• Fri. Nov 22nd, 2024

Anyone Seen Our Penguins?

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ByRick Buker

Mar 9, 2020

Missing. One NHL hockey team. Goes by the name Penguins. Dresses in black and gold uniforms. Used to play with passion, speed and grit. If you know of its whereabouts, please contact General Manager Jim Rutherford. Or return it to PPG Paints Arena…pronto.

I felt my lead-in was wholly appropriate, since the Pens were pretty much missing in action during crucial weekend tilts with Metropolitan Division rivals Washington and Carolina. About the only thing I was going to marvel at was our consistency…we appeared to be headed to a second-straight 5-2 defeat until Tristan Jarry spoiled things by leaking for a sixth goal in the waning stages of a thoroughly dismal Sunday afternoon loss to the Hurricanes.

Actually embarrassing might be a better word. Or disheartening. Or disturbing. Any or all of the previous adjectives would work.

Aside from the art of losing in abysmal fashion, the Pens seem to have perfected the “horseshoe” offense. That’s where you start at one point in the opposing team’s end and wrap the puck around the boards to the other point. If you’re lucky you can avoid the prime scoring areas entirely.

Indeed, save for the occasional sharp-angle shot from the half-wall, that seems to be the Pens’ aim these days.

I’m truly mystified as to what’s happened. It’s as if the very good hockey team we’ve been collectively stepped into an open man hole about 18 days ago and haven’t been seen or heard from since, as eight losses in 10 games will attest.

Sarcasm aside, I’m astounded by the devolution of our game over the past few weeks. The energy, purpose and passion we displayed over the first two-thirds of the season…not to mention resilience and character…literally seems to have flown out the window. We look slow, tentative, weary, unorganized and downright befuddled at times. Throw in timid, too.

Nobody seems to be able to give or take a pass, let alone carry the puck and maintain any possession. The number of quality scoring chances we had over the weekend could probably be counted on one hand.

Winning puck battles? That, too, seems to be a thing of the past.

The strength of our team was that we were playing as a team. Now it’s as if half the lineup has checked out or gone on an extended leave of absence. The poster child is Jared McCann, who missed on a penalty shot against the Caps on Saturday. He’s goalless in 21 games.

He’s hardly alone in that regard. Brandon Tanev hasn’t scored in 15 games. Teddy Blueger has one in 14. Before he was injured, Dominik Simon hadn’t scored in a dozen.

Offensive defenseman Justin Schultz hasn’t tickled the twine since Bill Clinton was president. I’m exaggerating, but only slightly. His last goal came on November 12.

This just can’t be. The Pens aren’t built to rely on a handful of guys. All hands need to be on deck. Right now, there are far too many passengers.

I’ll add Kris Letang to the mounting list of concerns. A hockey buddy pointed out yesterday that the quicksilver defenseman is trying to do too much, and I agree. When he presses, his defensive game (and decision-making) fall apart at the seams.

I thought the return of Brian Dumoulin would help. But Letang appears to be dragging his rock-steady partner down with him. They were a combined minus-11 over the weekend.

Let that sink in for a moment. Your No. 1 pairing…a minus-11.

For the record, Letang’s a minus-10 over his past 11 games, which pretty much coincides with the team’s recent funk.

He’s got to get his game back together.

Jarry and Matt Murray aren’t exactly shining, either, although in fairness the utter lack of defensive support was appalling. All but two of the goals allowed this weekend came on bang-bang plays around the net where our goalies had little or no chance. Like taking candy from a baby.

Okay, so I’ve ground through the litany of what’s wrong. How do we fix this?

For starters, the team must pull together. Right now they appear to be a fragmented and disjointed group, not to mention dispirited. Some of this falls on the leadership (Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin) and some falls on Mike Sullivan and the coaching staff. Somehow, everyone needs to get on the same page and everyone needs to buy-in.

They’ve got to get back to the north-south speed game that was so effective. Along with that, they have to embrace a degree of defensive structure. Right now, there are breakdowns occurring all over the ice and especially in the neutral zone. Many due to blown coverage by the forwards and ill-advised pinches by the defense, Letang in particular.

Again, the coaches need to get a hold of this. Sullivan seems to push all the right buttons when the club is riding high. Not so much when the troops are struggling, especially if it means tweaking his preferred style.

It’s time for him to earn his keep.

Bottom line? The Pens fell into this ditch as a team. They need to climb out of it as a team.

Soon.

20 thoughts on “Anyone Seen Our Penguins?”
  1. Maybe Sullys style is not working anymore..Especially on the P P where puck handling and passing seems to be the norm. Shoot the puck..gee it might go in. Notice this on aot of teams lately, west and east conference’s.
    The perfect shot.Just my take on it.

  2. Hey all,

    One more log on the Poop fire. Dominik Kahun appears to be picking up with Buffalo right where he left off with the Pens. He has two goals, two assists and is a plus-2 in six games with the Sabres, despite a surprisingly low 11:53 ATOI.

    I’m still ruing that deal.

    On the bright side, the Pens have reportedly signed collegiate free-agent forward Drew O’Connor of Dartmouth. He’s 6’3″ 200 and plays a power game…an element we could desperately use.

    Rick

    1. Hey Rick,

      ……and Kahun scored the game deciding goal last night in a shootout.

      JR is reminding me of that grandparent that you have to take power of attorney on because they are no longer capable of making their own decisions. I know its harsh but any idiot that trades Kahun for Sheary should never be allowed to be involved in such important aspects of the team. That could be serious evidence of Dementia.

      But don’t hold your breath on O’Connor ever playing in the ‘burgh as long as Sully is here, even if he could skate like the wind. The scouting reports say he is a premier power forward and scored over 20 goals this collegiate season – he doesn’t fit Sully’s system.

      1. Although it doesn’t make me like the deal any better, perhaps a hidden positive. Rodrigues has really been driving possession…a plus-28 in 5-on-5 shot attempts differential (and a 65.9 shot attempts percentage) in six games. Both very good.

        Unfortunately, he doesn’t appear to possess the scoring touch needed to take advantage of the opportunities he helps create …

        Rick

  3. Saying Sully needs to earn his keep is ridiculous. It’s the stars that need to earn their keep. This team was dominant when all the stars were out. Now that they are healthy, they refuse to play Sully’s system. They aren’t willing to put in the effort required to play his system that definitely works.

    1. Hello Bryan and welcome to PenguinPoop.

      I respectfully disagree. It’s part of a coach’s job to get buy-in. If the team is tuning Sullivan out…then there’s a problem.

      A few things for you to consider:

      1) The Pens appear to be tired. They’re looking for short cuts, which is a sign of weariness. I think part of this stems from the fact that Sullivan basically benched the fourth line for the entire month of January. The remaining forwards were already carrying an extra load trying to cover for the injured, and he put an extra load on top of that.

      2) His habit of playing favorites didn’t help, either. I don’t know what his bias is against Juuso Riikola, who passes both the eye test and the metrics test (best Corsi among Pens defensemen at 53.7). But Sullivan played right-handed shots over him on several occasions, which hamstrung our already faltering transition game and led directly to at least one loss (Anaheim).

      3) Along those lines, he couldn’t wait to snatch the goaltending reins from Jarry and hand them to Murray (he of the .898 save percentage).

      4) Other teams are sitting on our breakouts. They know exactly what we’re going to do. Sullivan needs to change it up.

      Overall, I think he’s a good coach. He’s intelligent, well-spoken, intense and driven, and he holds the players accountable…no easy feat. He obviously knows the game. But, yes, he does need to earn his keep.

      Rick

  4. Hi Rick!

    Very good wrap up of what’s going on with our beloved Pens!

    I’m glad you pointed out the blown coverage by the forwards and ill-advised pinches by the defense, Letang in particular (these are your words).

    I have noticed that since mid-January, our D-men have been pinching too much down low. As for Letang, this pinching thing is not new. I’ve seen him doing it for the last two seasons. I suspect Tanger of selective listening; he doesn’t always listen to the coaching staff. Same thing for Geno. When I watch them play, I have this sinking feeling that since they have won three Stanley cups, they assume they’re ok, they know what to do, so why listen to the coaching staff? Maybe I’m wrong but this feeling has been pretty strong.

    Another thing that I would like to point out: the more the team relies on new players, the better the teamwork is. When the injury list was as long as Canada’s land mass, some of the players were recalled from WSB and some first year players were learning about the Pens’ system. I think that for HCMS, it was easier for him to sell this system to those players. When you are recalled by the Pens, the objective for an AHL hockey player is to stay in the big show, as long as possible.

    This player doesn’t necessarily question the coach about the system. The player sticks to this system because it is less complicated for him to do so. And it increases his chances of making the team. As for new players acquired via trades, they won’t blow the opportunity to fit in the team.

    It is my view on the situation (for what it’s worth). But HCMS works better in a context where everybody pushes in the same direction, when everybody buys the system. With veterans, it might be harder for Sully to sell the concept.

    1. Hello Jorenz,

      Outstanding points. I think you hit several nails squarely on the head.

      Letang and Malkin are freelancing entirely too much. As you said, this is nothing new…especially for Letang. He has a bad, if understandable, habit of trying to do too much when things start to go south, which further exacerbates the problem. Especially during those times, his decision-making and defensive reads are almost incomprehensible. It’s as if he’s never played defense before and, if he has, never learned from his mistakes.

      As for your comment about not listening to his coach? It reminded me of his quote at the end of the playoffs last spring:

      “I don’t think the (answer) is to change my whole game,” Letang said. “I am not going to (allow) three plays in my whole year (change) the type of game I play, you know?”

      As for Geno, his game, too, has dissolved into drop-pass-at-the-opposing-blue-line-hell. He was playing so well and so forcefully, especially when Sid was out. I don’t know if he’s tired from carrying the load, but he does seem to be slipping into some bad old habits (10 penalty minutes and a minus-8 over his past six games despite totaling eight points).

      I think your comment about the kids from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was spot-on, too. Going strictly by the eye test, I thought players like Sam Lafferty and Joe Blandisi (and Adam Johnson in his limited trial) did a good job of buying in as you so duly noted.

      They got their butts pointed north and south, skated like hell, and battled for loose pucks. What they may have lacked statistically (their metrics weren’t all that good) they seemed to make up for in energy, speed and adrenaline, the importance of which can’t be overlooked.

      We could sorely use a spark-plug player or two (or three) right now. We look so flat and lifeless.

      Rick

  5. Rick,

    “Offensive defenseman Justin Schultz hasn’t tickled the twine since Bill Clinton was president”…..nice. : o)

    Your article did a great job of elucidating the conundrum that is the current Penguins.

    They look like the team that started the season getting their ass handed to them by the Buffalo Sabres. They basically had the same group of guys then as now…. coincidence?

    The team played better when the stars were down and frankly they did it , pre-all star break when a lot of good teams were still in “who gives a rats ass” mode. 15 games out of the playoffs, every team essentially gives a rats ass.

    If you remember, Gino was injured and then came back and then kinda sucked until Crosby went down…then we got the locker room interview with the “I need to be Fire” comment … and he was. A lot of other guys stepped up too, including Jarry (in a big way). Tanner-Blueger-ZAR also surprised big time. Rust-Malin and Kahun actually looked pretty damn good to me for awhile.
    If you remember we were still in the mode of what is Galchenyuk good at? mode……answer…nothing much.

    I digress, but if I was Jarry’s (or Murray’s) agent right now, I would be beside myself. I could argue that Jarry’s last two games will cost hime $3 Million over the next few years (Same for Murray). You only get so many opportunities to step up to the plate with the game on the line…..both of these guys have really wiffed lately.

    Also as an aside, I think Sullivan plays too many negative mind games at precisely the wrong times. Just when Jarry was in the all-star game…he inserted Murray. Remember when he benched Johnson at the start of the playoffs with the Islanders after he played every game pretty well?. I was agog at that, frankly and same with the vote of no confidence in Jarry.

    I saw Blueger call out the team….. interesting to see the results of that. I really ;ike Teddy , he’s a great 3rd/4th line center (wins face-off, hustles , scores enough and can play against the 1st line to consume minutes)

    Too much horseshoe puck movement (boards to center ice to boards). Low probability shots with few rebounds and when they do occur…no one to slap them back in.

    I’m no guru, but Sullivan needs to figure out who really wants it and play them.

    Lastly…really well written article on their current state. I struggled to watch the entire game. Thanks for untangling the pain a bit…its the mark of a good writer.

    Best
    PensFanBoy17

    1. In Malkin’s 1st 10 Games this season only line mate Brian Rust avg more Points/60 minutes 5 on 5 than Malkin and he had twice as many Take Aways then Give Aways and was a +4 – Crosby was only a +1. Malkin didn’t come out blazing but he didn’t really ever suck this season.

      Now at this point in the season Malkin is +12 5 on 5 and Sid is only even. The Penguins score 3.85 Team Goals/60 minutes 5 on 5 with him on the ice while only giving up 2.95. While Crosby is on the ice the team only manages 3.01 Team Goals for while giving up 3.01. So Mallkin has played better offensively and defensively, yet people still complain about Malkin and not Crosby.

      I find that very interesting – A lot like Sullivan’s coaching style (Playing favorites).

      1. Rick,

        Wow, lots of numbers.
        Wouldn’t argue that Sid is playing below his normal level nor even below Malkin. Don’t think I compared him to Sid, but …OK.
        Forgetting the numbers for a second, Malkin does dumb things at times that hurt the cause. Dumb Penalties and turnovers at the blue line as he enters the offensive zone in particular. He also has been spectacular at times and his effort level this season is notably higher than last. I don’t see him as part of the bigger problem, per se.
        Since you brought up the comparison to Sid…I clearly think Sid is struggling. I wouldn’t be surprised if we find out he played with some issues after the season ends but thats pure conjecture on my part. I do not JakeGuentzel got injured.

        Si has largely gone invisible…rarely doing really dumb stuff, but also not jumping off the screen as one of the best players in the NHL.

        I wish I had some numbers, but I’m more of a perception guy and that lends itself to insights and failings like every approach

        Best
        PensFanBoy17

        1. Sorry, In reading my post, something got messed up.
          I meant to say that JakeGuentzel and Rust with Sid liberated Sid. Sheary and Simon do their best, but they aint JakeGuentzel and Brian Rust.

          1. Sheary was a 4th line player on the 24th team in the league when JR traded a player who was playing 1st line minutes for a then 3rd team in the league. Sheary may do his best but his best wasn’t good enough to earn him more than honorable mention on a cellar dweller – but he is getting top minutes in Pgh.

            Somehow or other, I don’t find the Penguins slide very shocking given that significant GM/Coaching BLUNDER.

            Simon, may have been getting top 6 minutes with Sid before the Sheary trade, but when Sid was hurt and the team was winning Simon was playing 3rd line to 4th line minutes.

            Again, it didn’t surprise me that the team started to slide given the stupid decision.

            You are right PensFanBoy17, Sheary and Simon are no Guentzel or Rust, they aren’t a Sam Lafferty and Anthony Angello or even a Adam Johnson and Jordy Bellerive.

            Hell they aren’t even Justin Almeida or Valterri Puustinen – Okay maybe they are about an Almeida but maybe not a Puustinen

            1. Rick,

              On the subject of Sid, I was thinking of re-purposing the old question…”whose the only guy that can keep Michael Jorden under 30 points a game…..answer: Dean Smith” to ‘Whose the only guy who can keep Sidney Crosby to under 1 point a game….Answer: Jim Rutherford….But I didn’t.

        2. Hey PensFanBoy17,

          Sid actually had 2 GiveAways last game on blind drop passes. Particularly when he is struggling, Sid makes some really dumb plays trying to force passes into bad areas rather than taking the opened shot himself or making blind drop passes like last game. Perhaps the reason he may not appear to make as many mistakes as Malkin is that he usually draws the better line mates – Playing with Guentzel can make anyone look better, not to mention Kunitz.

          That also may be why Malkin often appears to pick up his game in Crosby’s absence. He may not really change his style of play, he just may now be on the ice with something other than a pylon.

        3. Hey PensFanBoy17,

          I just wanted to make sure you knew you were swapping comments with “The Other Rick” and not me.

          He’s the bad Rick…lol 🙂

          Rick

    2. Hey PensFanBoy17,

      Great comments and observations as always.

      You summed it up perfectly when you said they look like the team that got their butts handed to them by Buffalo in the season-opener. I remember watching that game and thinking…”Uh, oh…it’s going to be a long year.”

      Then that team disappeared and a brand-new one emerged…one that played with passion and energy and speed and grit and discipline. Maybe there’s a worm hole at PPG Paints Arena and that bad old team from the opener somehow re-emerged.

      Very astute point about us playing playoff-style hockey when everyone else was in mid-season mode. Now they’re dialing it up a notch while we seem to be running out of juice.

      As an aside, I don’t think we can discount the long-term effect of all the injuries. Even though we basically have our team back, I think the strain of playing so long without so many key players has taken a toll. We just look exhausted at times.

      And who knew Zach Aston-Reese was such an important component? I guess his defensive metrics suggest he should be a Selke candidate…he’s been that good. Our skid has pretty much coincided with him being out of the lineup (we’re 3-8 without him). His linemates Blueger and Tanev look lost right now.

      I hear ya about Murray/Jarry. Although it hasn’t been all their fault, neither one is giving an impersonation of Georges Vezina (or even Les Binkley) right now. Over his past six games, Murray has an .866 save percentage and 3.58 goals against average. As much as it pains me to say it because I’m pulling for him, Jarry’s been worse…4.52 goals against and .845 save percentage in his last four starts. Yikes.

      I just hope we can pull together and turn this around. But I confess, I’m not feeling too confident right now. It’s beginning to feel more and more like 2014-15 when we played through a bunch of injuries, then fell apart over the final month and barely made the playoffs before being booted out in the first round.

      Really hope I’m wrong…

      Rick

      1. Rick and PensFanBoy17,

        Just thinking about the comparison between the team that tanked in the opener and this version we are watching now;

        The team that stunk up the opener was pretty much the team that Sullivan wanted. He shipped out all the kids except Marino (Blueger had played the previous season) even though Lafferty-Bjorkqvist-Legare was the best line in the preseason.

        Then the injuries hit fast and furious; Sullivan had to use the kids and they won.

        Now that most of the injuries at least to the big names have healed, only Guentzel is out, the team is tanking again.

        I said it in the middle of the streak; “this team was winning because of their injuries not despite them” and I can easily use this putrid play as evidence to support that comment. I won’t say I told you so though, at least not yet. I am holding out a bit of hope that I was wrong and Sullivan turns it around.

      2. Rick (The Good ) and Rick (The Other),

        Thanks for the post. I agree that the team lacks a bounce and energy.
        I’ve always believed that you don’t mess with “Magic”…. If I was a coach, always leave the hot hand in goal….. I don’t care if Marty Freakin Brodeur has to sit for Eddie Garfinkel…If Eddie is on fire, ride him until it goes out and then put Marty in.

        Its hard to argue that the point that they were better as a team with less talent and more hustle and edge.

        Like you guys, I will be watching the game tonight and hoping they fix their ills. If its a team dynamic issue , than the coaching staff and GM have to be smart enough to fix it. Having read all your earlier posts and seen the games, I fear Sullivan isn’t attuned to that vibe. If Mark Recke and Jacques aren’t either…we are doomed to watch them miss the playoffs.

        Its one thing to have the guts to trade someone. Its another to have the guts to sit starters as healthy scratches…and relay to the “new” starters that if they perform…they stay.

        I really appreciate the insights from you guys. I’ve learned a lot.

        Best,
        PensFanBoy17

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