Far be it from me to put forth a defeatist notion or make excuses. However, there are some games a hockey team is more-or-less destined to lose.
Last night’s 4-1 Penguins loss to the Capitals? A classic example. The Pens arrived in DC late Saturday night following an emotional victory over the Sabres. Our Metro rivals were well rested and waiting.
While the defeat certainly wasn’t for a lack of effort or try, our guys never quite gathered a full head of steam against a rejuvenated Caps bunch that plays a stingy (and heavy) opportunistic style.
Taking advantage of our weary legs, our hosts pounced, outshooting us 8-1 early on, including three shots on the opening shift. They grabbed the lead at 7:42 on a long-range bomb from Jakob Chychrun that glanced off Anthony Beauvillier’s stick and eluded rookie netminder Joel Blomqvist, making his first start since his Thursday recall.
The Caps widened the margin to two goals near the 12-minute mark of the second period courtesy of a giveaway along the back wall by Marcus Pettersson. Connor McMichael picked off the Dragon’s reverse attempt, slipped a short pass to Pierre-Luc Dubois, who in turn found Aliaksei Protas uncovered in the slot. Easy pickins’ and a 19th goal for the hulking Caps forward.
Tempers flared in the final minute of the frame when Beauvillier dumped Caps defender Matt Roy. Taking immediate exception, his partner Martin Fehervary set upon Beauviller, McMichael scrapped with Pettersson and Michael Bunting tussled with Roy.
Don’t have to tell you who got the better of the battles (more on that later).
Still, the scrum seemed to light a fire under the Pens, who continued to grind away. Our doggedness paid off at 11:29 of the third when Bryan Rust beat Logan Thompson off the rush on a classic curl-and-drag from the slot to make it 2-1.
It was anybody’s game until Kris Letang was whistled for tripping McMichael in the offensive zone with just over four minutes to play (#&@!). In the waning stages of the power play, Dubois beat Blomqvist under the crossbar off a faceoff from point-blank range.
Brandon Duhaime tallied an empty-netter to run the final score to 4-1.
Puckpourri
Blomqvist made 28 saves on 31 shots and impressed with his quickness and athleticism. However, as Caps color analyst and former NHLer Craig Laughlin aptly noted, the rangy 6’3” netminder has a tendency to drop to his knees early, in the process leaving the upper half of the net exposed.
Something to work on.
Letang returned to the lineup and Pierre-Olivier Joseph sat out, apparently with the same illness. Tis the season.
Rust’s marker snapped Thompson’s shutout streak at 198 minutes and 22 seconds. Linemates Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell assisted.
I’m going to dispense with my usual post-game observations to hopefully make a point.
First, a quiz question.
What do Caps newcomers Chychrun, Dubois, Duhaime, Roy and former Pen Lars Eller have in common?
If you said size, you answered correctly. The lightest, Duhaime, tips the scales at 200 pounds. The heaviest, Dubois, at a robust 225.
Mix in hulking mainstays John Carlson (6’3” 215), Alex Ovechkin (6’3” 238), Tom Wilson (6’4” 220) and emerging star Protas (6’6” 225)? The Caps are a huge team.
I normally don’t take pokes at other blogs. But there’s one in particular that champions Mike Sullivan’s tough-guy free approach that outright ridiculed the Caps for signing Wilson to a long-term extension for $6.5 million per a couple of years ago.
The 30-year-old marauder-turned-power-forward-extraordinaire has 19 goals in 46 games.
Who’s laughing now?
The Pens need to change their organizational mindset. Which basically means ignoring Sullivan’s preferences and inputs (and/or showing him the door). It’s not 2016. Speedy ‘n’ Smurfy doesn’t win anymore. Look at the way the defending Cup champion Panthers and league-leading Caps are built.
To borrow from a classic Wendy’s commercial, you need beef with your bun. Some mustard on your hot dog.
We need to stop apologizing for the infamous 2011 “Fight Night” brawl with the Islanders, which seemed to throw the organization’s mindset toward physicality and physical players in reverse. I, for one, am sick of seeing us wind up on the short end of virtually every physical confrontation, Sully’s “Just Play” mantra be damned.
We need to re-embrace former GM Ray Shero’s philosophy and become harder to play against.
Until we change our mindset, we’ll never compete for anything of note, let alone another Stanley Cup.
Rick,
The 1st GA on Blomqvist was tipped by Beauvillier, the 2nd was extremely pathetic Defense by Pettersson – I hope he gets traded before he melts down and loses value. However, the 3rd GA was an example of what you were talking about, Blomqvist was kneeling when Dubois climbed the ladder on him. Two things about that though, that tactic is pervasive among Penguins’ Goalies and may be a question of poor Coaching, second, whenever a Goalie is dropping down to their knees, it often is a sign that the Goalie is nervous or struggling – in Blombvist case, he may have been nervous or a case of how Chiodo is teaching them.
As for the Sullivan’s Smurfs, totally agree. I may now think that the Penguins have a chance of sneaking into the playoffs; the Goalies they are now using can steal a couple of games that they do not deserve to win rather than using that Goalie that could steal defeat from the jaws of victory who was just waived. However, I would still prefer the team drops into the bottom 10 or lower so that they can then have at least a top 10 pick. There are several large players in this draft that I would love for us to have – of course Dubas needs to get a new Coach, one that doesn’t have an allergy to big players.
Hey Other Rick,
I didn’t touch on this in my article, but I’ll mention it now. We are so totally lacking any kind of a physical presence in our own end. We simply get overpowered if Karlsson, Letang, Grzelcyk are on the ice, to say nothing of Joseph and even Pettersson and Graves.
If you look at the Caps’ second and third goals, it was as if a forest of blue-clad redwoods were surrounding our net. Protas was all alone in the slot and Dubois just bulled his way through whatever feeble resistance we offered. I don’t blame Blomqvist, or any of our goalies including Jarry, for not having the utmost confidence in our defense and/or for hedging their bets and playing more conservatively.
Again, this has Sullivan’s fingerprints all over it. He wants defensemen who first and foremost can move the puck. But everybody can’t be bleeping Cale Makar. You’ve gotta have guys who play a traditional defensive style, too.
Ironic that the one guy we have who does, Jack St. Ivany, quickly seemed to fall into disfavor. To be fair, he certainly had his struggles. But Sully was pretty quick to pull the bail-out chord instead of trying to develop him.
Rick
Again, I agree, Sullivan’s Ruth Buzzi defense couldn’t keep Arte Johnson from free wheeling in our Pens zone. Isn’t it funny that soon after St. Ivany stuck up for a team mate he was banished to WBS.
Even though I do think we now have Goalies capable of stealing games, with an aging Crosby and Malkin, the rest of Sullivan’s Smurfs necessitate Goalies capable of stealing games, those may be the only games our boys of winter win.
Arte Johnson…Ruth Buzzi…lol!
Consider the case of Nathan Clurman. No-frills, career minor-leaguer who employs a basic defensive game. Played one game for us on an emergency basis against the Islanders on December 29, which we won.
Clurman kept it simple, made the smart play and played the man around our net when the situation called for it. Also put four shots on the Isles’ net in 11:05 of ice time.
His 5v5 metrics read like a statistician’s dream:
— Corsi 77.78 (second-best on the team behind partner Ryan Shea)
— Shots for % 80 (tied for second with Shea)
— xGF% 92.65 (second behind Shea)
— Scoring Chance % 84.62 (tied for best with Shea)
— High Danger Chance % 71.43 (tied for second)
— Offensive Zone Faceoff % 50 (normal deployment)
He really couldn’t have played any better in his debut. And the Pens needed…and still need…right-shot defensemen, which Clurman is.
Given all that, you’d think he might have merited a longer look, right? At least a handful of games. Give him a chance to prove he doesn’t belong. But no, we swept him out of town quicker than you could say P-O Joseph.
Lest you think he was carried by his partner? Shea’s numbers dropped significantly the following game, a loss to the Red Wings, without Clurman.
Maybe the kid would’ve come back to earth. But at least give him a shot.
Typical decision-making during the Mike Sullivan era.
Rick
Agreed Rick,
If you are in Win now mode, you always ride a hot hand and sit a cold one, unless you are Sullivan.
Rick
Great article and spot on. Nothing I can add, you and I are definitely on the same page when
it comes to the Pen’s lack of toughness / grit. One quick suggestion – Pen’s/Dubas need to
move Pettersson before his stock begins to drop. IMO he’s been struggling and I believe it’s
because he’s been overly aggressive offensively an that’s just not his game.
Hope all is well.
Agreed Mike,
Move Pettersson now while he has some value.
Hey Mike,
Funny you mention Pettersson pushing the offense more. It reminds me of his old partner, John Marino.
Marino was really solid his first couple of seasons here. Smart, mobile, good gap control. Seemed most comfortable letting the play come to him. Kind of like a counter-puncher in boxing.
Then something changed his third season. It appeared he was pinching more and, at times, trying to force the offense instead of letting it flow naturally. I thought his overall play suffered as a result.
I have nothing tangible to back this up. But I wonder they were “encouraged” to be more offensive by Sullivan and his staff.
In both cases it seems to have taken the players out of their respective comfort zones.
Rick
Rick
I totally agree. IMO, neither Letang or Karlsson need a D-partner that’s going
to pinch. That makes zero sense to me, and might explain why Karlsson’s
offensive input is down. A player of his elite offensive status shouldn’t have to
worry about covering up for his partner!! Last night Pettersson got caught up
several times deep in the Kings zone, but was bailed out “to me this is a problem”