittsburgh have been linked to various rumors throughout the season so it will reach a climax tonight. If there is any truth to any of the rumors, the teams get an excellent chance to scout each other tonight and save airfare if they swap players. I know everyone is all amped up on the kool-aid and thinking the Penguins need to go make some huge trade, but I need you to take a step back with me:

March 1st, 2016: The general consensus by fans on social media, us, and the paid media, is that the Penguins need to go get a big defender otherwise they will never make a decent playoff run, let alone a chance for the cup.

Later that Day: Penguins acquire Justin Schultz, and nothing else. Fans are outraged, while the Penguins then precede to take that defense and dick slap the rest of the league, including the Washington Isthistheiryears.

Present Day: The Penguins have the same defense that won them that cup, with the addition of Justin Schultz being fully bleached from the Edmonton shitstain. They added a big bodied defender in Hainsey. Why all of a sudden is a defense that just won the cup not good enough to win a cup? Also keep in mind that Trevor Daley was injured in the ECF, and they played without him the rest of the way.

Throughout their recent history the Penguins have had the most playoff success following trade deadlines that saw them acquire players like Bill Guerin, Chris Kunitz, etc. We know what happens when you spend the bank on the shiniest toy on the free agent market. We also know what winning the cup feels like, because the Pittsburgh Penguins that are putting on that uniform tonight are the same Penguins that won the last Stanley Cup (minus a few injuries, lol).

I haven’t really ripped on Dallas at all yet, but that’s because they suck. They acquired all of this offense and forgot about their defense and are once again disappointing their fans. Luckily they were all Cowboys fans before the Stars came to town so they are used to not winning.

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS:

These are the lines the Pens used at their latest practice. They are a little different than the lines used at the Stadium Series game because why not? The Penguins are in a comfortable spot in the standings, there is no harm if Sullivan wants to continue experimenting right now. There has been no word on Letang, except that he left practice early yesterday (MAYBE HE GOT TRADED???). After a stellar outdoor game on Crosby’s line Jake Guentzel is getting another look there, and the KFC line is reunited again on the 4th. This is the line I am most hesitant to watch, if the Penguins are making a trade it will most likely involve Fehr, so if he gets called out of practice today…

The Stars made a trade with Montreal, sneakily shipping Jordie Benn to the Canadiens. $100 says the Canadiens didn’t read the fine print beyond “J. Benn” and thought they were getting the good Benn. So I don’t know who they will fill in for Benn because I don’t care. Hamhuis, still negotiating his rights on the blue line. Lehtonen and Niemi on the back end forming the least scary goaltending tandem of all time. The Stars have Johnny Oduya also, he is currently injured and has been linked to the Pens in trade rumors, but I feel those rumors were started by fans and not someone close to the team. The last thing the Pens need is another hurt defender. Patrick Sharp has also been linked, but what is the price to pay for a $5,900,000 three month rental?

WHO TO WATCH

FOR DALLAS:          Tyler Sequin

Sorry for picking the obvious, but I scrolled through their recent games played and stats and honestly this is all the Stars have. Even during a bad year Sequin sits with 22G-39A for 61 points in 62 games. He is leading last years stud Jamie Benn (57) by 4 points. After Benn’s 57 points the next closest is Klingberg with 35. 35 points is good enough for 5th on the Penguins, currently occupied by Patric Hornqvist. Sequin continues to play good hockey though, making Boston look worse and worse every year. Whether he had a rocky off-ice relationship with the management (or their daughters) I’m pretty sure you still can’t justify shipping him to Dallas. It was, and always will be, a horrible trade.

FOR PITTSBURGH:          MARC-ANDRE FLEURY

Huge caveat to this is if he plays tonight, which unless a trade happens before the game, I fully expect him to. It also wouldn’t make much sense to trade him before the game since it is back to backs. Nonetheless, if Fleury plays tonight, can we all agree to just shut the hell up and embrace it. The decision to stay in Pittsburgh has been rightfully left up to Fleury. It is not Rutherford’s fault the Matt Murray is better than Fleury, nor is it Murray’s fault that he developed faster than anyone anticipated. The Pens have Murray, and a really good looking goaltending future in Jarry, DeSmith and now McGuire. The Penguins didn’t have this for over a decade, so they relied on Marc-Andre Fleury. He has backstopped the Pens for a decade, and a start tonight would be his 685th game with the Penguin crest on his chest. A career 372-213-65, 2.59 GAA and a 0.912 SV%. For all the times he made you throw beer bottles at the screen while handling the puck behind the net, to the time he gave no fucks and threw his soul in front of that puck in game 7 of the ’09 finals, tonight let’s just appreciate him. If this is in fact his last game, there is no point in arguing with other fans about him. Without Fleury, this team doesn’t win in 2009. Stop arguing amongst yourselves over the goalies. We are all fans of the same team, it serves no purpose to see who can tweet in all caps more. Tonight, I encourage you to watch Fleury and just embrace the decade of hockey he has given. If he moves on, why would you want your last memory of him being a twitter-feud about him? If this is his last game, then Marc-Andre, thank you. Thank you for being the person you are, that smile and soul patch that still makes us laugh. Thank you for not ever learning how to articulate, it’s been 10 years and I can still only understand 6 words you say. Thank you for playing in this city every night knowing that people hated you. None of this changes if he doesn’t get traded, it’s time to realize we are allowed to appreciate both goaltenders, especially one that got us through 10 years of service. Matt Murray is the future, but Marc-Andre Fleury will always occupy a 10 year chunk of Penguins history that was filled with a ton of memories, and for that the entire city should be thanking him.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

It’s the Pens and the Stars. We don’t know much about Dallas because they are constantly underachieving. A quick glance at their defense tells me that they shouldn’t be able to hang with the Penguins speed. Yes, speed. I know some people don’t like to admit it, but that’s what the Penguins use to beat teams. As we’ve said all year, if the Penguins can get to their game with a solid 4 line rotation then they should give the Stars all kinds of fits tonight. Try to stay sane through all of the trade rumors, don’t retweet trades from sources without a blue check, and don’t go nuts if the Pens don’t acquire the super star you wanted. This lineup knows a thing or two about winning a cup, they’ll be alright.