A couple of weeks ago I posted an article expressing my belief that our Penguins may actually have a legit shot at capturing the Stanley Cup. Just before a catastrophic wave of injuries rolled in like a giant shinny tsunami and swept away a handful of our key forwards.
I thought for sure we’d had it. The Sports Illustrated cover jinx has nothin’ on the Buker PenguinPoop jinx.
Yet our Pens have kept a rollin’ with near metronomic precision. A brief hiccup against the Devils aside, the black and gold has steamrollered every foe in sight to ring up a five-game winning streak. We’re 12-2-1 in our last 15.
Remarkable, especially when you consider the chunk of talent that’s been missing of late, none more critical to the team’s success than Mr. 101, Evgeni Malkin.
In that article, I drew comparisons to our 2016 Cup winners. How that team started slowly before it gradually gained momentum and caught fire down the homestretch. Just as this bunch is doing.
Did I mention that Malkin missed the final 15 regular-season games that year with an elbow injury? What appeared to be a death knell actually inspired that team to greater heights. It went an astounding 13-2 during the stretch. In fact, his injury led to the creation of the HBK Line.
We’ve gone 6-1-1 during the rangy Russian’s current absence, with players such as Jared McCann, Brandon Tanev and Zach Aston-Reese emerging as bona fide offensive threats. This isn’t to detract from “Geno’s” value in any way, shape or form, but rather a testimony to how well this group has responded to extreme adversity.
Speaking of ZAR, he got the Pens off and running barely two minutes into last night’s contest, courtesy of a pretty backhand area pass from Tanev. Then, near the 13-minute mark, Mike Matheson padded our advantage on a spectacular solo rush that hearkened back to Bruins great Bobby Orr.
After gathering in a short pass from Anthony Angello, the fleet defender sailed through the neutral zone and wheeled around Jeremy Lauzon with a final burst before beating B’s goalie Dan Vladar to the stick side.
A gem of a goal. One that showcased Matheson’s considerable skills.
Still, the Bruins weren’t going away. They picked up the intensity and the hitting in the second period. Midway through the final frame the guy you love to hate, Brad Marchand, struck on a back-door play to cut our lead in half.
As they’ve done all season long, our guys bounced back quickly. Less than two minutes after Marchand’s strike, Marcus Pettersson scooped up a turnover in the neutral zone and slipped the puck up the boards to Evan Rodrigues. Number nine cruised to the left faceoff dot and threaded a deft backhand pass around Matt Grzelcyk to Jason Zucker steaming down the slot. Zucker banged the puck home to restore our two-goal lead.
Jake Guentzel sealed with the deal with an excuse-me empty-netter…he appeared to lay the puck out for Bryan Rust to tap in, but a gassed “Rusty Razor” just couldn’t catch up.
A delicious win and a huge two points against a difficult foe.
Puckpourri
The Bruins dominated statistically, outshooting the Pens 31-23 (29-16 over the final 40 minutes) while winning 57 percent of the faceoffs. They outhit us as well, 35-29.
Casey DeSmith continues to dazzle, stopping 30 of 31 shots to earn the second star. Casey has the best save percentage (.933) and the second-best goals against average (1.84) among NHL netminders who’ve appeared in at least 10 games.
Tristan Jarry is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Former Bruins farmhand Maxime Lagace served as backup.
Total-team efforts continue to be the rule as eight forwards and four defensemen registered points.
The victory snapped an ugly 10-game losing streak in Boston (0-9-1). As incredible as it seems, it also vaulted the Pens into a three-way tie for first place in the MassMutual East with the Capitals and Islanders. Each team has 50 points, nine ahead of the fourth-place Bruins.
A shout-out to Tribune-Review columnist Mark Madden, who suggested before the season began that the Pens would benefit from embracing a defense-first, counter-punching style.
Opinyinz
Overall, I’m happy with the makeup of our team. Especially since Angello emerged as a regular. However, as they are wont to do, the Bruins finished their checks and played with a chippy edge.
While our guys played through it, I still feel we need to add a little pushback, especially if we meet a team like the Bruins or Capitals in the playoffs. An increasingly likely scenario. Not in the form of a knuckle-dragging fourth-liner, mind you, but a capable performer who can add a little spice and aggression to the mix.
Unfortunately, that type of player doesn’t exactly grow on trees these days, and teams usually aren’t anxious to part with them.
For lack of a better option, I keep cycling back to Calgary forward Sam Bennett, who possesses skill and the requisite toughness but is enduring a lost season with the Flames. Anaheim’s rugged left wing Nicolas Deslauriers could be another, lower-cost option ($1 million cap hit).
Hey Rick,
I would still love to get out from under Matheson’s contract but his Goal was a thing of beauty.
Likewise on the Zucker Goal, I have to give credit where credit is due; even though Rodrigues would not be on the team if I had my way, but the move he made to get the puck around the Bruin defense to pass it on his backhand to Zucker was a solid piece of work.
Remember, I am not changing my mind about Matheson or Rodrigues, just giving them them props for their efforts on those plays.
Although I wouldn’t turn my nose up at getting Bennett or even Getzlaf or some other big veteran, if the price is right. Honestly, however, just get Jankowski out of there and put Zahorna in. The grass isn’t always greener. Often times reaching out of your own system screws up any burgeoning chemistry.
Rick
Totally agree with the added grit and toughness. i read articles this morning that
are already crushing Burke and Hextall for wanting to add any size and grit to
the Pen’s lineup. It’s so easy to under-react when your winning and overreact when your losing – I think it’s important to keep things in perspective and understand this is not the type of game that’s played come playoff time. The little skirmishes last night with Frederic/Letang and Marchand/Letang will escalate during the playoffs – Malkin, Crosby, Guentzel will all be targets. We need a couple of guys that will hold the opposing teams accountable!!
Hey Mike,
What I find interesting is that most of the people I know embrace the idea of getting bigger. However, the talking heads, it seems they are the ones that are pushing back against Burke and Hextall.
You couldn’t be more right, come playoff time, no team is going to go away without a fight. I am not necessarily saying we need to get Reaves or Gudbranson back, or any pugilist of renown but if the team doesn’t get bigger from within or without, they may win a battle or two (1st or 2nd round) but they will easily lose the war.
Hey Mike,
Yeah, I noticed the Bruins were finishing their checks and dishing out extra shots whenever they could. We played through it okay…in terms of ‘stick to the game toughness’ we’re second to none. But I sure would feel better if we had a deterrent. No secret that come the playoffs opponents will probably try to muscle us around.
Like you, I worry about a player like Guentzel (and his surgically repaired shoulder), who thrives in the dirty areas but who’d certainly be a targeted for abuse.
Even one guy who could give it back a little would give us a boost…kind of like Rick Tocchet did in ’92.
Again, the problem is, there really aren’t too many guys like that out there. Old-style power forwards who can score and hit and fight are a dying breed. That’s why I keep thinking Bennett…a tough player with pedigree who desperately needs a change of scenery and who could perhaps be acquired on the relative cheap.
Rick
PS–A side issue but an important one that Other Rick and I talked about today is chemistry, which right now is exemplary. In addition to getting the right type of player, you’ve got to be at least reasonably assured they’ll fit in.
Some have suggested that Hextall’s best move might be to not make one at all, and I don’t totally disagree with that sentiment. Ideally, he can do what Rutherford did in ’17 when JR acquired Ron Hainsey, an under-the-radar guy who really fit into the fabric of the team.
Conversely, we see what happened when JR went whole-hog with Brassard in ’18 and Shero brought in Iginla, Jokinen, Morrow and Murray in ’13. In both cases, it upset team chemistry.