The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to struggle to avoid the basement of the Metropolitan Division. Last night, they fell to the Dallas Stars 7-1 on Monday night, surrendering six first-period goals.
Although the Penguins were close to tying a franchise record for goals against in a single period last night, it wasn’t meant to be. With seven more goals against, Pittsburgh retakes the NHL lead in the category with 68 while watching their goal differential slip to minus-21.
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As the Penguins remain two points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets, their upcoming opponents on Friday, let’s discuss a few noticeable takeaways from Monday night.
This Loss Isn’t Entirely on the Goalies
Joel Blomqvist earned the start on Monday after a brilliant performance against the Washington Capitals on Friday. Despite the confidence-building night against a top team in the Metropolitan Division, the young rookie was not ready for a legit Stanley Cup contender from the Central Division.
Unfortunately, Blomqvist lasted only ten minutes before Alex Nedeljkovic came in for relief, surrendering three goals on his first four shots. Eventually, he settled in and made 28 saves to keep the contest from reaching double digits.
Ultimately, the goalie is responsible for stopping the puck, but on Monday, the entire team in front of them let them down, with so many odd-man rushes coming their way. Too many Stars players had great scoring opportunities due to miscues and missed assignments. So people can blame the goalies all they want, but this ugly loss wasn’t entirely on them.
Top Defensive Pairing Has Night to Forget
Veteran Kris Letang and free agent signee Matt Grzelcyk currently occupy the top two defensive spots in the lineup. On Monday, they were a combined minus-7, with Letang leading all skaters with a minus-4, his worst performance of the year.
Someone would have to go back to Dec. 16, 2023, and Mar. 7, 2024, to see the last time Letang was a minus-4, while Grzelcyk hasn’t been a minus-3 since Dec. 23, 2018.
Something isn’t clicking between the two, whether communication or playing style. This pairing has to bring up their games because defensive lapses have been a theme all season, and there’s no moving up in the standings if these miscues continue.
Fans were unhappy with the entire team’s performance on Monday, but a handful of players had rough nights, a trend that is becoming all too familiar.
Where was the Energy?
It could be argued that the Penguins played their best game of 2024-25 on Friday against the Capitals, weathering a 2-0 comeback while riding a hot goalie to a 4-2 win.
However, at PPG Paints Arena on Monday, no one would have believed this was the same team that shut down Alex Ovechkin just three nights prior. The Penguins came out flat and looked so disinterested in the game that it was 4-0 in favor of the Stars before anyone realized it, and the home team had five shots on goal.
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It was so frustrating that Sidney Crosby took two uncharacteristic penalties and, in one night, doubled his season total. Of course, something happened in the dressing room because Pittsburgh came out to play better in the second and third periods, but they were out-hustled at every turn and were doubled up on the shot clock 40-21.
Even though the statistics indicate the Penguins were the more physical team, no one would have recognized it by watching the game. Unfortunately, the same team that played their hearts out on Friday was not the same passionate group that showed up on Veterans Day.
Penguins & Stars Trivia Answers
How did you score in our Game Day Trivia quiz? Here are the answers.
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Lowell MacDonald
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Rick Kehoe
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Les Binkley
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Thomas Greiss
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Trevor Daley
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Brenden Morrow
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Kevin Stevens
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Andy Bathgate
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Kevin Hatcher
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Shawn Chambers
