Losing in the postseason is getting to be old hat for our Penguins. On the heels of yesterday’s disappointing 4-3 series-opening overtime loss to the visiting Islanders? We’ve lost three playoff games in a row and 10 of 11 stretching back to May of 2018. That’s a long run of futility.
True, one game does not a playoff series make. And there’s still plenty of reason to believe this bunch is cut from a different cloth. But it goes without saying we’ll need to turn things around quickly if we hope to sip the bubbly from Lord Stanley’s punch bowl. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
For 40 minutes, I thought our guys played a decent game. Not great mind you, but decent. We outshot the Islanders, 26-21, through two periods, which was fairly indicative of the action. We held a substantial edge in scoring chances and high danger chances 5v5.
The Isles grabbed the lead on a goal off the rush by Kyle Palmieri at 7:58 of the opening frame, but the Pens wasted little time in countering. Just over three minutes later Frederick Gaudreau evened the score on a second-chance opportunity from the high slot, beating surprise starter Ilya Sorokin high to the stick side.
Then Sidney Crosby got into the act. Early in the second period Sid scored on an incredible one-hand-on-the-stick deflection of a Brian Dumoulin shot from center point to give the Pens a 2-1 lead. Adam Pelech handed us a golden opportunity to seize control when he drew a tripping penalty moments later. But the Pens squandered the man advantage, managing only one missed shot by Kris Letang.
Still, after killing off a double-minor to Jeff Carter late in the period in spirited fashion, the black and gold appeared to be firmly in the driver’s seat.
Unfortunately, we appeared to take our foot off the gas pedal to open the third period and the New Yorkers promptly seized control, outshooting us 13-6 during the frame and thoroughly dominating play. Jean-Gabriel Pageau caught the Pens in a sloppy line change at 3:33 and ripped the puck past Tristan Jarry high to the glove side to knot the score at 2-all. With 4:10 remaining, Brock Nelson drove down the slot and beat Jarry for the go-ahead goal, again to the glove side.
At this stage, the Pens appeared dead in the water. But on the very next shift Kasperi Kapanen gathered in a drop pass from Carter off the rush. While the big center ran interference on Andy Greene, Kapanen coolly waited for Scott Mayfield to drift out of the shooting lane. Then he rang a wicked wrister in off the far post. Man, can this kid shoot the puck.
The Pens rebounded in overtime, rolling up a 10-7 edge in shots. Carter nearly scored the game-winner with 5:23 to play in the extra stanza when he broke free in the slot, but Sorokin stood his ground and made the save. A short time later Palmieri took a backhand feed from Pageau, settled the bouncing puck, and roofed an incredible shot over Jarry’s shoulder from point-blank range.
Puckpourri
The Pens outshot the Islanders, 42-41, and surprisingly won 53 percent of the faceoffs. The black and gold held a decided edge in scoring chances (33-20) and high danger chances (11-6) 5v5. However, we also had 10 giveaways (three by Carter) versus only two for the Isles.
New York outhit us by a whopping 72-47 margin and played an effective physical game, nullifying our speed while knocking the smaller Pens off stride. Playing in his first game since April 3, Brandon Tanev paced us with nine hits. Linemate Zach Aston-Reese registered six. Letang led the defense with five.
Crosby enjoyed a typically strong game: a goal, a team-high five shots on goal, two hits and a takeaway to finish at plus-one. He won 57 percent of his draws.
Evgeni Malkin was a scratch. Evan Rodrigues dressed in his place and assisted on Gaudreau’s goal. Cody Ceci, Jake Guentzel, Carter and Dumoulin also collected helpers. Freddy’s tally was his fourth in nine career postseason games.
The defensive duo of John Marino and Marcus Pettersson was a combined minus-five and was on the ice for Palmieri’s OT winner.
Jarry blunted 37 of 41 shots for .902 save percentage and made numerous key saves. But the first three goals appeared stoppable. All four Islanders tallies went in on the glove side.
Game Two is slated for Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena.
Opinyinz
Although the Penguins played a good game, statistically speaking, I thought we appeared to be a bit rusty and sluggish following an eight-day layoff. Too, the Islanders prevented us from fully utilizing our speed, effectively negating our biggest advantage.
While it may be too early to shuffle the deck, I’d consider replacing Aston-Reese with Radim Zohorna for Game Two. ZAR’s a minus-three over his past ten games with a goal and an assist and doesn’t seem to be capitalizing on scoring chances the way he did earlier in the season.
Although the stats don’t support the eye test (no giveaways), I thought Mike Matheson looked shaky at times, especially deep in our zone. He was wearing a full shield to protect a facial injury.
Around the League
The Caps hold a 1-0 lead over Boston, courtesy of a 3-2 overtime triumph in the series opener. In other action, Tampa Bay defeated Florida, 5-4, and Minnesota clipped Vegas, 1-0, in OT.
Hey all,
Great comments, all, and it’s nice to see some lively back and forth. I really don’t have a whole lot to add. But a few observations and thoughts.
A writer on one of the other blogs mentioned that as the game wore on, the Pens stopped trying to go through the Islanders and started going around them. Even when we penetrated the Isles box, no one was going to the front of the net.
If the Pens play perimeter hockey…and that was an issue last season against the Canadiens…they’re toast. They have to use their speed to force the issue and make the Islanders to react to them instead of vice versa. That’s what they did during the regular season and it worked. And we saw an example of it on Kapanen’s goal. Carter worked the center drive to clear out a d-man and open up space for Kappy.
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. The Pens have got to use their speed and get on the Islanders, something they didn’t do so well in Game 1.
I’m hoping some of the raggedness was attributable to rust from having an eight-day layoff. We’ll find out tonight.
Jarry certainly needs to play better. His MO at times has been to make a lot of great saves but also allow a few softies and that’s what we saw in Game 1. Other Rick, I hear ya’ about Buckley, but I don’t necessarily lay this at his feet. Coaching can certainly make a difference. But in the end a goalie’s got to do his job and come up with the saves. Murray carried his issues with him to Ottawa.
Unfortunately, our goalies over the last few seasons have played just well enough to lose. And that carried over into Game 1.
Frankly, I’m more worried about our defense down low. We turn into an on-ice version of the Keystone Kops when pressured. Another reason why we need to carry the play to the Islanders.
Anyway…it’s gut-check time. I think we have to win tonight to have a chance. GO PENS!
Rick
Hey Rick,
Did you see what Ottawa did this year. Something the Pens refuse to do. When all of their goalies, Murray included, looked like pathetic clones of each other, they fired the goalie coach. Then look what happened. Even your favorite punching bag Murray played beyond well. He was a stone wall under the new coach, including a couple of shutouts, until he got injured. You just proved my point my friend. Bales needed fired several years ago.
You can’t blame the players if they are playing the way the Coach wants them to play. If the Coach asks me to punch my way through a 12′ thick brick wall, no matter how hard I try, it ain’t gonna happen. If Dave asks you to carry the Leg Press out of the gym, yourself, without taking it apart, try as you might it ain’t happening. If the Coach preaches bad positioning and Jarry follows his expectations, he is still gonna give up bad goals.
Shorter and simple, if you give me blue paint and tell me to paint the house, you can’t complain when the house turns out blue. He who is in charge of process is accountable for outcome.
Other Rick,
I didn’t compare Jarry to Murray and I wasn’t trying to blame Murray for the loss. That’s a rather unruly assumption. I know who the Pens goalie is, and I know he stunk up the joint yesterday. I was making a joke. That’s all.
— 55
Hey 55,
I understand that you were making a joke, but last year when everyone was all over Murray and begging for Jarry, I said that it wasn’t Murray but the Goalie Coach. This year, your quip only serves to illustrate my complaint of last year. When it is one player it is the player, when every player looks the same, it is their Coach. When Bales was here, it didn’t matter if you were talking about MAF, Murray, or Zatkoff, they were consistent and they never ceded a lead when the team was up in the 3rd period. Under Buckley, it doesn’t matter if you are talking about Murray, Jarry, or DeSmith, they are all Jekyll and Hyde and demonstrate that no lead is safe.
More than Martin or Recchi, Buckley needed to go.
Well the good news…I am able to watch the series up here in Canada,
I am not going to say I am worried but, maybe concerned.
1st period was great, 2nd not bad, 3rd was bad, OT was good.
My take :
Sid’s line was good, 4th line was good.
Rodriguez needs to sit.
Most of you know, I don’t care for Letang but he played well.
Dumo also not great but good.
Matheson not good
horrible John and Marcus.
sit Marcus for Freidman, he will provide a little more grit.
But most importantly, Jarry played well, but for us to win he needs to be better.
If he catches just one of those first two goals we win..as you know.
We need him to make that really big, awesome, game saving save.
Let’s do it..
LET’S GO PEN’S
Hey Pens4ever,
I don’t worry that much about the forwards. I do think top to bottom and even reserves, the Pens may be the deepest team. Outside of Jankowski and Sceviour, I may argue which line to deploy a player, but I won’t argue their being in the lineup.
I don’t even mind Rodriguez that much. He certainly is an upgrade over Simon from last year, or Jankowski or Sceviour from this regular season. I see him similarly to Sheary. Similar in that on a bigger team he could do well, although Sheary would be the better shooter and Rodriguez the better play maker. However, I would rather see Zahorna, Angello, and Lafferty. I still think Legare should have made the team over Rodriguez, Jankowski, and Sceviour. Now, if the team last long enough in the playoffs, I would rather see both Legare and Poulin over Rodriguez.
I would also prefer to see Bjorkqvist over Rodriguez. I thought Bjorkqvist earned a spot last season. He, Legare, and Lafferty were the best line in the preseason, but none of them got a shot at the opening day lineup and only injuries got Lafferty his shot later on.
In truth, if the team were to employ a midget, I wouldn’t even mind getting a look at Valterri Puustinen over Rodriguez.
In the end though, I won’t complain about E-Rod – that much.
The “D” on the other hand. I worry greatly about. I fear Dumo and Ceci getting injured and exposing Letang and Matheson defensively.
I still like Marino, but he certainly isn’t the second coming of Bobby Orr like so many Pens fans were envisioning after last season’s debut. Maybe he lost a little confidence after being asked to cover for Matheson or play the Left Side, but the way Palmieri bulled him over on the GW does cause some concern.
Pettersson – I am over him and his $4 million.
Jarry, yes, that should have been a win for the Pens, except for Jarry, but that is par for the Course with Buckley. Under Buckley, Goaltending has become a big question mark on this team.
Hey Rick
Agree with Zahorne as a replacement for Aston Reese. Also, it did look like
Matheson was struggling – it appeared he wasn’t seeing the puck very
well. I’m hoping he elects to play without the shield.
As for the game – Jarry needs to be much better – it so reminded me of Murray.
He looked so good and then boom let a horrible goal in. If he doesn’t step it
up we’re in trouble.
Another move I would consider making is Angello or Lafferty for Rodriguez.
I know he was playing pretty well prior to getting injured but I just don’t see
him be effective in the Playoffs.
Need a huge bounce back game tomorrow!!
GO PENS
Hi Rick,
I think the team equipment manager should check to see if someone sneaked Murray’s glove into Jarry’s locker, or maybe Murray dressed as Jarry and no one noticed.
Yes, the goaltending was awful, but those 72 hits were as much a reason for the loss as anything else. They are a primer — hockey 101 stuff — on how you beat a faster team. I’d be dressing some bigger bodies for game two and give them the green light to start knocking some heads. Someone needs to neutralize the assault or this series will end once again with a very loud and pronounced thud.
— 55
Hey Rick,
At this time of the year I try not to say too much either way; good or bad.
Not really a Rodriguez fan but he and Gaudreau worked their tails off for that first goal of theirs – too bad their line mate was standing around in and the other side of the far FO-Circle like a pylon.
Don’t want to fault Marino on the Pageau G, he didn’t really deserve that (-). Matheson bailed on the play in that terrible line change and Marino jumped on taking Matheson’s (-).
However, the OT winner was a microcosm of the team; Palmieri just threw Marino to the ice, barging right on past to scoop up the puck and score the GW. They Soff!!
When 1 Goalie gives up the glove side and the short side shoulder (OTGW) then it is the Goalie, but when this is Deja Vous (all over again – Yogi Berra) don’t you now want to start thinking about the constant, the common denominator – the coach?
Rick
Hate to disagree with you but prior to Gaudreau’s goal Zucker was perfectly
set up for a one-timer if Rodriguez wouldn’t of made a selfish play and had
the shot blocked. I mean Zucker was “wide” open – I’ve seen this move
by Rodriguez way too many times. We need to sit him – check my reply
above.
GO PENS
Look at the play again Mike;
Ceci dumped the puck to the corner that only Zucker was in but Mayfield still beat Zucker to the loose puck. Mayfield didn’t play it cleanly and Zucker had a golden opportunity to corral the loose puck as it popped out behind Mayfield. But rather than fight for the puck, Zucker turned his skates and started to retreat up the boards leaving Rodriguez to battle Mayfield even though the puck was closer to him (Zucker). Rodriguez won the puck by knocking it away from Mayfield into the far corner, beat him to the loose puck and then skate it out, circling up thru the circle.
When Rodriguez looked up, Leddy was between him and Zucker. If Zucker was a right handed shot, he could have led him to the far post for a tap in, but Zucker is a Left Handed shot and he never moved to an open spot for Rodriguez to feed him the puck. He stayed behind Leddy until the blocked shot rebounded up to Gaudreau.
At this point, rather than crashing the net, Zucker drifted away into the right corner, drifting further and further to a bad angle. You can try and argue that he wanted to give Gaudreau a pass; a pass out on the perimeter for a low percentage shot, but Gaudreau had the better shot, since he was in the slot and the better play was to have some grit and crash the net. Unfortunately Zucker chose discretion rather than valor. Zucker chose perimeter hockey rather than lunch pail hockey.
Fortunately, Gaudreau didn’t need the help of a pylon. He scored the goal himself.
The Other Rick
Totally disagree with your assessment of Rodriguez and
Zucker play – I just watched it again and Zucker actually
has his stick up in the air ready for a one-timer and
the passing lane was wide open that’s why Rodriguez shot
is blocked. If you watch it again you’ll see Zucker was
primed for the one-timer.
Zucker was primed for a shot but there was no passing lane to his stick. As much as I hate him, Ovie finds a way to actually be open for that one time shot. Zucker was not open. Only Mario could have threaded a pass thru those bodies to get Zucker his one-timer.
I have to disagree with you here, Zucker was not open.
Also, with all of the times we scream “shoot the puck”, I do not blame Rodriguez for “shooting the puck”.
And finally, I to exacerbate my frustration with Zucker, rather than stay close for a possible rebound of Gaudreau’s shot or slide in front of the goalie to take his eyes away, he drifted himself right out of the play for perimeter hockey.
The Other Rick
This is Jarry’s loss. No, if’s and or but’s about it. The guy ducked on a
shot that went in – You know he did the same thing in a game towards
the end of the regular season and the puck went off the crossbar.
Wth is he doing?? Also, on a couple of different occasions, he sat in
the net while and Islander was the first man in beating our defenseman
to the puck. He had plenty of time to play it “am I missing something”
If he doesn’t give us a better effort it will be a short series.
Marino struggled big time yesterday – He didn’t finish his check and allowed Palmieri to come off the boards and walk in on Jarry. It was a great shot but
Jarry is practically in the net – he did this several times. Take the angle away
please. Like 55 on Point I thought Murray was back in goal.
First, I do not want to absolve Marino on the GW but it was that he didn’t finish a check. He was tossed to the ice like a rag doll while Palmieri skated over him.
Second, you and 55 do not have Murray to blame this loss on, yet you tried. Comparing Jarry to Murray without realizing that the common denominator is the coaching is rather interesting. If as you and 55 write, Jarry looked like Murray the first question to ask is why. And the why is obvious, they both had/have the same coach. They look like twins because the coach is coaching them that way.
The Other Rick
That’s a ridiculous statement !! Sullivan has nothing to do
with Murray or Jarry misplaying pucks and letting up
momentum-changing goals. Okay you hate Sullivan, we get
it but come on blaming him for Jarry’s performance.
You can’t have it both ways – when we struggle you blame it
on poor coaching, when we play well you say its because he
was forced to play certain players. You never give the guy
any credit – whether or not your forced to plays guys due to
injuries you have to put them a position to be successful – that’s
called coaching. I have my issues with Sullivan as well but he
deserves his due!!
I am not talking about Sullivan here. I am talking about the Goalie Coach. When Bales, it didn’t matter which goalie you talked about they were solid and consistent. Under Buckley, it doesn’t matter which goalie you talk about, they are Jekyll and Hyde.