“Too much, too soon.”
As I watched our Penguins bolt from the starting gate last night, that quote from the hockey classic Slap Shot popped into my head. Uttered by a ref while watching Broom County’s Barclay Donaldson beat the tar out of the Chiefs’ Dave “Killer” Carlson, it’s also an apt epithet for our deflating 4-3 come-from-in-front loss to the Flyers at PPG Paints Arena.
Indeed, when Jared McCann’s sprawling redirect of a nifty Kasperi Kapanen feed ran the score to 3-0 in favor of the good guys, I glanced at the time of the goal.
Three-fifty-seven.
Still over 56 minutes of hockey to be played. That’s a lot of time, I thought. I hope we don’t go into prevent mode.
Which is pretty much what happened. We had six shots on goal at that stage. We unleashed only 23 more the rest of the way. During that span the Flyers piled up 35.
A classic case of the tortoise and the hare.
It reminded me of our ill-fated playoff series versus the Flyers in 2012. For the uninitiated, we raced to a 3-0 first-period lead in Game 1…and lost 4-3 in overtime. Determined to make amends, we snatched a 3-1 opening-period lead in Game 2. Lost that one, 8-5. A 19-year-old kid named Sean Couturier scored a hat trick.
There’s something about those Halloweenish orange-and-black uni’s that brings out the worst in us.
Back to the game.
Before you could blink, the Pens filled the net three times on tallies by Kris Letang, Mark Friedman and McCann. Friedman, in particular, seemed to relish scoring against his old team and made no bones about it during an animated celebration. To digress, this kid has the makings of a heart-and-soul sparkplug, the type we sorely need. But his showy display may have unwittingly served to inspire his former team.
Minutes after Friedman’s goal he was crunched by Nolan Patrick, who drew a boarding call. Had we cashed in on the power play it might have been a different game, but our guys predictably misfired.
The Flyers had no such difficulty. With Bryan Rust in the box for interference, the aforementioned Couturier struck on the ensuing man advantage to make it 3-1.
Uh oh.
For me the turning point came early in the second period…again involving Friedman. Looking to avenge Patrick’s hit, he lined up his ex-mate just inside the Pens’ blue line. Patrick saw him coming and led with his shoulder, flattening Friedman. Putting him on “queer street” in boxing parlance. The Pens’ defenseman wobbled off the ice and didn’t return.
That’s what happens when 5’11” 185, however game, collides with 6’2” 203.
Down to five d-men, the black-and-gold mostly stood around and watched, occasionally devolving into a ghastly defensive breakdown. I won’t describe all the gory details, but on the Flyers’ second goal Claude Giroux and Scott Laughton were left alone and unfettered in front of Tristan Jarry while defensemen Marcus Pettersson and John Marino mysteriously attended to other duties in a galaxy far, far away.
Can you say blown coverage?
Anyway, Philly gradually reeled us in like a spent mackerel on the end of 15-pound monofilament line to snatch two precious points.
I’ll leave it to coach Mike Sullivan to sum up.
“We just didn’t play the game hard enough or smart enough,” he said. “When you get up early in games, you’ve got to continue to play hard and do the things that brought you success. I don’t think we did that as a group.”
Puckpourri
The Flyers outshot the Pens, 35-29, and held a 42-38 edge in hits. Philly converted on one of two power-play chances, we were oh for two.
Following a strong start, our possession numbers are sinking of late. We’re presently 10th in the league in Corsi For at 50.53 percent.
Sidney Crosby returned to the lineup following a one-game absence. Number 87 turned in a typical Sid performance, finishing with an assist, a plus-one and a team-high five shots on goal. He won 54 percent of his draws.
Only wish the rest of the team was as consistent as our captain.
The Pens are presently in fifth place in the MassMutual East with a record of 12-9-1 and 25 points, two behind the Flyers and Boston. Both teams have two games in hand.
In the “more bad news” department, the Rangers are quietly beginning to heat up. They have 21 points and a game in hand on our Pens.
Opinyinz
Marino had an awful game, finishing at minus-three. His erstwhile partner Mike Matheson wasn’t much better…at least not in the defensive zone. His giveaway in the corner to Travis Konecny led directly to the tying goal. And Matheson’s failed sweep-check attempt in front of the net teed up Giroux’s game winner.
Following an outstanding stretch, the former Panther’s plummeted back to earth (minus-four in his past six games). Someone recently likened Matheson to Philly’s equally gifted but erratic Shayne Gostisbehere. That seems a suitable comparison. Two guys who breathe life into their team at one end of the ice and snuff it out at the other.
During the post-game press conference, a reporter (can’t remember who) suggested the Pens need help in front of the net at both ends of the ice. BINGO!
Calgary’s Sam Bennett was a healthy scratch last night and may once again be on the trade block. If ever a player needed a change of scenery, it’s Bennett. Brian Burke drafted him fourth overall in 2014. I’d love to connect the dots and bring the struggling 24-year-old power forward to the ‘Burgh.
Hey all,
A really good article over on the Tribune-Review: “Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Penguins GM Ron Hextall faces tough decisions with personnel moves”
I think Madden does an excellent job of summing up the Pens’ present situation and what needs to be done going forward.
One thing he stressed…don’t look for Hextall to make deals to prop up this team in the short run. Let’s face it…they’re about four or five players (at least) from being a legit Cup contender. He’s just not going to get that kind of return with what we have to offer.
Instead, Madden suggested you may see guys like Brian Dumoulin go for a package of draft picks and/or a prospect.
He also points the finger at coach Mike Sullivan. I’m going to stop short on this because it’s given me an idea for an article.
Anyway…Madden’s article is a must read.
Rick
Hi Rick,
I’ve said it before, on this blog about a month ago, and I’ll repeat: They’re a perimeter team and until they fix that, they’re going nowhere. They got the lead last night going to the net, then completely surrendered the center of the ice. How does that happen? Why does that happen? They clearly can see it works, yet they fail miserably more often than not. If Burke and Hextall can answer those questions they’ll turn this team around. This is an abbreviated season. They don’t have 60 games left to right the ship. It’s put up, or shut up and look toward next season.
I’m sitting here watching Washington at Boston and wishing for a couple Wilsons in black and gold.
— 55
He 55,
I am right there with you, I am sick of the perimeter hockey and the trading away of one of the only players willing to go to the blue paint for just another perimeter man.
The good news is the last two games along with the next three… I can actually watch on tv up here in Canada..
I felt bad for Jarry, he played very well , I thought, he has played very well the past few games. Along with Casey’s game the other night.
It’s just the same old when they lose….
Geno looks lost,
the giveaways on careless passes.
The lack of shooting confidence.
The PP looks like crap, can’t get set up unless they win a draw , when they do setup no one wants to take a shot, just make a pretty pass.
Watching my Penguins play is very frustrating as fan and a coach..
I bet Minnesota is really hoping we don’t make playoffs…. lottery pick, I know I keep bringing that up but…. Zucker wasn’t worth it!!
Hey Pens4ever,
Agreed, the Zucker trade looks worse and worse. It is now looking like they would have been better off eating Galchenyuk’s contract with him on the bench last season and use the additional $5.5 million for FA signings, maneuvering room for trades, or even just limiting $$$$ losses from the current economic situation.
Consider this Rick,
The Penguins have played 11 series (22 games). Of those 11 series, In the second game of those 11 series the team has lost 7 games in regulation and 1 in OT. They have only won 2 in regulation and 1 in a SO.
1st thing – the results of the 2nd game of a series does show who the better coach is as the better coach makes adjustments to the other team. The 3 wins (2 RW + 1 OTW) have all occurred in series where we won the 1st game. Sullivan has yet to show he can adjust to his opponents game! Bottom line; Sullivan is getting out coached.
2nd the winner of game 2 of a playoff series has won the the series almost 3/4 of the time. Even if this team were to miraculously make the playoffs, the laws of probability that they get out of the 1st round is not hopeful.
Kingarski, in a recent post suggested that the team needs a shake-up if they are to make the playoffs. Let’s start with the Coach! He is the one failing the team in game 2 of each series.
You need to get your story straight. One day its the coach’s. The next it’s the players stink. OK, its a terrible coaching coaching terrible players. How they ever win a game must be an utter mystery to you. Yet they are 12-9-1 despite their star players being mediocre to awful, surviving a period missing most of the defense, and having yet to play a game against the two weakest teams in the division. Any rational analysis is that they are doing OK, not great, but OK. They obviously have team weaknesses but so does everyone else. Maybe you can take solace in the fact that the Pens have regularly beaten the Caps and the Islanders, so at worst Sullivan is a better coach than Trotz and Laviolette. I guess they must be really, really awful coaches, right?
But if you blame someone who is really responsible, I’ve got your man. Mario Lemieux. He is the root problem. He’s the one who is pushing for win-all-costs-now with run-and-gun hockey. Mark Madden is right. The Pens stars are slowing so they need to change their game to a more structured, defensive posture. But that isn’t Mario Lemieux hockey. Even if they fired Sullivan, Lemieux would just bring in someone who fits the same mold – high speed offensive hockey with an aging core and the results would be the same or worse.
Stratton,
You can be forgiven, at least for a little of your error here, you are a new kid on the block here. I have complained that Sullivan has been the problem with this team since 2017-18. It was during that season that Sullivan started to tear down the teams morale when he couldn’t get along with Ian Cole and forced him and Reaves out of the ‘burgh and then doubled down his rift with the team by blaming Kessel for the Playoff loss to the Capitals, questioning the JR’s post-season disclosure that Kessel was injured.
It was at that point that I began saying, in my own posts and in replies to other posts that Sullivan had been a Passenger on the bus, a door man opening and closing the door, rather than an architect of a championship team. It was then that I found an article from a New York reporter that dug into the Tortorella exit from the Rangers disclosing that the entire team went en masse in mutiny demanding that the coach be fired. Originally the report was that Tortorella was the coach the players were talking about, but the same reporter that broke the story was now reporting that the coach the team wanted gone was Sullivan.
Over the last couple of seasons I have prosthelytizing the reality that the person in charge of process is the one responsible for outcome. After blaming Kessel for the loss to the Capitals, Sullivan added Malkin to his list of culprits citing both Malkin and Kessel for the sweep the Islanders embarrassed the black and gold with the following playoffs, still not acknowledging HIS own in ability to adjust to opponents.
As for the players, only 7 players remain from the last Cup team; Crosby, Dumoulin, Guentzel, Jarry, Letang, Malkin, Ruhwedel, and Rust; really only 6 since Jarry only played 1 regular season game that year and 0 games in the playoffs. Furthermore, neither Guentzel nor Jarry were on the 1st of those back-to-back Cups. The other 13 – 16 players that make up the current 20-23 player roster are Sullivan’s men. The teams that won the Cups were Bylsma’s and Johnston’s men. So the failures of the 3rd and 4th lines over the years, even the struggles of the 2nd line and most of the D all lies at the feet of Sullivan. So, complaining about the players is complaining about the Coach that chose them.
If you follow my logic further you will see that I agree that the problem lies further up line, Sullivan’s superiors. So I do agree in part with your assertion that eventually it can be traced to ownership for putting up with it, but not for demanding win now, nor with an aging core (Crosby, Malkin and Letang are only 3 of 18 skaters – though aging, any loss in their speed is negligible to over all team speed) but for putting up JR and his defense of Sullivan. They should have demanded JR fire Sullivan when Sullivan first went to the media to deflect blame to Kessel and then Kessel and Malkin rather than accept the blame himself.
Had you been reading this blog over these seasons you would see that I have not changed my story but have continually blamed management for the tailspin, the downward death spiral the team is now caught in.
Hey Coach,,,,Great points..
Latest ESPN Hockey ratings have the Pens at a miserable 15th over all and 24 th on Special Teams. I think this rating is being kind because it is the Pens and ESPN is American.
I have seen other Canadian sites ranking our beloved Pens as low as 20th in the NHL. We are not a Cup Team as we both said many times.
I agree with Stratton. The problem is Mario…
It will always be Mario. He wants a run and gun team and tells us we are still a Cup Contender. Why? Because his entire net worth is tied directly to the value of our Team. What is the true value of an aging, 2oth rated NHL team with NO HOPE for a high end draft pick for at least 2 years in this Covid 19 environment ? Plus we have an empty cupboard in the minor system !!
We are an aging team who is slowing down and as said above our 4 star players are not able to carry the team anymore.It has little to do with the Coach or the GM in the long run. A Coach can not do miracles.
It is the owner who is at fault..
Harold Ballard was a jack ass of an owner while he owned the Leafs,but he never cared because his Toronto franchise made him one of the richest clubs in the NHL. He did not care. but in the end it caught up to him and he/ family sold because he had no choice. The same thing will happen in Pittsburgh.
We had the luxury of being able to spend to the Cap max for all these years but soon the Pens will be forced to limit salaries and reduce expenditures just like 50% of the entire league. Will fans continue to pay high ticket prices to watch a team lose year after year ?? No…
Cheers Coach
JIM