Tim Benz and Mark Madden discuss the Penguins - Canadiens series so far, Pirates’ struggles, Notre Dame joining the ACC, NFL players opting-out, and answer some reader comments on this week’s edition of “Unfiltered” on TribLive’s Facebook page.

Madden slammed the Penguins for their Game 1 performance, saying the biggest failure was that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin did not do enough. They had only one point between the two.

There were other players and aspects that could be talked about, like goaltender Matt Murray, he didn’t lose the game … he didn’t win it ether. Jack Johnson and Justin Schultz were terrible. The third line was useless. Conor Sheary and Jake Guentzel had a horrific game. The power play. The penalty shot.

But Crosby and Malkin are simply not doing enough, said Madden.

Benz added that the Penguins are supposed to be known for their skill players, especially Crosby and Malkin, but the team stats from their last playoff games show a much more mundane output.

With all this said, though, Madden does not think the Penguins will make any changes for Game 2 on Monday. Madden said that he thinks head coach Mike Sullivan would rather be right, than win.

But Madden does think the Penguins will win the series.

The guys also talk about the Pirates: is the Bucs’ offense worse than the Penguins’ power-play?

Madden said the Pirates are who they are, which is not very good. By the way, the team is not tanking, they are just not very good, the guys said.

The guys also talked about the latest on Antonio Brown (Madden thinks he lands with the Baltimore Ravens) and NFL players using the opt-out clause for reasons other than coronavirus concerns .

And while Madden said he doesn’t care if the players play football, the guys comment about how it impacts their lives.

They also respond to some reader comments.

Also, watch the guys on their new “Hockey in the Hub” post-game show which will air on Facebook Live following Monday night’s Game 2. “Hockey in the Hub” airs following all the local team’s playoff games in Toronto.

Watch Monday’s “Unfiltered” show here:

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)