Penguins Blow Lead, Bow to Kings, 2-1

Correct me if I’m wrong. I think you’re supposed to win one for the Gipper, not lose one. Or in this case, for black-and-gold legend Jaromír Jágr on “Celebrate 68” night.

After nursing a 1-0 lead into the late stages of last night’s game, the Penguins succumbed on a pair of late goals by Kings sharpshooter Adrian Kempe, the second a shorthanded tally with 3:10 remaining. Ruining what had been a fairly pristine night of hockey in honor of Jágr.

You can blame it all on me. Throughout the game, I kept noting how exceptionally sharp goaltender Tristan Jarry was. I mean, he was on his game, reading the play and anticipating every shot. His positioning flawless.

The last time I had that thought? Split seconds after Jarry stoned Viktor Arvidsson on wraparound attempt. Milliseconds before Kempe’s long-range slapper bonked off Rickard Rakell and through the wickets of kid defenseman John Ludvig before finding Tristan’s five-hole at 13:49 of the third period to knot the score.

I’d tried to banish the thought from my mind the instant it popped in. Honest. But there were no take backs. The damage was done.

Actually, the loss wasn’t my fault. Chalk this one up to our absolutely abysmal power play. With the score tied at 1-1 and Mike Lange’s turkey on the table, courtesy of a Trevor Moore delay of game penalty at 14:57, our man-advantage unit failed to gain the zone, let alone inflict any damage.

When the second unit finally gained entry, albeit for a split second, Lars Eller tried a short pass to newcomer Matthew Phillips racing along the left wall. Eller apparently didn’t see Anže Kopitar lurking in the weeds. The Kings’ captain picked off the errant feed and sent Kempe steaming into our zone on a 2-on-1 with Vladislav Gavrikov. Kempe pulled the trigger and beat Jarry from the right dot for the game-winner.

I’m not much for ceremonial firings. But after this latest atrocity, the Pens need to fire power-play coach Todd Reirden post-haste or at the very least reassign him. Change something…anything. Things simply can’t go on like this.

Thinking about it objectively…not easy to do after such a frustrating loss…I think I’ve identified at least one of our issues. It’s hard-wired into our DNA to look for the pretty play. An approach we’ve had a great deal of success with in the past. However, as our stars age and dim, fancy doesn’t work anymore. So we’re trying to transition on the fly to a shot-first mentality.

Unfortunately, old instincts die hard and manifest on the power play. We screw around with the puck for the extra second, trying to make the perfect play. When we finally decide to shoot, the opening is long gone. Part of the reason we have so many shots blocked.

Another issue, one repeatedly called out by frequent PP commenter Mike? An abject lack not only of net-front presence, but net-front ability. No one on this team save for Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel have the instincts and hand-eye coordination to be a factor around the net. Actually, nobody besides those two can score with any consistency, either, yet another huge problem. It’s especially acute with Jake on LTIR.

Corey Perry, a net-front demon and sandpaper guy throughout his career, was available after being released by the Blackhawks due to personal issues and an off-ice incident.

Of course the Pens didn’t so much as bat an eye. The Oilers did, and Perry’s had an immediate positive impact (two goals and four points in seven games).

We never, ever, go after that type of player. We’re paying the price.

Going forward, Kyle Dubas has got to shift the team’s focus from fancy Dans to guys who play with some grit and net-front jam. Mike Sullivan’s preferences be darned.

Jags a Coach?

On Sunday, I posed a question about whether we should sign Jágr as a player. During the game, PP colleague Caleb Di’Natale went one better. He asked me what I thought of Jags as a coaching candidate.

I confess, his query intrigued me. For lack of a better way to express it, Jágr was a commanding presence as a player. Passionate, too. I get a sense he would be the same as a coach.

One thing I am certain of. The Pens are in desperate need of a spark and/or shakeup. As a group we just don’t play with any palpable emotion. Nor is that type of energy boost likely to come from within the organization or via a trade. Although I think Sullivan’s a good coach, I believe the players are too familiar with him and his system…and vice versa.

Things are stale. We need a change.

Jágr, still a dynamic personality and knowledgeable, might be just the man for the job.

Puckpourri

The Kings pretty much dictated the action, holding the edge in shot attempts (69-59), shots on goal (33-30) and scoring chances (30-24) according to Natural Stat Trick. High-danger chances were dead-even at 10-apiece.

Crosby scored our lone goal, a power-play tally on a one-timer from the right circle at 18:43 of the first period, courtesy of a nice feathery setup by Erik Karlsson. Sid’s team-high 31^st goal of the season and, as fate would have it, EK65’s 31^st assist. Also a team-best.

Jágr’s pre-game ceremony was heartwarming to say the least. Great to see so many of his old teammates on hand, including No. 66!

The two late goals aside, I thought Jarry was superb, stopping 31 of 33 shots. At the opposite end of the ice, we made a hero (and second star) out of Kings goalie Cam Talbot, who hadn’t won since the proverbial eighth-grade picnic (0-7-3 since December 23).

Kempe, who bears a passing resemblance to Jágr, appears to have replaced Seattle’s Jordan Eberle as the top-Penguin killer.

Phillips made his black-and-gold debut. The ex-Cap skated on the third line with Eller and Jesse Puljujärvi and was conspicuous with his skating and hustle. Alas, the line was heavily underwater in terms of possession.

Jansen Harkins returned to the lineup after missing two games with a concussion. Forwards Jonathan Gruden and Vinnie Hinostroza were returned to the Baby Pens. Valtteri Puustinen was a healthy scratch, along with Pierre-Olivier Joseph.

On Deck

The Pens (24-21-7, 55 points) host the Islanders (22-18-14, 58 points) on Tuesday night. We’re currently 10 points behind the third-place Flyers in the Metro and seven points behind the Red Wings in the wild-card chase.

We’re 4-6-3 in our last 13 games. A huge reason is a lack of finish. We’ve managed only 30 goals during that stretch. Incredibly, we’ve sank to 27^th in the league in goal production (151). Just as remarkably, we’ve yielded the third fewest (139).

We’re 3-7-3 without Noel Acciari.

Looking on the bright side of this mess? We’re among the bottom-10 teams in the league in points, which could translate into a top-10 pick in this summer’s Entry Draft.