While a contest of far greater importance played out across our great nation last night, the Penguins took on the Islanders at UBS Arena.
The banged-up Islanders, I should add. As in missing top talent Mat Barzal, speedy game-breaker Anthony Duclair and a passel of port-side defensemen.
For most of the night, or at least two periods, our Pens took full advantage and played a really strong road game. Lots of north-south. Lots of pressure. We snatched a 2-1 lead on goals by our Two-Headed Monster, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Soon to be 3-1 when Michael Bunting notched his first goal of the season off a nifty feed from Jesse Puljujärvi at 7:44 of the third period.
Mike Lange’s turkey was on the table. Everything was done but the carving.
Well, someone left the back door ajar. Quicker than you could say “blown lead,” the Bumpuses hungry hounds poured in and snatched the turkey off the table, leaving behind nary a drumstick.
I’ll transition from my Christmas Story analogy and state that in all my years of watching hockey, I’ve never seen a team more prone to shooting itself in the foot. It’s as if we’re hard-wired to self-destruct.
The latest collapse was triggered by a kneeing penalty to Drew O’Connor a couple of short minutes after Bunting’s goal. Our penalty kill, airtight of late, naturally couldn’t hold at crunch time. Simon Holmström waltzed through the crease and beat Alex Nedeljkovic on the backhand for his first goal of the season.
Three minutes later it was all knotted up. Jean-Gabriel Pageau beat a stationary Matt Grzelcyk to a loose puck on the edge of the crease and had Ned at his mercy.
Ah, the joys of employing undersized, stick-waving defensemen.
To digress, the 8-3 Capitals have 6’5” 232-pound masher Dylan McIlrath to knock opposing forwards off the doorstep. Our 5-7-2 Pens have the 5’10” 176-pound Grzelcyk to give them clear access to the net.
The Pens had their chances for redemption, including a power-play in overtime. Reverting to our lousy old ways, we mostly stood around and passed the puck around the perimeter. Why a net-front guy like Bunting wasn’t out there to wreak havoc, I’ll never know.
Frankly, who can fathom Mike Sullivan’s in-game decision-making?
Speaking of, what in the wide, wide world of sports was Kris Letang doing out there in the shootout when we absolutely had to have a goal? Everyone and their grandmother knows Tanger’s going to swing wide, cut back toward the net and try his forehand-to-backhand move, which hasn’t been successful since the eighth-grade picnic.
Bottom line? Another botched opportunity to secure two points.
Erik the (Not-So) Great
I confess, I was as excited as the next black-and-gold fan when we acquired Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson for the proverbial bag of used pucks and sticks.
While I wasn’t expecting him to repeat his 25-goal mega-season of 2022-23, I figured 15 goals was surely doable.
However, there’s another version of EK65 out there. The one who can’t seem to get his shots through to the net. The one who scored all of three goals in ’18-19 and 17 goals over a three-season span with the Sharks.
Unfortunately, that looks like the version we’re stuck with, and for two more seasons after this one at a crispy $10 million per to boot.
Oh joy.
On the brighter side, Ryan Graves seems to be quietly figuring things out. At least by my eye, he seems more confident and assertive of late.
