Penguins
Meek Penguins Go Gently to Golden Knights
LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights (38-18-6) scored on their first two shots of the third period. The Pittsburgh Penguins (24-31-10) couldn’t score on any of their shots.
The Penguins quickly faded and lost 4-0 to Vegas at T-Mobile Arena on Friday. Since the NHL season resumed following the Four Nations Face-Off, the Penguins are just 1-6-1.
The Penguins looked soft and overmatched. Perhaps it was the post-NHL trade deadline reality hitting home and realizing that help is not on the way, or perhaps the Penguins’ struggles were the result of trading away several players to further the organization’s revamp. Since the Penguins lost on Tuesday, general manager Kyle Dubas traded away scrappy winger Michael Bunting, the structured Anthony Beauviller, and the popular Cody Glass.
Or perhaps the Vegas Golden Knights were a far superior team, and the Penguins knew it.
The Golden Knights kept the Penguins under control for most of the game, and although it wasn’t a blowout, even the small 1-0 gap after the seemed insurmountable to the new Penguins lineup.
The Penguins again held their opponent to only a few shots in the first period and again ended the period trailing. Despite a 5-0 shots advantage that lasted for nearly 10 minutes and a 9-6 edge after 20, the Penguins were behind.
Former Penguins winger Tanner Pearson scored the first goal of the game as the Penguins’ new players participated in the time-honored tradition of defensive mistakes. Newly acquired Tommy Novak was caught puck-watching after the faceoff, and Pearson (11) had a clear path toward the net and was uncontested as he finished Mark Stone’s rebound.
There wasn’t a Penguins player within 10 feet of Pearson.
Early in the second period, a bad bounce and an ill-advised line change put the Penguins in a deeper hole. Vegas defenseman Nicolas Hague knocked a pass away from Sidney Crosby, which fed the Vegas transition. Golden Knights winger Ivan Barbashev (19) was essentially uncovered as he raced to the left circle and snapped a high wrist shot past Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic.
Early in the third period, Vegas scored a pair of quick goals to send the humbled Penguins to an easy defeat.
Brandon Saad (10) sent a 30-foot wrister past Nedeljkovic from behind the right dot, and 54 seconds later, Penguins defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok let Vegas captain Mark Stone (17) breeze by for a breakaway goal.
Nedeljkovic stopped 23 of 27 as Viva Las Vegas blared through the arena at the final horn. Golden Knights goalie Ilya Samsonov easily stopped the 22 shots he faced.
Penguins Notes
Tommy Novak made his Penguins debut. He centered the third line with Danton Heinen and former Nashville teammate Philip Tomasino.
Penguins winger Boko Imama led the Penguins with three hits after the first two periods despite playing only 2:56. He finished the game with a team-high five hits.
Only 10 Penguins had shots after 40 minutes. Of the Penguins’ 18 shots, Bryan Rust had five.
Rust left the game late in the second period after blocking a shot but returned in the third period.
So Boko finished the game with 5 hits, and honestly that’s 5 more hits than everyone else on the team combined. Calling this team soft is an understatement at this point. This team still needs a major overhaul, but I realize retooling/rebuilding takes time.
With the exception of Sid’s line, who btw will be challenged the balance of the season with the opponents best defensive 5 every game, this collection of bodies doesn’t qualify as an NHL team.
Wish I could have given you 10+ for your spot on comments.
Spot on comment
Hard hard hard to watch…..Pens and hockey fan forever and for this year I’ll be watching and hoping for the Jackets and the Avs….RIP Pens
Thank goodness I have WBS only 2 hours away and see them when they travel to this area.
At this point it’s hard to out-tank SJS and CHI, but with efforts like this one, we can still dream. LG(down)P
Gotta get below Nashville and Buffalo to guarantee a spot in that Top 4.
Yup, any pick outside of top 5 is a crap shoot this year
They have games at hand so maybe a slight hope there.
I was there and it was quite obvious how superior the Knights are. The Pens at least made VGK work for it; this team may not be very good but they try. Get used to this, it’s how things are going to be for a while.
Kolyachonok was pretty terrible. I don’t imagine we’ll be seeing him again after this one.
I had hoped to get up to Vegas for this game (from Tucson), so glad that I didn’t – as much as I love the city – It was brutal to watch on TV (with the Vegas feed I might add)
Yeah, if I hadn’t been there in-person I’d have turned it off
Sign Rico Fata.
How long is it going to be before Dubas makes a coaching change.
As long as they field an inferior roster game after game, Sullivan gets a pass. KD doesn’t want to win.
Sully always gets a pass, no playoff series wins in 7 years, lost his last 5 playoff series(He was favored in 4 of those 5), no playoffs last 3 years. Let’s see-no playoffs 2 years ago-fired Hextall, no playoffs last year-fired Riorden, no playoffs this year-will probably fire the goalie coach, who will it be next year-Taglianetti the equipment manager??? FIRE SULLY!!!
Sullivan should be fire on April 18th, it doesn’t make sense to fire him now before the season is over, he can still help us get in the top-5 draft position.
I know you justifiably pride yourself on direct coverage, Dan, but consider saving some money by staying home next road trip and watching on TV. This end of season squad doesn’t necessitate anyone’s on site presence.
In light of this tanking is there a can’t miss” they think they can get? Where do they have to finish?
This team’s culture is suffering and so it’s players. One doesn’t get to play in the NHL without living and dreaming of the day if and when it will happen and lots of sacrifice along the way. I now believe the problem is much deeper than talent or bad coaching or team work. Sully seems to have resigned himself to watch as a spectator now, he gave-up a while back, the rage and passion gone, this is not good. Hope I’m wrong because if I’m right it will more than new faces on the ice wearing black and gold to… Read more »
A conscious decision was made to become a nostalgia act. Even now, you’ll catch a lot of heat for pushing back on that.
The Pens will not change as long as Sullivan is coach. His message is stale and old. We need someone like bull or Kasparaitis to give this team some life.