Sustainability. It’s one of the more popular corporate buzz words of recent times. Everyone from CEOs to rank-and-file employees to shareholders want to know if a company’s programs and profits are sustainable over the long haul.
I pose the same question about our Penguins. On the plus side, our boys currently occupy second place in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 4-1-2…not too shabby. With 13 points in seven games, superstar Evgeni Malkin is perched among the league leaders in scoring. In arguably the best shape of his career, Phil Kessel seems intent on quashing off-season rumors that he’d become a problem child. His confidence and conditioning restored, Kris Letang is performing near his peak.
Sidney Crosby? We all witnessed his breathtaking goal–not to mention stunning display of skill–in Edmonton on Tuesday night. ‘Nuff said.
However, given the Pens’ generally ragged overall play, is the success sustainable over a long season? Let’s take a look at some key factors.
My Kingdom for a Defense
The Pens are yielding shots…and leaking goals…like reservoir water spurting through cracks in a crumbling dam. We’ve allowed 36 shots on goal against a game…fourth worst in the league and six above our average shots on goal for.
Likewise, we’re perched just outside the bottom ten in goals allowed per game (3.43). It sure didn’t help our cause when Justin Schultz, a key right-handed defenseman and puck-moving wiz, went down with a lower-leg fracture during a dismal overtime loss to Montreal. Over the past two games, the Pens have yielded 84 shots on goal against.
Talk about a shooting gallery.
The poster child for the team’s watery defensive play is newcomer Jack Johnson. While it’s early yet and he’s no doubt still adjusting to the change in scenery…not to mention frequently manning the unfamiliar right side…he’s demonstrating his career efficiency rating (minus-112) is no fluke. There’ve been miscues aplenty.
Not that Double-J hasn’t had help. Normally solid, Olli Maatta hasn’t exactly shone, either. Beyond the top pairing of Letang and Brian Dumoulin, all of the blueliners have Corsi’s well below 50 percent, including heralded rookie Juuso Riikola (40.8).
However, hockey’s a team sport and defense is a collective effort. The forwards have to chip in, too. Which leads to my next bone of contention.
Which Way to the Track Meet?
There’s no doubt the present team was built with a single purpose in mind…to outscore the opposition. By packing his squad with offensive types…even down to the seldom-used fourth line…general manager Jim Rutherford virtually manacled his team to a run-and-gun style. As Jesus once said, if you live by the sword you’ll die by the sword.
The same goes for constructing a team around an all-offense-all-of-the-time philosophy. The Pens simply don’t have the horses up front to play a more balanced game, especially along the wall and in the trenches, where outcomes are so often decided. And when the play goes in the other direction?
It’s Katy bar the door. Or…more appropriately…“Lookout Matt.”
Put Me in Coach
I have the utmost respect for Pens coach Mike Sullivan. Simply put, you don’t win a Stanley Cup…let alone back-to-backs…by being a dummy, which “Sully” most assuredly ain’t. He’s smart, direct and resourceful. Wholly capable of making the type of in-game adjustments so crucial to a team’s success.
That’s why, frankly, I’m baffled by his use of our personnel. Or misuse, as the case may be.
It’s abundantly clear Sullivan has little confidence in forwards Daniel Sprong and Dominik Simon…to the extent that he avoids using them in anything resembling a crucial situation. Thus, the Pens have morphed into a three-line team in a four-line league.
Nor is he doing his talented but aging group of core forwards any favors, to say nothing of the havoc it’s wreaking on the kids’ collective psyche, as Other Rick has so duly noted.
Which begs the question…
Who’s in Charge Here?
While nobody’s saying anything for public consumption, you have to wonder if “l’affaire Sprong” has created a private rift between Rutherford and Sullivan. After all, the plucky GM virtually assured that Sprong would be a key member of the team this season.
It’s awfully hard to contribute when you’re averaging a shade over six minutes of ice time per game.
The bottom line? For the black and gold to be successful, Sully and JR must be on the same page. If the present mix isn’t working…and key indicators say it isn’t…coach and GM need to set aside any simmering differences, roll up their sleeves and work together.
Back to my original question. Is the Pens’ present success sustainable, or a case of smoke and mirrors?
Sadly, I say the latter.
Hi Rick,
This thread is a good place to add this reply:
I always watch every game from start to finish, until last night. The smell from my TV still lingers.
It’s anyones guess what that was all about but the fact that the Leafs didn’t have to dump and chase the entire game is a clue. They could have played on their knees and still shinnied right into to offensive zone with no resistance. This team needs a defense…FAST!
I don’t care that it’s only November and, oh, they’ll get serious after the first of the year. That may be so, but to be that uninvested in a Saturday night home game against an up and coming Toronto team is embarrassing. Anyone who paid good money to attend that game should get a refund, without having to ask, or maybe tell the team to use the money from the gate to go buy a defense.
It’s also time for someone on this team, on the ice, or behind the bench, to remind one and all that hockey was, is, and always will be a physical game. Just ask Matt Murray.
— 55
Hi Rick,
I’ve been thinking about your question regarding sustainability. While I think no team can sustain a specific level of play over an 82 game season, I understand the nuance in your question.
The Pens are two teams, the one that shows up to play and the one that doesn’t. It’s clear, at this early juncture, neither will prevail, but will share the stage. The difference maker will be which one shows up more often and that’s hard to pin down thus far.
Some nights they’re good because of effort and some nights they’re good in spite of themselves. The same is true for the opposite versions. I’m not as worried about sustainability as I am with playability, as in adding some new wrinkles to an aging team embracing an aging system.
I was pretty tough on Jack Johnson in a previous post. After I hit the post button, I did feel a bit guilty. Mike makes a good point in that he has been hitting and blocking shots, and hasn’t been a complete train wreck. But, I can’t get passed that he’s been on the ice for a lot of goals, and a lot of scoring chances. He’s been tried with several partners and none has worked to anyone’s satisfaction. I’m not far from the feeling that this is another Hunwick-like situation, but with a nastier cap hit. Should push come to shove, that contract won’t work in the Pens favor. To put a bow on this, I don’t think he’s going to get much better. His career history is somewhat written in stone at this point and there is a slim chance of erasing it.
I’m beginning to feel somewhat the same regarding Brassard. When that deal was made I thought it was too late, and unnecessary. The team was firing on all cylinders and this deal was a disruption that didn’t need to happen. It hasn’t gotten much better and trying to shine it up by putting Brassard on Sid’s wing just looks like what it is. If there is any smoke and mirrors, this may be a prime example. And, he’s been injured much of his time here, so getting a good enough look to make a reasonable judgement has as yet been difficult. In any event, this deal has yet to work.
It may appear I have digressed, as I have a bad habit of doing, but those are two things that will play directly to any notion of sustainabilty, and especially re: Johnson, and therefore, defense. Nothing good will be sustained without more commitment to defense, from all hands on board. The thing most probably sustained while giving up an average of 30+ shots per game, too many odd man breaks and too many blown coverages will fall within the neighborhood of a .500 record.
I’m not purposely trying to throw negative light on this team. There is much to like and much to be happy with. What permeates the negative has much to do with your last point, Who’s in Charge Here?, and what are they willing to do about it. Being the coach of any professional team is a daily grind of difficult choices. What distinguishes the readiness to make them from the results of making them is often the size of the blinders being worn.
— 55
Hey Rick,
Sorry Penguin fans, I certainly hope I am wrong, but I don’t think that our team can be sustainable without incorporating young, fresh legs a 4th line that plays more than a footnote amount of time and a defense that at least slows opponents down a little.
Rick, I don’t think Sullivan is dumb but I do think that he is obstinate and under enough pressure to have forgotten that he won his Cups rolling 4 lines, incorporating youth and mixing defensive defensemen with offensive minded ones.
Rick
Great article – I would like to hit on a couple of key points.
1) I may be in the minority – Even though I felt signing Johnson was a
horrible mistake i dont feel like he’s played that poorly – has he made
mistake – for sure but he also leads the team in blocked shots and
hits. Also, trying to adjust to a system (Sullivan’s) that makes being
a solid “D”man almost impossible. While Letang freelances all over
the ice with zero defensive responsibilities while the other (5) blue-liners
are left defending odd man breaks and playing short handed in there own
end.
2) Putting Sprong on the 4th line makes it almost impossible to succeed. Its
a death sentence.
3) I’ve always been a big Mike Sullivan fan but I feel like he’s allowing his ego
to dictate his personnel moves. Like the Other Rick mentioned its important
to roll out 4 lines – his approach of over-using his top 3 lines could prove to
be disastrous come playoff time. “Its a long season”
4) Had to throw this out there – wouldn’t be nice to have Revo manning the right
wing on our 4th line. He scored his 2nd goal last night and is playing just
under 11min per game.
Good catching up – keep the articles coming!!
Hey Mike,
I was going to write this on your previous reply, if Sullivan were to actually use Reaves, I would agree with you, Reaves really started coming on late in the season last year, once Sullivan started to play him, but I fear Sullivan wouldn’t be using him too much either (At least not until someone twisted his arm)
I will say this about J Johnson, I honestly don’t think he is worse than any other D man on the team. 55 on Point said the team never really practiced anything more than the first pass on D during camp, and that may be the telling feature here. D is really an after thought here and the Goalies are going to suffer.
What really is most problematic in my book is that despite appearing to want to play run and gun, one of the best offensive wingers is not getting any real ice time and according to what I read earlier, Sprong and Riikola are getting press box time tonight. Granted, Grant is a much better 4th liner (compared to Sprong). But this may just be one more scrap of evidence that Sullivan is being insubordinate to JR.
From what I understand JR promised Lindberg a legitimate shot at the NHL last year, but Sullivan sent him down to WBS
Can’t help believing there is a power struggle going on right now and the players and fans could be the real losers if there is.
Hey Mike,
Always good to hear from you.
As the old saying goes, timing is everything. So, of course, the day I write a critical piece about the Pens, they play like the old Canadiens, Islanders and Oilers dynasties all rolled into one. Not to mention Johnson scoring his first goal for the black-and-gold.
Who should I criticize next? Lol … 🙂
Maybe there’s hope for our Pens yet…they played like a well-oiled machine…their second truly impressive effort of the road trip and season. Sullivan seems to have figured out the forward lines, at least for now.
Although he looked a step slow, Grant did okay in his black-and-gold debut and he does add some size. Ruhwedel looked good, too, although he somehow managed to be a minus-1 on a night where we win by eight goals.
Still, it was heartening to see Sullivan use four lines for a change. I think we all agree it’s a must if the Pens are to have any staying power this season. History lesson…Eddie Johnston had a habit of overplaying his stars back in the day, and the Pens ran out of gas in the playoffs…especially in 1993-94.
Agree with your observation about Sprong. It’s really an unfortunate situation…the kid needs to play in order to develop and the Pens as constructed just don’t have room for him. Barring an injury to one of our big guns, that doesn’t appear likely to change.
Also agree that Sullivan allows his personal likes and dislikes to interfere with his judgment at times. I know it’s water that’s passed under the bridge and well downstream at this stage, but I still miss Ian Cole. And, as you pointed out, Reaves is averaging over 10 minutes a game in Vegas and doing a nice job for them (two goals, 39 hits).
Sure wish we had some of that muscle and shove. Speed, too. Maybe Adam Johnson will eventually provide it, although he’s off to a slow start in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Anyway, it’s good to see our boys look like world-beaters again.
Rick