Penguins This ‘n’ ‘At

A few random thoughts on a game-day for the Penguins.

Bunched at the Bottom

Don’t look now, but our boys have company in the scramble for the second Eastern Conference wild-card slot. The Blue Jackets and Flyers have 38 points apiece, one behind the black-and-gold. The Canadiens have 37 points with two games in hand.

In particular, beware the Habs. Since losing to us in blowout fashion back on December 12, they’ve gone 6-2. In their past three games, all on the road and all against stiff competition, they shut out the Panthers, 4-0, clobbered the Lightning, 5-2, and clipped Vegas, 3-2.

The Canadiens seem to be a different team since sniper Patrik Laine came off IR. With three goals in his past three games, oft-injured forward Kirby Dach appears to have rejoined the living. The recent acquisition of defenseman Alexandre Carrier from Nashville has helped, too. 

Smashville Smashup

Speaking of the Predators, what in the wide, wide world of sports is GM Barry Trotz up to? Since the start of the season, the former Cup-winning coach has traded away 20-somethings Carrier, Dante Fabro, Philip Tomasino and, most recently, Juuso Parssinen. This on the heels of adding pricey 30-somethings Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei to an already aging core featuring Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, Ryan O’Reilly and 35-year-old Gustav Nyquist.

And we thought Pens coach Mike Sullivan liked him some veterans! We’re a kiddie corps compared to the Preds.

Trotz’s crowning achievement if you can call it that? Extending veteran goalie Juuse Saros for three seasons beyond this one at an AAV of $7.74 million while trading away 22-year-old Yaroslav Askarov, universally hailed as a stud-in-the-making.

The kicker? Trotz’s aging team doesn’t appear to be a match for coach Andrew Brunette’s attacking style. They’re built more along the lines of his counterpunching Islanders squads, circa 2020.

From the outside looking in, maybe Trotz believed he was setting his team up for a run at the Cup. It’s clear by the results (11-20-7, 29 points) he thought wrong. Perhaps he’s secretly positioning the Preds for a shot at drafting phenom Gavin McKenna in 2026.

Musical Lines

A huge part of a coach’s job is to maximize the talent on hand. That includes assembling line combinations and defensive pairs that provide the players and his team the best chance of success.

Needless to say, it’s not an exact science. It often requires quite a bit of juggling.

How much juggling you ask? According to Natural Stat Trick, the Pens have used 78 different forward combinations that have taken two or more faceoffs in 5v5 situations!

In many instances, shuffling players results in a robbing-Peter-to-pay-Paul scenario.

Take Blake Lizotte, for example. In a move necessitated in part by injuries and the trade of Lars Eller,  Lizotte was slotted in at third-line center after coming off IR. The ex-King promptly went on a tear, tallying four goals and seven points over a six-game span.

However, when Cody Glass was activated from IR, the former sixth-overall pick was installed on the third line, bumping Lizotte to the fourth line between Noel Acciari and Matt Nieto.

I do get what Sullivan and his staff are trying to do. Glass has generated some terrific underlying numbers and possesses that first-round pedigree. And, offensive shortcomings aside, the Lizotte-Nieto-Acciari trio has been excellent defensively (one 5v5 goal against in eight games), not to mention scrappy. However, the shift has predictably poured ice water on Lizotte’s production.

Likewise, Glass, Drew O’Connor and Philip Tomasino have been a dandy unit (Corsi 76.2, xGF% 65.94) in their brief time together. However, none have faired well when elevated to the second line alongside Evgeni Malkin and Michael Bunting.

Truly a case of trying to piece together an on-ice jigsaw puzzle.