Penguins Show Character; Halt Golden Knights

Grit. Merriam-Webster defines it as firmness of mind or spirit; unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger. Noted psychologists such as Angela Duckworth of the University of Pennsylvania have devoted entire fields of study to grit while explaining its importance in achieving our goals.

It’s a trait our present Penguins possess in spades.

Forced to play without cornerstone skaters Sidney Crosby, Brian Dumoulin, Justin Schultz and…until recently…Patric Hornqvist, our Pens have not only survived but thrived to the tune of a sparkling 10-2 record in December.

On a personal level, words can’t begin to express how impressed I am with the team’s character and the way the guys have banded together in the face of adversity. The on-ice epitome of the Three Musketeers famed motto all for one and one for all.

I truly felt we had a great chance to recapture Lord Stanley’s glorified punch bowl. In fact, with their riveting speed and relentless hustle, this group reminded me very much of the 2015-16 squad that blazed its way to a Stanley Cup.

Then all-star winger Jake Guentzel went down with a season-ending shoulder injury. In my mind, dashing our Cup aspirations. After all, there’s only so much adversity a team can face down. And our guys had already overcome so much.

Short of acquiring a big-time scorer from another team, there’s just no way to replace Jake. A feel-good story if there ever was one, he’d become the straw the stirred the Pens’ Gatorade. It isn’t a stretch to say the blond-haired winger was a legit MVP candidate. He was having that kind of impact…that kind of season.

Surely, the wheels would fall off the black-and-gold wagon.

Yet much to my very pleasant surprise, the Pens haven’t flinched. They’ve stared this horrific turn of events in the eye and gone 2-1-1 sans Guentzel, including a thoroughly gritty (there’s that word again) 4-3 victory over the streaking Vega Golden Knights last night in Sin City.

Taking full advantage of a shaky Marc-Andre Fleury, the opportunistic Pens potted three goals on their first nine shots to sprint to a commanding 3-0 lead. They’d need every inch of that cushion and then some, as the Knights rallied to dominate the final 40 minutes while holding the sputtering Pens to a paltry eight shots on goal.

Fortunately, Tristan Jarry was up to the task. The freshly minted all-star out-dueled Fleury while making 31 saves, many of the clutch variety. The Pens continued to get contributions throughout the lineup as 11 players recorded points. Hornqvist, Evgeni Malkin, Dominik Kahun (two points) and Brandon Tanev each tickled the twine, the latter notching the game-winner off a beautiful stretch pass from Kris Letang early in the third period.

It was probably the only thing pretty about an otherwise ugly win. Then again, you don’t get points for style. You get ‘em for scoring more goals than the opposition. And against all odds, that’s what our Pens continue to do.

“It’s not always pretty; tonight was an example of it,” said coach Mike Sullivan. “But for the most part, our guys have played pretty competitive hockey and have deserved a lot of the points we’ve accumulated at this point.”

How long can the Pens continue to win with a depleted lineup? It’s hard to say. But one thing is certain. Win or lose, our guys will give it their all.

Let’s Make a Deal

According to the rumor mill, GM Jim Rutherford is actively seeking a scoring winger to replace Guentzel. Among the most prominent names being bandied about are Chris Kreider of the Rangers and Mike Hoffman of Florida.

Kreider, a 28-year-old power forward, would be an intriguing addition. He stands 6”3” and weighs 216 pounds and skates well for a big man. A consistent 20+ goal scorer throughout his career (with a high of 28), the former first-round pick has a cap hit of $4.625 million. He’s set to become a free agent following the season.

Hoffman, likewise, has a knack for scoring goals. The 30-year-old center/left wing tallied a career-best 36 (and registered a career-worst minus-24) for Florida last season. He earns $5.1875 million on a contract that, too, expires at season’s end.

The Kitchener, Ontario, native would come with some baggage as well. His wife was involved in a much-publicized dispute with Erik Karlsson’s wife in Ottawa, a spat that led directly to her husband being dealt south of the border.

Perhaps not the best of fits for a class organization like the Penguins.