Four in a Row and Counting…Penguins Chase Down Rangers

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 100^th 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.