Leafs Blow Out Penguins, 7-2

I’ll say this for the current version of our Penguins. They sure do keep a fella guessin.’ Take last night’s game, for example.

The Maple Leafs limped into town on a 2-6-2 bender and in complete disarray, fresh off a 4-2 thumping at the hands of the Caps on Friday night to boot. Two points ripe and so ready to be plucked from the vine.

With a golden opportunity to extend their modest two-game winning streak and finish a lackluster November on a high note, our boys bought the proverbial farm. Or sold it, to be more precise. In the process, turning in a shoddy, slipshod effort and allowing a mediocre Leafs squad to not only escape with a victory, but to deliver a 7-2 beat-down in the process.

Borrowing from the movie Groundhog Day, Arturs Silovs yielded four goals on 10 shots for the second-straight outing. Again before the game was 25 minutes old. For those doing the math, that adds up to eight goals allowed on the last 20 shots he’s faced.

Everyone has a bad game now and then. But two absolute stinkers in a row? Shades of Antti Niemi.

It’s starting to become a trend. So, too, is Silovs’ 1-3-4 record over his past eight starts.

Perhaps my colleague, Other Rick, was right about this kid. Maybe he isn’t big-league material.

Am I overreacting a tad to suggest we recall either Joel Blomqvist or Sergei Murashov post haste? Both have shone with the Baby Pens.

That’s far from the only issue. Defensive breakdowns are on the rise. And we’re getting absolutely zippo in the way of depth scoring.

Of greater concern, Kyle Dubas and coach Dan Muse seem all-too-content to stick with guys who aren’t producing. Danton Heinen, Kevin Hayes (who’s been okay) and especially Joona Koppanen contribute next-to-nothing on the score sheet while Tristan Broz, a rookie who has at least the potential to provide some offense, sits.

So much for developing younger players.

Heck, Sam Poulin barely had time to sharpen his skates while he was here. Are you telling me he can’t produce at least as much as Koppanen (IMO, this season’s Matt Nieto/Jansen Harkins) if given a legit shot?

I fully realize there’s a balance to things. We can’t call up the Baby Pens en masse, as much as we might be tempted to do so. And I’m not saying going with the kids is a cure-all. Rookies Ben Kindel, who scored one of our goals last night (Sidney Crosby the other) and Ville Koivunen are showing that. Still, I’d much rather struggle with a passel of hungry, energetic youngsters instead of a bunch of 30-somethings.

To that end, the Pens need to call up Rutger McGroarty, who has four goals and seven points in five games with the Baby Pens.

Puckpourri

I’ll be brief. Anyone glancing at the fancy stats, which the Pens dominated across the board, then the score, would be left scratching their head. The locals enjoyed a staggering 86-44 edge in shot attempts and a 35-23 advantage in shots on goal. Scoring chances went our way by a 39-25 margin; high-danger chances, 15-11.

Didn’t matter a darn. The connectivity that we displayed early in the season is long-gone.

Complicating things if we attempt to send Silovs to the Baby Pens? He’d need to be placed on waivers and a team like the Oilers, who attempted to acquire him from the Canucks, might pounce. Which could, in turn, kybosh any potential deal involving Tristan Jarry. Not that I’d mind all that much, at least for the less-than-inspiring returns being bandied about.

Hidden stat: following his hot start, Anthony Mantha has one assist in his past seven games. Never thought I’d write this, but where have you gone, Justin Brazeau, and how quickly can you return?

Up next, the third-in-the-Metro Flyers on Monday night in Philly, followed by a visit to Tampa Bay on Thursday to take on the piping hot Lightning.

Somehow, we remain lodged in the second Eastern Conference wildcard spot, but our grip is tenuous to say the least. Remarkably, we still have the fourth-best regulation points percentage (.583) in the league.