Penguins Grades: Getting Honest About the Pens’ Problem

DENVER — Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was encouraged by much of the Pittsburgh Penguins game Tuesday. So, too, was coach Mike Sullivan who had little to criticize as his team outplayed Stanley Cup contender Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena.

However, the Penguins never lit the lamp a second time and lost 4-1. Two empty-net goals in the final 68 seconds skewed the score of an otherwise well-played one-goal game.

What to say when the team does everything except score, but the lack of goals is not endemic to one game, but a greater team-wide issue that will not be solved internally. In other words, the Penguins roster lacks offensive power.

Read More: Penguins Shine in Colorado … Yet Still Lose

The Penguins out-chanced Colorado 27-20. They had 12 high-danger chances compared to the nine allowed (numbers according to NaturalStatTrick.com). And yet, they made backup goalie Scott Wedgewood look brilliant.

Wedgewood has a long history of playing well against the Penguins, going back to his second-ever start in the NHL, a 39-save shutout at PPG Paints Arena on March 24, 2016. Wedgewood was perhaps the only goalie to slow the “March of the Penguins” that spring. Tuesday, he stopped 32 of 33 shots.

How you view the game Tuesday depends on how you view the next six weeks of Penguins hockey. One may be encouraged by numerous stand-out performances from depth players, such as Anthony Beauvillier and Philip Tomasino.

“I loved our team game tonight. I thought the guys played hard; there was structure, and there was a collective effort in all three zones. I thought it was a good hockey game for 56 minutes,” Sullivan said.

But Sullivan also balanced out his praise of the Penguins game by stating the obvious.

“I’m not sure that line was any better than the other ones. I thought all of them, for the most part, competed hard. (Sidney Crosby) got a lot of time against Nathan MacKinnon’s line. I thought they played well,” Sullivan said. “(Evgeni Malkin’s) line had some o-zone time., as did Hayes’s. You know I think when (Hayes’s line) is at their best, they control territory. They make good decisions on the blue line, not turning pucks over. Hayes’s line (with Philip Tomasino and Danton Heinen) has some offensive capability.

“You know we’d like to see them finish.”

Crosby seemed caught between the joy of a well-played game against a great opponent and the disbelief of not winning a game. Quite frankly, the Penguins were at max effort, and yet … another loss.

“It’s been kind of going that way since the break. You know, we’ve put some really good games together, and I feel like we deserved better,” Crosby said. “But yeah, you don’t get participation points. So we’ve got to find a way to win games.”

Penguins Xs and Os: The Goal Against

The Penguins yielded a goal earlier in the second period despite three players along the goal line. Unfortunately, the Matt Grzelcyk-Erik Karlsson pairing was front and center.

Karlsson didn’t contact MacKinnon for a loose puck behind the net, instead guarding the near post. Grzelcyk went to the far post, where no one was. With the time and space, MacKinnon was able to put a perfect pass on Arturi Lehkonen’s stick about 15 feet from the net. Penguins forward Blake Lizotte couldn’t get to Lehkonen fast enough.

Hockey is a game of mistakes, but on Tuesday, it only took one.

Why Karlsson was on the penalty kill in the final five minutes is a head-scratcher by Sullivan. Karlsson neither defended nor broke up the pass across the crease to Casey Mittelstadt. He was caught in space, and Mittelstadt slammed the easy pass into the cage for the winner.

Little tactical wrinkle: I think I saw the Penguins plant a forward in the middle of the ice–at the blue line–to disrupt the Colorado breakouts. The Penguins are especially tight-lipped about such tactics, but Kevin Hayes and his line had several takeaways by sealing off the middle and the wall.

Boy howdy is Colorado fast. When Colorado had the better of the play in the first five to 10 minutes, their quickness was incredible.

Penguins Report Card

 Team: A-

I’ll take the contrary view. This isn’t a good team because for them to win, too many players have to play to their fullest potential. If you’re relying on players throughout the lineup who are not reliable scorers, you will, in fact, not have reliable scoring. It’s not a mystery.

However, the team had a puck hunger Tuesday. They didn’t stray in the defensive zone (except for the first goal of the game) and performed admirably. Their forecheck compounded their puck pressure (backcheck).

Colorado coach Jared Bednar: “We, oh man, we did not move the puck at all tonight. Turnover after turnovers, to scoring chances again, it was ugly.”

Credit the Penguins for busting up their breakouts (coaching tactics and player effort) and making it difficult.

But the Penguins’ kingdom for a goal.

Heinen-Hayes-Bemstrom: A-

They get the minus for not converting so many good chances. The line earned four high-danger chances, though they kept the puck in the danger zone for most of the night. Their highway to the danger zone was both good defense and good wall work–they transitioned well to the offensive zone and didn’t stop on the perimeter.

The line allowed merely one scoring chance.

Ryan Shea: A

The defenseman who escaped the Dallas organization last year is making the most of his big chance. He was quite good Tuesday, especially on one defensive zone play later in the first period, in which he combined puck skills on the wall and a little physicality to assert himself in the space. He kept the puck away from multiple Avalanche players, creating a Penguins breakout.

Alex Nedeljkovic: A

Neither goal was on the goalie. He held the fort when Colorado pressed. He gave the Penguins a chance to win. They should have won.

Anthony Beauvillier: A-

He gets the minus for the third period penalty. Of course, after not tagging the Penguins with a penalty in the entire game, refs were looking for one. Beauvillier just happened to be the guy who gave them a reason to raise the arm.

Beauvillier led all Penguins with five shots on goal, including a breakaway. Most of those shots were close to the net, as the puck seemed to follow him Tuesday. Like the rest of the team, he did everything but score. However, his overall game was superb.

Philip Tomasino: A-

Tomasino made a pair of blue line stands, including a sharp eye to intercept the Colorado rush and spring Beauvillier on the breakaway. He, too, did everything but score. His overall game is coming along–it’s not yet ideal, and he’s got to score when given as many chances as he had Tuesday.