Penguins Dig a Deep Hole

While penning my playoff preview of the Penguins-Islanders matchup a few days ago, I made it a point to mention our Pens were the better team on paper. Perhaps that still holds true. But it sure hasn’t played out that way on the ice.

Through two games of our first-round Eastern Conference series with the Islanders, our adversary has been the better team…by far. The no-name Isles are faster, more aggressive and more opportunistic. Hungrier and more invested, too.

By comparison, our Pens have the look of a team that’s trying to hold back an orange-and-blue avalanche…especially during the third period of last night’s dismal 3-1 loss at raucous Nassau Coliseum.

When we needed to be at our very best, we served up one of our most undisciplined postseason efforts in recent memory, handing the Islanders six power-plays, including an extended two-man advantage early in the second period. Although we killed all but one, the near-constant parade to the penalty box disrupted any rhythm or flow we might have achieved.

Nor did it help that our top line struggled for the second-straight game while frequently butting heads with the Islanders’ physical fourth line of Cal Clutterbuck, Casey Cizikas and Matt Martin. Sidney Crosby was held to one shot on goal, a spectacular one handed back-hand attempt in the first period. After that zip…nada.

He has three shots on goal for the series (and no points).  To put that in perspective, Martin has four shots on goal.

Although more noticeable than he was in the series opener, Sid’s trusty sidekick Jake Guentzel wasn’t exactly a ball of fire, either, although he did manage three shots on goal.

Jake had company. The third member of the unit, Bryan Rust, underwhelmed to such an extent that coach Mike Sullivan yanked him off the top line in favor of Dominik Simon (one shot on goal for the series) in an effort to provide a spark.

Bluntly put, there just wasn’t a whole lot to like from a Penguins perspective. After grabbing a 1-0 lead midway through the second period on Erik Gudbranson’s first-ever playoff tally, it took our guys all of 169 seconds to fritter the edge away. With the game knotted in the third period, we simply had no answer for our hard-charging foes.

We were dominated in the faceoff circle (33-24). Although shots on goal were virtually even (the Islanders held a 34-33 edge) it felt like our rivals had possession of the puck all night long, not to mention the far better of the scoring chances.

Speaking of scoring chances, if you’re searching for bright spots in an otherwise dismal defeat, look no further than our net. Although he yielded three goals, Matt Murray was outstanding. The rangy netminder faced down a plethora of Grade A opportunities and kept us in the game almost single-handed.

While I’m doling out kudos, Phil Kessel was a force for a second-straight game, unleashing a game-high seven shots on goal (a dozen for the series) and displaying good hop.

Although he turned the puck over in the neutral zone on Jordan Eberle’s nifty go-ahead goal, on a whole Evgeni Malkin’s elevated his game, as he usually does come playoff time. Along with Matt Cullen, who was foiled by Isles goalie Robin Lehner on a golden scoring chance from in tight to start the second period, “Geno’s” one of the few Pens to hold his own in the faceoff circle (54.5 percent).

As for my honor roll, that’s about it.

So the locals are down 2-games-to-none heading back to the ‘Burgh. History says we have a 10.5 percent chance of winning the series. Yikes…not good.

If the Pens are to buck the odds, they’ll need to find a way out of the ditch they’ve dug for themselves. No easy task, but attainable. They need to start winning games one shift at a time, one period at a time.

They need to be disciplined. I’m all for pushback. But there’s a smart way to do it and a dumb way. Thus far, we’ve embraced the latter.

The big boys need to step up and start producing. So do the support players. The playoffs are no time for passengers.

A glimmer of hope amid the gloom? With the last line change, Sullivan should be able to get favorable matchups on home ice. I’m sure he’ll make a concerted effort to keep the Crosby line away from the Islanders’ checkers.

Win Game 3, and we have a fighting chance. But make no mistake, the Islanders will be ready. We’ll need to be at the top of our game. Something we most decidedly weren’t in Game 2.

Puckpourri

Jack Johnson replaced Olli Maatta for Game 2. He was more noticeable than the young Finn, delivering four hits and blocking a shot while unleashing two shots on goal. However, the veteran defenseman drew two minor penalties and was victimized by Eberle on the game-winner.

Jared McCann sat out with an upper-body injury. He was replaced by rookie Teddy Blueger, who registered a hit and two shots on goal in 11:41 of ice time.