I don’t think The Shirelles had hockey in mind back in 1961 when they recorded their hit single, Mama Said (There’d be Days Like This). But it seemed a fitting way to describe last night’s fiasco at PPG Paints Arena.
Indeed, very little went right for our Penguins, while the Capitals it seemed could do no wrong.
It didn’t start out that way. Fueled by two early power plays, the Pens swarmed like bees around a honeycomb. But our guys couldn’t find the sweet spot behind rookie goalie Vitek Vanacek and the Caps gradually took charge, grinding us to dust en route to a 3-1 black-and-gold defeat that was uglier than the score would indicate.
It wasn’t so much that we lost as how we lost that I found disturbing. Following a scoreless first period we pretty much self-destructed in the second frame, drawing a succession of dumb penalties while allowing our rivals to dominate play. Fueled by the Pens’ largesse, the Caps racked up an astonishing 18-5 edge in shots on goal during the period and snatched the lead on tallies by Conor Sheary (sigh) and Jakub Vrana.
A two-goal deficit isn’t insurmountable, especially for this bunch. But I didn’t feel too warm-and-fuzzy about our chances entering the third period. My foreboding proved well-founded, as Lars Eller struck 69 seconds in to pretty much put the game on ice.
Speaking of ice, our guys pretty much melted into it after that. We were outshot, outworked, outhustled…pretty much out-everythinged. Looking back at my notes, I used adjectives like sloppy, languid and disinterested to describe our play.
If the previous two games gave hope for better things to come, this one revealed our blemishes. Kind of like the concealer we used to hide our flaws wore off, exposing some rather unsightly warts.
We didn’t show a discernable pulse until about five minutes remained, when Zach Aston-Reese converted a nice feed from Teddy Blueger into his third goal in as many games. After that, the black and gold displayed some jump. Far too little, too late.
You can’t play 15 minutes out of 60 and expect to win.
Puckpourri
The Caps outshot us, 42-27. Faceoffs were even. The Pens killed off five power plays, but seemed to exhaust themselves in the process. Our power(less) play was 0-for-3.
All things considered, Tristan Jarry turned in a near-heroic performance, stopping 39 shots for a .929 save percentage. But he didn’t have much help.
Obviously displeased by what he saw, coach Mike Sullivan juggled his lines. Brandon Tanev moved up to the second unit while Kasperi Kapanen dropped to the third line.
Seems like Sheary enjoys playing against his ex-mates. He has five goals against us, including a pair of two-goal games.
Camp Bow-Wow
There’s so much bad, it’s hard to know where to begin. I guess I’ll start with the second line. Evgeni Malkin unleashed six shots on goal, but aside from that there wasn’t much to like about his performance. He drew a careless penalty early in the second period that got the ball rolling in the wrong direction, while finishing a minus-two. Forty percent on draws.
For lack of a better way to describe him, “Geno” looked pouty.
At least he was visible. Which is more than I can say for Kapanen (Kasperi the Friendly Ghost?). His demotion was richly deserved.
I’m beginning to agree with Other Rick on Jason Zucker. At best, he’s beginning to remind me of David Perron, a good hockey player who, for whatever reasons, simply didn’t produce for the black and gold. At worst? Jim McGeough, a junior hockey scoring champion who possessed demon speed but bricks for hands. Given Zucker’s difficulty in giving and receiving passes, I’m leaning toward the latter.
Dear Lord, is Mark Jankowski soft. On a couple of occasions he had a chance to hammer the puck out of our end while killing penalties but failed to do so. I realize he isn’t getting prime ice time, but he’s doing next to nothing. His play with the Pens has mirrored his efforts in Calgary…occasional flashes followed by long, unproductive stretches.
We need more. A lot more.
This really doesn’t belong under the Camp Bow-Wow heading. But following a meteoric start, Pierre-Olivier Joseph is beginning to make rookie mistakes. Lots of them, especially in the defensive zone. Understandable to a degree. After all, he was thrown into the deep end pretty much from the get-go. But I’m hoping his most recent play isn’t a trend.
I would like to chip in on the assessment of the 2nd line. 204 players in the league have 3 or more goals. 218 players in the league have 7 or more points. I don’t believe Geno is the 200th highest paid player in the league. The center needs to drive the play on his line. So for now I will give Zucker and Kapanen a short pass on the lines failures. If the Pens don’t get more from this trio, they will not make the playoffs. As a side note. Letang needs to quit making unforced errors.
Hey sth 35,
I don’t think I have ever seen you post, welcome!
I hear what you are saying about Malkin, I too have a problem with under performing players. However, let me throw this out there.
Malkin’s Numbers at 5-on-5
TOI 195:09, 1G, 4A, 5Pnts
5-on-5 Geno’s linemates have
Zucker 3G, 2A for 5Pnts
Kapanen 2G, 4A for 6Pnts
Crosby’s Numbers at 5-on-5
TOI 214:51, 0G, 5A, 5Pnts
5-on-5 Sid’s linemates have
Guentzel has 4G, 3A for 7Pnts
Rust has 4G and 4A for 8Pnts
5-on-5 is when a full line is together. Sid is doing worse than Malkin, he has yet to score a goal, even though he has had more TOI and is playing with Guentzel and now with Rust. Last season when Geno was playing with those 2 he had the best 5-on-5 numbers for any Center in the league. Why is no one complaining about Sid?
I don’t think the problem is with either player but with the Coach not putting the players in a position to succeed. Neither Malkin, nor Crosby are kids anymore. Neither can carry players like they did even 5 years ago. Moreover, Zucker has never done anything with Malkin.
They have no Chemistry. 1/4 of the season is over so should the Malkin – Zucker experiment. It failed. For a Coach who used to change line combinations more than he changed his socks, WHY is Sully still trying to force these square pegs into round holes.
Guentzel plays well with both Crosby and Malkin, but he actually plays better with Malkin, so why is he not playing with Malkin? Why is the one player that doesn’t play well with Malkin still on Malkin’s line, while the LW that plays better with Malkin not playing with him?
Rick
Just wanted to make one quick point about your Crosby and
Malkin comparison. i don’t complain about Sid because to me
he’s a setup guy 1st then a goal scorer 2nd. It’s no coincidence
that Rust and Guentzel are one/two in shots on goal. Crosby is
setting them up at every turn. If those two were scoring goals
from point-blank range Crosby would have another 10pts right
now.
I think Malkins wings suffer because he dangles way to much with
the puck and goes nowhere – his wings get caught standing not
knowing where to re-locate. I feel like Kapanan is still adjusting to
his new team and Sully’s system – If Zucker was playing on Crosby’s
wing he would have 7 or 8 goals right now. He goes to the net like
Rust and would finish plays w/Malkin his chances are few and far
between.
GO PENS
Hey Mike,
And that is why I keep saying put Zucker on Crosby’s LW. He compliments Crosby. Right from the get-go, Guentzel has had a knack for knowing where to go with Malkin. It was with Malkin that Guentzel earned his TOI as a rookie and last year he showed that the two of them where still bread and butter.
Although I haven’t seen enough of Kapanen yet, but I would bet he too would benefit from playing with Crosby. He is a shooter.
Both of these points are why I said back before the season started;
Zucker – Crosby – Kapanen
Guentzel – Malkin – Rust
Both line would be rolling.
As for my comparison between Crosby and Malkin;
First the Pens are at the 1/4 point of the season and Crosby still doesn’t have a 5-on-5 goal. No matter how you slice it, that is not good. Even if he is nothing but a play maker, he should have been able to tickle the twine at least once.
Second, if he is a play maker and not a scorer, why are they tied in points, even though Crosby has played more 5-on-5 time?
For me, I don’t give either the 1st or the 2nd line a pass. They both stink, otherwise the team wouldn’t be wallowing in at 6th place in the division for Pnts%. However, I don’t think it is som much the players but the coaching. The coach simply doesn’t know how to use the players to their fullest potential.
Rick B. just about an hour ago reminded of something that someone here on these boards keeps saying (but neither of remember who gets credit for it) “Sullivan keeps trying to Coach the team he wants, not the team he has”.
But I am going to change it slightly, Sullivan wants to keep Coaching the team he had in 2016 and keep the clock stuck in 2016, a time when no one had ever seen his speed game and they hadn’t learned how to defend against it.
However, as I write this, I am reminded that the 2016 team was really a combination of Bylsma, Johnston, and Sullivan. This team, the team that is foundering, is all Sullivan.
Hey Mike,
Pittsburgh Hockey Now had an interesting piece on the second line and they basically came to the same conclusion as you. They observed that Zucker and Kapanen are playing (or trying to play) a speed game, while Malkin is lagging behind and doing whatever it is he does when he’s not on top of his game.
The question is, how do you fix this? As crazy as it sounds, maybe move Zucker to Crosby’s wing and drop Guentzel to Geno’s line? The latter two showed good chemistry when Sid was out last year…maybe they find it again.
Here’s another even crazier idea. Stick McCann between Zucker and Kapanen when he comes back from injury. But then, what do you do with Geno?
I don’t know what the answer is other than hope and pray Malkin comes around. But we’re running out of time…the season’s already 25 percent over.
Rick
Rick
Don’t disagree with your assessment of the Pen’s 2nd line. IMO the problem
is with Malkin. It’s a death sentence if you’re playing on his wing. For me
it’s frustrating to watch him carry the puck and get nowhere and he continues
to do fly-by’s in the offensive zone that put him well behind the play on opposing
teams breakouts. Everyone wants to blame our Defenseman and goalies but
our forwards are a huge part of the problem from a defensive stand-point.
Disappointing game to say the least.
Hey Rick,
This game certainly was a disappointment; not surprising but certainly a disappointment. Our flightless fowl didn’t even put up a real fight. They had no 5-on-5 or any even strength shots from between the circles. The only High Danger shots came during the PP and 1 even from the PK units, but that was it. When going got tough they quit. If you are unwilling to pay the price you don’t win. What was it Ringo Starr sang – “You got to pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues. You know it don’t come easy.”