It was another day, another loss to a playoff team for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Despite scoring in the third period after a valiant display of heart from their captain, the Penguins dropped their second straight game to the league’s best team, the Winnipeg Jets, 4-1.
The Penguins were down, 3-0, heading into the third period. Just 38 seconds in, Sidney Crosby goaded Winnipeg Forward Kyle Connor into dropping the gloves, and the captain sparked some life for his lifeless team.
After killing off Crosby’s extra minor for cross-checking, the Penguins earned a power play while Crosby was still in the box. Michael Bunting registered his fourth goal of the season and his second power play goal, and the goal gave them some momentum for the rest of the game.
However, it was not enough against a team like Winnipeg, a stingy defensive team that doesn’t give up a whole lot. Despite playing better in the third, the Penguins still only managed five shots on goal in both the second and third periods.
“I thought we got some juice after Sid’s battle, and then we scored,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “But, we have to manufacture that more consistently if we’re going to be harder to play against. I just think physicality is a fundamental element of hockey, and we’ve got to engage more consistently in all three zones.”
Pittsburgh is now 7-11-4 and is officially in the basement of the Metropolitan Division. The only teams with a lower points percentage than them across the league are the Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, and San Jose Sharks.
Here are some thoughts and observations after tonight’s loss:
– The Penguins have given up a goal on the first shot of the game six times this season, including four times with Tristan Jarry in net.
When asked if there could be a reason for that phenomenon, Sullivan got a bit testy.
“It happens a million different ways,” Sullivan said. “For example, the first goal tonight. How do I explain that? Can you explain that? Because I can’t.”
Simply put, the Penguins are shooting themselves in the foot from the get-go a whole lot. If they’re going to turn things around, this is something that needs to be corrected and addressed somehow, both on the defensive and goaltending fronts.
– Speaking of goaltending, Tristan Jarry actually didn’t play a bad game on Friday.
Winnipeg peppered him with 30 shots on goal, and the Penguins, once again, did not play good defensively in front of him. It’s still concerning that Jarry has surrendered a goal on the first shot of the game in four of his six starts, but he was not the reason the Penguins lost this game.
– The reason they lost? Winnipeg is, simply put, a much better hockey team.
There’s a reason this team is now 17-3 and the league’s best team. Not only are they lethal and opportunistic offensively, they’re also an excellent defensive team.
They gave the Penguins absolutely nothing, even when Pittsburgh began to pressure in the third period. They clog up every passing and shooting lane and make it near-impossible for pucks to get through. They win nearly every puck battle along the walls. They pressure teams to the outside and force turnovers.
Their defensive work was clinical, and their offense is lethal. This is a very, very dangerous hockey team, and they play really well in a way that seems pretty sustainable. I really don’t think there’s a better team in the league.
– Owen Pickering continues to impress me. His net-front defense and his defensive zone awareness in general is a level above everyone else’s right now, which is saying a lot for a 20-year-old rookie who, really, wasn’t even supposed to be in Pittsburgh so soon.
He’s physical at the net front. He makes himself big and takes up a lot of space. He clears up traffic and is rarely out of position.
He’s the best defensive defenseman the Penguins are icing right now, and while that’s good for Pickering, it’s definitely a problem for the Penguins. The way I see it, there’s just no way he can come out of the lineup right now.
Goos stuff from him again.
– Erik Karlsson did not play his best game Friday, and honestly, that wasn’t even on the defensive side of the puck.
There were several instances in the offensive zone and the power play when he simply lost possession, misread plays, and fumbled the puck at the blue line to allow easy clears for the Jets.
This was a very uncharacteristically bad game from him offensively to pair with what was pretty much his usual defensive output.
– Speaking of which, his partner is not faring much better at the moment.
Marcus Pettersson, after solidifying himself as a bona fide top-four defenseman the past few seasons, is struggling mightily to start this season. The defensive zone smarts and positioning we’ve seen in years past just isn’t there right now, and it hasn’t been there all season long.
It’s still reasonable to assume that the Penguins should be able to get something decent for him if they decide to trade him, which seems the likely outcome for the pending unrestricted free agent. There aren’t too many better options on the market.
But if he continues to play at the level he is right now, it may be wise for the Penguins to deal him sooner rather than later at risk of his stock going down.
He’s physical at the net front. He makes himself big and takes up a lot of space. He clears up traffic and is rarelty out of position.
Good stuff from him.
– Bunting needs to be on the first power play unit.
I’m not sure who you bump off of it. I’d probably say Rust. But he’s good and disruptive around the net-front, and as good as the power play has looked optics-wise, it could use him for the pesky net-front presence.
Crosby was in the box at the time, but I think it’s safe to say 87 sticks on the first unit.
– Sullivan switched up the top-six in the second period. He put Crosby, Bryan Rust, and Rickard Rakell together and Evgeni Malkin, Bunting, and Anthony Beauvillier on a line.
That top line was the best five-on-five line for the Penguins in a small-ish sample size last season. They were generating some good chances once put together, and that line is something that I’d be okay with seeing more of.
The second line? Not sure about that.
Beauvillier has the speed and forechecking ability, as well as a touch of the scoring ability, to provide value to that line. However, Bunting seems to be regressing again – at least, at five-on-five – after a pretty good string of games over the past couple of weeks.
As for someone who is trending up? Jesse Puljujarvi. Throw him on that line with Malkin and Beauvillier, and see if it sticks. He’s shown more value in the offensive zone than Bunting has this season, and without Rust on that line, Malkin needs a guy who can finish.
Reward him for good play. There is no hurt in trying it out at this point.
– Drew O’Connor continues to struggle this season.
He did see more minutes in the third period since Crosby was in the box, but going into the third period, he had only seen seven minutes and 37 seconds of ice time – which was more than only Sam Poulin.
Sullivan mentioned the other day that O’Connor’s work in the defensive zone has been inconsistent. I agree, and I don’t think he is generating much offensively, either.
Kevin Hayes is skating. Blake Lizotte and Cody Glass have been skating on their own. It will be interesting to see some of the lineup decisions that are made when everyone is healthy.
– I briefly want to touch on Crosby.
Crosby is a passionate player, and everyone knows this by now. He seemingly singlehandedly willed this team to life in the third period with his fight and his subsequent play after he was released from the box.
He didn’t make himself available for the media after the game. Crosby is clearly frustrated, and rightfully so.
“I think it’s just a wake-up call,” Jarry said of Crosby dropping the gloves. “It’s a wake-up call to all of us. You see the competitor that he is, and losing games like this is tough for everyone. I think that we have to play harder, and him doing that is just raw emotion. He wants better, and I think it comes from everyone.”
Sullivan stressed that he doesn’t want his captain to be the one doing these things moving forward. But, until the rest of this team shows a pulse, he may be the only one fed up enough to act.
Hopefully, this gives them some momentum heading into Saturday’s tilt against Utah.
