Penguins Update: SHOOOOT!!! (and Let the Bodies Crash the Net)

I’d intended to work this into my Penguins-Stars game summary but ran out of time and space…kind of like our Pens so often do these days. But I thought it was worth mentioning somewhere.

To reinforce a point, I was really struck by how much difficulty we have getting bodies and pucks to the net simultaneously. The reason we seem to run into a hot goalie game after game is simple. We rarely take away a goalie’s eyes.

Coach Mike Sullivan concurred (or vice versa). Indeed, I felt like Sully was reading my mind in his post-game comments.

“I think there are things that we can do to increase our chances, like fighting for the blue paint, making the goalie sightlines difficult, (and) creating broken plays,” he said. “A lot of times, those broken plays are the hardest ones to defend because they force a lot of decision-making and hesitation. And you know, the goaltenders have to fight to find the puck in the chaos.”

Shot selection is another issue. It seems so many of our shots come from angles, lots of times from the circles or far edge. Rarely, it seems from the slot.

A case in point. Midway through the third period Erik Karlsson crossed the Stars’ blue line at center point with the puck in tow and cruised into the high slot. He appeared to have a shooting lane. Rather than launch a shot on goal, however, he tried to dish a pass through a defender (another black-and-gold bugaboo) to an accompanying teammate. The pass was picked off and the Stars scurried away in transition.

Far be it from a slug like me to tell a 100-point scorer and three-time Norris Trophy winner his business. But it appeared we would’ve been better served if Erik had shot the puck and his cohorts had crashed the net, perhaps pouncing on a rebound and maybe even banging home a greasy goal. The kind we so rarely seem to score.

Another example occurred during the first period. Sidney Crosby’s line breached the Stars’ zone three abreast off the rush with speed. Bryan Rust moved the puck quickly to Sid in the slot. Our captain appeared to have a lane. But instead of shooting, he tried to pass the puck to Jake Guentzel in the left circle. The play fizzled without a shot on goal.

That just shouldn’t happen. At least not as frequently as it does.

We need to simplify our game. We need to embrace a shoot-first mentality. Part and parcel to that, we need to venture into the dirty, high-traffic areas. Especially bigger bodies like Lars Eller, Drew O’Connor and Radim Zohorna, but the smaller guys, too.

To paraphrase a song by Drowning Pool, “Let the bodies crash the net.” Far from my favorite track, but the point is valid.

The reward? Perhaps some ugly goals. Maybe even a few much needed w’s.