Sure the Penguins are Winning, but is it Sustainable?

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.