VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Pittsburgh Penguins are creating a varied resume.
A couple of defensive grinds. An offensive outburst against one of the most offensively talented teams in the league, and an ugly win without their best against the worst team in the league.
The Penguins beat the competitive but somewhat hapless Vancouver Canucks 3-2 Sunday at Roger Arena. A 3-0 snoozer became a 3-2 nailbiter, but the Penguins held the fort, albeit it was goalie Stuart Skinner who was the hero in that effort.
“I mean some huge saves throughout the third period, and then especially in those last few minutes there, when we’re five-on-six. And, yeah, both guys have done a really good job … I mean, both guys have done a great job, and that’s been important,” said coach Dan Muse. “It’s been a huge part of why this month has been going in the direction that it has. I think both guys (Skinner, Arturs Silovs) have been great. But tonight, there were definitely some huge saves there in the third, and throughout the game.”
Together, the last four games were four straight wins on the Western Conference road trip, and the Penguins’ first Western Canada sweep since 2018-19.
The wins also represent something more significant than two points. The Penguins are becoming a team that can win games in different, very different ways.
They earned wins on muddy tracks in Seattle and Calgary, a fast track in Edmonton, and had to fight themselves Sunday. Don’t look now, but that’s a hallmark of a genuinely good team, and one that has potential in the playoffs.
The ability to win games in very different ways is a talent that is only starting to bloom for the Penguins, so that any deep proclamations would be premature. Still, they are surely off to a fantastic start and are figuratively building a concrete foundation where once sand existed.
A few players had starring roles Sunday. Rookie Ben Kindel played in front of nearly 200 friends and family in his home province. The massive contingent made as much noise as the interspersed Penguins fans at Rogers Arena because Kindel scored a pair of goals, including what became the game-winner.
“I don’t know. I’m trying to prepare for every game the same, but yeah, maybe just–I guess it’s always nice to have your people that mean a lot to you here watching,” said Kindel.
He was carving the ice with speed throughout the game.
The Penguins’ second line was by far their best, and not by a small margin. Tommy Novak was dealing like an auctioneer, and Evgeni Malkin was dominating the puck and controlling the play like a puppeteer. At the same time, Egor Chinakhov demonstrated his growing confidence by trying–and largely succeeding–with a few dazzling individual moments.
Vancouver goalie Kevin Lankinen got an eyeful of the line, but only Malkin scored, not for lack of chances by the other two.
The other star was Penguins goalie Stuart Skinner. To say Skinner was good would be a heavy understatement. The Penguins’ lapses forced Skinner to make some brilliant saves, and he did so while also controlling rebounds.
I lingered back Sunday to ask Skinner one more question. How big does that puck look to him right now?
“Yeah. Uh… to be honest, I feel pretty good. I feel like I’m seeing the puck really well,” Skinner said. “But that also means the team is playing well in front of me. They’ve been allowing me to see the pucks, allowing me to find my rhythm.”
In fact, the underpinnings of the Penguins’ winning streak and their 11-2-2 gallop upward through the Eastern Conference standings has ben impenetrable goaltending. Arturs Silovs has been good and getting better.
Skinner has been lights out. In eight starts, Skinner has won seven and posted a .932 save percentage with a stunning 1.64 goals against average. He may very well have stolen a game for the Penguins Sunday.
Penguins Analysis
With regrets, Rogers Arena does not have a media area, and we were forced to watch the final minutes on a small computer monitor outside the locker room, courtesy of the Penguins’ TV broadcast. Sadly, it is the only arena in the NHL without a space for media to work, so the final minutes are a bit of a blur.
The first 50 minutes of the game had some tactical divides. Not all of the Penguins’ lines were playing well, or at least as connected as they would like to be. There were breakdowns and mistakes.
“We gave up too many. The last few games have been so good on the defensive side, we kind of got a little sloppy in that end,” defenseman Ryan Shea said. “(Defensemen) didn’t help out as much as we have recently. That’s going to happen. The last game of the road trip, to come away with a win like this, you can’t be too upset about it.”
The Penguins were able to do a couple of things very well. Vancouver had an aggressive neutral one forecheck, like Columbus last week. Vancouver lurched forward with numbers between the red and blue lines, trying to create turnovers and traffic.
The Penguins did an excellent job of chipping the puck behind them and keeping their momentum. It was not uncommon for the same Penguins puck carrier to continue the rush after the chip, or their be cutter across the zone, creating a seam.
The Penguins also had a lot of controlled zone entries on the left wing, creating a strong side, but also creating space in the offensive zone.
Novak and Malkin excelled at their pressure up the ice and creating space in the offensive zone by holding onto pucks. Erik Karlsson was sharp, at least in this area, too.
Karlsson is a one-man breakout. When Vancouver saw weakness in the Penguins’ zone, Karlsson was able to gallop away from trouble. Vancouver’s forecheck wasn’t very effective with any consistency.
What Vancouver did that the Penguins need to take a look at is get in Stuart Skinner’s kitchen. Their two goals and the final pressure were a lot about interference and crowding the crease–often contacting Skinner.
The Penguins played with just five defensemen for most of the game after Jack St. Ivany suffered an upper-body injury (he could be out for a while after absorbing a hard shot up high–either his hand or his jaw). St. Ivany is one counted upon to keep the crease clear, and the team may have been a bit fatigued by the third period.
Penguins Report Card
Team: B-
The Penguins had some legs. They also had some dead legs. It wasn’t their best. By and large, the Penguins got one of “those” special goalie performances Sunday.
Stuuuu!: A+
There were a few Stu! chants Sunday. He earned them. His diving stop in the final minute was identical to Marc-Andre Fleury stopping Nicklas Lidstrom in the 2009 Stanley Cup Final.
Ben Kindel, Evgeni Malkin, Tommy Novak: A+
All of their performances were exemplary. It was hard not to be mesmerized watching Novak and Malkin work. They were dancing around defenders on the rush and controlling the offensive zone.
Kindel had as much hop in his skates as he’s had all season. So much for worrying about wearing him down.
Top Line: B-
The Penguins’ top line with Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust, and Rickard Rakell was good, but they just didn’t have that little bit extra to put the puck in the net. They were a bit disjointed, even though they set the tone and got the puck deep in the offensive zone.
Anthony Mantha: ?!
Dude, don’t punch your teammate’s injured shoulder after a win. Coach Dan Muse clarified after the public media availability that he thought Malkin was fine.
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Categorized: Penguins Analysis