Penguins Report Card: Team’s Biggest Issue, Did Sullivan Stumble on Solution?

It was a better game, and the Penguins could accept the overtime loss because they dominated the third period but had some bad luck before their 3v3 overtime struggles reemerged in a 3-2 OT loss to the Detroit Red Wings at PPG Paints Arena Wednesday.

The final score was indicative of the relatively even game and a fair result, considering the Penguins spotted Detroit a 2-0 lead in the first six minutes of the second period. The point was also earned for a comeback sparked by Bryan Rust’s vintage speed rush around the left side for a short breakaway goal and the domination in the third period.

After playing cautiously–essentially timid–in the first period, the Penguins at least fought through their fears, which they earned by the embarrassment of the 7-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Monday.

“A loss is a loss,” Rust said. “But I think the way we responded was a hell of a lot better than the way we responded the other night. Obviously, Rome wasn’t built in a day. We’re trying to get this thing going in the right direction as fast as we can. That was a good step.”

By the end of the night, even with the shorted point, the team felt a little better about themselves.

“It’s like a great night for the team because this is a small step forward–a better game for us,” said Evgeni Malkin. “It’s hard to explain, but I think if we play the same, we’ll have a better chance to win (more games) … with better luck.”

Penguins Biggest Issue

The Penguins’ biggest issue was front and center as they pinned Detroit for most of the third period and increasingly through the second period, too. The problem? The Penguins lack enough talent to score.

Plain and simple. Sullivan has tried to hide players throughout the lineup: Anthony Beauvillier on the top line, Valtteri Puustinen on the third or fourth line, and the same goes for Jesse Puljujarvi, Noel Acciari, and Blake Lizotte.

Most are good players in their own way, but none are going to waste much ink on the scoresheet. Yet Sullivan was forced to slot Beauviller beside Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell. Lizotte began the game as the third-line center. Acciari notoriously plays a gritty, tenacious game on the wing but a conservative game in the middle.

“(When he’s on the wing) I think he can be a little bit more aggressive, especially in the offensive zone in the forecheck. I think maybe he feels the burden of responsibility that centers have from a defensive standpoint,” Sullivan said of Acciari. “He and I have had that conversation about playing the wing versus playing center, and he’s such a conscientious player defensively. When he plays center, he’s always cognizant of that (responsibility), even when he’s in the offensive zone.”

So, if it’s not Crosby, Malkin, Rust, or Rakell who’s going to score, the Penguins are in deep trouble.

Further, the ability to create extended pressure or connecting plays whithers because, eventually, the puck will pass through one of the lesser talented players slotted a position or two above their natural station, fourth-liners interspersed through the lineup.

Did Sullivan Find a Solution?

We think Sullivan stumbled on a solution, but whether he has the courage to abandon his convictions is another matter.

The potential solution is right there—and it may have been assistant coach David Quinn’s doing, or at least Quinn planted the seeds last May while coaching Team USA when he used the hard-skating, 6-foot-3 Drew O’Connor at center. O’Connor scored three goals with five assists in 10 games during international play, largely as a pivot, but Sullivan has almost exclusively used him at the wing during his NHL career. In fact, Sullivan responded to a question from PHN last season that he much preferred O’Connor on the wing.

Hey, necessity is the mother of invention … or buckling principles.

“Yes, it is (a consideration). We know we can play (O’Connor) there. He’s played a lot of center. He did in college. He did it at the American League level in (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton). So we know that’s an option, and that’s certainly a consideration right now given the fact that we were down to three early in the game when (Blake Lizotte) went out … We’ll see where that goes, but that’s certainly an option for us, for sure.”

To steal Phil Knight’s marketing slogan, just do it.

Lizotte, who slotted as the Penguins’ third-line center Wednesday following the Lars Eller trade, was hurt in the first period when he was hit in the face by a puck. Lizotte didn’t return, creating an 11-forward rotation.

However, the largely overlooked aspect of the game was Drew O’Connor and coach Mike Sullivan’s line juggling. Sullivan stumbled onto something late in the first period, though he curiously didn’t stick with it as the Perfection board kept popping up before he settled on his preferred lines.

Sullivan put O’Connor as the second-line center in the first period as he reunited Malkin and Sidney Crosby. After a reticent period, the team finally found a spark. The Malkin-Crosby-Rickard Rakell line immediately created a few dangerous scoring chances, followed by O’Connor and Bryan Rust getting the puck to the net and forcing Detroit goalie Cam Talbot to make another quality save.

O’Connor, 26, won three of his four faceoffs. Later in the game, he was sometimes slotted as the third-line center, though it seemed Acciari had the bulk of those duties.

O’Connor’s wingers rotated as fast as did the rest of the lines, but it also worked. It kept the team on their toes, much like the success they had in rallying from an abysmal six-minute stretch against the Vancouver Canucks earlier this season in which they allowed three goals in 65 seconds and a fourth goal not long after.

Moving Malkin to Crosby’s wing gives the team a legitimate top line. That just can’t be argued. Putting O’Connor in the middle might just provide the team with a passable second-liner playing with Rust and Michael Bunting.

A little birdie told us that O’Connor likes playing center, but he’ll never say so publicly.

Perhaps he should. Most certainly, Sullivan should follow Quinn’s lead and see where it goes.

Penguins Report Card

Team: B

We’re being a bit generous. It was more like a C+, but it was akin to taking their first walk in the park after getting mugged. Once Rust scored the goal in the second period, everybody relaxed and began playing hockey again. It wasn’t intense–perhaps it should have been–and it wasn’t physical–it definitely should have been–but it was a passable effort that will allow them to sleep tonight.

Kris Letang: B

It wasn’t vintage Letang, but he was pretty good. He had five shots on goal and was noticeable for the right reasons.

Sidney Crosby: A

No matter who was on Crosby’s line, they were getting scoring chances. Crosby had seven shots on goal, and his lines combined for 13 scoring chances. The rest of the lines combined for six.

Bryan Rust: A+

Here’s the postgame quote that says everything you need to know about Rust. His goal was hugely important and a beaut, too.

“I expect a lot from myself and have been around this league for a long time, obviously on the team for a long time. I like to put things on my shoulders when things aren’t going well and hopefully try to help the team out of it the best I can.”

If Rust isn’t around after the trade deadline, he’s going to be the most underrated pickup and make some teams a much greater threat to win the Stanley Cup.

Notice that the report card was filled with team leaders playing very well. That’s the team’s character. Now, it needs more talent.