The visiting Senators took down our Penguins, with relative ease I might add, by a 4-1 count at PPG Paints Arena last night.
The Pens managed to keep the speedy, young Sens in check during a slow-down first period. We even snatched the lead just eight seconds before the horn on a goal by Tommy Novak, courtesy of a beautiful pass off the rush by Egor Chinakhov.
Unfortunately, then came the final 40 minutes.
Shortly after the black-and-gold whiffed on a power play early in the second period, Mike Amadio picked off a boneheaded lateral pass deep in our zone by Connor Dewar and beat Sergei Murashov, who had no chance.
From that point on, the Pens pretty much unraveled, committing their usual fusillade of blunders and turnovers while trying to force a rush game against the faster Sens.
Try as he might, Murashov couldn’t keep the visitors off the scoreboard single-handed. Penguin-killer Claude Giroux took advantage of a Ben Kindel turnover at the far blue line to notch the go-ahead goal at 16:12.
Tim Stutzle padded the Sens’ advantage to 3-1 at 14:18 of a lopsided third period. Thomas Chabot capped a rather dismal night for the home team with an empty-netter in the final minute.
PUCKPOURRI
According to Natural Stat Trick, the Sens held the high ground in shot attempts (60-51) and shots on goal (34-17). Remarkably, the Pens had the better of the scoring chances (33-26) and high-danger chances (13-12).
However, we were outshot 17-5 in the third period (28-11 over the final two periods) and appeared to just mail it in. On home ice.
With 30 saves on 33 shots, Murashov tried mightily to keep his team in the game. But when your teammates basically quit in front of you…
Novak (a team-best eight goals) and Chinakhov (an assist, three shots on goal) were noticeable in a good way. Murashov aside, no one else played particularly well. The power play stunk as usual. Our top line put up their usual impressive numbers, but were on the ice for two goals against. Evgeni Malkin’s three-game points streak was snapped.
Erik Karlsson finished a minus-3. He’s a minus-9 over his past five games, and that includes a plus-2 night against the Kings. Kindel was a minus-2. He’s now a team-worst minus-12…in 17 games. The kid needs to learn how to manage the puck. The plays he tries to make might work in junior, but not at this level.
How easy the Pens must be to play against. As an opposing team, just sit back and wait for us to shoot ourselves in the foot with the inevitable, gift-wrapped mistakes, then pounce. You don’t have to worry about getting hit. Lord knows, nobody’s going to fight you or make things the least bit uncomfortable.
“Soff” doesn’t begin to describe this bunch. What a turkey of a team Kyle Dubas has served up.
Hell, call up Maleek McGowan, the lone really tough kid in the entire organization, from the Florida Everblades and let him run around and hit people. At least he’d have guys looking over their shoulders.
I’m only half-kidding.
On the injury front, Trevor van Riemsdyk appears to be ready to come off IR.
In the crappy trades department, Jack St. Ivany has six points (1+5) in eight games with the Caps, to go with a plus-4. The player Dubas acquired, veteran forward David Gustafsson, has zero points to go with a minus-5 in six games for the Baby Pens.
We’ve now lost six of eight.
UPDATE
The Pens (7-11-2) have five days to stew in their own juices before hosting the Blues on Thursday night.
