Could Defensive Woes Derail Penguins Playoff Hopes?

To say there’s an extraordinary playoff chase occurring in the NHL’s Eastern Conference is putting it as mildly as Ivory soap. No fewer than seven teams are engaged in a full-blown battle royale for five playoff spots, the Penguins among them.

In the Atlantic, the Canadiens and Bruins (wild card) are currently in with 86 points apiece, with the Red Wings (84 points) and the piping-hot Senators (83 points) on the outside of the playoff picture.

In the Metro? The Pens have 86 points, tailed by the CBJ and Islanders (wild card) with 85 apiece.

Talk about being packed tighter than the proverbial tin of sardines!

It was suggested on another site that 98 points will be the cutoff. If so, the locals would need to garner a dozen points in their final 12 games, or .500 hockey.

While that certainly seems doable, given the difficulty of our schedule, especially over the next two weeks, combined with emerging and troublesome issues in our overall play?

I’d hardly consider a playoff berth a lock at this stage.

Defense is a particular area of concern. Going back to a 5-1 loss to the Sabres on March 5, the Pens have yielded a staggering 42 non-shootout goals in 10 games, an average of better (or worse) than four goals per game!

While the goaltending of Stuart Skinner and Arturs Šilovs hasn’t been airtight, it would be all-too-convenient (and inaccurate) to blame them for our woes. Especially since the bottom two defensive pairings have largely been a shambles in the wake of Kyle Dubas’s ill-fated deal that sent steady-Eddie Brett Kulak to the Avalanche for Samuel Girard.

Not only has the latter failed to mesh with Kris Letang on the second pairing, but Tanger’s been play has been in an absolute freefall of late. In his 14 games since the trade, Letang’s a minus-11 with a paltry two assists.

Coach Dan Muse has had difficulty filling the third port-side slot as well. Newcomer Ilya Soloyov has had his moments, but is mistake-prone. He and Connor Clifton have struggled as a pair, particularly when it comes to advancing the puck.

In desperation, Muse retrieved Ryan Graves from mothballs for Sunday’s loss to the Hurricanes. Given his difficulties handling the puck, the rangy defender hardly seems the ideal choice. Neither does perennial prospect Owen Pickering, who bombed in an earlier trial.

Could a player currently serving a suspension be the answer to the team’s defensive woes?

To say it’s been a lost season for Caleb Jones is a raging understatement. After earning a third-pairing slot to begin the season, Jones skated in seven games while serving primarily as a partner for prized rookie Harrison Brunicke before being sidelined for over two months with a broken foot.

Although Jones’s metrics aren’t anything to write home about, with the exception of a 57.14, 5v5 goals for percentage, there’s another set of numbers you can’t ignore. Namely, the Pens’ 6-1 record with him in the lineup.

Too, Caleb possesses attributes the Pens could sorely use right now. Chief among them, excellent wheels and the ability to make a good first pass out of our zone. To say nothing to being able skate the puck out of harm’s way if need be. A glaring shortcoming, especially on the third pairing.

I close my eyes and envision Jones being an effective partner for Clifton or Jack St. Ivany, take your pick.

Unfortunately, by my unofficial count, the Arlington, Texas native still has five games left to serve on his 20-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on PEDs. Which means he won’t be eligible to return until our April 2 matchup with the Lightning at the earliest.

Upon his return, it’s more than likely Jones will be reassigned to the Baby Pens on a conditioning assignment. Which could carry through to the end of the season, or darn near.

If we miss the playoffs?

Hard as it is to imagine given his relatively low profile, Jones’s untimely suspension could’ve played a bigger role than anyone would’ve thought.