There’s an old sports adage that states good teams find a way to win. The inverse is also true…bad teams find a way to lose.
Right now, the Pens are giving a really good impersonation of a bad team. At a critical point in the season…one where their very playoff lives are on the line…our guys are finding ways to lose.
Indeed, last night’s gut-wrenching 4-3 overtime loss to Buffalo followed an all-too-familiar script. Pens take lead. Pens blow lead in closing minutes. Pens lose game in overtime.
If I didn’t know better, I’d swear I was watching a Groundhog Day replay of our Stadium Series loss to the Flyers last Saturday. Same unsettling pattern. Right down to goalie Matt Murray’s disturbing habit of yielding soft goals at precisely the wrong time.
Yes, you can argue…rightfully so…that Rasmus Dahlin was offside entering the Pens’ zone on the sequence that led to Conor Sheary’s game-winning snipe from the slot. For the record, the diminutive forward’s second goal and third point of the night. Perhaps the good folks in Toronto feared a full-fledged riot on the Niagara Escarpment if they disallowed the goal.
However, you make your own luck. The Pens should never have been in this position in the first place.
True, we’re presently playing without our top defensive pairing of Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin…certainly a huge mitigating factor. Although, truth be told, Jusso Riikola and Zach Trotman have done a more-than-admirable job filling in.
Still, our inability to close games out and secure precious points is alarming, to say the least. This is the second time this season we’ve blown a regulation lead and succumbed to Buffalo in overtime. Similarly, we coughed up early leads in an overtime loss to Boston and a shootout loss to Montreal.
It’s a far cry from our recent Cup seasons, when the Pens went an astounding 65-0 when leading after two periods. Then again, we’re not the same team. Not by a long shot. We’ve lost 17 games in which we’ve scored first…11 in regulation play. That’s a lot of games to come up empty. A lot of points to fritter away.
A hockey buddy, Billy Ellis, opined following the dismal loss to Philly that the Pens seem to be in search of an identity. I agree. While for the most part necessary, the trades that brought in newcomers Nick Bjugstad, Jared McCann, Marcus Pettersson and now Erik Gudbranson have altered the team’s chemistry. It takes time for new guys to assimilate, both on the ice and in the locker room. A luxury the Pens’ might not have as the season winds down and valuable points slip away.
Consistency’s been an issue, too. In fact, the only thing consistent about this team is its inconsistency. Since a 10-1 hot streak around the holidays, the Pens have gone a languid 8-9-3. Take away our eight-game winning streak, when all the stars aligned, and we’re a decidedly pedestrian 25-22-9 for the season. That’s not going to cut it.
Wish I had some answers. Aside from juggling lines and shuffling guys in and out of the lineup, I’m sure Mike Sullivan and the coaching staff do, too. Some attention to detail…especially in the defensive zone…would help, along with full 60-minute efforts.
Too, Murray or Casey DeSmith or whoever guards the black-and-gold net has to come up with a big save with a game on the line. Sometimes you need your goalie to steal a win. With precious few exceptions, that hasn’t happened since announcer Mike Lange’s proverbial eighth-grade picnic.
It would help immensely if Phil Kessel would do what he’s supposed to do…score goals. He’s gone 14 games without one. Creative as he is, “Phil the Thrill” simply doesn’t do enough other things well to compensate for not tickling the twine. We need Patric Hornqvist to wake up, too, although he’s shown signs of life with the recent move to the top line.
Bottom line? Right now, I sense the Pens are emotionally fragile. It’s almost as if they expect something to go wrong at critical junctures. And if they don’t believe in themselves and each other?
Bad things happen at the worst times. Like last night.
Hey Rick,
I don’t know what else to say about the team without sounding like an elevator music loop — that Charlie Brown-like wah, wah, wah in the distant background playing music no one hears even while actually listening. Defense, wah, wah, wah. Kessel, wah, wah, wah. Hornqvist, wah, wah, wah. Simon, wah, wah, wah. Johnson, wah, wah, wah. “We played a good game. We just didn’t get the result.” Wah, wah, wah. Maybe engrave that above the locker room door. Too many wah wahs and not enough finish.
I do know this: A playoff team cannot lose these kinds of games, and they can’t lose them in this manner, or to non-playoff teams. Period. That’s all there is to say about that, no further wah wahs required. Yes, missing Letang and Dumoulin, and Rust and Maatta, is a bad break, currently, but they lost other games in a similar fashion this year with those guys in the line up, and the same two goalies. Not sure how many times for each but that doesn’t matter.
We want to say they’re better than this, but maybe they aren’t. What I don’t understand, I guess, is if you can play aggressively for 55 minutes, what’s five more? Too often they tried to sit on a lead this season, and they got spanked. (I’ve read they’ve lost that way 17 times this season. Is that true?)
Oh… I also know the offsides rule, concerning “control of the puck,” is the second stupidest rule in the book, coming in a close second to everybody’s welcome in the blue paint. I don’t care if the puck is between a players teeth, if the skates are across the line before the puck, you’re offside. Simple. Logical. No challenges or replays necessary. But, that’s just more wah, wah, wah.
Yeah, I know why they make these rule changes, more scoring to mollify the attention span impaired and easily bored. But, they’re sitting there looking at their phones, texting and taking selfies anyway.
— 55
55, U just went off on the ~M’s without saying the ~M word.
LOL
Not an M,
I guess I did, though it actually was aimed at the league. The thing is, out of the 18,000+ fans at any game, if there a 7,000, or so, who know, or care, about the rules, that’s about as good as it gets. They’ll also be the 7,000 who’ll be there when your team isn’t winning. Ticket sales will always determine success. In this city, if you aren’t the Steelers, you better be winning, no matter what the rules say.
I also think some of the rule changes have taken some of the skill, and some of the work out of the game. They’ve also added a layer of complication where none is necessary. Now games are stopped while officials confab with Toronto and watch video replays to determine if the goalie was interfered with. Why not just this: Were you in the blue paint? Yes. Are you a goalie? No. Here’s two. Have a seat. Might save on some goalie doctor bills too.
But, I’m biased, and a dinosaur. I actually liked the two-line offside pass.
— 55
I agree with you 55, I liked the 2 line off-side pass.
Hey 55,
As always, very well (and cleverly) expressed.
Couldn’t agree more with your ‘wah wahs.’ In fact, it’s been one of my greatest challenges in writing about the Pens this season. To a degree, I feel like all my articles are the same because the issues are the same…lack of full 60-minute efforts, lack of consistency, lack of intensity, lack of defensive structure, lack of killer instinct…yada, yada, yada. Or wah, wah as you prefer… 🙂
It was encouraging to see us knock off Montreal last night and climb back into a playoff spot. But we’ve got to keep it up.
My take? Carolina’s playoff bound (20-6-1 since Jan. 1). It’s going to come down to us and Columbus…maybe Montreal, too…for the final playoff spot. One of us is going home.
I pray it’s not our Pens.
Rick
PS–Speaking of the Blue Jackets, they aren’t exactly lighting it up since making all those high-profile moves at the trade deadline, are they? We had our way with them and they lost last night to Edmonton, 4-0.
We know from experience (2013 when we acquired Iginla, Jokinen, Morrow and Murray and last year with Brassard) that making high-profile moves at the deadline doesn’t always work.
Often, it’s teams that make subtle additions (us with Ron Hainsey in 2017; the Caps with Michal Kempny last spring) that benefit the most.
Hey Rick & 55oP,
55oP – lol the looking at their phones anyway.
Rick – I really think that Columbus’ GM has a Tortellini problem and doesn’t know it. These stars that they are getting won’t sign if Tort’s is coach. They flat out don’t like playing for him. I truly believe that the guys would rather tank, miss the playoffs and just start out fresh with the team of their choice and their big new contracts.
They could probably solve that problem by firing Torts and bringing in Crawford, but I’m not going to tell them. I like the way it is going for them as it is. The Pens have a home and home against them coming up and those games will be huge.
Hey Rick,
1) Worst on-sides call I have ever seen. I believe the rule says control and possession. (I could be wrong) How you and your stick are 5 feet away from the puck and there is a guy in between you and the puck and you still have possession I will never know. The guys in Toronto do have an interest in the Pens not making the playoffs.
2) If DeSmith doesn’t come up big tonight, It is time to bring up Tristan Jarry.
3) Kessel’s passes have been horrendous. As Nike says “Just Shoot It” or something like that.
Phil,
It’s definitely up there with Brier’s eight feet off side in the playoffs several years back.
— 55