The final play of the Penguins’ aborted 2018 Cup run was somehow symbolic of their star-crossed season. A turnover at the opposing blue line led to a quick-strike opportunity and partial breakaway going the other way, which a foe converted.
Indeed, with the exception of an impressive 10-1-1 stretch leading up to the trade deadline, the Pens never quite overcame their penchant for sloppy, disjointed play…especially in the neutral zone. Nor did they ever quite seem to mesh as a unit. Last night, during a heart-wrenching 2-1 Game 6 overtime loss before a disappointed SRO crowd of 18,621 at PPG Paints Arena, it caught up with them.
Pitted against a seemingly inferior Washington squad that proved to be much greater than the sum of its aggregate parts, the Pens failed to respond with the clutch goals to which we’ve become so accustomed. For most of the night…if not the series…they were unable to penetrate the Capitals’ disciplined defensive spine to generate the precious second-chance opportunities needed to beat goalie Braden Holtby.
Nor, save for a three-minute burst following Kris Letang’s game-tying tally midway through the contest, did they seem to have their legs. It was painfully obvious as the postseason wore on that the grind of the two previous Cup runs had finally exacted a toll. In the end, the Pens were a victim of their own success. They simply ran out of gas.
One player who rose to the occasion? Matt Murray. Razor-sharp, the wiry netminder atoned for his uneven play in Game 5 with 28 saves, many of the highlight-reel variety. In particular, his superb glove save on Evgeny Kuznetsov following a classic bull-versus-matador standoff late in the second period spoke to his remarkable poise and coolness under fire.
Unfortunately, his teammates couldn’t muster enough offensive support to save the day. With their postseason backs to the wall, the Pens managed a paltry 22 shots on goal spread over 65 minutes and change. Pop-gun numbers at best.
Indeed, aside from the dynamic duo of Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel (21 points apiece and 19 goals combined), a team built to score struggled mightily to produce. The bottom six, with newcomer Derick Brassard serving as the poster child, was shockingly ineffective. Ditto big gun Phil Kessel. Traditionally a veritable goal-scoring machine on a big stage, ‘Phil the Thrill’ was a shell of his usual sharpshooting self, likely the result of an undisclosed injury.
The Pens also had difficulty winning puck battles. Team speed seemed to wane as well. While there’s still tons of core talent on hand, general manager Jim Rutherford clearly has some fine-tuning to do over the summer.
Although disappointing, the Pens’ failure to three-peat does nothing to tarnish the team’s glorious achievement of winning back-to-back Cups. If anything, it serves to underscore what a truly amazing feat it was…and is.
Winning a championship requires contributions from literally everyone in the organization, from ownership on down through the superstars and ‘Black Aces.’ Mike Sullivan, the coaching staff and support personnel, too. The fact that the Pens captured consecutive Cups during the salary-cap era speaks volumes to the skill, passion and dedication of everyone involved.
On behalf of myself and everyone at PenguinPoop, I thank the Penguins from the bottom of my heart for rewarding us fans with such a glorious treasure trove of hockey moments. From Patric Hornqvist’s suitably ugly Cup-clinching goal last season to Letang’s artful laser in ’16 to the unforgettable ‘Bonino, Bonino, Bonino,’ they’re forever etched in my memory.
Thank you Sid, Geno, Horny, Thriller, Tanger, Jake, Murr, Dumo, Rusty and Hags, not to mention Bones, Cully, Kuni, Flower and all the rest, for giving everything you had to give…and more. You defined the very spirit of a champion.
It’s truly been my joy, honor and privilege to cheer you on.
I have seen a lot of comments still attacking Määttä as scapegoat again.
Why is that?
Every year. Why? He isn’t the problem.
Also Shultz is the scapegoat as well.
So call fans are calling for young players like them to be traded but they don’t call out Letang and his continued bad play..
This very strange and absurd. I don’t understand Penguins fans logic on players. They take Penguins players and organization for granted.
I’ve seen the attacks on Maatta also. I’ve even commented on other websites sticking up for him. The way I see it is that come playoffs a lot of people that know nothing about hockey start watching. I know a lot of them get free tickets to the games. Maatta was getting a bad rap a few years ago and that’s all that they remembered. I you need to stick up for him, just mention that he has the 3rd best plus/minus +8 out of all of the players in the playoffs.
Hey Phil,
There could be another problem and it is similar to real life. There are people that just won’t let go of the past. Every player will have a bad game and after a strong rookie season, Maatta had a physical problems that he had to struggle to over-come. During those struggles there were times he did look slow and couldn’t turn very well and that is all those people will let themselves remember. They couldn’t care less when you point out that Maatta is a +23 in 68 career playoff games and was a +8 this year. They aren’t going to care when you remind them that he is a +52 in 302 Career Regular season games and that +52 is 5th on the Pens all time +/- for Defensemen behind only Murphy, U Samuelsson, J Schultz, and Stackhouse and that his career +23 in the playoffs is the top spot of any Pens D man in the playoffs.
As I said in a reply to Dee below, I am not committed to Maatta but I am not going to try and throw him under the bus, in the same vein as Letang and Hunwick. He had a couple of bad years between Medical issues and goon tactic induced injuries but he is still a kid at 23 and therefore is far from maturity. And thru all of that he still has put up really good defensive numbers. If the Pens where to deal Sprong for R Andersson, then Maatta may be the perfect partner for him.
Yes!
I don’t see Määttä going anywhere. I think Sully needs to slot him better with big body. I have always been Määttä fan through all his trials and tribulations. My gut feeling tells me that he will be on this team at the end without Sid and Geno. Määttä has gotten better.
If Pens can be so committed to player like Letang then you can be committed to player like Määttä that will give he all despite injuries and still evolved really hard after injuries. Letang hasn’t done that.
Rutherford comments make me think Letang will be gone next season. I know he’s committed to keep a young player like Määttä that has a breakthrough with so much more to give.. he has stated that in his interviews..
I don’t see Sprong or Määttä going anywhere no time soon.
Sheary, Hunwick, Letang will be gone. IMO. It Rutherford keep them he will be in big trouble..
Since Pedan wouldn’t be happen next year.
I think Letang should be the one to go and get a deeper great bottom pairing. I will put Dumoulin-Shultz together. If Rig does well in the training camp then Määttä- Rig should do great together.
I love Ruhwedel but I would have a stronger bottom paring..
Sheahan should definitely be 3rd line center. I would have Jooris as the 4 C Try Brass as LW if it doesn’t pan it then he should be traded. I wish it was reset button to bring Cole back and only thing on the defense that needs to happen is trading Letang to keep Cole.
Hey all,
Just to toss my two cents on the pile, I think Maatta has some really underrated offensive skills. He always has his head up, handles the puck really well and may be the most accurate passer among our defensemen. He’s got a good shot, too.
While he’s not a crusher by any stretch, he absorbs the bangs and bumps and hits along the boards and is at least reasonably effective in traffic.
To me, his lone glaring weakness is his inability to get up to speed once he gets turned. He has a very ponderous first few steps. For the most part, he’s smart enough and reads the game well enough to stay out of those situations, but occasionally he gets caught.
Given his pluses, I think it’s a minus you live with.
Rick
Hey Rick,
I do hear what you are saying and I am not disrespecting Maatta at all. I agree with your assessment pretty closely. To that end, with that ponderous first few steps you mention that Maatta has, you need to pair him with a very fleet footed D man or set up a defensive scheme to cover that weakness and that becomes my sticking point.
If the Pens find that fleet footed D-man to pair with him, then of course I am seriously in Maatta’s corner. As I mention above his +/- stats are some of the best career stats on the team.
I believe pens will be back. I’m happy for the big development of Jake and Dumoulin.
I hope Dumoulin get another partner toshow off more of himself..
I’m very happy to have Sid and Geno . I’m happy at their milestones that were met this season especially Sid who is just amazing human being to be around and off chart great player to watch. He worked hard through his injuries and bad linemates this seam. I’m happy to know that Jake is viable great talent winger that he will have have on his side before it’s all said and done from several years from now.
It’s more to come . I hope Speed recovery and lots of rest for this team to recharge for a better next season.
I hope some fans stop taking Geno amd Sid for granted and realize it won’t be players like them again in the league..
Murray should have done better despite bad defense.
He was very weak and out of control in the net
.
I wish Letang was exposed during last year draft and Flueury was still here. It could’ve been a difference. IMHO.
Agree with everything.
Sully and Recchi failed the Penguins. He had a ok great roster and players from Black Aces to help them go deeper.
He really messed up during reg season and post season .
His personal bias and stubbornness back lash on him. Nothing takes credit from the Back 2 back cups but Rick Tocchet was thecglued and man that had the pens going and players succeeding beyond their talent. Tocchet was big part of the success. If Tocchet was behind Sully players like Sheary would have been scratched and Letang probably would have see the press box. Cole probably would have been the tandem with Big Rig.
Sometimes it’s like that with coaches like Sully. He can have leeway but his decisions affect pens players and wins .
Penguins lost their identity and their resilience.
Everything starts with Sully. He didn’t adjust nor let ego do at the door.
Recchi failed the players as well. I think he should be fired. You see the response from players on the bench and during their practices that’s something isn’t right there .
I think Martin and Gouchar was telling Sully stuff to betterthe team. Sully wasn’t listening and often times Sully was lost on the bench when opponents were out doing his team.
He failed Sid . He had Sid’s line operating like a third line during the regular season.
He did Ian Cole wrong despite Hunwick new contract. I think Cole loss on the blue line hurt the them. Cole could’ve help this team . Jr could’ve went for someone like Pageau or cheap center with Jorris in his trade deadline.
I give prop to Caps. I still think they are dirty and pens gave them life.They weren’t the better team at all. Pens was the better team. Penguins just kept giving chances to the Caps to capitalize on the mental mistakes and coaching not adjusting to outwork the Caps. Holtby did his job. Murray needs D to communicate and give up their bodies in front of him. He needs a defense in front of him . Not constant defensive breakdowns and overrated defenseman who leaves him out to dry.
Hey Dee,
Great comments.
I agree…Rick Tocchet probably had more to do with our back-to-back Cups than a lot of people think. He and Mike Sullivan enjoyed plenty of synergy on the bench and ‘Toc’ wasn’t afraid to assert himself and voice his opinion.
He was very popular with the players, too, and probably served as a bit of a buffer between them and the ultra-direct Sullivan.
It was obvious from the get-go Sullivan and Recchi didn’t share the same relationship, although you could hardly expect them to. Still, especially early in the season, Sullivan seemed kind of isolated on the bench, which isn’t a good thing.
Even though they seemed to warm to each other as the season progressed, it definitely wasn’t the same relationship.
Also agree with the general criticism that Sullivan wasn’t as willing to give kids a chance or mix things up. Some of it was probably due to a depth issue…guys like Scott Wilson and Josh Archibald were traded away and…maybe because he didn’t coach them, Sully didn’t appear to be as comfortable with the new crop of kids.
Definitely agree that trading Cole hurt. He and Oleksiak formed a really solid, physical tandem, and he freed ‘the Big Rig’ up to explore his offensive side. I actually thought Chad Ruhwedel did a more-than-serviceable job of filling in, but obviously would’ve preferred Cole against a banging team like the Caps.
Hopefully we can address the need for a Cole-type defenseman over the off-season.
Rick
Hey Rick,
The problem with the Pens D is that they will have to trade to get it. The UFA market does have some big names on D in it, names that will be too expensive for the Pens to try and sign unless they can unload Letang. Or names that are relatively old.
As much as I like Sprong, the rumor of dealing Sprong for a D man may be the teams best chip this summer.
I know I have said I would love for the Pens to find a way to sign Reaves this off season and not have to give up a player, but I still insist the trade that brought him here in the first place was bad. I am still beating that Nicolas Hague drum. I would feel a lot more confident next year with that kid on the horizon. The Kid is 6′-6″ 214lbs scored 35 gs added 43 As, picked up 105 PIM and was a +2 in 67 games this past season in Missassagua. Even before the draft I was begging the team to draft this kid.
Oh well, now the Pens will have to get creative to make up for their lack of vision.
Yes. I agree.
I just can’t wait for this off-season. I expect great moves . Finger crossed to move Sheary, Hunwick and Letang..
It’s many guys we can get when letang’s contract is unloaded from the cap space. I believe Rutherford will do better this time and figure it out.
I expect to see Cole type guy and I won’t mind Jacob Trouba from Winnipeg.
Makes me wonder if Tocchet was the one who made the tough calls on the roster and possibly was a really good judge of players abilities.
Yes!
Hey Dee,
You know I agree with you.
Interesting you brought up Pageau, if you remember, I was pushing for the Pens to trade for him way back when Ottawa first said they were going to hit the reboot button. Even though I like Pageau, I still wouldn’t have traded Cole, Gustavsson, Reaves and a 1st round pick for him. As for Brassard, I didn’t want him at all so even giving up 1 of those pieces was more than I would have traded. That trade will take a long time to truly recover from.
Looking at what Bellerive and Militec did this past year in the Jrs, they may mitigate the loss to a some extent but moves like that one can bring about the dark days of the early 2000s again, real quickly. I just hope JR and Sullie don’t have any more deals like that up their sleeves.
Yes. I didnt want Brassard either.
I read several times you were pulling for Pageau. I was too. I thought he was better fit and cheaper. Rutherford gave up to much for him. It felt like a funeral when Reaves and Cole got traded. Rutherford got greedy . Teams might no wanted to work with him. He did had chance to do do better in February. He failed .
I’m very disappointed with Brassard trade. My disappointment started with Brassard after his first month with Kessel . It didn’t mesh well. It hurt the team chemistry and how the Penguins were getting in the habit of being consistent team before the trade deadline.
MI’m much more disappointed in the defense and how Rutherford abandoned that with blinders on. Sully as well. He could’ve really reduced Letang last night. I believe would winand the pens would getting ready for game7 .
It is what it is . It could be blessings in the disguise to let go some players and move on to strengthen things to aim for another cup .
It hit me hard to see Sid’s Face after that game last night.
Some didn’t like Reaves traded when he first came to Pittsburgh. I did. I didn’t like giving up first round pick. I think Reaves started to become better more in the system before traded. I think Sully should swallow his personal bias and give him shot. I would nice if JR can sign a cheap deal. Maybe.
I have seen Jordy, Angello and Militiec in JRs. Boy. They are great players. I can’t wait to see them in Pittsburgh.
I hope Sully and Jr can do better job of getting young players in the lineup. We do have some talent young players that will be future after Sid and Geno’s era.
I believe pens can win 2 more cup with Sid and Geno. Off-season is crucial.
Backup goalie, Tweak Defense and figuring out bottom 6 . I see no problem of them bouncing back.
It’s unfortunate. Sometimes you can win two championships in a row then missed one year and go on to win more championships.
As long Rutherford does he job to be around Sid and Geno last years plus the future. I don’t see nothing wrong with them winning more cup.
I just don’t wanna see valuable first picks and prospects given away.
I wonder can Rick Tocchet come back. Lol
Hey Dee,
With Crosby, Malkin, Kessel, Guentzel,Schultz, and Murray and an emerging Oleksiak and Dumoulin and a recent contract extension to Hornqvist, the Penguins are still a major threat to go the distance at least 2 more times. The question becomes what does Sullivan and JR do for a supporting cast.
Sheahan deserves a chance to be the 3rd line C again. He was really coming on before the Brassard trade. Rust is not a threat to score a scoring title but he is the middle range type player you need. But after that it is time to move on, it is time for players like Aston-Reese, Simon, Bellerive, Militec, Sprong, and Bengtsson to play. And if Sullivan really can’t stand Sprong (for good reason or not) trade him for a young D man.
I hear you about Maatta. No matter where you go there are fans that are either super fans of a single player over the team or hate a player regardless of evidence. I don’t dislike Maatta, but I am not committed to him either. With the number of odd man breaks the Penguins gave up this season, not all of the blame can be laid at the feet of Letang and Hunwick. I would definitely keep 3 of the D; Dumoulin, Oleksiak, and Schultz but the other 3 slots would be open for me. I wouldn’t necessarily dump Maatta, I would give him a real shot at keeping his spot (not like the way Sullivan railroaded Cole). I would have loved to give Pedan a shot, but it won’t happen next year.
I disagree. I think Määttä will still be on this team. I think he will be here in the future. I’m very committed to Määttä. I don’t think he should fight for his position on this team. He has evolved and will continue to do so. I think Sully needs to put with a better partner that’s has a big body that way he won’t get abuse ..
I’m committed to Shultz, Dumoulin, Määttä and Rig to be be the d Corp without Letang.
Every defenseman play a part in odd man rushes. Määttä isn’t the big culprit in that regard.
I don’t think Rutherford and Sully see eye to eye on things especially after the interview today he Kessel . I don’t think Sully will be be with the team after his contract expires..
Hey Dee,
Please don’t misunderstand me, I don’t dislike Maatta. He has put up some really great defensive numbers and shown some offensive talent, but my take on the Defense is Schultz, Oleksiak, and Dumoulin are the best 3 and with how porous they were this past season, I do think some pressure should be put on this group.
I do see Letang as the weakest defensive link and Ruhwedel as more of a 7th, so I would be looking for a minimum of 2 D-men but I wouldn’t necessarily stop there. However, if the Pens started the season season with Schultz, Oleksiak, and Maatta, I may not complain, especially if the other 2 – changes do the trick.
However, I don’t want to totally disrespect Letang. He is a strong Offensive talent, he owns up to mistakes, and he stands up for teammates. He grew up a lot. But in my mind it is just a business. If he switched to wing I would totally support him.
I didn’t see any of the interviews yet. I may have been vocal in my opposition to some of the personnel decisions but I still support Sullivan. He took a team that was foundering and turned them into 2-time Stanley Cup Champs. It looks like he may have had some help in the form of Tocchet, but, I don’t know if you need to throw the baby out with the bath water. Maybe JR could find someone else who could work the Tocchet magic?
Rick and tOR (this post also covers The Other Rick’s post mortem),
You have said it all. I agree with every word, of course with my own minor twist, expanding on what tOR has already said. So, I will be brief.
I lay this loss right at the feet of Mike Sullivan for his arrogance and intransigence, going back to his banishment of Ian Cole. He coached this team, in this series specifically, to not lose instead of to win. Yes, this team has experienced a long, hard grind over the past three seasons. The wear and tear was evident. It is a valid excuse, except it didn’t have to be. There was absolutely no reason to continue to play players who were hurting the team and muzzling the efforts of others. There was absolutely no excuse to not even consider fresh legs, a little more size and snarl, and scoring creds, in place of what we were watching, game after game in this series. They still may have lost with a few “Black Aces” on the bench, but it wouldn’t have been without having pulling out all the stops – having been “all in.” To me, all in means you do/try everything and anything to spark your team, to “put them in the best position to be successful.” Sullivan, et.al., failed to do that.
I’d like to be gracious and give props to the Caps. I can’t, and I won’t. They had only to defend one line this whole series. Once they shut down that line in games five and six, it was over. Pens coaching handed them the series without, apparently, a second thought.
I take nothing away from the players. They did their best with what they had left in the tank. I’m proud to be a Pens fan. I love this team. I’m eager to see how the summer plays out, to see what changes will be made.
Finally, as to Matt Murray, while I do have sympathy for the little defensive help he was given, he needed to be better.
– 55
Hey 55,
I am an unabashed Murray fan, but like you, I do think he could have done a little more to help out the team.
Perhaps without MAF to back him up he actually did try and do to much and got himself in trouble.
Regardless the real problem came down to not adjusting and bull headedness.
Rick,
Murray had a rough year with the passing of his dad, and injuries. I’m sure that played into it. Perhaps he wasn’t quite ready for the responsibility of being top dog without the luxury of a bonafide cup winning back up. He’s not an up front personality. He reticent, and uncomfortable with the press, and he seems to prefer blending into the background. The spotlight obviously makes him uneasy.
He will mature and learn to accept his roll as number one. I don’t think he was quite ready for that leap into the spotlight without a net.
— 55
Hey Rick,
Agreed, our Penguins have thrilled us for over 2 years with some fantastic hockey.
We all should be thanking them for their efforts.
And thank you for reminding me of these things. I guess for me the what might have been s aren’t quite done haunting me.
With what the Team has done in the past and with a group of kids (Bellerive, Militec, et al) they should be back in the thick of things again next year and if they could find a couple of D men they just may hoist the Cup again.
A couple of bright spots in this years playoff run were Jake Guentzel and Brian Dumoulin. Dumoulin has flashed some fairly good offense this season. First let’s not forget the goal he scored in the regular season that not only got waived off but erroneously earned him a penalty. After that, I saw those moves at least one more time in the regular season and several times in the post season. He may be coming into his own.
And let’s not forget Crosby. Sometimes we may take him for granted but again he was a force to be reckoned with.
The other Rick
I think Pen’s fans realize the magnitude and accomplishment of what it took to hoist the Cup two years in a row. It was a major feat and one that has made
Hockey fans proud.