Penguins This ‘n’ That

I’ll be the first to admit, I was not a fan of the February 24 trade with the Avalanche that brought defenseman Samuel Girard to the Penguins (along with a second-round pick) for steady blueliner Brett Kulak.

To my eye, the former Oiler had performed admirably, providing solid all-around defense while appearing to stabilize Kris Letang, who’d endured a difficult season prior to the 32-year-old’s arrival in a December trade.

The fact that Tanger likened Brett to his long-time partner Brian Dumoulin? Endorsement enough for me.  To say nothing of our 15-7-3 record with Kulak in the lineup.

Then Kyle Dubas did the unthinkable.

I’ll be honest. I thought the trade was a colossal overreach on his part. A classic case of fixing what wasn’t broke, with a sprinkling for being too smart for one’s own good sprinkled in.

Girard’s first handful of games did nothing to sway my opinion. He and Letang blended about as well as oil and water. In their first five games as a pair, Girard was a minus-3 and Letang a minus-5. (He was a plus-2 with Kulak.)

Other partners were tried. Letang with Ryan Shea, Girard with Connor Clifton and ex-Avs teammate Ilya Solovyov, with mixed results.

All involved were granted a reprieve of sorts when Sam missed five games in mid-March with an upper-body injury. When the 27-year-old defender returned, coach Dan Muse again pressed him into service beside Letang. Again, they failed as a tandem, at least initially.

With the other two pairings performing well, Muse had little choice. Letang and Girard simply had to figure things out.

The turning point came during the Pens’ season-saving 8-3 rout of the Islanders on March 30. Letang finished the game with two assists and a plus-3, Girard a plus-2 with a helper.

Since that night, dare I say they’ve been golden. Tanger’s amassed six assists and a plus-6 in his last seven games. Girard has five assists over that span and is likewise a plus-6.

Why the sudden and dramatic shift? The obvious answer is, they appear to be learning each other. To his credit, Letang also appears to have adjusted his game. He’s pressing less and allowing Girard to do more of the heavy lifting when it comes to moving the puck, which plays to Sam’s strengths (excellent wheels and a deft touch on his passes).

For such a small player (listed at 5’10” and 170 pounds), Girard’s feisty and isn’t shy about sticking his nose in. Smart, too.

While it still doesn’t fill me with confidence to see him defending in our zone, the numbers don’t lie. At 5v5, Sam’s been on the ice for 19 goals for and only 12 against, good for a sterling goals for percentage of 61.29, tops among the team’s regulars.

I’ll take those results, and gladly, any day of the week.

Philly It Is

The Flyers beat the Hurricanes, 3-2, in a shootout last night to secure third place in the Metro. Establishing them as our opponent for the opening round of the playoffs and setting the stage for a new chapter in the storied Battle of Pennsylvania, or Commonwealth Cold War if you prefer.

As for history? The Pens and Flyers have met seven times in the postseason, with our blood-rival prevailing in four of those matchups.

More to come.