3 Thoughts from Penguins Road Trip; Now We’ll Get Answers

TAMPA, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Penguins might get ugly, and they could become ugly very quickly.

One need only look at the frustration and despair beginning to grip the Philadelphia Flyers. John Tortorella openly admitted he has no desire to learn how to coach a team with nothing to play for and little motivation. Their goaltending is nearly a bigger mess than the federal budget, and their biggest trades this season were saying goodbye to previously well-regarded prospects who didn’t pan out after a few years of trying.

For the Penguins, it might as well be the ghost of Christmas Future visiting Ebenezer Scrooge.

The Penguins were on a bit of a roll until the Florida Panthers turned up the heat in the third period Sunday. The Penguins were essentially powerless to stop them. Florida had 30 shot attempts in the third period compared to just four for the Penguins, who picked up right where they left off Tuesday against Tampa Bay in a 6-1 loss.

By the end of the second period Tuesday, the Penguins had amassed a total of 13 shots on goal over their previous 65 minutes of hockey. Worse, two of those shots were via the penalty kill late in the second period.

Or it would have been 11.

If not for the Penguins’ top line, the team might be the worst in the NHL. Their defensemen are surely staking a claim to it. The blue line was jaw-droppingly inept against Tampa Bay.

To use coach Mike Sullivan’s vernacular, they weren’t stopping pucks (or plays) in the corners, weren’t able to generate push out of the defensive zone, and lost far too many battles both near the crease and on the walls.

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln…

2. What is the Penguins’ Identity, Now & Next Year??

Right now, the Penguins more closely resemble the board games left at Grandma’s house. There’s just a bunch of mismatched pieces with a few originals.

General Manager Kyle Dubas is only two years into his regime, and there was quite a mess to begin cleaning. So it would be unfair to blame him for the current team’s lack of identity. However, his attempts to boost the club have not improved the situation, either.

Are the Penguins aiming to be a fast team? No. There’s a general lack of above-average skaters on the roster (understand that an “average skater” gets faster every year).

Are the Penguins aiming to be a tough team? It doesn’t seem to be the case. Are they trying to build a talent-rich team? If they are, they’re on the wrong track.

For much of this season, the team played a hard-nosed low-to-high game. Unfortunately, that style doesn’t fit all of their defensemen because Erik Karlsson is a burner who likes to skate up in the play, and the rest of the defense corps (except Kris Letang) lacked a shot to create scattered rebounds.

Top prospects Owen Pickering and Harrison Brunicke project to be fine defensemen, though more all-around types rather than difference-makers.

As a group, the team can’t play on the rush, either.

Right now, Grandma’s Monopoly board has a real thimble and a Matchbox car.

3. Jarry in Buffalo?

Despite the meltdown on Tuesday, I suspect we will see Tristan Jarry between the pipes on Thursday.

And here’s why: Sullivan and the organization should want to see how Jarry responds to a brutal performance. Jarry not only allowed more goals (4) than he made saves (3), but two of those were stoppable, and he should have stopped one.

Whether Sullivan follows through and starts Jarry in Buffalo or waits a game or two, Jarry’s new training and mindset will be tested.

Will he rebound quickly to be the difference-maker who propelled the Penguins to a 5-1-1 record or regress with a loud thud?

It may be the most important storyline over the last nine games. The free-agent goalie class this summer is paper-thin, and if there is any hope of being able to trade Jarry, the next few games are the bellwether.

It seems the Penguins will need to bury Ryan Graves in the AHL next season. They surely prefer not to go through another roller coaster with Jarry, too. Be it a trade, a buyout, or sticking with him, Dubas needed to make a decision, and Tuesday night was the first downturn in the process.

And it was a big downturn. What happens next will tell us a lot more about Tristan Jarry.