Penguins
Penguins Grades: Fallout from Big Changes, Big Mistakes, & Big Loss
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — What happens if you throw a party and no one comes? The same is true for the Pittsburgh Penguins when the inventors of hockey, as well as the NHL and arena ice crews, go to the trouble to draw a defensive zone, but the Penguins don’t show up.
The Penguins have become the arsonists burning down their own hopes and chances.
Their best players were decidedly their worst on Sunday, and no Herculean effort from third-line center Lars Eller could save the Penguins from themselves in a 6-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre.
The Penguins weren’t lifeless as they were Friday at home against the Carolina Hurricanes, but the result was similar. The Penguins’ defensive disorganization has become a catastrophic flaw and is exacerbating an already tenuous situation. For the Penguins to make the playoffs and end a two-year postseason drought, they needed a good start.
Thus far, they’re happily retreating to the defensive zone, but from there, it’s a panicked fire drill as the Penguins chase the puck, watch the play, and seem to forget their prime directives.
“(We made it) a little bit too easy and a little bit too many Grade A’s. There were a lot of pucks laying around the net instead of us clearing it away, said Erik Karlsson. “They get to tap it in. As a goalie there’s nothing you can do about those … I think we played better. But again, a couple of easy ones go their way and we couldn’t find a way to get them for us today.”
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby–an all-time great, of course–was the culprit in the third period. He lost a defensive zone faceoff cleanly, but he and Bryan Rust chased the puck to the point, leaving multiple Jets a clear path to the net. Defenseman Kris Letang trailed a pair of opponents toward the cage as Adam Lowry easily buried a rebound.
If Lowry didn’t bury it, there were two other Jets anxiously awaiting their dinner.
Penguins Analysis
What the Penguins did right:
The forecheck was pretty good for much of the game, at least from certain players. Drew O’Connor, the fourth line with Valtteri Puustinen and Kevin Hayes, got after the Winnipeg defensemen.
When the Penguins finally got into the game later in the first period, sparks from the bottom six ignited the fire.
The Penguins also played a strong game down low. They forced Winnipeg to defend low and were able to control the territory. When they did that, they were a competitive team. Eller’s goals were prime examples of what the Penguins can do well–he won a wall battle and took the puck to the net, and he also buried a rebound.
The little small-area plays create offensive chances with quick shots near the net.
What the Penguins Did Wrong:
You know, NOT COVER THEIR MAN.
“Well, we’ve got to work at it. You know, I think it starts with just the right mindset. We’re quick to try to jump on the offense (but) we don’t have the puck, said Sullivan. “And we end up putting ourselves and our teammates in a tough spot. So I think we’ve got to have more of a mindset of playing defense first.”
It’s nearly inexplicable to watch NHL players befuddled by simple assignments. The best players in the world are missing their assignments. The Penguins’ top two defensemen are AWOL in the zone, and stay-home defenseman Marcus Pettersson had another rough day, too.
The number of open shots on goalie Alex Nedeljkovic was inexcusable.
There’s little reason to belabor it further. The Penguins were a disaster in their own zone, and it’s their best players and top defensemen who are exasperatingly failing.
“I think we’ve got to do a better job in not beating ourselves. In certain instances where we implode—that’s the biggest takeaway is for a lot of the night, we did a lot of really good things. I think our effort was where it needs to be, from an effort standpoint. I thought our team player really hard. We need to play a little smarter.”
Penguins Grades
Alex Nedeljkovic: A-
He wanted Kyle Connor’s one-timer back because it sneaked through the five-hole, but Nedeljkovic made plenty of good saves.
Drew O’Connor: A
O’Connor was clearly one of the Penguins’ best forwards. He made an impact. His forecheck was good, and he hustled in the defensive zone and pushed hard in the offensive zone.
Lars Eller: A+
The best Penguins forward by a large distance, scoring two strong goals. He’s playing some of the best hockey of his life, and he’s doing it because his teammates are playing defense as if they’re starring in a Mr. Bean episode.
Sidney Crosby: D
Sparse scoring chances and a couple of defensive mistakes, including one that led directly to a goal (Adam Lowry was his man on the fourth goal). This is something to watch. If the pillar that supports the Penguins is wobbling, everything else is going to fall. Crosby was a minus-3.
Erik Karlsson: F
His defensive zone wandering has been more noticeable as the team has followed suit. He’s not producing enough offense to counteract the D-zone decisions.
Kris Letang: D
He’s not been as bad as Karlsson, but Letang’s mistakes are also piling up. He, too, isn’t helping enough to offset the mistakes. He, too, was a minus-3 Sunday.
Mike Sullivan: D
Big points for trying a lot of things. Trying them all at once was perhaps the wrong move. The Penguins spent the first period just trying to settle in to new linemates.
He took a big swing with line changes. Inserting Valtteri Puustinen was probably a good move–the kid was pretty good–but the team was playing like individuals, and a few of the lines were clearly not working. Jesse Puljujarvi with Evgeni Malkin was rough. Also, moving Noel Acciari to the middle completely nullified the version of Acciari, who has been very good.
It also reeked of a coach who knows his team is dangerously close to slipping away and rang the bell, hoping to wake up his slumbering crew. It was the first time in a few years that Sullivan didn’t look in control.