The Pittsburgh Penguins wrapped up their mini-two-game homestand with a 1-1-0 record after suffering a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.
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After a historic night on Wednesday, the Penguins came out flat and left their rookie goalie, Joel Blomqvist, out to dry. Ultimately, leaving town for a lengthy road trip in this fashion has many in the fanbase wondering what’s next.
Before we get there, let’s wrap up the takeaways from the lackluster Friday night defeat.
Too Many Passengers on Friday Night
The Penguins went into Friday night’s contest against the Hurricanes riding a two-game win streak, but you wouldn’t be able to tell unless you intently followed the team. Following the historic night on Wednesday against the Buffalo Sabres, the team just lacked the effort to play 60 minutes.
Even though the box score shows 26 shots on goal, that is one of the most deceiving numbers a fan could read this season. The home team didn’t register their first shot on goal until 11 minutes into the game. They finished the first period with three shots, thanks to Noel Acciari sneaking another one in with 18 seconds left.
However, the score was 1-1, thanks to Drew O’Connor, the closest the Penguins would get for the remainder of the contest, as Blomqvist was swamped with 39 shots. Sure, there’s an argument to be made that Pittsburgh was good in the faceoff circle and was the more physical team, but in the offensive zone, they just never generated anything and showed in the outcome.
Opponents Have Figured Out Blomqvist’s Kryptonite…?
Blomqvist, who made his home debut, gave up a career-high four goals and finished the evening with a .897 SV%, the first time he’s produced a sub .900 SV% at the NHL level.
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Although that is not concerning because it happens to even the elite goalies, one thing caught the eye of the SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcast team and fans who tuned into the game. It appears the Hurricanes have figured out how to beat Blomqvist.
All four of their goals on Friday night were high, whether over the blocker, the glove, or even the shoulder. Carolina just kept shooting high and finding the twine.
During the broadcast, it was pointed out that the Finnish netminder had yet to be beaten on the ice through four games, meaning all 12 of his career goals against have been scored while he’s down in the butterfly.
Hopefully, Blomqvist gets the opportunity to work on this, or it could be a very long season or short career for a netminder with so much promise.
The Chase for Milestones is Over
Heading into the season, Sidney Crosby needed a couple of points for 1,600 in his career, while Evgeni Malkin needed a couple of goals for 500. The chase for those moments was a huge part of the storylines in each of the Penguin’s first five games, and now that they are over, what’s next?
Naturally, Crosby is inching closer to another milestone because that’s what hockey legends typically do. But what about those around him? For weeks, teammates have been looking for Crosby or Malkin to get those big moments out of the way, and now that it’s happened, how do they all go back to playing their games?
Even though the lineup has stayed the same for the past few games, the line shuffling continues, win or lose. How do new Penguins find a rhythm if they continuously have new linemates? Moreover, will someone be able to step up and be the winger Crosby needs to continue to be a point-per-game player?
Unfortunately, after six games, there appear to be more questions than answers, but hopefully, this upcoming road trip through Western Canada will help iron out some early-season issues.
When Do We Start Talking About Coaching?
They often say in sports that you can’t fire the players. As the Penguins stumble through another opening ten games under the franchise’s longest-tenured coach, Mike Sullivan, at what point do they make a coaching change? Once again, as they say, they can’t change the players.
Of course, general manager Kyle Dubas can change players, but now that Crosby has committed to the team for the next three seasons, will he want to usher them into a rebuild, or could a new voice reignite this veteran team for a playoff push?
At some point, a decision has to be made regarding the club’s future. If these lifeless performances keep happening, someone in the organization’s hierarchy must decide who will lead the charge. Ultimately, legacies and past achievements can only buy someone so much opportunity.
Penguins & Hurricanes Trivia Answers
How did you score in our Game Day Trivia quiz? Here are the answers.
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Ron Francis & Jordan Staal
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Jussi Jokinen
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Six (Adams, Cullen, Hutchinson, Nordgren, Reechi, Zigomanis)
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Mario Lemieux
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Tom Barrasso
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Ron Francis, Grant Jennings, Ulf Samuelsson
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Gordie Howe
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2009
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Kevin Stevens
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Evgeni Malkin
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