Are the Penguins Easy to Play Against?

The first thing Ray Shero did when he became the Penguins’ general manager back in 2006 was to make the black and gold harder to play against. To that end he signed abrasive land shark Jarkko Ruutu, a supersized forward version of Mark Friedman, and claimed husky Chris Thorburn on waivers from Buffalo.

At the 2007 trade deadline he acquired “Scary” Gary Roberts and Big Georges Laraque, arguably the toughest players in the league.

Thus reinforced, the Pens became a most difficult foe.

Before you start pushing back, I know it’s a different game nowadays. True old-school power forwards like Roberts who could hit, score and fight are the rarest of commodities. In fact I can only think of a handful off the top of my head: Capitals bruiser Tom Wilson, the Wilds’ Marcus Foligno (his brother Nick of the Bruins is in decline), Oilers bad boy Evander Kane, Montreal’s Josh Anderson and Arizona’s Nick Ritchie, who was on the trading block only a couple of months ago. But I digress.

My question stands. Are the Pens an easy team to play against?

Two Trailer Park Girls Go ‘Round the Outside…

When I think of our attack, the refrain from Eminem’s Without Me pops into my head. As a group, we prefer to go ‘round the outside (and ‘round the outside) when entering the attacking zone. I get it to an extent. It’s usually the path of least resistance…the easiest form of entry.

Unfortunately, it’s the easiest for our foes to defend, too. Opposing defensemen are only too happy to allow our forwards to go the long way around, secure in the knowledge that they can steer the puck carrier into the corner, where they have a good chance of winning a puck battle.

If we do maintain possession, a sharp angle pass from the boards to a late arriving forward or d-man in the slot usually follows, with an emphasis on late arriving. If the pass is broken up or doesn’t connect? The puck is heading in the opposite direction, the better to fuel a counterattack while trapping our forwards behind the play. In the process isolating our defense and contributing to the plethora of odd-man breaks against we’ve experienced over the past couple of months.

The remedy? More center drive, which forces opposing d-men to react to the puck carrier while creating time and space. Our only forward who consistently employs it is Jeff Carter. (Evgeni Malkin does, too, on occasion, but he tends to over handle the puck which can lead to crippling turnovers.)

Carter keeps the game simple. He takes the puck to the net and shoots. North-south. No screwing around.

Unfortunately, the big guy appears to be wearing down, perhaps due to a combination of age (37) and workload. And the Pens don’t always support the puck, even when the center drive is in play. (See subtitle above.)

Get That Dog Off My Lawn…

On the defensive side of the ledger, the Pens are pretty much wedded to the stick-on-puck defense that’s so much in vogue these days. Again, I get it. Coach Mike Sullivan wants his defensemen to stay fluid and mobile, the better to join and support the attack.

While our rearguards are hardly a timid bunch…Kris Letang, Chad Ruhwedel and Marcus Pettersson all have dished out over 100 hits and Mike Matheson’s approaching triple digits, collectively they don’t make you pay a price for going to the net.

Need an example? Rangers stud Chris Kreider (three goals in four games against us) camps out in front of our goalies with impunity. Ditto the likes of twin Islanders horses Brock Nelson and Anders Lee. We have the pleasure (?) of facing them twice in the near future.

Thank goodness the Isles got off to a slow start or our playoff lives might be in jeopardy.

Why I Oughta…

When push comes to shove, our guys offer little in the way of pushback. The better to counter our foe’s less-than-savory tactics by scoring on the power play. Great in theory. Not so much in practice. Especially during the postseason, when whistles (and man advantages) go the way of the Dodo.

Ironically, our big three of Sidney Crosby, Malkin and Letang almost always give tit-for-tat when it comes to the rough stuff. However, they’re not exactly who I want to have fighting the team’s battles.

Friedman, a latter day “Bugsy” Watson, certainly sticks his nose in…when he plays. Love his heart and spunk. Only wish he was about three inches taller and 20 pounds heavier.

To sum up, I guess I’ve answered my own question. When you factor in Sullivan’s rigid adherence to his system, even when it’s not working? Although it isn’t for a lack of try or grit or heart, with the notable exception of Sid’s line, which is uber-effective on the cycle and down low in the dirty areas, I think both tactically and practically we’ve become an easy team to play against.