{"id":28983,"date":"2025-11-09T02:33:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T02:33:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/28983\/"},"modified":"2025-11-09T02:33:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T02:33:11","slug":"silver-linings-and-disappointment-pens-deserved-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/28983\/","title":{"rendered":"Silver Linings and Disappointment, Pens Deserved Better"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEWARK \u2014\u00a0Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> defenseman Kris Letang<\/a> intently studied a crumpled score sheet outside the Penguins\u2019 locker room Saturday following the Penguins\u2019 2-1 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center. <\/p>\n

The Penguins deserved a better fate \u2026 a much better fate, but Letang\u2019s ghastly turnover in the final minute of the first period provided all of the offense New Jersey needed, and the Penguins\u2019 dismal shootout performances continued, as well.<\/p>\n

They dominated the game but lost a point. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re always unhappy when you lose,\u201d Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Muse<\/a> said, before trying to take a little solace from the myriad of positives.<\/p>\n

Penguins goalie Arturs Silovs<\/a> was very good in regulation, didn\u2019t face a shot in overtime, and didn\u2019t stop a shot in the shootout. Silovs has faced eight shootout attempts this season and stopped \u2026 just one. <\/p>\n

It was a disappointing end to a game the Penguins should have won. In the irony of a hockey season, the Penguins outshot their opponents just four times in the first 13 games but had an eight-game points streak; Saturday, they significantly outshot New Jersey and lost. <\/p>\n

The Penguins got the short end of the stick with referee Garret Rank, too. Rank worked the game in Minnesota last week with some controversial calls and no-calls, including an awkward no-goal for interference and a penalty on Bryan Rust for tripping following a shoulder check.<\/p>\n

Yeah, Sidney Crosby noticed Rank, Saturday. The Penguins\u2019 league-leading power play got just one opportunity. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the way the game goes sometimes \u2026 I mean we we pushed hard and had some big kills there. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt would have been nice to draw a few more penalties. And I thought we were working to do that. You know, only one and carrying the play like that, typically you\u2019ll get rewarded a little bit more, so you know, I think just we stuck with it and we didn\u2019t get that point.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Penguins were badly outshooting New Jersey deep into the third period (30-19) before Evgeni Malkin<\/a> took a cross-checking penalty with just over seven minutes remaining. New Jersey peppered Silovs on the power play and the final few minutes. <\/p>\n

The Penguins still outshot New Jersey 34-24, outchanced them 26-18, and doubled their high-danger chances, 8-4. <\/p>\n

The Penguins considerably dominated play for most of the three periods and had all four shots in overtime. <\/p>\n

Yet, they are now one point behind New Jersey atop the Metro Division. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe defended way too much,\u201d New Jersey coach Sheldon Keefe, who may have lamented his team\u2019s performance, but probably wouldn\u2019t trade it for the extra point. <\/p>\n

New Jersey\u2019s only goal was a bewildering turnover by Letang. Arseny Gritsyuk quickly converted Letang\u2019s blind drop pass in front of his own. Whether Letang was attempting to drop the puck to Silovs or thought defense partner Ryan Shea<\/a> was close was unclear. <\/p>\n

Penguins Analysis<\/p>\n

The Penguins have been the PDO kings of the NHL this season (PDO is the stat that tries to measure the number of goals a player or team should have scored). The Penguins\u2019 vastly positive PDO got a bit of a course correction Saturday. <\/p>\n

Tactically, the Penguins were largely on point, from the top line to the fourth line. It was quite a clean effort with precious few mistakes. When the Penguins did make a mistake, they were quick to clean it up. <\/p>\n

Their tight puck support allowed them to travel the length of the ice and sustain offensive zone pressure. Of course, it didn\u2019t hurt that a few players to dominion of the walls, including rookie Ben Kindel, who seemingly didn\u2019t lose a puck battle through the entirety of 65 minutes. <\/p>\n

The Penguins\u2019 backcheck was energetic. It appeared New Jersey had more than a few odd-man rushes, but they typically became evened attacks, and the Penguins\u2019 neutral zone set up kept New Jersey to the exterior until the latter part of the third period.<\/p>\n

It was a game in which the Penguins\u2019 mistakes stood out because they played cleanly. <\/p>\n

And note: Keefe largely kept the matchup with top center Jack Hughes<\/a> against the Penguins\u2019 fourth line and third pairing of Ryan Graves and Connor Clifton. Hughes had five shots, but no high-danger chances. Zero. <\/p>\n

Aside from Silovs\u2019s theft at the end of the second period, Hughes was not very noticeable. That\u2019s a big win for the Penguins.<\/p>\n

Penguins Report Card<\/p>\n

Team: B+<\/p>\n

They outplayed New Jersey for most of the game. What else can you say?<\/p>\n

Ryan Graves: A+<\/p>\n

One of his best games as a Pittsburgh Penguin. That\u2019s not hyperbole or exaggeration. Graves did a pristine job of boxing out at the net; he even skated the puck away from trouble several times, and a goal off an opponent\u2019s face counts as a goal. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know (if I\u2019ve scored like that before), but a few have gone off my face,\u201d Graves joked to PHN. <\/p>\n

Graves had a day. <\/p>\n

Ben Kindel: A<\/p>\n

He\u2019s a step ahead, nay, streets ahead. Hockey nerds might enjoy an iso on Kindel for the little plays he makes, and casual fans can enjoy the overt scrappiness on the walls and at the net front. The 18-year-old rookie aided, extended, or created several of the Penguins\u2019 best shifts. <\/p>\n

The stat sheet belied how well he played and how many pucks he stole and won. He had one shot on goal and three others that didn\u2019t get to the net.<\/p>\n

Erik Karlsson: A+<\/p>\n

He is seeing the ice as if he were watching from the press box. He is controlling the play with the puck on his stick and putting pucks on the net. <\/p>\n

He is also defending with some intensity. He shut down a would-be three-on-one in overtime with some inspired backchecking and anticipation. <\/p>\n

Kris Letang: D<\/p>\n

Letang\u2019s giveaway was inexplicable. But Letang had a few other rough shifts, including a third period shift in which he ended offensive pressure with a pass into New Jersey traffic, and followed it up with a bad pinch but was saved by Ryan Shea\u2019s hard skating defense. Letang wasn\u2019t on his game.<\/p>\n

Arturs Silovs: B+<\/p>\n

Silovs was quite good in the game. He robbed J. Hughes in the final minute of the second period with a highlight reel glove save. <\/p>\n

He was on top of the crease absorbing pucks and also did something he\u2019s struggled with: he controlled rebounds fairly well. But how do you reconcile a goalie who is playing well, but has given away three points with three abysmal shootout performances?<\/p>\n

Dan Muse: A<\/p>\n

Muse has a Midas touch at the moment. The Penguins were beginning to snooze in the second period, and as he often does, Muse juggled the lines for a couple of shifts. The temporary line of Tommy Novak-Ben Kindel<\/a>-Ville Koivunen snapped a few scoring chances, and the Penguins tilted the ice for the remainder of the second period. <\/p>\n

Muse is getting the best from his third pairing (Graves-Clifton) and assembled a very workable bottom six from what might seem spare parts. <\/p>\n

And his system is getting the very best from Karlsson. It\u2019s quite fun to watch. <\/p>\n

If there\u2019s a little bit of advice for the new coach\u2013work the refs. The Penguins got the very short end of the stick in the first period when Brendon Dillon tried to knock Novak\u2019s head off, and there was no penalty. Ben Kindel was high-sticked in the face in the second period in front of both refs without a call (Rank was about 15 feet away staring directly at the play). And there were other moments in which the Penguins could have had a power play. <\/p>\n

Muse has largely kept his cool and argued with refs without going full Mike Sullivan (You never go full Mike Sullivan), but he needs to work them harder. The Penguins are not getting calls, and it\u2019s time to be heard, but not in the media\u2013in hockey circles, that\u2019s considered whining. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTags: new jersey devils<\/a> Penguins Analysis<\/a> Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> <\/p>\n

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