In my 13 years of writing for PenguinPoop, rarely have I been critical of Sidney Crosby. That’s because there’s rarely been a need. A testament to what a truly magnificent player he’s been and is.
However, during overtime of last night’s Metro Division tilt with the Flyers, whatever malaise has infested our team seemed to have infected our captain as well. In a rare case of blunderitis, Sid committed at least three outright bonehead plays.
On the first, he chased a Flyers puck carrier behind the Philly cage…a no-no in 3-on-3 overtime…and wound up trailing the play up ice. On the second, he attempted an awkward (and dangerous) cross-ice pass in our end that was promptly picked off by Travis Konecny, leading to extended zone time for the Flyers and two shots on goal.
On Sid’s final gaffe, he lost a faceoff in the Philly zone to Sean Couturier, then lurched forward in pursuit of Travis Sanheim along with sidekick Jake Guentzel to gift the Flyers with a 2-on-1. With virtually the entire sheet of ice to work with, Konecny set up Couturier for the overtime winner. In the process, ceding another extra point to our in-state rivals in the Battle of Pennsylvania.
While we’re at it, Erik Karlsson made some decisions with the puck that defy logic. Although not for a lack of try, it seems our guys simply can’t overcome their addiction to high-risk, low-reward hockey. They’re always looking for the big bang, the pretty play.
A case in point? Early in the third period, we kept the Flyers bottled up in their zone for nearly two full minutes. Impressive, right? Except nobody wearing the black-and-gold went to the net and nobody shot the puck. We just pass, pass and passed some more while circling the Flyers’ zone. It reminded me of watching couples skate ‘round and ‘round at the old South Park skating rink as a teenager.
As for the power play (0-for-3 last night)? Don’t get me started.
The shame of it is, we wasted another superb performance in goal by Alex Nedeljkovic. Again, Ned was razor-sharp and cat quick, his rebound control near flawless. Among his best saves, he stoned the sharpshooting Konecny not once but twice on shorthanded breakaways and made a huge save on Joel Farabee late in the second period.
In the end, his teammates couldn’t capitalize on his fine effort.
Bottom line? Good teams find a way to win. Bad teams don’t.
Right now we’re the latter.
The Goals
The Pens struck first on a goal by Crosby with 46 seconds left in the opening frame. Bryan Rust took a short pass from Marcus Pettersson along the left wall and hit Guentzel with a diagonal backhand pass in open ice. Jake scooted into the Flyers’ zone with No. 87 on a 2-on-1 and slipped our captain a letter-perfect feed. Sid one-timed it home for his 15th goal of the season.
Philly tied the score midway through the second period on a snipe from inside the left circle by Tyson Foerster, courtesy of a sharp cross-ice feed from Konecny.
The less said about Couturier’s OT winner the better. Grrrrr.
Puckpourri
According to Natural Stat Trick, Philly had a slight edge in shot attempts (63-61), shots on goal (33-32) and high-danger chances (11-9). The Pens had the better of the scoring chances (36-29).
Coach Mike Sullivan reconfigured our bottom six, with better results. Recalled from the Baby Pens, Alex Nylander slotted next to Lars Eller and Radim Zohorna on a reasonably effective third line (Corsi 54.17). Jansen Harkins (three shots on goal), Joona Koppanen and Jeff Carter comprised the fourth line.
Vinnie Hinostroza was a healthy scratch, a move that baffles me. With his speed and playmaking ability, I thought Vinnie would be a Sully favorite for sure.
What in the wide world of sports has happened to Reilly Smith? After notching six goals and 11 points in his first 10 games, he’s been silent as a stone (two assists in his past 14). While we’re at it, Big Z is pointless in seven games and has a lone assist in his past 11.
Not to sound like a broken record, but we’re wasting some outstanding performances in goal from Ned and Tristan Jarry. I shudder to think what happens if and when they sag…
We’re the type of team that needs all hands healthy and on deck to be effective. Unfortunately, injuries happen.
Don’t know where we’re going to find ‘em. But we could sorely use a couple of guys, preferably forwards, who excel at butcher-block hockey. It’s such a chore for us to get to the opposing net. Heck, call-up Jagger Joshua (have to sign him first) and at least let him make like Mike Lange’s bulldozer in a construction yard. He might just wreak enough havoc to cause a puck or two to bounce in.
Pretty ain’t cuttin’ it.
On Deck
The Pens (11-10-3) travel to Florida for a return match with Tampa Bay (11-10-5) on Wednesday before taking on the Panthers (14-8-2) Saturday night.
We’re currently three points out of a wild-card spot.
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Hey all,
I came upon this comment about our power play on another site. The commenter absolutely nailed it in terms of describing our power play dynamic and its myriad issues.
At the risk of doing something a bit unseemly, I thought I'd repeat what they wrote for the benefit of our readers:
"When I am watching I see Geno standing at the top of the circle waiting for a slap shot like he's pretending to be Ovechkin, while the puck is passed mostly around the perimeter. Sid and Guentzel get to the corners of the net on and off, but there's no consistent presence there. Eventually, Geno or EK shoot, and if it's on net a goalie with very little traffic in front of him catches the shot with no issue. And then there are the odd man breaks.
"There are too few shots and from too far away, very few rebounds, too little movement, too little traffic, too little net front presence, and too little defensive responsibility on the back end. A simple tweak won't fix it because just about everything is wrong, or at least every bit of it looks ineffective."
Rick
Hey Rick,
Sometimes I just get tired of typing and talking. The Penguins PP problems are many (as expressed by many people).
1) No net front presence (Guentzel and Sid standing at the sides of the net is not a net front presence)
2) No right-handed sniper to compliment Malkin (Sorry, I like Rust but he is no sniper, his shot doesn't cause fear in anyone).
3) One thing I have written about many times and your commentor alludes to is the fact that the PP is static; there is no movement. "When I am watching I see Geno standing at the top of the circle waiting for a slap shot like he’s pretending to be Ovechkin". When Ovie was at his most fearsome, he was never stood still. He drifted in and out of soft spots, forcing opposing defenders to skate and wear themselves out. All of the standing and perimeter passing allows defenders ample time to rest.
No one knows how to skate without the puck to find the the open areas. They are easy to defend.
4) All of the big guns are now past their prime Sid, Geno, Kris, or nearing the end of their prime Jake and Erik. (Bryan is not really a big gun - just a hard working one) That being said, the age of these guys could explain their static nature, their not wanting to move too much and their penchant for staying out on the perimeter, unwilling to get to the dirty areas, standing just outside of it, not risking injury.
As Horse touches on below, this team needs a jolt of youthful enthusiasm (been saying that for years too)
I am tired of hearing we have to learn from our mistakes. If these guys don't know a good play from a bad one by now. They are in trouble. A jolt of youthful enthusiasm is highly necessary. If they don't add some soon, the ship will have sailed. Love this group for the thrills that they have provided. Right now it doesn't look like they have any more to give.
Hey Horse,
Great to hear from you and your observations are spot-on...especially your final thought that perhaps this group doesn't have any more to give. We just don't seem to be able to put two solid games together.
It immediately reminded me of Evgeni Malkin's admission at the end of last season.
“I think we tried so hard," he said. "We tried everything. I try to play hard every game, you know. But the league is young. They play so hard. It’s a new generation. It’s coming."
Perhaps our epitaph before all is said and done.
Rick
Rick
A couple observations of our Penguins:
1) They will never have a consistent PP until they get someone who's willing to
sacrifice for the good of the team and plant themselves in front of opposing
goaltenders. "Think Hornqvist"
2) You have a player in Karlsson that can fire the puck but no one is willing to
screen the goalie - This is the NHL - 9 times out of 10 if they can see it they'll
stop it.
3) Our defensive zone coverage was HORRIBLE - I felt like I was watching a
Chinese fire drill. "Yikes"
4) Everyone talks about how skilled this team is yet we can't win an overtime game
or shootout. The we put players in the shootout that aren't good in breakaway
situations. "Head scratcher"??
5) The entire team played poorly last night but Letang had to have 10 turnoves then
he allows Konecny to make the pass across on a 2 0n 1 break. Pee Wee 101 take
the pass away.
6) On the final play of OT Jake can't chase the puck - once the draw is lost he has to
retreat to the blueline. Both him and Sid got caught chasing the puck. "Can't happen"
7) To sum it up, Dubas has to find a net front presence at both ends of the ice.
Hey all,
A quick follow-up. Other Rick suggested that Sid was probably trying too hard to make something happen in overtime and I concur. At times, it's seem like he's trying to carry the team on his back and drag it to a playoff berth.
Rick