Penguins Report Card: Dominant Win, And Why It Could Matter

LOS ANGELES — Where was that Pittsburgh Penguins effort against the Washington Capitals Saturday and on the recent five-game homestand?

The Penguins found a deep level of urgency, if not outright desperation, as they scrambled for every loose puck, stopped hard, and raced back to the defensive zone when necessary. Against the rigidly structured LA Kings, the Penguins fought to get between the dots. In the end, both teams coasted to the finish, but it was the Penguins who enjoyed the ride in a 5-1 win at Crypto.com Arena.

The first of two most important factors was the Penguins’ refusal to let LA comfortably control the puck, especially coming out of the defensive zone. Without the ability to put the Penguins on their heels, they never really established their neutral zone structure–a major win for the Penguins.

Read More: Penguins Find Their Desperation; Crosby & Depth Carry Team Over Kings

Instead, the Penguins quickly pounced on loose pucks in the offensive zone or immediately disrupted LA possession, preventing clean breakouts and momentum.

“I thought we played with a ton of energy. We did a really good job just playing on top of them in the offensive zone,” said coach Mike Sullivan. “I thought we did a great job getting up in fives–just five-man units in all three zones against a team that is as stingy defensively as they are. I thought we did a really good job trying to get inside and trying to create opportunities and force them to have to defend on that front.”

The second thing the Penguins did exceedingly well was maintain momentum. LA had a few bouts of energy and pressure, but the Penguins didn’t buckle beneath it. They made some big mistakes early in the first period, but they escaped when Nedeljkovic made a few vital saves and wrestled away control of the game.

They were the better team Monday,

“I thought we did a great job of taking it to them, not letting them get to their game,” said goalie Alex Nedeljkovic. “Any time they got any sort of momentum, a shift or two in our end, we responded the right way every time–we spent five minutes in their end, and more times than not, we put a goal in the back of their net. I thought it was great. The best defense is a good offense, and we did a lot of that.”

Sidney Crosby and Anthony Beauvillier had two points (1-1-2) each. So, too, did Kevin Hayes. Philip Tomasino would have had two assists, but the scorers took away all assists on Kevin Hayes’s first-period goal because a defenseman contacted Hayes’s stick or the puck, knocking the puck into the net.

Penguins Xs and Os

Whether it was a conscious decision or necessity, the Penguins pushed toward the middle of the ice. Since LA didn’t often get to see up and stack the neutral zone, the Penguins had more speed than expected into the offensive zone. From there, they used their advantage to hold the puck. They paused, and instead of skating it low into the teeth of the defense, the forwards showed crafty hands and cut laterally into the slot.

Of course, LA had to defend that move, which opened some space in the dirty areas, too.

“I thought we were connected, winning battles and playing behind them,” said Beauvillier.  I thought that was key for us tonight. I felt like all four lines were doing that, and most of the lines had success doing that.”

The Penguins’ best defense was from behind. They hounded the puck carriers almost immediately, creating turnovers and loose pucks. They were able to get possession or corner LA, forcing non-event plays.

With the exception of a few minutes at the end of the second period, LA wasn’t able to build momentum because the Penguins played tight gaps all over the ice. That LA 1-4 setup was noticeable in the opening minutes, but then they were chasing.

Penguins Report Card

Team: A

The first period was touch-and-go for a bit. However, LA was understandably sloppy; their city has suffered, and it was an emotional night. After Nedeljkovic made a couple of first-period saves and Kevin Hayes scored a first-period power-play goal, the Penguins were running downhill.

All four lines were prominent, and every facet of the game was on point.

Alex Nedeljkovic: A+

He stopped 25 of 26 shots, but it was the breakaway save on Quinton Byfield early in the first that set the tone. It was the big blocker save on Warren Foegele shortly after LA scored their only goal, and it was the quiet saves when LA had momentum.

Nedeljkovic has won three of his last four starts with save percentages in those wins beginning with Tuesday and working backward of .962 (LA), .952 (Buffalo), and .930 (Edmonton).

He’s providing the Penguins with good goaltending. And the team has responded.

Anthony Beauvillier: A+

If it wasn’t his best game of the season, it was his best in recent memory. He had a goal and an assist and was impactful on Sidney Crosby’s line.

“Really good, showed some speed, obviously gets one in around the net there,” said Crosby. “He had a couple of chances besides that, so I thought everybody played really well, really solid on both sides of the puck.”

Erik Karlsson: Wow

As a member of the San Jose Sharks, Karlsson has played just a few games in this arena. He was exceptional in the first period and the first part of the second. After the Penguins built a big lead, he didn’t make mistakes and didn’t try to force more offense.

When he’s on his toes, it’s a sight to behold.

Marcus Pettersson: Woof

Pettersson made a few mistakes, including a couple of glaring mistakes in the first period. A bad pinch, a turnover, and sketchy D-zone play put him behind the eight ball. He was uncharacteristically off his game.

Does It Matter?

OK, that’s probably enough tire-pumping for a team that’s still one game below hockey .500. Had they done the little things half as well during their homestand or against Washington, an entirely different narrative would be being written about this team.

Obviously, I wrote that it was time for general manager Kyle Dubas to let rip. That’s still true, but that faint pulse of playoff hope is still beating. The team gave itself a reason to believe.

Yet, as they did last year, it seems they’re at their best when things are the bleakest. They have four games remaining on the road trip, and all of them are against non-playoff teams.

If there’s any hope–any hope at all–they need three of the next four, if not three wins and points in all four remaining games on the trip. They’ve punted their margin for error already, and the odds that the entire underbelly of the Eastern Conference will collapse for a second year in a row seem remote. Surely, some teams will start winning games on the regular?

Who knows?