Penguins Update: Old-Time Hockey

It wasn’t a fancy pass. Or a sizzling shot. Or even a dazzling one-on-one move. On the contrary, the pivotal play of last night’s 2-1 Penguins loss to Columbus occurred midway through the second period when Blue Jackets villain Scott Hartnell barged into the slot and flattened glamour boy Beau Bennett.

A red-alert scramble ensued. The free-for-all ended when Hartnell whacked the puck past Marc-Andre Fleury for the all-important first goal.

An old-fashioned power move by an old-fashioned power forward. Simple, brutal, and oh-so effective. The kind rarely seen at the CONSOL these days.

No less symbolic was a third-period scrum highlighted by a skirmish between Pens captain Sidney Crosby and one of the Jackets. Columbus captain Nick Foligno aggressively intervened and Sid turned tail, leaving teammate Eric Fehr to fend off a swarm of Blue Jackets on his own.

Which team do you think got an emotional lift? If you said our Penguins, you’d be wrong. Dead wrong.

I’d rather be the bully.

It isn’t that our Penguins don’t scrap and compete. As a rule, the black and gold is a hardworking, diligent bunch. One that isn’t easily intimidated.

Last night was an exception. Columbus played its trademark heavy game. (Mostly Penguin) bodies flew. The Jackets dominated in hits (38-20) and in the trenches. The places where you score.

It’s the strategy I’d employ if I were an opposing coach. Hit our Penguins hard and often. Grind ‘em down. Eddie Shore. Old-time hockey.

Especially since GM Jim Rutherford built a team that’s vulnerable to physical foes. On purpose, by all accounts. The mindset permeates to all levels of the organization, too. Down at Wilkes Barre? Tyler Biggs (6’3” 224) has played two games. Enforcer Tom Sestito five. Rugged Reid McNeill has been excluded from the defensive mix of late.

Show even a hint of aggression? You’re liable to be handed a one-way bus ticket to Wheeling. Or New Jersey.

I can’t believe owner Mario Lemieux endorses this turn-the-other-cheek approach. If so, he’s got a short memory. While former Pens Kevin McClelland and Marty McSorley served as bodyguards for Wayne Gretzky in Edmonton, Le Magnifque absorbed tons of abuse. By the time the Pens’ brass finally wised up and surrounded Mario with bruisers like Kevin Stevens and Rick Tocchet, he’d already suffered the debilitating back injury that dogged him like a pesky checker for the remainder of his brilliant career.

Back to the present. The Pens are a combined 3-6-1 against Columbus and the equally rugged Capitals since the start of last season.

Think they’d fare any better against them in the postseason?

I don’t.