Feb 14, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola (77) and Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Jake Guentzel (59) battle with their sticks during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Florida won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports/ File Photo
There’s a truism in sports. Great teams make their own luck.
If that’s the case, what does it say about our Penguins? After limiting the Panthers, one of the league’s top teams, to just four shots on goal in the first period last night, we appeared to snatch the lead…and on a power-play goal no less…early in the second period.
Alas, Rickard Rakell’s would-be tally, which would’ve given us a rare lead and snapped a personal 10-game goalless drought, was overturned on a coach’s challenge. The goal was promptly taken off the board and the tenor of the game took a 180-degree nightmare turn.
Seconds after yet another failed black-and-gold power play, old friend Evan Rodrigues set up Matthew Tkachuk for a wide-open, point-blank snipe. In the process using Kris Letang as a passing drill cone. Goalie Tristan Jarry didn’t have a prayer.
A scant 34 seconds later the Panthers made it 2-zip on a deflection goal by heavyweight Johan Gadjovich following a greasy shift by the Cats’ fourth line.
For our luckless Pens, that was pretty much all she wrote. While we visibly sagged, the Panthers extended their lead to 4-0 by the 13-minute mark on tallies by Aaron Ekblad and Anton Lundell.
We finally broke through on a deflection goal of our own at 15:24. Reinforcing the old adage of getting bodies and pucks to the net, Jake Guentzel wheeled in the high slot and swept a long-range knuckler goalward that glanced in off Bryan Rust at the doorstep.
Even that goal didn’t come easy, as Panthers coach Paul Maurice challenged for goaltender interference. Mercifully the marker stood and we received a gift power play to boot. Our best chance went for naught as Sergei Bobrovsky stoned Guentzel on a redirect.
Lundell, a favorite of Other Rick’s, notched his second of the game early in the third period on a partially blocked pop-up that floated up and over the shoulder of an unsuspecting Jarry, who’d lost sight of the biscuit. As the old saying goes, it’s better to be lucky than good.
The Pens did manage some pushback on the ensuing shift. With Rakell bee-lining to the net, Drew O’Connor found John Ludvig with a pretty pass in the right circle. The rookie d-man beat Bobrovsky with a glove-side wrister for his first NHL goal.
However, as ‘80s pop icon Pat Benatar once sang, “It’s a little too little, a little too late.”
And so it was for our luckless Pens.
Puckpourri
Speaking of luckless, Guentzel left the game after scrumming with Nikko Mikola with an undisclosed upper-body injury.
Sheesh! Makes you wonder if this isn’t karma exacting a pound of flesh from FSG for dealing franchise savior Mario Lemieux dirty during the sale of the team.
Per our usual, the Pens held the statistical edge. According to Natural Stat Trick, we claimed the high ground in shot attempts (57-52), shots on goal (27-23), scoring chances (29-24) and high-danger chances (15-8).
Whoopty doo.
Fancy stats-wise, the Evgeni Malkin–Reilly Smith–Jesse Puljujärvi line drove 5v5 play and possession (68.75 Corsi, 61.93 xGF%). Sidney Crosby’s line did not.
Although he’s yet to tally a point, Puljujärvi’s underlying numbers are excellent through four games.
Speaking of young forwards, O’Connor snapped a seven-game pointless skein with his assist. I still like the elements of DOC’s game. Just wish he could find some consistency…and confidence.
The power play (0-for-4) continues its vampire-ish ways, sucking what little life there is out of the team. I’m not much for ceremonial firings (cough, Todd Reirden) but something’s gotta give. Actually, the time for that is about a month overdue. We’ve made our bed and now, sadly, we’re gonna lie in it.
Speaking of ineffective, the wheels are starting to come off aging Jeff Carter’s wagon. He was a primary culprit on two Panthers goals and he’s been exposed of late on the pk. The price you pay for elevating big Jeff from his sheltered role.
What I wouldn’t give to have E-Rod (two assists) back. Letting him walk was one of Ron Hextall’s very worst mistakes, and that’s saying something.
It never ceases to amaze me that a team like the Panthers can find room for a tough guy like Gadjovich, but we can’t. Heaven (or Mike Sullivan) forbid.
On Deck
The Pens (23-20-7, 53 points) visit the Blackhawks (14-36-3, 31 points) tonight in the Windy City. The injury-riddled Hawks, sans rookie sensation Connor Bedard (broken jaw) and a host of others, have lost seven in a row.
If the story line has a familiar ring, it should. The once mighty Hawks were in the midst of a 1-11 freefall when they scuttled our playoff hopes last spring.
Beware goalie Petr Mrázek, who seems to own us. (Then again, so does every goalie.)
Although this has no bearing on anything, I’ve always coveted Hawks forward Nick Foligno. Wish he could’ve been a Pen at some point.
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This would've been a fun game to watch Jagger Joshua play in. Of course that would require Sullivan playing the guy, not to mention he still is only on an AHL deal. Hope Dubas doesn't see him as a Hextall holdover and moves away from him.