Anyone who’s read PenguinPoop for any length of time knows I haven’t always been coach Mike Sullivan’s staunchest supporter. Especially over the past few seasons.
Having shared that, I actually think Sully’s done a better job this season. For one, to my admittedly untrained eye, he’s been more willing to make adjustments. That includes utilizing players he may not have felt comfortable with or embraced in the past.
I’m talking specifically about rugged Pens forward Boko Imama.
Honestly, I never thought I’d see the day when a player of Boko’s ilk would touch the ice under Sully.
I’d hoped our coach was beginning to develop a new-found appreciation for the type of juice and physicality an edgy player like Imama can bring to the table, especially in the wake of Thursday night’s emotionally charged comeback victory over the Flyers.
Boko’s reef job of Flyers toughie Garnet Hathaway in defense of teammate Noel Acciari marked a turning point, only slightly less audible than Alex Nedeljkovic’s much-publicized conniption.
Radio color man Phil Bourque commented that nobody wearing the orange-and-black so much as breathed on Imama during subsequent shifts.
Yes, the Flyers scored on the power play with Boko in the box. But the tenor of the game, not to mention the energy and momentum, irretrievably shifted in the Pens’ favor.
So into town rolls Boston for today’s matinee matchup at PPG Paints Arena. As the ol’ Two-Niner so duly noted in his pregame scouting report, the Bruins are a very physical team, boasting the likes of behemoth defenseman and NHL penalty leader Nikita Zadorov and heavyweight forward Mark Kastelic. For good measure, freshly recalled AHL penalty king Jeffrey Viel has joined their ranks as well.
If ever there’s a time to dress Imama, it’s against a bruising team like the Bruins. Right?
Well…not if you’re Sully.
Instead, we got Emil Bemström in place of our heavyweight.
Yeah, I know. Going strictly by the boxcars, Bemström has 21 goals with the Baby Pens, Boko three. No question who the more skilled player is.
That’s not the point. A player like Imama brings a ton of intangibles to table, even if he never scores a goal. Energy, bristling intensity, toughness and physical forechecking. To say nothing of an absolute willingness to stick up for his team and teammates. Things you can’t measure on a slide rule…or by Corsi or xGF%. (FYI: Boko’s are excellent…54.17 and 53.63 respectively.)
It makes no friggin’ sense.
As a result, it was business as usual against the Bruins. Ergo, we slogged through a lackluster 54 minutes before finally finding a spark with six minutes to play, thanks to a shorthanded goal by Anthony Beauvillier. To borrow from ‘80s rock icon Pat Benatar, a little too little, too late.
A fight or a big hit by Imama might have gotten us going earlier. Much earlier.
Oh, and during a heated first-period scrum, it was stars Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust fighting the team’s battles against Kastelic and Viel, with all four going to the penalty box.
Think the Bruins wouldn’t take that trade-off seven days a week and twice on Sundays?
Our organizational disconnect on the value (not to mention impact) of physical play and players?
Truly astounding.
Puckpourri
The Bruins, 3-2 winners, snapped a five-game losing streak.
SURPRISE! The Pens yielded a goal on the first shot for the umpteenth time. Thirteenth to be exact (feels more like 30th).
Before you hurl invectives or worse at goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, Erik Karlsson in his inimitable matador fashion, completely turned the wrong way on the play, allowing David Pastrnak free and clear access to our net, to say nothing of oodles of time to make a play.
Ned settled down and turned in a gritty 23-save performance (.920 save percentage). Can’t help but love the way he battles.
Beauvillier’s goal, his 13th of the season, was his first shorty. In fact, it was his first non-even-strength goal of the campaign. He’s tied for third in even-strength goals (a dozen) with Sid.
Rickard Rakell, in a bit of a funk since 4 Nations, scored our second goal on the power play with 22 seconds remaining. It was RikRak’s team-best 26th goal and 50th point, the fourth time he’s reached that mark.
Pierre-Olivier Joseph re-entered the lineup in place of Ryan Graves. He left his mark early, literally, by planting Brad Marchand face-first into the boards with a cross-check from behind. The Bruins’ captain had to be helped off the ice and didn’t return. Remarkably, POJ escaped without penalty but hardly unscathed.
The aforementioned Kastelic extracted a pound of flesh minutes later with a heavy hit, sending POJ to the dressing room with a shoulder injury. He did not return.
SEE ABOVE REFERENCE TO BOKO IMAMA.
Hey all,
A final note on Imama. Since Boko played his first game with us, we’re 4-2-1 with him in the lineup and 0-5 in games he missed due to injury or healthy scratch.
Rick
Rick
I was thinking the same on the Pasternak goal. It’s the same old thing Sullivan has players on
Defense pinching who have no business doing so. I was wondering what the heck is Grzelcyk
doing? Immediately it put us behind the eight-ball. Going back to Sullivan, this is two games
in a row “important games” where the Pen’s came out not ready to play, and that should never
happen!! Also, I agree, not dressing Boko makes zero sense.
Sorry Rick, but I have to disagree with you on the 1st GA. Karlsson was hung out to dry by his partner Grzelczyk. The former Bruin recklessly pinched. There was too much space for him to make up to pressure the Bruin RW on that breakout and there were 3 Bruins coming up ice with (2 with speed) and only Karlsson in any real position to defend; Beauvillier was trailing trying to assert back pressure but was on the wrong side of the play.
I also do blame Ned in that Goal. Pasternak was far enough away from Ned and the opposing Center’s hand speed was very slow when going backhand to forehand, slow enough that Ned had plenty of time to get back to stop the shot. Unfortunately, Ned was moving slower.
If you want to argue that Ned may have over reacted to the feign to the backhand, having witnessed many players cutting across the slot in the past, but as a matter of being in the moment, he should have stuffed Pasternak. In fact, I don’t blame either Ned or Blomqvist for some overreacting considering the turnstiles that try to claim to be defensemen coveted and employed by our Coach.
On the 2nd GA, Ned was way too deep in the net and was giving enough room far side to drive a Mack truck through, so when Lohrei fired the biscuit, Ned was completely out of position.
Ned didn’t play bad the whole game, but a couple of lapses cost him and the team the game.
Also, in typical Penguin (Sullivan) fashion, our black and gold was pathetic in the paint. 5-on-5 they out HDCF ed the Bruins 6 – 5 but only squeezed of 2 HDSF (33%) on goal to the Bruins 3 HDSF (60%). Penguins’ tactics in the red zone are beyond inefficient. Moreover, when they do get the shot off, it typically seems sent center mass of the Goalie – snipers we do not have. Our coaches prefer utility knives that they can move up and down the lineup and flip flop Forward positions to talented and natural Centers and Wings. When you prefer mediocrity, you get mediocrity.