The Pittsburgh Penguins have, unfortunately, become synonymous with a troubling trend.
For the third season in a row, they just can’t seem to hold onto leads.
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The Penguins dropped their second game of their Western road trip, 4-3, to the Calgary Flames in a shootout. Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, and Noel Acciari scored for the Penguins, and goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 22 of 25 Calgary shots in regulation.
The shootout went to six rounds, with Rakell and Rust potting shootout tallies for the Penguins. Calgary’s Justin Kirkland beat Nedeljkovic in the sixth round, and Penguins center Evgeni Malkin failed to score in response.
Despite the tough loss, the Penguins were clearly the better team for most of the night against a Calgary squad that has yet to lose in regulation. It’s a hard extra point to lose, but the team was mostly happy with their effort.
“Obviously, there’s opportunity to get better, but I think we were a heck of a lot better than we have been,” Rust said. “We didn’t have huge, massive breakdowns like we did in the last three or four games, or whatever it was. So, I think that we’re definitely making strides.”
Here are a few thoughts and observations from the Penguins’ loss to the Flames:
– This might have been the best hockey game I’ve seen Acciari play in a Penguins’ uniform.
He was doing everything right all night long. He was very, very good on the penalty kill. He was winning puck battles, getting in passing and shooting lanes, and helping the fourth line cycle on the forecheck in the offensive zone.
Acciari’s go-ahead goal in the third period was a direct result of hard work and tenacity from him and the fourth line. He was rewarded when he put home a loose puck around the net front:
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: This fourth line is really good for the Penguins. All three guys are contributing, and they’re a true energy line.
But Acciari stood out tonight.
– On the other side of the “line coin,” Sidney Crosby’s line is nothing short of a disaster right now.
I wrote at length about Crosby’s start this morning. They were a little better in the game against Calgary, but the fact of the matter is that they’re a complete mess in their own zone, they can’t get much sustained pressure in the offensive zone, and they’re making poor decisions with the puck left and right.
Crosby has only three five-on-five points through eight games. It’s good that he’s producing on the power play, but he needs to up his game at even strength.
I think it’s high-time to put Rakell with Crosby. Evgeni Malkin has gone pointless in his last three games, and Rakell is a man possessed out of the gate. Crosby needs a jolt right now, as does Rust.
I’d put Rakell, Crosby, and Rust on the same line, and I’d have Michael Bunting or Drew O’Connor play with Malkin and Jesse Puljujarvi right now. But I wouldn’t be against Rust getting some reps with Malkin, because as bad as it’s been for Crosby, Rust has been far worse.
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– Matt Grzelcyk sure had a game to forget for the Penguins. But I don’t blame that entirely on him.
For some reason, head coach Mike Sullivan decided to switch up the defensive pairings in this game. He swapped Marcus Pettersson and Grzelcyk, meaning Grzelcyk ended up next to Erik Karlsson having gotten, basically, zero reps with him prior.
It was an utter disaster. Grzelcyk looked lost out there, with an ill-advised pinch leading directly to Calgary’s first goal, a bad penalty that led to a good power play opportunity at the end of the first, and several sloppy giveaways throughout the game.
If the Penguins want to bump Grzelcyk down, fine. But just move Pettersson and Karlsson up to the first pairing, bump Grzelcyk to the third pairing, and let Ryan Graves see some well-earned minutes with Kris Letang.
Yes. I know. A bad idea? Probably. But you’ve got to reward a guy for his good work at some point, and Graves has earned a bit of an opportunity, even if his newfound form is because of sheltered minutes. Grzelcyk is playing his way down the depth chart, Graves is playing his way up.
But in no way, shape, or form should Graves slot with Karlsson. Letang hasn’t been any better, but it’s worth a shot.
– Nedeljkovic was very good in this game, and I think he’s earned the net for now. I imagine that Joel Blomqvist will be getting a start in one of the Penguins’ back-to-back matchups on Friday and Saturday, but Nedeljkovic has been making the most of his starts.
I think the Penguins need to start Nedeljkovic against Edmonton and Blomqvist against Vancouver. Not sure throwing Blomqvist to the wolves against Edmonton is the best plan.
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– Overall, I like what I’ve seen from the Penguins in these past two games. It seems like their structure is coming around a bit more, and we’re starting to see them make less and less glaring mistakes, like Rust mentioned.
However, they just have to find a way to close out games. Simply put, they’re not doing that against good teams. Maybe it’s just an indicator of where this team is at, and maybe they are capable of a higher level.
Adaptability has not been a strong suit for this Penguins’ team. They need to find a way to be harder to play against when holding leads. We’ve seen flashes, and I believe they are capable, but these are the games and missed points that add up at the end of the season.
They need to get at least two points between Edmonton and Vancouver so this road trip isn’t rendered a total disaster. They’ve done some good things, so they just need a win there they hunker down and get the job done.
Related: 3 Takeaways From Penguins Heartbreaking 4-3 Shootout Loss To Flames
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