Maybe it was the alternate jerseys that did the trick. In this topsy-turvy, COVID-influenced season where up seems to be down and down is up, the Penguins actually played pretty close to the “right way,” as coach Mike Sullivan is fond of saying. Producing a fairly complete 60-minute effort, or at least as close as it gets these days.
Our boys got off to a strong start, outshooting the Blueshirts, 12-9, in the first frame while grabbing a 1-0 lead. They were structurally sound…no major meltdowns to speak of. They held the talented Rangers to a very manageable 24 shots on goal and dominated the faceoff circle, winning 71 percent of the draws.
And they lost, 3-1. Giving the black and gold a record of 5-4-1 and a tenuous hold on the fourth and final playoff spot in the MassMutual East Division. Which, given their wildly erratic play through the first 10 games of the season, seems just about right.
From a score sheet perspective, there wasn’t a whole lot to write about, especially for the Pens. Midway through the first period, Chad Ruhwedel gathered in a pass from Evgeni Malkin and blasted a rocket from the left point that caromed off the end boards behind the Rangers’ net. Jason Zucker pounced on the loose biscuit and made a nifty backhand-to-forehand move to beat goalie Igor Shesterkin inside the post.
Advantage Pens.
Swimming in uncharted waters, we failed to make the lead stand up. Kevin Rooney tied the score at 1-all late in the second period, his second goal in as many games. At the 11:10 mark of the third period, big Chris Kreider…camped out in front of goalie Casey DeSmith on the power play with nary a Steel City defender in sight…tipped in a shot from center point by Adam Fox for the go-ahead goal. “Bread Man” Artemi Panarin closed out the scoring with an empty netter with one second remaining.
Puckpourri
Malkin and Ruhwedel assisted on Zucker’s goal, his third of the season. The Pens’ top line of Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust was pointless and a collective minus-six, with six shots on goal.
Kasperi Kapanen drew the Pens’ first fighting major of the season, tussling with Rangers forward Brett Howden at the first-period horn.
John Marino was a bulwark on defense, logging an astounding 30:30 of ice time. He registered a shot on goal, two hits and a blocked shot and finished plus-one for the evening. Rookie Pierre-Olivier Joseph (four shots on goal, a hit and two blocked shots) was second in ice time with a robust 26:14. P-O continues to shine.
Kris Letang missed the game. He’s listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Brian Dumoulin was shifted to long-term IR…the Pens recalled rookie defenseman Will Reilly from the taxi squad. Replacements Kevin Czuczman and Yannick Weber were a combined minus-two. DeSmith made 21 saves on 23 shots for a .913 save percentage.
The Pens were 0-for-6 on the power play.
Practice Makes Perfect
Our next two games with New Jersey are postponed due to a COVID outbreak, providing Sullivan and the coaching staff with a five-day stretch and an opportunity for some unscheduled but no doubt welcome practice time.
Expect our power play, 23rd in the league and converting at a woeful 13.9 percent clip, to get plenty of attention. Ditto our dismal penalty kill (74.3 percent).
Welcome to February…unfortunately I am not able to get too many Penguins games up here in southern Ontario, but I was hoping better for our birds.
I don’t think Malkin’s lack of training is the problem, he is in decline plain and simple. I will repeat
… the window is closed.
From what I have seen, the second PP unit should get most of the TOI because they just shoot the puck, look for a tip or rebound…. it doesn’t have to be pretty.. just score!!
I knew it was going to be a tough season, in this division and now with the injuries and unknown obstacles that will pop up.
Final thought… how long is Sullivan’s leash?
Rick & The Other Rick
Takeaways from last nights loss to the Ranger’s
1) Malkin, Malkin, Malkin – the guy has been an elite NHL player and
playing his entire life – how many times do your passes have to
be stolen or broken up before you saucer the puck????? I’m afraid
this is more than a funk.
2) Saying a prayer that whoever takes the reins as the Pens new GM
immediately begins adding toughness to the roster.
3) Sully needs to remove Malkin from the team’s #1 PP unit.
4) Ruhwedel may have taken the worst penalty of the early season – he
wasn’t pressured and he shoots the puck into the stands in a 1-1 game.
Lord help me. Tongue in cheek it felt like he might be on the take!
5) I know Rust is a likeable player but come on finish your chances – he
has (2) goals in 31 shot attempts…..6.5% and most of these are quality
opportunities – he has the 2nd worst shooting percentage on the team
behind Malkin….5.0% – Maybe that’s why Geno is hesitant to shoot the
puck?
Frustration is at an all-time high – If Malkin does anything on the Power
play last night other than turn the puck over we win the game!!
GO PENS
Hey Mike,
In an article published in one of the local papers a week or so ago, Malkin admitted he wasn’t able to train properly during the fall due to so many gyms being closed down in Russia because of covid. While it smacks of a little bit of an excuse…you’d have thought he could find someplace to train…it would go a long way to explaining his early lethargy.
I think he’s shown more hop in recent games, especially since Kapanen joined his line. But he’s obviously a long, looooong way off from the player he was as recently as last season. When he’s in a slump or funk…call it what you will…his execution and decision-making rival Kris Letang’s on the low end of the spectrum.
Not sure what the answer is, other than to keep rolling him out there and hope (and pray) he plays his way back into form. Or at least a reasonable facsimile of the Geno we’ve come to know and love.
At this stage, I’m not holding his breath.
During one of my posts prior to the season, I voiced mild concern about our top six…that they might not be able to play up to the very high expectations that were being set for them.
Regarding Rust, he was originally projected to be a bottom-six energy guy, only to emerge as a decent goal scorer through hard work and hustle. But it’s easy to forget that he opened the 2018-19 season with one goal in his first 29 games.
It’s not a lock that he’s going to repeat his performance of last season.
Switching gears, totally agree with your comment about hiring a GM who will add some functional size. (Of course, he’ll have to slip those guys past Sullivan…no easy feat). Tying back to comments you made to an earlier article, they’ve got to find a power forward or two or can actually play (and thrive) in the high-traffic areas.
Most of our guys can’t (and don’t).
Patric Hornqvist watch: he’s leading the first-place, undefeated Florida Panthers in goals (five) and points (seven) through six games. That trade is shaping up as a disaster of epic proportions. Even more so with P-O Joseph’s emergence, which kind of makes Matheson superfluous when everyone’s healthy.
Rick
“Patric Hornqvist watch: he’s leading the first-place, undefeated Florida Panthers in goals (five) and points (seven) through six games. That trade is shaping up as a disaster of epic proportions. Even more so with P-O Joseph’s emergence, which kind of makes Matheson superfluous when everyone’s healthy.”
That ‘s a completely ridiculous take. First, Hornqvist wouldn’t likely be doing that here. And I somehow doubt that he will be scoring at almost nearly a goal a game pace. Second, his age and contract were the same when every one said that he was over the hill and condemned JR for signing him for 5 years. Now you want to turn around and complain that J traded. Third,
IT”S BEEN 9 #$@$% GAMES!!!!! AND 1.5 for MATHESON
Why don’t you save you whining there’s a large enough sample to make judgment.
I’m very disappointed in you. I thought that you were reasonably level headed unlike your howl-at-the-moon partner. Looks like I was wrong.
Hey Stratton,
Again, you’re entitled to your opinion. And, yeah, I’ll admit to jumping the gun a bit in declaring the trade a disaster of epic proportions.
Inspired start aside, Hornqvist isn’t going to win the Richard Trophy and will likely come back to earth at some point in time. And, hopefully, Matheson won’t be as bad as he was in his first game, when every negative I read about him literally jumped through the TV screen…poor positioning and decision-making, an overall lack of defensive acumen…chasing the play. Traits that apparently have been ingrained in his game since college…and maybe before.
These are my issues…and the basis for my opinion. The Pens are screaming for a net-front presence. Someone to do exactly what Hornqvist did…and is doing…for Florida. Namely, mucking in the trenches and scoring dirty goals, especially on the power play. Not to mention his intangibles…the enormous heart and almost manic intensity he provides.
There’s hope one day in the not-too-distant future Nathan Legare may fill that role. He’s a spitfire much like Hornqvist, and he’s got hands. But Mike Sullivan seems to be allergic to abrasive players, not to mention guys with big personalities, so there’s no guarantee.
Meanwhile, our forwards are having an awful time penetrating the prime scoring areas between the circles. And even when they do, they can’t seem to hang onto the puck or get decent shots off. Again, Hornqvist’s forte.
My second issue is this. Five games into his NHL career, P-O Joseph already looks like the Pens’ best all-around defenseman. How could Jim Rutherford and his staff not know what they had in this kid?
If they had really bothered to take a look (and listen to Mike Vellucci, who sang P-O’s praises last season), maybe JR doesn’t take an enormous gamble on Matheson.
Even if this kid makes a miracle turnaround and cuts down on his gaffes and figures things out, I’d still rate him no better than third best among our portsiders. And we’re going to pay through the nose for this cat…a not-so-cool $32 million over the next six seasons, including this one.
It was a bad contract when Florida signed him. It was even worse for Rutherford to accept it in a trade. Oh, and Matheson’s got a modified no-trade clause that kicks in next season. Talk about having a noose tied around your neck.
By contrast, Hornqvist has $15.9 million left on his current deal.
Maybe I’ll eat my words if Matheson turns his game around. He does have talent, and there’s always hope that Todd Reirden can ‘fix’ him. But right now…yeah…I’d say the trade’s looking pretty disastrous.
Rick
Hey Rick,
The interesting point here is that everyone outside of JR and his apologists say that the Penguins lost this deal. Hornqvist was coming off his best G/60 5-on-5 and his 2nd best Pnts/60 5-on-5 last season, as well as his lowest GA/60, considering that he has already had serious success that is saying something and as you said he only had $15.9 mil left on his contract.
Matheson on the hand, even though he also was coming of his best G/60 and Pnts/60 5-on-5 TOI, he was also coming off his 2nd worst GA/60 of 5-on-5 hockey. However, Matheson’s best numbers have never been anything close to the level (even considering Position) to what Hornqvists were so Matheson had far, far more room for improvement than Hornqvist, far less room for backsliding, and Matheson is younger so should have shown improvement.
Add in the contract disparities of only paying $15.9 Mil over 3 years for at least above average Hockey from Hornqvist (as his trajectory indicates and barring injury) to the $32 Mil across 6 years of, at best, average Hockey (again considering trajectory) the laws of probability are on your side not Stratton’s.
It hasn’t been just 9 games Startton cites, it has been 301 games for Matheson, a consistent 301 games of at best below average play but really more like horrible play with a big contract. How many more games do you think it will take for him to climb up to average?
Defensemen may not hit their prime until 27 so Matheson may yet get good enough to be a 3rd pairing $6.5 mil/yr LHD but the odds get shorter and shorter with each passing day of MM sitting on IR.
The best part, the ironic part of this is one of the concerns over Hornqvist’s was his potential for injury yet Matheson is the one on IR.
Hey Other Rick,
Excellent points as always. You hit the nail on the head when you said it hasn’t just been one game for Matheson, but 301 games of ingrained breathing life into his team at one end of the ice and snuffing it out at the other.
As I’ve mentioned before, those traits apparently go all the way back to his college days…and maybe beyond. It begs the question, “Is he fixable?”
If we were paying him…say…$1.4 million on a short-term deal like we did for Justin Schultz a few years back, I’d say he’d definitely be worth the gamble. But at $32 million for six seasons with a M-NTC set to kick in?
As you so succinctly summed it up, that’s a helluva lot to pay for what appears to be at best a third-pairing defenseman.
Rick
Rick
I don’t really like to get down on Malkin – he’s an icon but it’s tough
for me to dismiss his lackadaisical passing attempts to being out
of shape., 4 or 5 of these are while we’re on the PP.
The positives coming from our injuries are the play of Ceci, Marino,
PO, and O’Connor. Hopefully, it will give the team a boost once
everyone is back healthy.
It wouldn’t hurt my feelings if LeTurnover is out long term. This isn’t
the first time he’s been out with an injury and our defense drastically
improved – plus he’s also hurting us offensively and on the PP.
Hope you’re well – GO PENS
Hey Rick,
That was a tough game to watch. It wasn’t that the team lost that it made it tough to watch. Nor was it from consistent glaring defensive breakdowns, the Rangers only got 24 shots, 1 into an empty net with 0.1s left. (Yes, the 2 Goals Against were from about 9′, the avg Shot Distance was in the mid 30′ range.) What made the game maddening to watch was the constant perimeter play. I thought I heard the old Scott Paulsen WDVE comedy skit/song from the late 90s “Shoot the puck!” ringing through my ears.
While the Avg Rangers’ shot came from a distance of 34.65, the Avg Pens shot was coming from out of left field 42.46. There were way too many opportunities to shoot passed up, looking for the Highlight Reel/perfect scoring opportunity, Especially on the PP. The easiest job in the world right now is defending against the Pens PP. The only people who were doing less than the Rangers’ PK last night was the Pens PP.
I think it was Bob Errey, last night, who said the Penguins have to get back to basics on the PP. You are right Bob and the most basic thing is SHOOT THE PUCK. You can’t score unless you shoot.
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There is a silver lining to every bad cloud and last night was no exception; Marino – Joseph looked pretty solid. I wrote yesterday that I was looking forward to seeing that and they didn’t disappoint. No, it wasn’t like watching Coffey and Murphy but considering what we were watching earlier this season and really the last few seasons, they are a cause for some future hope.
Hey Other Rick,
Great comments, always, and I love the stats you dig up. Especially the average shot distance. Could we get any further away from the net when we shoot?
I saw a chart over on Pensblog following one of the Boston games. Our shots generally came from higher in the zone. There was this giant blob around the net where the Bruins took the majority of their shots.
I’m exaggerating…but only slightly.
Again, I think it ties to our lack of size/physicality, which in my opinion works against us when it comes to penetrating the areas between the circles and controlling play in the high-danger areas.
I watch Chris Kreider post up in the slot on the Rangers power plays and turn green with envy.
Rick
Hey Rick,
You know I am a stat geek, especially stats like Avg Shot Dist. It helps explain the teams anemic top 6.
You can’t be too far off the truth when thinking the Pens lack of size is proportional to our fear of going into the blue paint.
I saw a quick report on Poulin and Legare. Legare had 2 goals in his first game back and Poulin had an assist on one of those goals now that they are teammates at Val-d’Or Foreurs. Legare is only 6′-0″ but I can’t help but wonder how this team would look with him out there.
Hey Other Rick,
Regarding the average shot distance, I’ve come up with a novel idea. You know how the NBA has the three-point field goal? Well, maybe the NHL could do something along those lines…paint an arc in the middle of the attacking zone and award a double-goal for scoring outside the line…lol
Of course, we still have to puck the puck in the net…
Rick
While we’re touching on the subject of size and grit, I happened to catch this comment by NBCSN’s Keith Jones prior to the Avs-Wild game.
“Big bodies that go to the net can cause a lot of havoc for the opposition.”
Exactly what we’ve been harping on…
Rick