The Pittsburgh Penguins are in deep trouble. Small wounds are growing into festering boils. Primary players are playing terribly. And the mistakes are what coach Dan Muse would call loud.
Very loud.
When the Penguins’ anemic power play failed to score with a 4v3 chance late in overtime, the result was more predictable than a romance novel but without the good parts, as the game went to the shootout and for the ninth time in 10 attempts, the Penguins lost in the shootout 4-3 to the Philadelphia Flyers at PPG Paints Arena.
Without Sidney Crosby (injury) and Evgeni Malkin (suspension), no one was kidding themselves into thinking it would be easy. Yet the Penguins allowed just 11 shots in the first 50 minutes to Philadelphia, but they were tied 3-3 largely because the Penguins made life so much harder on themselves.
“They played hard and, give them credit, they played really hard and in our face,” said Bryan Rust. “I don’t think we handled that as well as we could have.”
Tommy Novak and Rickard Rakell had perhaps their best games since the Olympic break. Kris Letang and Sam Girard had their worst, and it was brutal.
Indeed, the Penguins harpooned themselves with horrific mistakes, poor puck management, and defensive zone coverage–but the efforts were largely concentrated amongst the small group of players.
The Penguins were either very good or very bad on Saturday.
Oh, they had opportunities to put away the hapless Flyers. Three times, the Penguins claimed the lead. Three times they lost it, and twice they gave it right back in about one minute’s time.
“There were parts in the game where we got out of our structure a little bit and gave them easy looks that they capitalized on,” said Rakell.
Penguins Analysis
Lineup construction without Malkin and Crosby could be little more than a guessing game for Muse. So many of the combinations the situation forced upon him had no history together.
Largely speaking, Muse guessed well and found something he might want to keep: Playing Egor Chinakhov with Rakell. That pairing was especially good as they played on the rush with speed, getting behind the Philadelphia defense and creating offensive zone time with chances.
In the recent games with Rakell at center, the top line had an exceedingly tough time creating and sustaining offense, but Saturday’s inclusion of Chinakhov changed the dynamic, and both had some very good opportunities.
Rakell was tied with Connor Dewar to lead all players with four shots.
Novak and Justin Brazeau were assertive, as well. Brazeau was better on the wall and created space for his linemates. Novak distributed the puck well as the line cycled through the offensive zone.
When the Penguins were playing well, they were able to attack Philadelphia with a speed game, playing on the rush.
However, that rush game was too scattered as the breakouts were rushed, chaotic, or otherwise sloppy. Mistakes led to Philadelphia’s three goals, all three times shortly after a Penguins goal.
“We’ve got the momentum, and we’ve got to keep it for those next two, three, or four shifts. They are big. To keep momentum, we don’t need to score again, but we can’t give them life,” Rust said. “We’ve got to play hard. We’ve got to play simple. We would like to play in their zone. So that’s obviously not good.”
Muse didn’t mince words with his critique of the Penguins’ efforts, especially in the second period. It’s one thing to play without two superstars. It’s another to play carelessly.
And careless might be an understatement. Muse delivered a stinging rebuke of his team.
“I thought through too much of the second period, especially, it was just–I thought it was casual. I think we had opportunities to–rather than being in good positions to support pucks, we’re kind of drifting. We were getting away from it,” said Muse. “Overall defensively, not just in the second but even going back to the first, I thought it was the detail behind (our game). It wasn’t good enough.
“We might be in areas, but we weren’t really there. We weren’t covering, we weren’t taking a look. I thought we gave (them chances). I thought some of their opportunities, and especially some of the shifts, where they generated momentum–You know, I just thought (our) urgency wasn’t there. So, yeah.”
Penguins Report Card
Team: D-
They scored three goals. And there were good performances scattered throughout the lineup. They earned several opportunities to put away the Flyers. At times, they showed speed, connectivity, and even some creativity.
But invariably, they self-sabotaged.
Power Play: D-
Power play unit No. 1 was brutal. Ineffective. Poor zone entries. Flat-footed spectators. And that’s just the good parts.
PP1: Erik Karlsson, Rickard Rakell, Anthony Mantha, Bryan Rust, and Egor Chinakhov.
Power play unit No. 2 had moments of efficacy that not only put one goal on the board but also derived some momentum from the opportunity.
PP2: Letang, Ben Kindel, Ville Koivunen, Tommy Novak, and Justin Brazeau.
Performances to Like
Egor Chinakhov: He played fast, with the puck on his stick, and was dangerous in the offensive zone. He could have been a little sharper with his shots, but it seemed he was trying to find the perfect play.
Rickard Rakell: He was a plus-2, had four shots, and five other attempts. Chinakhov brought out his best. With respect to Avery Hayes, straddling Rakell with a pair of grinders didn’t work. Muse would do well to keep the skill beside Rakell.
Ville Koivunen: He was noticeable. Koivunen was on the puck, made good decisions–quick decisions–and battled hard on the walls. He didn’t disappear, but also didn’t attempt a shot. He has to get more involved at the end of the play.
Tommy Novak: After a few quiet games, Novak was appropriately noticeable, as well. He also won five of 10 faceoffs.
Ben Kindel: D
Kindel had a rough go Saturday, too. It’s been tough sledding for him since the break, but the Penguins badly need his best. He was on the ice for all three Flyers goals, and one was his man (Owen Tippett, 1-1). Another was also his man, but he was left holding the bag for Kris Letang’s lapse in judgment (Denver Barkey, 3-3).
Shootout: Nothing Can Be Done
Stuart Skinner stopped one of two attempts. The Flyers didn’t need their third shot because the Penguins were again blanked in all three attempts. That has become the norm.
However, there is nothing that can be done. The Penguins simply do not have players who are good at it. They should NOT have let the game get to the shootout, but no amount of practice or video or … prayer is going to help. The questions and wailing about the 1-9 shootout record are complaints about something that cannot be changed.
Girard-Letang: F
Unfortunately, the Report Card’s trepidation with the pairing when Muse first put them together following the trade has mushroom-clouded into the worst-case scenario. They don’t read each other well. Girard does not seem to be in the right spots and is searching in vain for his connections. Saturday, among the many mistakes, Letang was beaten for a breakaway and took a penalty. Later, he left his station to double-cover a player, and Barkey tied the game from the spot where Letang should have been.
Muse didn’t exactly defend his pair.
“The game just ended. I mean, this is a process. I’m not (ready to answer) right now. I think it does take time. I think there have been (good) moments that we’ve seen with them, too. They’re adjusting to each other, reading off of each other. I thought there were large stretches of the game where I wouldn’t say just that pair (was bad), but too much of the team wasn’t sharp,” said Muse.
“So I’m not going to throw that on that one pair. After every game, we look at it, we have discussions, and we make decisions. Go from there.”
It was a mess and getting worse on Saturday. The growing number of defensive mistakes has compounded the scarcity of good breakouts and offensive push. Given the lack of right-handed options and Letang’s senior status, Muse is handcuffed there. But it might not be surprising to see Ryan Graves draw into the lineup for Girard against the Boston Bruins Sunday.
Something has to give. The Penguins’ skaters didn’t lack energy Saturday. No, they lacked everything else.
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