Miracle on 5th Avenue: Penguins Sweep Back-to-Back Series – Tame Wild 2 – 1

If you could see my face right now you may be reminded of the movie “Miracle on 34th Street”. I am pretty sure the look on my face is similar to that of the look on the face of John Payne at the end of the movie. If you recall the final scene, Payne, Maureen O’Hara, and a very young Natalie Wood are driving home from just having saved the old man who called himself Kris Kringle from wrongfully being involuntarily committed to an asylum. Wood screams in her little girl voice to stop the car and runs into a house with a For Sale sign on it. O’Hara and Payne followed closely on her heels. By by the time the adults get into the house, Wood had raced through most of the house and was heading out the back door, yelling that Santa had fulfilled her wish for her dream house. Standing in what may have been the living room, in front of a fire place, O’Hara and Payne discuss the idea of buying the house for the little girl; after all Payne was such a great lawyer the got Kris off of the hook. It was then that Payne noticed a cane leaning near the fireplace that looked strangely like the cane that Kris carried throughout the movie. That look, right there, as Payne begins to suspect Kris was the real Kris Kringle is the face I am making right now.

Just a few short days ago, I posted a short wish list to Santa for our “Boys of Winter”. Um…. Well…. It’s kind of looking like that Jolly Old Elf must read Penguin Poop. It is just a bit coincidental at the very least, that several of my wishes are getting filled already.

Among the wishes I made for our favorite flightless fowl was that Santa would keep the mojo flowing through Bryan Rust. As if on cue, Rust has delivered 3 goals in 2 games. The Penguins’ speedy, gritty Winger turned 2 Wild turnovers into goals last night. The night before he topped the Caps game with the winning goal (WG). Rust’s mojo not only netted that WG but the WG from last night as well.

Another wish I made for our tuxedo clad sphenisciform seabirds was for the goaltending. I am not sure if Santa brought the Penguins’ goalie coach, Mike Buckley, some of Mike Bales magic, but the Goalies sure have looked like it. Matt Murray and Casey DeSmith have rejected 71 of 73 shots, 0.973% save percentage (sv%) against during these 2 games.

I closed out asking for 6 more points before Christmas. So far our locals have collected 4 of those 6 points, the 4 points that would have seemed the more difficult 4 – so don’t let down boys.

Granted, Rust was hot before these last 2 games, so was the Goaltending. In the last 5 games, the Penguin Goalies have faced 201 shots on goal (SOG), giving up only 12 goals for a sv% of 0.940%. Maybe ole Kris Kringle has started his trip early, maybe it is just coincidence.

Hopefully, there is Christmas magic out there. Hopefully, Santa will be bringing defensive adroitness in his bag. Although Penguin goalies have been equal to the task and Marcus Pettersson and Riley Sheahan helped there Goalies out with some goal line heroics, 40 SOG per game (that is what 201 shots comes to in 5 games) is a recipe for disaster.

I must confess that I have also considered that it may not be the defensive ability of the players but the defensive schemes that the team uses or perhaps it is the offense that really is at fault. A recent post by Ryan Wilson on hockeybuzz to which our friend Dee referred me would seem to infer a disturbing trend.

“The things that Sullivan probably gets upset at Kessel for aren’t nearly as important as the things Cullen does well. The ‘play the right way” mantra rings hollow when you don’t hold all players accountable. Players aren’t stupid. They can see special treatment if it exists. Also, “play the right way” usually means over commit to defense at the expense of pushing the play offensively. Not exactly playing to the strengths of this particular roster.”

Perhaps the real defensive problem is a lack of sustainable offense because of over emphasis on defense. I am not saying that defense, particularly team defense can be over emphasized. What this article has me ruminating on is has our organization passed over or thrown away too many players with offensive upside for feel good players who NEED to over commit to defense to make an NHL roster.

A win is a win is a win, and 4 points out of 4 points is as good as it gets from an out come stand point. Style points may count in College Football but not in the NHL standings. However, only scoring 4 goals in these last 2 games in 67 SOG is not a good sign. I wouldn’t be that concerned if not for the fact that not just one, but all of the Penguins’ big guns; Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Phil Kessel are struggling and have been for the entire month.

Even more concerning about the lack of offense is that both of the goals the Penguins scored last night were gifts. Both Penguins’ goals came off of mindless Wild turnovers. Last night’s game could have easily been a Minnesota shutout. It was great that the Penguins converted (or at least Rust converted) the turnovers, but those types of goals cannot be counted on going forward.

Perhaps once Santa puts at least 1 more top 6 Winger (2 preferable) in the Penguins’ stocking, the shot totals will start coming down. Perhaps when Crosby and Malkin have the right Wingers (and capable Defensemen), they will be able to sustain pressure in the offensive zone, get goals, and reduce the number of shots and scoring chances the Penguins’ Goalies must face.

Of course, even if Santa delivers 2 top 6 forwards, coach Mike Sullivan will still need to deploy them and deploy them to best advantage. So, Santa, don’t forget to tweak our coach as well.

Go Pens! Let’s get those other 2 points.