The Penguins won their fourth game in a row…and first in regulation…with a 3-2 conquest of the Rangers last night at PPG Paints Arena. Yes, in comeback fashion, in case you were wondering.
In a game that’s come to typify the young season, the black and gold never held a lead until 91 seconds remained in the third period. That’s when Jake Guentzel gathered in a feed from Kris Letang and hammered a shot past Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin from the high slot.
Prior to the contest, coach Mike Sullivan stressed the need for a better start. His troops had been outscored, 10-6, in the previous opening periods. To that end he shuffled his lines, dropping snakebitten Jason Zucker to the third line with Teddy Blueger and Kasperi Kapanen and shifting Jared McCann to the second unit beside Evgeni Malkin. Mark Jankowski, Colton Sceviour and Brandon Tanev comprised the fourth line.
Well, the Pens did come out smokin’…for all of about two minutes. Eleven seconds in Evan Rodrigues stole the puck and ripped off a wrist shot, forcing Shesterkin to make an early stop and pretty much ending the Pens’ early surge. Indeed, we finished the period with all of six shots on goal.
Meanwhile, we yielded yet another first-period marker on a deflection by Rangers rookie Colin Blackwell. Cha-ching! So much for our good start.
Things didn’t improve in the second period…at least not right away. We rang up all of two shots on goal through the early going, giving us a grand total of eight past the midway point of the frame. And that’s when something fortuitous occurred. Trying to atone for a giveaway, Rodrigues plowed into Filip Chytil and got the worst of the collision.
Forced to adjust his lines, Sullivan shifted Bryan Rust to Sidney Crosby’s wing. The move paid immediate dividends. Roughly two minutes after Rodrigues hobbled off the ice and into the dressing room, Rust…sprung by a beautiful lead pass from Sid…streaked up ice on a breakaway and beat Shesterkin with a wrister.
Predictably, the visitors snatched the lead back at 17:17, when Ryan Strome knocked the puck in from the doorstop on a second-chance opportunity. Victimizing the shaky defensive duo of Cody Ceci and John Marino in the process.
The Pens were pretty much inert in the third period, mustering only four shots on goal. Perhaps we bored Shesterkin into a lull because, somehow, two of them went in. McCann knotted the score at 2-2 at 2:26 of the period, launching a hard snap shot from the half wall that evaded the Rangers’ goalie. Setting the stage for Guentzel’s game winner.
Puckpourri
Guentzel’s goal was the 100th of his career. It’s good to see Jake get on the score sheet, especially following his horrific shoulder injury. McCann, too.
Ceci and Marino were minus-two each. I’m concerned about the latter, who has no points and a team-worst minus-six. Are the Pens ruining him by playing him on the off side? While I don’t want Jim Rutherford to rush out and overpay for the first left-handed d-man he can scrounge up, I don’t want to see Marino placed in a position to fail, either.
On the flip side, Letang and Brian Dumoulin were both plus-two. Rookie Pierre-Olivier Joseph enjoyed another solid game. In 13:21 of ice time, he registered a plus-one to go with two shots on goal and a hit.
Tristan Jarry also shone, stopping 24 of 26 shots in his best performance of the season.
Opinyinz
There’s just no way to sugar coat this. While you never want to see a player get hurt, losing Rodrigues forced Sullivan to make adjustments that were long overdue. Like putting someone on Crosby’s right flank who can actually score.
We’ve seen this scenario before with Dominik Simon. Sid and Sully fall in love with a guy who does some little things well, but who can’t find the net to save his life. Mark Madden labelled Rodrigues “impotent” a while back, and from an offensive standpoint I agree.
No way this kid should be skating in the top six, let alone on Crosby’s line. He’s a minus-four, tied with Malkin for the worst mark among the forwards. And while his Corsi is a respectable 53.6, when compared to his linemates (Sid-60.0, Guentzel-56.7), is he really that effective?
Wish Rutherford would stop putting these guys in Sullivan’s tool kit.
I hate to even suggest this, but is Malkin nearing the end of the line? He was a minus-two last night, with no shots on goal, a giveaway, and a 27 percent success rate on the draws. In other words, thoroughly ineffective, as he has been for most of the season.
Gives me chills to even contemplate it.
Pen’s lose in OT to Bruins
Letang has got to go “Jesus” he handles the puck like a
hot potato.
If nothing else Zucker showed tonight who’s pulling who
down. He was all over the ice at both ends. Impressive
game.
O’Connor was recalled off the Taxi – Squad. Good for him.
I wonder how much TOI he will get – What’s the over and under. I’ll take the under.
Interesting, RH Rodrigues gets injured, LH O’Conner gets called up. Looks like RH Lafferty is the newest Kid to find himself in Sullivan’s doghouse. Send us a post card some time Sam. Some of us Pen’s Fans appreciated what you did here.
Hi Rick,
Hi TOR,
Well, it was a wee bit chaotic but a win is a win.
Firstly, I don’t think the Marino-Ceci pairing is a good one. Ceci drags Marino’s play down. According to Marino’s body language, he doesn’t feel comfortable playing with Ceci. I hope that Sully will change his mind but I don’t expect him to do differently.
Secondly, as for Geno, that situation puzzles me. I said a few times on this blog that a change of scenery would be beneficial for him. I wonder how he dealt with the early exit last year. With this pandemic, the training pace is not the same. Does he struggle because his routine is disrupted? The other players are going through the same thing though. His relationship with Sully is not 100% perfect. They had a few arguments in the past. But we’ll see. Maybe he’ll get his gear up later…
I agree with you Rick: there is absolutely no chemistry between Malkin and Zucker. Malkin needs someone like Hagelin; a fast skater who retrieves the puck quickly from the boards and taking hits. Malkin was really upset when JR traded Hags to the LA Kings. I’ve always thought that those two played well together.
Hope the Pens will get better as the season progresses…
Hey Jorenz,
Like Malkin – Zucker, Marino – Ceci is a pairing more than a little south of Heaven. A couple of points to the Ceci dilemma;
1. Since Ceci is the veteran, why did Sully ask the 2nd year man Marino to play his off-side rather than the veteran? I mean if Ceci was a good signing, wouldn’t it be more prudent to ask him to play his off-side?
2. Marino-Ceci isn’t a good pairing, but then again, I am not sure who would (if any) pair well with Ceci.
3. I heard someone say Czuczman practiced with the team yesterday, maybe they can figure a way to activate him and sit Ceci – not exactly the optimal Defenseman, but can’t be worse.
Geno, everyone including Geno and Sid is tradable in my book, depending on price and in the case of Sid and Geno, if they want to go (full blown NT-NMC).
Trading Hagelin was a blow to the whole team, he was well liked in the locker room as well. From a morale perspective, it took some time to get over that trade. I can’t help wonder if the Hornqvist trade had a similar impact, maybe take some time to get over.
I thought Hagelin – Malkin – Kessel was a great line combo. I would have to go back and look at the numbers to make sure. I never understood why it wasn’t used more. So, I get your point.
I also loved the Guentzel – Malkin connection. The numbers support this combo as well. Guentzel – Malkin even trumps Guentzel – Crosby. Right from the get-go Guentzel showed the natural inclination to want to go where Malkin could set him u (Like James Neal but without the personality disorder). Then last season, with Crosby out, Sully put Guetzel – Malkin – Rust together and found lightning in a bottle. That is why I still am not happy that Sully hasn’t tried Zucker – Crosby – Kapanen as the no 1 with Guentzel – Malkin – Rust as the no. 2.
Guentzel – Crosby – Rust may work out, but that still only leaves us with 1 line, we need both or more to the point all 4 (after Sully’s last line shake up lines 2 – 4 went out of sync)
I do think that the team will start getting less sloppy with more reps …. but then again so will the other teams. It will be interesting to see what happens tonight. It is hard to win 5 games in a row in the NHL, so I won’t necessarily be upset at a loss, depending on what the lines and pairings are and if they look like they may be getting better. Unless Boston has a letdown, this could be a good litmus test; is this really a 4 and 2 team or just a team that got lucky three times and really should be 1-5 or 1-2-3
“Marino-Ceci pairing is more than a little south of Heaven”…lol Great stuff, as always!
Rick
Hello Jorenz,
Always great to hear from you! I, too, am concerned about the Marino-Ceci pairing. Necessity (or injuries) may be the mother of invention. But the fact that Ceci logged over 22 minutes of ice time against the Rangers doesn’t bode well. (See the comment I posted about an article on Ceci from “Last Word on Sports.”)
Marino hasn’t looked comfortable all season, although he’s been bounced around so much and generally paired with a troubled partner (first Matheson, now Ceci), not to mention playing the off side, which some guys simply can’t do.
I agree with Other Rick…dress Czuczman (left-handed shot) in place of Ceci. It would at least allow Marino to play his natural side and perhaps regain some level of comfort. And as OTR said, how much worse could Czuczman be than Ceci, who grades out as a sub-replacement player?
Regarding Geno, there was an interesting article on the Tribune-Review that suggests there may be an emotional backdrop to his sluggish play. I guess his wife and son are living in Florida, which may be affecting him. I know if things aren’t right in my life in the emotional realm, I tend to flounder. It’s easy to forget these guys are human, too.
Too, I wish Sullivan would shift Guentzel to Malkin’s wing and Zucker to Sid’s. It seems to me that Zucker and Crosby play a similar style and would work well together, and we know Jake and Geno click. I know points are precious and leave little room for experimenting, especially with a condensed season, but at least try it for a game or two.
Anyway, we’ll see what transpires tonight. GO PENZ!
Rick
Hi Rick,
Very interesting info about Geno. Could you tell me the title of this article in the Tribune-Review?
Thanks in advance!
Sure!
“Tim Benz, Brian Metzer on issues that may be slowing Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin”
Rick
Hey all,
I’d posted this back when we signed Cody Ceci in October. But now that he’s actually playing for us, I thought it might have a little more impact. Especially after watching him flail around on his knees in the crease on the Rangers’ second goal.
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There’s an article on Last Word on Sports dated May 30, 2019, titled “Why the Ottawa Senators Need to Move on From Cody Ceci.”
Here are three particularly scary observations:
“The Sens bleed shots from everywhere when Ceci is on the ice. The worst part is, the massive red spot in the slot. This means that when Ceci is on the Sens give up tons of high danger chances. His play is just unacceptable.”
“Cody Ceci is one of the toughest players to watch on the ice. Time and time again he gets caught doing nothing but watching the puck. He often loses his man out front while just eyeing the puck the entire time and it is an issue that has never been fixed.”
“His puck decision skills under pressure are absolutely horrid. Instead of trying to stay calm and find an opening he will blindly fire the puck away and hope for the best. Often times this leads to a turnover and even a goal against.”
Factor in that his partner, John Marino, is playing the off-side and not looking especially comfortable?
Kind of scary.
Rick
Rick, The Other Rick
I wouldn’t get overly excited about the forced line change with the injury
to Rodrigues – Rust had a breakaway prior to Sully putting him on Crosby’s
line and he was stopped on a backhand move.
On the Rangers 2nd goal – I put the blame on Marino – I get so frustrated with
our Defenseman trying to poke check at the puck in front of the net instead
of knocking the opposing player off his skates – if you watch the replay if
Marino takes the Ranger player out he doesn’t score.
Regarding Malkin – I said this a couple of times in previous posts – I feel for
any of our wingers that have to play alongside him right now. He can’t do
anything right.
This week should be interesting – Boston starting to play well but I believe
they’re a little different team without the presence of Chara on the back end.
A split would be a welcome two points for the Pens.
One last thing and I look forward to your feedback – Is it me or do our forwards
stand in scoring areas instead of moving to those areas when receiving the puck?
I’ve been watching a lot of Hockey lately on Center Ice and compared to teams who appear to time their moves for scoring chances the Pens seem to be
stationary. Just an observation- we never seem to get a clean look. Some of that
may be directly related to our poor point play offensively – teams are dropping
all 5 players to the slot area extended. Just wanted to get your take.
Go Pens
Hey Mike,
I agree on several points;
1. I fully expect Rodrigues and Matheson getting their spots back ASAP, just like last year. I am going to enjoy the time away while I can.
2. You, me, and Rick have been wanting a D man that would set you on your posterior for quite a while, but Sully won’t do it. That is why I choose to see a glimmer of hope with a little talk about the possibility of a Hague trade.
3. Beating the Rangers is better than losing to the Rangers and they will be a team to be contended with, maybe even by the end of this year, but they aren’t there yet, so a better litmus test ma be the Bruins. They are Charaless, but they are still a top tier team, getting 2 of 4 points in their building would be a victory.
4. I have been bemoaning the team’s penchant for standing still in the attacking zone going all the way back to the end of the Bylsma era.
Hello Mike,
I’m going to jump on your Malkin comment. We’ve seen him go through funks before, but nothing like this. I agree…he’s creating next-to-nothing…and his metrics are terrible. He seems to be in uber-Russian mode…lots of east-west to the point where he’s almost skating in circles. And he looks slowwww to boot.
No matter how you slice it, I don’t think he and Zucker have any chemistry. If Sullivan’s loathe to put Guentzel there, then I’d rather try McCann on Geno’s wing. I think they displayed some chemistry last season.
But ultimately, Malkin’s got to pick it up. That’s if he still has it.
I do think the Penguins have trouble penetrating the slot and the prime scoring areas inside the circles. To my eye, they still have a tendency to peel off rather than drive to the net. And I agree with your comment to my last article…I don’t think they’re a very good passing (or pass receiving) team. Which almost forces them to play a chip-and-chase game and win puck battles. Not exactly an area of strength.
I still don’t agree with the way this team is constructed and think we could benefit greatly from a power forward or two (or three). It sounds like there’s a good chance Drew O’Connor will see action against the Bruins, and he certainly has size. I guess we’ll see how well (or if) he uses it.
Sure wish we would’ve given Nathan Legare a look. We could really use a player with his spirit, jam and shot. Kind of a young Hornqvist.
Rick
Hey Rick,
This win may call for a small celebration. It was the teams real first win, a regulation time win. If you recall last season when everyone was hailing the genius of Sully for winning despite all the injuries the team had, I wrote that the team was winning because of the injuries. Many rejected my thoughts, often vehemently. My argument was simply that Sullivan doesn’t know how to construct a team and choses the wrong tools at the wrong time, but the injuries forced him to use other options and the team won. When the team got healthy and the weird bubble occurred, Sully got his favorites back and the team was unceremoniously dumped in the qualifying round, not even the playoffs. In fact they were almost swept by a team that had finished 24th in the league.
History is repeating itself. Sullivan doggedly insisted that Guentzel – Crosby – Rodrigues would be his first line and they only had a kick in goal for all of the sound and fury of their efforts over a 5 game span. Now, last night, after Rodrigues was injured, lo and behold, put a real NHL RW on Crosby’s line and, as Emeril is wont to say “Bam” two goals, doubling their season production in one night.
To further illustrate Sully’s lack of acumen with respect to constructing a team, in the pregame interview Sully still tried to defend his pairing of Zucker with Malkin saying that they looked good together last season. So far, since Jason Zucker has come to the Penguins, he has skated with Malkin for 135:32 ice time (last regular season + Qualifying Round + this Regular Season) in that time the Z-M combination has been on the ice for exactly three 5-on-5 goals, three, while ceding five, yet Sully thinks that is a good combination.
Last night, even though Sully was shaking his lines up, guess who was Malkin’s most frequent on ice partner, even over D – men – that’s right boys and girls, none other than Jason Zucker, a player with which Malkin has shown the exact opposite of chemistry (8:48 TOI, Marino had 2nd most 6:58).
So, Rick, was Malkin’s -2 last night a factor Malkin not showing up, or Malkin being saddled mostly with a player that has a negative chemistry with him and Marino playing on his off side.
For a brief moment, at the start of the game, Malkin – Rust was flying (Zucker was still out of sync with them), they were getting good zone time and looks at the net but when Rodrigues was injured Rust was summoned up to the first line (with good results) but leaving Malkin with a mix of no-chemistry Zucker for a little longer.
(aside 1 – Mike, I am not saying Zucker is bad, all I am saying is that he doesn’t mesh with Malkin, that is why I was for putting him with Crosby. I would rather not spend $5 million on a 3rd line player)
(aside 2 – Rick, before asking if Malkin is done, remember he had the BEST 5-on-5 stats of all Centers last season. No, he is not Malkin of yore, who single handedly carried the team to the Finals for the first Crosby-Malkin Cup but he is not washed up. He just needs a little help now just like Crosby does. Furthermore, the 1st line has only scored 1 goal this season than the 2nd line.)
(Back to Sully not knowing which tools to use) Let’s add that to Matheson, it is no surprise that the team started winning when Matheson was removed from the line-up. That may not be Sully though, that may be JR. At least Sully had the good sense to have him on the 3rd pairing.
Hopefully, Ceci also is removed from the toolbox. I read a couple of days back that several teams scouts were at the Pens game, causing one writer to wonder if JR was shopping for an LHD, with all of the injuries. Vegas was one of the teams scouting the Pens, further prompting said writer to consider Nicolas Hague may be the Knight LHD in question (allegedly, In exchange for taken on salary for a strapped Knights team). To new posters here, Hague is the LHD I wanted the Pens to draft several years back, after their 2nd of back-to-back Cups.
If Ceci is removed and Hague added, hmmm, I may not consider them true contenders but I would start to like their chances of making some noise.
Hey Other Rick,
Great comments and insights as always. Thanks for doing the digging regarding Zucker-Malkin.
I hear ya’ about Hague. Would love to have him. But I fear when all is said and done we’ll land a stopgap like Brad Hunt of Minnesota (32, 5’9″ 187, $700K), who’s about as close as you can get to David Warsofsky without getting David Warsofsky.
Rick