In the back end one of the most topsy-turvy back-to-back sets I can recall, the Penguins turned the tables on Philly last night at Wells Fargo Center. However, the 7-3 black-and-gold triumph wasn’t quite as decisive or convincing as it sounds.
In fact, the game pretty much followed the same pattern as the previous night’s 7-2 Flyers win, only in reverse. Eerily so. This time it was the Pens who dominated the opening 20 minutes, outshooting their hosts, 11-7, and snatching the early lead on a tally from an unlikely source…light-scoring d-man Marcus Pettersson.
The Pens extended their lead in the second period on goals by Jake Guentzel and Sidney Crosby. For a time it appeared we’d breeze to an easy victory. But…
…this team never seems to do things the easy way. Philly countered with goals by Justin Braun and Sean Couturier to close within one heading into the final frame.
The Flyers continued their surge in the third period while we for the most part appeared to be in total disarray. Indeed, Philly piled up a ridiculous 13-2 edge in shot attempts and a 6-1 advantage in shots on goal over the first eight minutes. We failed to win puck battles and ceded ground in our zone like the Italian Army during World War II (sorry paisans). We seemed intent on giving the game away.
Totally exasperated, I yelled at no one in particular, “Will someone just go get the puck!”
They must’ve heard me. Because moments later Kasperi Kapanen stole the puck from Claude Giroux and bumped it to Evgeni Malkin. The big center fired a hard pass to Jason Zucker at the front of the net. Jason hasn’t looked too handsy this season, but he sure did on this play. He made a beautiful turning backhand-to-forehand move and roofed a shot from point-blank range. A goal-scorer’s goal.
I exhaled. Four-two lead, we’ve pretty much got this one in the bag.
Not so fast. Travis Konecny, who just tortures us, fired a sharp-angle shot from the sideboards that hit the skate of Pens defenseman John Marino and deflected in. This game was becoming way too interesting.
Crosby must’ve thought so, too. At 12:33 of the period he gathered in a short pass from Bryan Rust and ripped it home from the left faceoff dot for his second goal of the game and 22nd of the campaign.
With that, Philly mercifully faded. Near the 16-minute mark, ex-Flyer Mark Friedman tucked home an empty-netter…and was cross-checked into the boards by Shayne Gostisbehere as a send-off. Zach Aston-Reese took exception, igniting a scrum. Marino delivered a final exclamation point, scoring on a sharp-angle shot on the ensuing power play to drive the final nail into the Flyers’ coffin.
Puckpourri
The Flyers outshot the Pens, 33-31, and once again dominated the faceoff circle, winning 57 percent of the draws. They outhit us, 24-17.
The game was a chippy affair. Friedman took center stage in some of the rough stuff and so did Konecny. The peppery forward tussled with Sid (and got the worst of it) and slew-footed Rust from behind, causing No. 17 to miss most of the second period. Thankfully, Rusty returned for the third.
Crosby paced the Pens with a bounce-back performance, collecting two goals and an assist while garnering top-star honors. Guentzel, the second star, tallied three points as well (a goal and two helpers).
Malkin picked up two assists and looked more comfortable in his second game back from injury. Cody Ceci topped the Pens with a plus-three.
Fourteen players showed up on the scoresheet for the locals. Impressive.
The Pens hold a two-point edge over Washington in the race for the MassMutual East crown. The Caps have two games in hand. The Bruins, who likewise have two games in hand, reside in third place with 69 points, followed by the Islanders with 68. Losers of three in a row, the Rangers have officially been eliminated from postseason play.
Opinyinz
Good to see ZAR stand up for Friedman. Speaking of the former Flyer, while he isn’t exactly an apples-to-apples replacement for Mark Matheson, he has wheels, possesses some offensive ability and adds a dash of grit and mustard.
Early in the second period Friedman bowled over Joel Farabee, drawing a retaliatory cross-check from Jakub Voracek. Then he dropped the gloves with Farabee. Unlike most of our guys, he seems to have some idea of how to handle himself in a fight. Only wish this kid was 6’3” 210 instead of 5’11” 185.
The Voracek penalty led to Guentzel’s power-play goal.
The Other Rick
For some reason there wasn’t a reply option below your post. A couple of
things.
1) I would never compare Matheson to Coffey – he’s a HOF player but
Matheson’s talent and skating ability are much like Coffey.
2) Coffey played with Gretzky and one of the best teams in History – he
wasn’t playing for the Florida Panthers. Do you realize how tough it
is to score 113pts, 103pts & 93pts and end up a minus 53.
3) As for Riikola, Ruhlwedel, and Friedman I was placing them in order of
value and all three could end up a throw-in on a bigger deal.
4) To me you’re in denial on two fronts – one is Matheson’s contribution to
the team – the 2nd coming to a new team, missing 11 or 12 games, adapting
to a new system and teammates, it’s been rather incredible.
5) I wouldn’t trade Matheson although I do agree everyone has a price I
see him as the Quarterback on the #1 Power play unit when Letang departs.
I think he’s showed when surrounded but good players how good he can be
offensively and not close to being a liability on defense that most predicted.
6) I also think if you go back and check the posts I was calling for Simon’s head
as well. I never liked him and commented on how he and Sheary weren’t good
enough to be in the top 6 and didn’t have the makeup to play on the bottom 6.
Hey Mike,
As wondrously skilled as Coffey was…and make no mistake, his positive impact on Mario Lemieux and the rest of the team was immense and incalculable…I thought he was terrible defending in his own zone, especially in the corners and behind the net.
I’m pretty sure Scotty Bowman felt that way, too. Just before Coffey was traded to Los Angeles, Bowman used him at left wing for at least a couple of games, which reportedly stung the future Hall-of-Famer.
Ironically, when Coffey later joined Bowman in Detroit his defensive play improved.
Rick
PS–Interesting that Florida used Matheson at left wing on occasion.
PSS–I’m digressing, but Bobby Orr was a plus-124 in 1970-71! He topped plus-80 in three other seasons. He played almost his entire career on a deteriorating left knee in the days before arthroscopic surgery and still revolutionized the game while putting up ungodly numbers. In 1976, when his knee was basically shot, he led Team Canada to the Canada Cup.
“Bobby Orr was better on one leg than anybody else was on two,” Darryl Sittler famously said.
It was awesome to watch the game last night, here in Southern Ontario.
Penguins played well, considering how the previous game went.
I was very impressed with Jarry, moved well, good rebound control… couple of bad bounces. I am concerned about the goalies going into playoffs.
Which Jarry will show up??
I also think the loss of Matheson is hurting the defense, his speed and puck control are missed.
He has played well, even though many didn’t like the trade with Hornqvist.
Geno looked good, as did Kasperi.
I really like the Friedman, he plays hard, with some grit and sandpaper, smart with the puck. Hopefully Hextall keeps him next season.
Hopefully we can keep up good play going into the final 2 games and be at the top of our game heading into playoffs!!
Which team scares you the most as a 1st round opponent??
LET’S go PEN’S!!
Hello Pens4ever,
Good to hear from you. And I’m glad you got to watch the game.
Good observations about Jarry. I think he has all the ability and the tools, but yes he can be a little inconsistent. I’m actually more worried about our ‘d’ being able to protect him…especially with Matheson out (more on that in a bit). When other teams pressure us down low we tend to fall apart, and that’s when our shortcomings in winning puck battles seem to manifest.
Matheson’s never going to win the best defensive defenseman award. Neither was Paul Coffey, who he reminds me of a bit. But Mike’s really good at getting the puck out of our zone in a hurry, and he functions as a rover or fourth forward at times in the offensive zone. Too, I think he and Ceci have made a really strong pairing. They seem to balance out each other’s weaknesses and compliment each other perfectly.
I’m praying Matheson can be ready for the playoffs…perhaps with a protective shield. If not, I like our chances a lot less.
Regarding playoff opponent, that’s easy…the Islanders. I know they’re well-coached, but I think our speed is too much for them. Too, I think we’ve figured out Varlamov. He’s vulnerable to the stick side, and we exploited that flaw beautifully.
The team I don’t want to play is the Bruins. They’re chippy and feisty and play strong defense, and Taylor Hall has really helped balance out their attack. Kind of like Phil Kessel did for us. Plus, Tuukka Rask is our kryptonite. He just has our number.
Ideally, we face the Islanders while the Bruins and Caps pound the daylights out of each other in a long series.
Who do you want to play?
Rick
The Islanders, for all the reasons you mentioned.
Penguins didn’t play well vs. Bruins in regular season.
Rick
I’m also a Friedman fan – I do like the grit/toughness he brings to the table and look for him to replace Ruhlwedel as our 7/8th Defenseman for next season.
I will say this after watching these last two games with the Flyers – Having
Matheson out definitely gives our Defense a slower appearance. They just
didn’t look as quick to me. I came away from these two games placing a higher
value on Matheson’s impact on the backline.
Look forward to your feedback.
Hey Mike,
Sorry for the delayed response.
I like Friedman, too, although I wonder if he might have trouble staying intact given his taste for contact and lack of size. But, yes, he seems to have some underrated offensive instincts and puck-moving skills.
I’m with you 100 percent on Matheson. With his skating and offensive instincts he adds so much to our transition game and often serves as a fourth forward or rover.
He’s traditionally been very good on zone entries and exits and, I agree, it really showed against Philly. We were just trapped in our end at times…not a trend we want to continue heading into the playoffs. And I thought he and Ceci made a really strong second pairing that complimented each other beautifully. Cody didn’t seem nearly as effective with Friedman…understandably so.
I don’t know the extent of Matheson’s injury and I hate to harbor a guess. But if it isn’t too bad, I’m hoping he can maybe play with a protective shield. Our chances of succeeding in the playoffs are greatly diminished without him.
For the record, I too, was against the trade that brought him here. Vehemently so. But Matheson’s made a huge difference and you have to give Rutherford a ton of credit for having the guts to make the move.
Rick
PS–Good article about Matheson over on Pensburgh…”The Penguins are missing Mike Matheson.”
Hey Rick and Mike,
Not to throw a monkey wrench into your Matheson celebration but just take a quick peak at Matheson’s body of work against the Flyers this season. Laws of probability are not favorable for anything but a worse outcome from those games.
Hey Other Rick,
I haven’t checked the numbers. But my guess is they’re skewed a bit by the first couple of games.
I don’t think you can deny Matheson’s overall positive impact. No, he’s not going to win a best defensive defenseman award, but as I mentioned in my response to Pens4ever, neither was Paul Coffey. And that’s who Matheson reminds me of a bit.
Bottom line…I think we’re a (much) better team with him than without him.
Rick
Matheson has been partnered with Ceci most of the seaspn. Ceci was a +3 last game w/out Matheson and was a +2 for the season against them. Matheson is a -3 for the season against the Flyers.
Matheson built most of his modest (that is right modest not $6 million) stats against the Sabres and Devils – Who didn’t? Outside of Jankowski, I mean.
Matheson – Coffey? Sorry, history doesn’t support that my friend. Matheson is 27 and has scored a grand total of 38 Goals in 343 GP. At age 24 Coffey had 48 Goals in 1 season, 79 GP. Quick rounding math, that is almost twice as many Goals in around 1/3 the GP. By the time he was 27 Coffey was about a +260, Matheson a -30.
I could see if you said Patrice Brisbose or Luke Schenn but Coffey, ain’t no way I can agree to that.
We’ll have to agree to disagree.
When you’re talking stats, we need to keep in mind that this is a totally different era. Mammoth goalies with huge pads playing the butterfly versus a lot of 5’9″ goalies in skimpier pads playing a standup style.
Mind you, I’m not trying to put Matheson in the same class as Coffey. But I think he serves much the same function and possesses a similar tool kit…the wheels, the puckhandling and shot and the ability to skate the puck out of danger.
Matheson probably doesn’t see the ice as well as Coffey or have the same playmaking skills. But, again, I’ll claim him as a poor man’s version of the “Doctor” in terms of what he provides to the team…
Rick
Also Rick,
Keep in mind that Coffey played against the cream of the crop of his opponents and Matheson is getting sheltered this year and was even sheltered a bit last year. Dumoulin and Letang take on opponents top lines most of the time. And when Dumo was hurt and Matheson had no protection (not playing with Ceci, he was getting burned left and right and not getting any points.
Even as it stands now, Matheson’s Pnts/60 5 on 5 is only good enough for 6th among the Pens D-men – Freedman, Ceci, Letang, Dumoulin, and Joseph (in that order) are better than him defensively when normalized for TOI.
As you say you and me disagree on this one. Matheson falls into one of my favorite Shakespeare titles “Much Ado About Nothing”. or perhaps “Full of Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing”
Other Rick,
You can list all the stats there are and in spite of them this defense has been better this year than it’s been in several years. Matheson and Ceci, in their way, have helped make that so — they’ve shown up every game and done their job.
There’s no denying that this improvement on defense has played a major role in the fact that this team is in first place, or battling for first place, at the end of a season in which practically no one thought they would even make the post season. I guess my quesition is what more do you expect from this team? Or, maybe more precisely, what more do you expect from Matheson?
Sometimes the numbers don’t get to the heart of the matter.
— 55
Rick & The Other Rick
Again the “Numbers” lie. There are so many variables that
go into a game. If you want to talk numbers everyone
complained about his giveaways – he has (23).
I don’t need numbers to tell me that without Matheson in
the lineup we’re a different team defensively. Not in a good way.
The Other Rick – your so hung up on numbers you can’t
see the forest thru the trees or something like that “LOL”
This is one of those times where you want to be right. You only manipulate the numbers to support your argument.
Here’s the true test of a players value – if you had to trade
a defenseman tomorrow in what order would you be willing to part with one of your “DMan:”?
Obviously, Friedman, Riikola, & Ruhlwedle would be
1, 2 , 3.
4) Pettersson
5) Ceci
6) Letang
7) Matheson
8) Marino
9) Dumoulin
I’m giving the nod to Marino based on age and his play
from last season but he’s struggled this year.
I would love to see Matheson’s numbers if he was playing
on our #1 Power play unit? Also, he gets marginal minutes on the ice with our top line – Letang and Dumo are on with Crosby and crew the majority of the time.
I know we spoke about this before but I would love to know how they determine a giveaway – Letang turned the
puck over last night that lead to Buffalo’s first two goals and his giveaway number hasn’t changed “interesting”
If anyone can give me a description of a giveaway by NHL standards it would be much appreciated.
One more note and no one loved watching Paul Coffey more than me but in his (5)yrs with the Pen’s he was a
minus 50 which is pretty amazing considering over that
5yr span he averaged almost 90pts a season.
Also, The Other Rick and I don’t want to speak for Rick but he’s not saying Matheson is Coffey but he reminds us of Paul Coffey. I would agree with that statement.
GO PENS
Hey Mike,
What order would I trade? Depends on the offer on the table – Everyone is tradable to me, depending on the return. If you are asking in what order would I initiate trade talks? Sorry, I don’t consider Friedman, Riikola, or Rhuwedel givens for the 1st 3 slots in who would I deal away. They cost almost nothing and don’t really need to do much to justify their cost.
For me, there are only 3 D-Men that I would initiate trade talks on, Pettersson, Matheson, and Letang.
All three of them carry baggage but could net something of value in return. Mind you, I would look to get max value in return, but I would trade all three.
If some other team came to me asking about a player, they would not need to offer much to get Rhuwedel. The cost to get Riikola or Friedman would be higher. Ceci would cost a team even more to get and Marino and Dumo would cost the most to get me to part with them.
Furthermore, numbers do not lie; they are inanimate. People do lie, but more often they simple do not take into consideration all of the variables to which you allude. I try to consider as many variables as I can when I look at the numbers. I do not look at raw numbers. I look at 5 on 5 numbers first and foremost since the bulk of the game is played 5 on 5, particularly in the playoffs when referees put their whistles in their pockets and allow nearly any mayhem. I also look at situational stats such as what do players numbers look like when the game is within 1 goal vs when they are in stat padding mode. I also look at strength of opponent and with or without you stats make that easy.
Last season a lot of people gave pushback over my wanting Simon out of Sully’s toolbox. They kept telling me that he was a CORSI darling. When I pointed out that although his numbers looked great with Crosby and in blowouts one way or the other, no one paid me any heed. He isn’t even collecting an NHL paycheck right now, now that he is away from Sid.
I try to see the whole forest at the same time and not just the copse of maples in front of me. I try to see the oaks 25 yards off the beaten path.
Coffey v Matheson? Uh no. Coffey was a -50 for the Penguins but before that, during the ages that Matheson accumulated his -30, Coffey was a +275. And it was not all Gretzky, it was also Coffey’s ability to send laser beam passes from goal line to red line, so hard that defenders couldn’t knock them down and so accurate that they hit Gretzky’s stick in stride. You and Rick B can like Matheson all you want. I am not telling you not to like him. I am just cautioning you that playing great against Buffalo and New Jersey (and a denuded Buffalo and New Jersey at that) doesn’t make you Paul Coffey.