I don't think it's lack of effort either. Like Hillbilly said, they just couldn't/can't. We need good things to happen to compete. Someone needs a snipe or a lucky break to get us going, then we can stall and keep it close, hope Charlie stands on his head and hopefully come out on top. But we don't have any firepower to "make" something happen.

Oshie, love his effort, but his coordination has fallen off a cliff. He can't hang onto the puck at all anymore, even worse than Ovi. Ovie's hit or miss. Wilson has gone missing for a long time now. Paci never showed up, outside of a few games when he first got healthy enough to play and even then didn't put anything in the net. And that's our "star" power..

Hate to say, but Carlson is the only star caliber player doing his job. Good on him! 

Just gotta hope and pray the kids take another step in the offseason or it'll be another year of fucks and god dammits. Hoping for a lucky bounce and headstands tonight!! 

Lest ye not forget...the game was in NY...for some reason the refs ALWAYS favor the Rags in NY during the playoffs.
Think its only ever been worse in a few SHittsburg series than vs NYR in NY
To me I dont think it was total lack of effort.  Some yes, but they just looked gassed.  It's not that the would not compete, but that they could not compete.
Still..you got to get up for the big games.

And I thought I was delusional.   

This is fine, as long as it’s consistent, and consistently enforced on both teams.


I used to watch rounders a lot. There were umpires behind the plate that were very inconsistent during a game. What was a strike in the 1st inning wouldn’t be by the 4th, but would be again by the 7th. Those umps had very thin skin when called out on it.

 

Refs have their tendencies and preferencies.   What they will let slide, what their bug bears are.

This is fine, as long as it’s consistent, and consistently enforced on both teams.


I used to watch rounders a lot. There were umpires behind the plate that were very inconsistent during a game. What was a strike in the 1st inning wouldn’t be by the 4th, but would be again by the 7th. Those umps had very thin skin when called out on it.

I ALWAYS check out (thanks Alta) who the refs are.  Many of the old biased bastards have gone, but there are still a few left. Refs have their tendencies and preferencies.   What they will let slide, what their bug bears are.

There has been a whole new generation of refs come through recently and they seem less influenced by "Toronto" and the golf set than previously.

Don't get me wrong, Vegas is very much the shining light these days, whereas the sun that used to shine out of the Penguins arse is very much dimmed..........