Penguins’ Kids Shine in 5-4 OT Loss to the Blues

We got a glimpse into the Penguins’ future last night at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. If the sequence near the end of regulation is any indication, it may be brighter than we think.

With the clock ticking down to under 30 seconds remaining and the Pens trailing, 4-3, Ville Koivunen scooped up the remains of an errant Erik Karlsson shot and wheeled off the right sideboards with the puck.

After briefly surveying the scene as he approached the right faceoff circle, Koivunen eschewed a pass to veteran Bryan Rust in the slot and instead slipped a no-look pass to fellow rookie Rutger McGroarty to the right of the Blues’ cage.

McGroarty didn’t hesitate. He spun and fired the puck in off the far post to knot the score at 4-all and touch off an emotional celebration.

The fact that the two rookies were on the ice at such a pivotal moment spoke volumes about the direction of the team. Only minutes earlier, coach Mike Sullivan had shuffled his lines, reuniting Rickard Rakell with Sidney Crosby and Rust while placing the kids on a unit with Kevin Hayes.

Here we go, I thought. Here comes the gradual demotion we’re so accustomed to seeing with younger players. But there they were moments later, smack dab in the thick of things with the game on the line.

Good for the kids.

And good on Sully, too.

He even rewarded McGroarty and Koivunen with ice time in 3-on-3 overtime, no small leap of faith for our skipper. Unfortunately, Kris Letang was whistled for a phantom slashing penalty and our penalty killers, who did yeoman’s work earlier on an extended 5-on-3, couldn’t hold. Robert Thomas zinged one past Tristan Jarry’s outstretched glove for the OT winner. But I loved our effort.

Indeed, at a time when we could be mailing it in, we’re battling tooth-and-nail. In the process, pushing the hottest team in the league to the wall.

Again, a good sign.

How We Got There

Evincing the truism that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, Rust staked us to an early first-period lead with a terrific power move, courtesy of McGroarty’s first assist and NHL point.

After the Blues knotted the score early in the second, Connor Dewar jammed the biscuit past Blues’ netminder Joel Hofer on a second-try tally from the side of the net.

Two-one Pens, but only for a bit.

Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou took advantage of our porous defensive play to power the Blues to a 3-2 lead entering the third period. Soon to be 4-2 when Jake Neighbours scored off the rush for his second goal of the game.

The Pens refused to lie down. Working on a mid-period power play, Rakell ripped a shot past Hofer from the slot to set up the fantastic finish.

Puckpourri

Man, was I ever impressed with McGroarty. Not only did he figure in on two goals, but he was noticeable all over the ice. I thought he used his husky frame to great advantage, battling in traffic and in particular sealing off the wall, which led directly to Rust’s goal.

I didn’t notice Koivunen as much, at least not until the end. Then…WOW! Perhaps the most impressive thing about the play he made? The fact that he didn’t try to force the puck to a high-profile veteran. Or as color analyst Mike Rupp so aptly stated:

“Don’t look. Don’t defer. You’re on this stage, you’re playing with these guys. Don’t defer to them. Rutger McGroarty didn’t.”

Much to his credit, neither did Koivunen.

With his 55^th assist (and 82^nd point), Sid extended his points streak to 11 games. The R ‘n’ R boys, Rakell and Rust, continue to close in on personal milestones. RikRak needs a goal and three points to tie career-bests in those categories, Rusty a goal and a point to do likewise.

I continue to fall in love with Dewar’s stick-your-nose-in style. On a team that still has too many passengers, his high-compete level stands out. I hope Kyle Dubas sees his way clear to re-signing the 25-year-old UFA-to-be. I think he and Blake Lizotte (and injured heavyweight Boko Imama) could form the foundation for a high-motor energy line.

Speaking of passengers, our defense once again gave more than a passable imitation of the Keystone Kops. Talk about a collection of ill-fitting parts. With the possible exception of Matt Grzelcyk (35 assists and counting), the left side needs a complete overhaul and the right side could use some bolstering, too.

Jarry continued his roller-coaster play of late, up one game and down the next one (or two), but it’s difficult to hold him accountable given the dark art that passes for team defense being practiced in front of him.

For the record, Jarry (who recently received a vote of confidence from Dubas) yielded five goals on 19 shots.

The road trip continues with weekend tilts against the Stars and Blackhawks.

Dumb and Dumber

The Blues’ resounding success of late must come as an embarrassment of sorts for the Bruins and Oilers, in particular their respective GMs Don Sweeney and Stan Bowman.

Sweeney fired current Blues’ coach Jim Montgomery earlier this season, less than two years after Monty led the Bruins to a record 135-point campaign. The Blues have won 11 in a row, the Bruins have lost 10 in a row.

Bowman failed to match the Blues’ offer sheets to promising RFAs Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. While the Oilers struggle to flesh out their lineup behind supernovas Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, turning to retreads like ex-Pen Kasperi Kapanen, Holloway and Broberg have blossomed with the Blues.

Talk about having egg on your face!