For years it seemed every time the University of Pittsburgh football program had a chance to make a statement in an important game the Panthers invariably lost.
Those Pitt teams have nothing on our present-day Penguins.
Several times this season, the Pens have had an opportunity to use dramatic victories as a springboard to better things. Each time they’ve failed miserably.
We responded to an impressive 3-0 whitewashing of Stanley Cup champion Vegas on November 19 by going 1-2-1 in our next four games. Following the pulsating, Tristan-Jarry-scores-a-goal comeback over the Lightning on November 30? We lost four in a row (0-2-2).
This latest fiasco may be our worst botch job yet. On the heels of back-to-back victories this week, including the thrilling 12-round shootout win over the Canadiens, the Pens simply fell apart at the seams last night against a banged-up Toronto team that was missing all-world sniper Auston Matthews, key defensemen T.J. Brodie, Mark Giordano and John Klingberg and goalie Joseph Woll.
Indeed, the 7-0 shellacking at the hands of the Leafs was arguably the worst defeat of the Sidney Crosby–Evgeni Malkin era, eclipsing even the brutal and humbling 5-2 loss to woebegone Chicago last spring that cost us a playoff berth.
And make no mistake, the score could’ve been much (much) worse if not for the efforts of goalies Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic, who faced down an astounding 44 scoring chances and a staggering 22 high-danger chances combined.
Plain and simple, their teammates quit on them, basically serving them up as sacrificial lambs. They deserved a far better fate.
Can’t begin to imagine how Kyle Dubas feels about now. Hardly the triumphant return to the city where he used to work, eh? Talk about having egg on your face.
If I were the Pens’ GM, I’d be sorely tempted to blow it all up, and that includes the head coach who just received a rousing endorsement. Despite Dubas’ best efforts, everything about this team is stale and screams for real change.
As constructed, the Pens are going nowhere. We can’t string together more than a couple of wins in a row. Worse yet, we can’t produce the type of effort that’s conducive to winning on anything approaching a consistent basis. We’re on-again, off-again. Like a light switch.
Perhaps it’s due to age. Maybe these guys simply aren’t physically or mentally capable of putting forth the kind of effort and intensity that’s required to win on a nightly basis. Or maybe it’s a lack of talent. With the exception of a handful of core players, nobody on this team can score.
It seems we need to be 100 percent healthy to be competitive. In the rough-and-tumble world of hockey, that happens…never.
Barring some miracle infusion of fresh talent, we’ll continue bob along like a cork upon the high seas, winning a few, perhaps losing more. All the while our chances of garnering a playoff berth grow more remote.
Puckpourri
According to Natural Stat Trick, the Pens actually had an edge in shot attempts (71-66) and shots on goal (38-35). Scoring chances (44-34) and high-danger chances (22-12) were heavily in favor of the Leafs.
Speaking of awful, just as our power play has shown signs of life, our penalty kill has gone into the tank. We yielded two power-play goals last night. Over our past five games we’ve killed only 15 of 22 opposing power plays, a 68.2 percent success rate. We obviously miss the dual presence of injured vets Noel Acciari and Matt Nieto.
About our only win of the night occurred five minutes into the game when Leafs forward Matthew Knies challenged John Ludvig for a crunching hit on Max Domi. During the ensuing battle, Ludvig landed a couple of lefts before the combatants tumbled to the ice.
The rookie black-and-gold defenseman also rushed to Crosby’s aid during a late second-period scuffle with John Tavares and other Leafs.
According to radio color man Phil Bourque, Mike Sullivan often refers to hockey as a “belligerent game.” Yet the Pens are so rarely equipped to play that way.
Knies would go on to register a Gordie Howe Hat Trick. He, Mitch Marner, journeyman Bobby McMann and Domi scored against Jarry, who was pulled at 2:28 of the second period after stopping 10 of 14 shots. Tavares, Noah Gregor and William Nylander beat Nedeljkovic, who stopped 18 of 21 shots.
Veteran Martin Jones, only recently recalled from the AHL Toronto Marlies, made 38 saves to post the shutout.
If the NHL had an award for taking the dumbest penalties, Malkin would win hands-down. Not that it had any bearing on the outcome, but Geno was hit with a double-minor for high-sticking Leafs defender Jake McCabe midway through the third period. In the offensive zone, of course.
It wasn’t Kris Letang’s finest hour, either. Tanger was assessed a holding penalty (followed in short order by a 10-minute misconduct) early in the second period when we still had a sliver of a chance, leading to a rally-crushing power-play goal by Tavares. He finished a game-worst minus-4. Crosby and Jake Guentzel were minus-3 each.
Although expected to return, Rickard Rakell didn’t suit up. Vinnie Hinostroza cleared waivers and played in RikRak’s stead. He was a minus-1 with two shots on goal in 7:52 of ice time.
On Deck
The Pens (13-13-3) return home to face Minnesota (12-12-4) on Monday night. The resurgent Wild are 7-2 since former Baby Pens skipper John Hynes replaced Dean Evason.
We’re five points out of a wild-card spot. Only eight teams have fewer points.
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View Comments
Hey Guys..Seasons greetings.
Excellent comments from all of you.
I have to say I never thought we would be so ordinary a week before Christmas. What I see is that many teams in the league have made improvements to their teams while we have not kept pace.
Some games we look awful as compared to Pens teams of 3 or 4 years ago and yet in many other games the effort was there but the total team talent was missing.. In many games we were not the best team on the ice..
Where do we go from here? That is the question Rick.
I feel like Coach in that it is becoming like an old habit and this team needs major upgrades.
I do believe that Dubas is the GM to do a complete rebuild if things don’t improve.. Every dynasty has an ending and I think we are watching the end in the Burg..
I am wondering when Sid finally says it’s time to request a trade to a competitive team?? If we miss the playoffs in 2024 which is in question., does he stay next year??
I am surprised that Graves has not worked out so far..
I wait to see your comments ….
I’m having some serious vision issues so that’s why I haven’t posted very many comments. But I try to read everything you guys right.
Let’s go pens
Cheers
Jim
Hello Jim,
So good to hear from you and read what you have to say. So sorry to hear about your vision issues.
Your comment about us looking awful at times compared to three or four years ago really struck a chord. I've found myself thinking the same thing. I'll watch them, expecting them to break out and/or someone to score a timely goal, and...with the notable exception of Sid and Jake...it's just not happening.
How the mighty have fallen.
I think Dubas tried his darndest to put a competitive team together. But you can't fix in one offseason a situation that took five or six years to create. There are simply too many holes to plug, and there's very little in the way of promotable young talent to plug the gaps.
I really feel for Sid. At age 36, your fellow Maritimer is playing some truly incredible hockey. As I mentioned in a recent article, I've been watching him more closely and am just blown away by the level of detail in his game. He certainly deserves another shot at a Cup, which I doubt he'll get if he stays here. Purely as a fan of the sport, I'd love to see him join his friend (and Horton's co-worker) Nathan MacKinnon out in Colorado. Talk about a 1-2 punch!
In the meantime, it is sad to watch a once-proud team struggle so much. But, as they say, all good things must come to an end, and we've been so blessed and fortunate to watch this team over the years.
Cheers and Merry Christmas!
Rick
Amen brother.
The Pens fan base has indeed been blessed ever since Mario arrived all those years ago.
Then Jagr then Fleury, Malkin, Crosby and Stal..I know i am missing others ... Just maybe we are a little bit spoiled as Fans because we only have 5 Stanley Cup Banners hanging in our building. FIVE,,,,Many teams have far less.
Merry Christmas to you as well Rick.
You guys can put all the analysis and numbers against the goalies...but if you just watch and I mean watch the games, no analytics, you will see and I said it before on this blog, only the goalies- Jarry and Ned along with Sid are playing well...everyone else is too slow, too small or overrated
Unfortunately this team is horrible.
Hey Pens4ever,
Don't include me in the goalie stats parsing. That would be Other Rick's bailiwick. I think our goalies for the most part have performed admirably and, in Nedeljkovic's case, brilliantly.
I thought depth scoring would be an issue, but not to the extent it's been. We're over a third of the way through the season and only three of our defensemen have scored goals, and Letang (2) and Graves (1) have only three combined. I confess to being disappointed in O'Connor and Zohorna...thought they'd produce more. Heck, even Malkin and Smith have disappeared.
The only forwards doing anything on a consistent basis are Crosby and Guentzel, who've been great. Sid, in particular, has been incredible. But two guys do not a team make.
Tough to watch sometimes...
Rick
Go ahead and include me in the Jarry bashing, but I am not a Ned basher.
Jarry is average at best. The Eye test tells me he sits too deep in his net, doesn't know how to play his angles, has poor rebound control, and is a selfish circus performer; trying to score Goals, throwing the puck right up his own slot, where it could easily be knocked down and sent back into his net or drawing an icing with the resultant FO in his own zone. Unfortunately, too ,many people are wowed by Jarry's circus performing, thinking that the 1 Goal he has scored out weighs the number of soft Goals he has let in or the 1 or 2 circus saves he has to make per game because he over-reacted to a play and had to reach back for that lucky save. And too few people understand that if a Goalie is good, he rarely has to make a highlight reel save because he was in position to make the save look routine. Jarry's overall Sv% only looks better this month because his defense (not counting Toronto) has been so much better than the first 2 months. They have limited the number of Rush Attempts, got to his copious rebounds before opponents, and forced more Mid and Low danger shots. His HDSv% is only slightly better than the first 2 months, not enough to statistically significant.
Ned on the other hand has played real well and should be the starter. If Ned had played more games, this team may still be relevant.
Sorry, Other Rick. Bashing was an unfortunate word, written in haste (and since edited and softened). Let's just say you and I disagree on Jarry.
Is he the best goalie in the league? No. Is he an above average goalie who gives his team a chance to win on most nights? In my book, he is.
I would be careful about using the word "only" when it comes to explaining the reasons for his improved save percentage. There are lots of things that factor into a goalie (or team's) performance, good and bad.
Rick
Rick
IMO - Ned needs to see more time in nets - I do think Jarry has played well at times but
his rebound control is not even close to Ned's. I love the way opposing teams shots tend
to stick to his body and he has away of controlling the game better when the pucks in
our end of the rink.
Hey Mike,
I'm not going to argue with you. Ned's rebound control is amazing and his quickness and reflexes are off the charts.
I'm not sure what went wrong in Detroit. He's not the biggest goalie in the world so maybe he wasn't able to handle a full-time starter's workload. And the Red Wings didn't exactly have a great team in front of him. But I love what I've seen of him so far.
Not lovin' what I see from the rest of the bunch, though. Given that you've coached and are involved in pro sports, what's your take on Sullivan? Do you think it's time for a change? All I hear from behind-the-scenes guys is what a great coach he is. But nobody seems to develop under him. N-o-b-o-d-y.
At what point does he become accountable?
Rick
Rick
I used to take up for Sullivan but I do think it's time the Pens / Dubas part
ways with him. Also, I agree he struggles to develop young players. Good
examples of that are players that are now producing with other teams.
Sprong, Lafferty, McCann, even Matheson to a degree who had 34pts for the
Habs last season in only 48 games. Sullivan defiantly favors the veteran players
over youth- he doesn't appear to have the patience it takes to develop a
younger group of players. Last night I was thinking about how this team would
look if Crosby, Malkin, Letang weren't already in place when Sullivan took the
reins. We would have a team full of Simon's.
Do I think he's a good Coach - Yes and No - i do think he knows the game and
he's earned the respect of the Veteran players. I still believe his ego is his
downfall - he will ride and die with his current system and I believe that's a
huge mistake.
Hey Mike,
Thanks for responding...great to read your insights.
The irony is, I think Sullivan's actually done a better job of adjusting this season and using players like Ludvig who he might not have embraced in the past. In terms of player development, or lack of, I think the fact that the organization as a whole has been in "win-now" mode ever since the back-to-back Cups has probably caused him to turn to veterans versus developing kids. Unfortunately, a short-sighted philosophy that we're paying for now.
Do I think we could use a new voice and a new system? Absolutely. But as I've mentioned in other comments, it isn't a matter of just plugging another coach in there. This team has myriad issues, not the least of which is a veteran core that's used to doing things their way. If we do replace Sullivan, it would need to be a guy who has the strength of character to handle a very challenging situation and not be bullied, in addition to having hockey props. Don't know who that guy is.
We can only hope Dubas does...
Rick
Hey Rick,
Have to argue with you again, at least in part. I do agree Ned does not deserve any blame in this hindenburgesque disaster.
However, Jarry helped kick off the Penguins version of the Poseidon Adventure by giving up that soft-butt Goal to Knies. Sure, Guentzel started the folly with a stick waving forecheck rather than putting body-on-body but he did force a GV to Crosby. Unfortunately, Sid through the puck blindly into the slot and a back checking Domi who turned the puck the other way. Coming late on the play DOC had to turn and chase the play and was turned inside out, over-skating a quick stopping Domi who then found Knies skating hard toward the Penguins end. Graves looked like he was taking an angle to seal off the boards from Domi when the Domi hit Knies with the pass, so Graves tried to change direction and cut Knies off from a clean break down the slot and that is why Graves was out to lunch when Knies blew past him. However, Knies’ shot was a very weak and stoppable backhand that slipped past the Goalie. Harder play by 59, 87, 10, 27, or 35 stops that play cold. In the end, your boy Jarry, charged with the last line of defense was an empty sweater. Even now, at my age, I could have stopped that shot.
Again, you favorite Goalie added his signature to the 2nd GA. Carter kicked of the errors when that embattled Center skated fast enough to pass an aged turtled through the neutral zone, giving Domi time to be a hero again by picking his slow-as-a-snail pocket. However, when the chance to shine arose for Jarry, he squared up to the skater and not the puck and then he channeled his inner Matt Murray and had his glove hand glued to his leg pad when Marner climbed the ladder.
At that point, Toronto only had a handful of shots (6) but were winning 2 - 0. If the $5.35 million, 5 Year Goalie was the Goalie many fans keep deluding themselves he is, then the score should have been 0 - 0 still or at least only 1 - 0 Leafs.
Lots of blame to around, including Jarry.
GA3 was a real Keystone Kops play by the Penguins. GA4 was a great play by the Leafs' Goalie Jones. With the Penguins caught in a line change, Jones threw the puck up the far boards, away from the fresh Penguins legs (Not up the middle were it could get picked off, like our Penguins Goalie likes to do). If you blame any Penguin on that play, blame the Coaches for not drilling them into cleaner line changes, otherwise acknowledge the heads up play of Jones.
After that it was a 1970s disaster movie ala Towering Inferno or Airport (or maybe Airplane the way this team makes gaffes and prat falls).
In the end Rick, I am not as angry as others. I am no longer even frustrated. Those negative emotions are driven by expectations. Unlike many, my expectations of this team have been low from the get go. Our Penguins are playing just as I believed they would.