Penguins Lookin’ Good for Now, But Will it Work in the Playoffs?

 

If you’re like me, you’re positively giddy about the way our Penguins are playing these days. I mean, ten wins in a row! Skating with a new-found structure and discipline thanks in no small part to coach Mike Sullivan and his staff, they’re just carving up the opposition with surgical efficiency. Even a solid team like St. Louis had trouble standing up to this juggernaut.

No one’s more surprised than I at our success. After yet another first-round exit with a team I felt had the chops to go (a lot) further, I was down on our chances. Really down. I thought we’d taken a not-so-small step backward last summer while bleeding off several key players. I wasn’t at all sure this team as constructed would qualify for the playoffs.

Needless to say, those doubts have been erased. This, most assuredly, is a playoff team. Maybe even…dare I say…a Cup contender. But I digress.

Friday morning when I entered Wright’s Gym for my workout, Other Rick and I had a brief verbal sparring session over the state of our Pens. Flush with our recent success, I’m riding the feel-good wave (or drinking the Kool-Aid, whichever you prefer). TOR’s a bit more pessimistic.

I don’t remember our exact exchange, but I said something to the effect of, “Ten in a row. How can you not be excited about this team?” And TOR responded somewhat along the lines of, “They’re getting all kinds of room. Nobody’s hitting them.”

Followed by a parting, “Let’s see them do it in the playoffs.”

His comments tweaked a nerve. I immediately recalled two of our goals from the victory over the Flyers…E-Rod’s and Guentzel’s. The guys, indeed, had all kinds of room to make a play. On Jake’s goal from the side of the net I remember thinking, if this was the 1980s they wouldn’t let him stand there. A Jeff Chychrun or a Terry Carkner would’ve knocked him on his arse.

Actually, you don’t even have to go back to the ‘80s to find examples of physical play having a telling effect. Last spring the Islanders hit Guentzel and linemates Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust hard and often. After a decent start to the series, the trio was softened up to the tune of a collective minus-14 over the final three games. All black-and-gold losses.

As Other Rick asserted, the playoffs are, indeed, a different animal. It got me to thinking. Is this team built to succeed in the postseason?

Boy, that’s a tough one to answer. There are so many things I like about this bunch. Really like. Our speed, our grit, our hustle, our new-found attention to detail, our skill, our depth…especially up front. That ferocious forecheck. Not to mention a terrific esprit de corps and resilience. Even swagger.

In the past I’ve bemoaned the fact that we’re not physical enough on occasions too numerous to count. In fact, it’s been my drumbeat…my mantra. But this group is far from timid. We’re sixth in the league in hits. And the anticipated league-wide swing to heavy hockey really hasn’t happened.

Yes, the Rangers have Ryan Reaves, and yes he’s a brutish physical force. But I don’t see him as a difference maker come the playoffs. Washington’s Tom Wilson is still out there, but he’s evolved into a multi-dimensional player and less of a loose cannon thug (only two fights this season). Although it would be nice to have one, I don’t fret over our lack of a deterrent nearly as much as I used to.

Perhaps the real question is, do we have enough functional size to succeed in the playoffs, when physical intensity gets ratcheted up and space becomes a premium?

Jeff Carter combines speed, skill and brawn…a classic power forward. Brian Boyle, all 6’6” and 245 pounds of him, certainly brings size and physicality, although I’m not sure if he’s in the lineup when we’re healthy. And people tend to forget Evgeni Malkin. Geno’s a big man who doesn’t mind the rough going.

However, will smallish players like Evan Rodrigues, enjoying a sensational season, and Dominik Simon be as effective? As much as I’ve grown to appreciate Simon’s ability to drive possession (a sterling Corsi of 61), I do get the sense he’ll disappear in the postseason, as TOR asserts. It would be nice if we could develop a player with size and/or jam in that spot. Radim Zohorna and Anthony Angello come to mind. Too bad it’s not in Sullivan’s Irish DNA to cultivate that type of player. Wish I knew why.

I’ll close this ramble by returning to my original question. Are we built to succeed in the playoffs? I’ll put it another way. If we play an Islanders-style team again, would we beat ’em?

As much as I’d like to say yes, I honestly don’t know. I am confident we’ll get the opportunity to find out.