Obviously, our Penguins aren’t off to the kind of start we’d all hoped for. Since blitzing the hated Flyers, 7-0, in the season opener and racing to a 5-1 lead against the Canadiens in game No. 2, we’ve been outscored by a whopping 20-12 margin in non-shootouts goals while stumbling to a 3-3-1 record.
Our regulation points percentage? An abysmal .357. A mark that I think accurately reflects our level of play.
Small wonder that we’re on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture looking in.
A far cry from last season, when we shot out of the starting blocks with an 8-2-2 record. A start that helped to propel us to a second-place finish in the Metro and a playoff berth.
So what gives? Why are we struggling to keep our collective heads above water?
Too Many Cooks
I’ve touched on this ad nauseam but it bears repeating. POHO/GM Kyle Dubas way overstocked the forward ranks during the summer. Indeed, the Pens opened training camp with no fewer than 20 forwards with NHL experience, nearly all of whom had a legitimate claim to a roster spot. That’s nearly seven lines worth.
His questionable acquisition of erstwhile Capital Hendrix Lapierre and signing of Andrei Kuzmenko only exacerbated the logjam while serving to block the path of deserving prospects like Rutger McGroarty and Avery Hayes.
It’s left a mess for coach Dan Muse and his staff to sort out while creating a revolving door, particularly on the third line where Lapierre, Kuzmenko, Ville Koivunen, Elmer Söderblom and since traded Filip Hållander have been shuffled like a fresh deck of cards at a Vegas blackjack table. Veteran Bryan Rust, too.
This can’t be aiding the development of the affected players or sophomore center Ben Kindel, the lone constant on the line, to say nothing of shredding any sense of continuity.
Same Old, Same Old
I understand why Muse reunited the top line of Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell and Rust. Through no fault of the kid, Sid and RikRak sputtered out of the starting blocks with Nick Robertson on wing. A situation Muse hoped to remedy by returning Rust to the top unit alongside his old linemates.
It worked…sort of. Following a four-game pointless jag, Sid broke out with a pair of goals during the recent loss to Chicago. Rakell enjoyed perhaps his best game with four shots on goal and nine shot attempts.
However, a quick glance at selected 5v5 advanced stats, including Robertson’s, is telling.
| Player | Corsi | GF% | xGF% |
| Crosby | 45.77 | 46.67 | 48.65 |
| Rakell | 48.19 | 50.00 | 48.46 |
| Rust | 42.39 | 42.86 | 38.13 |
| Robertson | 54.17 | 87.50 | 61.80 |
Our venerable top line is taking a consistent beating in terms of possession and play driving despite extremely favorable deployment. Sadly, Father Time appears to be catching up with each member of the unit. Rust’s metrics are especially poor.
The numbers for our aging top guns stand in stark contrast to Robertson’s. To his credit, the spunky winger responded to his unmerited demotion by landing on his feet and providing a significant spark to an increasingly effective fourth line with his speedy, tenacious play. Still, it’s a role that most certainly could be filled by Hayes if you’re seeking similar chemistry. Söderblom if you’re looking to add beef.
Bottom line? It sure would be great to give Robertson a longer look in an elevated role.
Speaking of same old, same old, the power(less) play has gone off the rails and then some. Following a quick 2-for-4 start, we’ve turned Arctic cold while misfiring on our last 16 opportunities.
Far from posing a threat, we’ve struggled at times simply to gain the zone and maintain possession. In those instances when we set up, deference and perimeter passing rules. It’s 2023-24 all over again, when we converted at an abysmal 15.3 percent clip.
While it may seem counterintuitive, perhaps it’s time to put Sid and Evgeni Malkin on separate units. With his lightning quick release and blur of a shot, Egor Chinakhov should be seeing more ice time with the man advantage. If you’re going to dress him, Kuzmenko should, too. He’s built for the power play.
Perhaps an all-comrade second unit of Malkin, Chinakhov and Kuzmenko makes sense, provided they’re not squeezed off the ice by Sid’s unit.
Size Matters
I’ve harped on it over and over (and over) again, but size matters. So does possessing at least a degree of physicality.
Guess which team is not only the lightest in the league (average weight 194 pounds) but dead-last in hits (83)?
Yep, our Pens.
It certainly agrees with the eye test. We look tiny on the ice, especially compared to behemoth teams like the Caps.
It stands to reason we’re not exactly dominating play along the wall and in the traffic areas.
When asked what the power play needed to do to improve during a recent between-periods interview, assistant coach Todd Nelson didn’t hesitate. “Win some puck battles,” he replied.
Employing the massive Söderblom and hulking Justin Brazeau (when he returns from IR) would help in that regard while adding considerable beef and making us more difficult to handle. However, the Pens seem hell-bent on living or dying (probably the latter) with their speed game.
Big guys need not apply.
Chemistry
To me a very overlooked element to our rough start. Last season our chemistry was exemplary. We exuded a palpable Vegas Misfits, all-for-one spirit.
This season? The vibe feels “off,” for lack of a better way to describe it. As if the guys aren’t quite sure of each other. Entirely possible given the changes that occured over the summer, which seem to have fueled our disconnected play.
Put another way, last season the team seemed greater than the sum of its parts. This season, the opposite feels true.
Can the dynamic be fixed?
Perhaps. But only if our POHO/GM and coaching staff are willing to go against the established grain and make some difficult decisions. Decisions that might ruffle the feathers of some of our more seasoned players.
