Report Card: That Was the Penguins?! A Mold-Smashing 20 Minutes

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Pittsburgh Penguins have an aversion to multi-goal leads and discipline. Like anxiously trying to score goals, struggling to defend is in their team DNA stretching back decades. The second period conformed to the script that you and they had seen far too often. A 2-0 lead against the Washington Capitals had become a tied game by the end of 40 minutes, and the Penguins were mired in the quicksand.

Then, something changed. Or, maybe something finally … FINALLY … clicked.

Coach Mike Sullivan pulled the lever on significant line changes, breaking up the top-heavy lineup and moving to a more balanced group by separating Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, pairing Crosby with Drew O’Connor and Rickard Rakell, and Malkin with Michael Bunting and Bryan Rust.

Almost unbelievably, the Penguins limited Washington to just six shots on goal in the third period. It was the Penguins on their toes charging the net for the game-winning goal, not sullenly watching an opponent once again snatch victory from their jaws sour with defeat.

“We didn’t play a high-risk game. We made good decisions with the puck, and we defended as a group. And I think when we defend hard and we have that mindset, I think we can be hard to play against,” Sullivan said. “You know, our challenge is going to be bringing that consistently, shift in and shift out, period in and period out, game in and game out. I think if we can have that mindset, then we’re going to put ourselves in the position to win a lot of games.”

The Penguins won only their sixth game of the season, but it was unlike many that have preceded it in the last 24 months. For a shining moment, in a shining city on a hill, forwards tracked back to the defensive zone with purpose. The defensemen made good decisions with the puck, refusing to give easy offense to a red-hot Washington squad. And goaltender Joel Blomqvist played not like a 22-year-old rookie but a seasoned veteran who knew his mission was to rescue the team from their insecurities.

Blomqvist was stellar in the second period and rose to the challenge late in the third. It was more than a professional performance; it was a defining performance.

“It felt pretty good. I thought our team played really, really well today,” said Blomqvist. “So they had some big blocks for me. It was just fun to play.”

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A 2-0 lead became a 2-2 game after the Penguins allowed 18 shots and 18 scoring chances in the second period. It became a 4-2 Penguins win after they blanketed Washington in the third, allowing only six more, including just one shot in the final 3:07, which was from 50 feet.

The winner was also everything the Penguins would like to do a lot more often. Bryan Rust sped past the defender on the left wing, getting to the net. While Washington goalie Charlie Lindgren made the initial save, Evgeni Malkin cleaned up the garbage in the crease for a rebound goal.

If the tone of the column reads as somewhat impressed, that’s because, for the first time this season, the Pittsburgh Penguins were indeed impressive. It wasn’t a beautiful 60-minute effort or a dominating squash, but it was a resilient game in which they finally rose to meet the challenge of a very good team and outplayed them.

While the third period rightfully deserves a lot of the postgame attention, the Penguins were also very good in the first period. Defenseman Erik Karlsson taketh, but he can also giveth. Karlsson scored the first goal with a well-placed wrist shot from the slot, and he did all of the leg work to set up the Penguin’s second goal.

“I thought he had a really strong game. He played extremely well, and he has the ability to make an impact the way he did,” Sullivan said. “Early in the game, I thought (Karlsson) was really noticeable just with his skating. He’s a one-man breakout. He’s so good on the offensive blue line. He made some really nice plays … I was really happy for him–that he had that type of effort tonight.”

Penguins Report Card

What the Penguins Did Well: They responded to Thursday’s beatdown by the Carolina Hurricanes with an inspired start. It wasn’t a frantic, adrenaline-fueled start but a well-structured, urgent beginning. Karlsson playing his A-game makes such a difference. He changes the entire outlook of the team when he’s playing well.

The Penguins matched Washington, stride for stride and chance for chance. More importantly, the Penguins buried their chances in the first period.

In the third period, the Penguins gave stupidity the night off. The Penguins had a handful of giveaways, but none of the eye-rolling, headshaking kind. By staying in front of Washington, they largely insulated Blomqvist but were thankful when he made a pair of saves around the 15:00 minute mark–those were the last chances Washington had to tie the game.

Discipline. Urgency. Goaltending. It’s the recipe for success.

What the Penguins Didn’t Do Well: The second period looked like the lifeless, sputtering, left-for-dead team they have reverted to this season. In the second period, captain Sidney Crosby gave an aggressive speech to the boys on the bench. It wasn’t a golly-gee pep talk—it was a captain barking. It also worked.

The Penguins flung open the barn doors and were having way too much fun in the second period. The teams traded scoring chances, personifying Sullivan’s consternation that the team wanted to score its way out of this funk instead of trying to defend its way out.

Defensemen Marcus Pettersson and Jack St. Ivany–the two defenders counted upon for their reliable defense–both made big mistakes. Pettersson’s led to the tying goal. St. Ivany was lucky as he yielded a couple of odd-man rushes, including a breakaway, but his former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton teammate bailed him out.

The defensive stalwarts can’t be turnstiles or get caught up on ice. They did.

Karlsson also significantly regressed in the second period, badly displaying the two-on-one that was the tying goal created by Pettersson’s bad read. He made a few more mistakes that the hockey folks quickly called out, such as not turning to skate backward to defend the rush, thus allowing a high-danger chance and getting caught out of position.

Player Grades

Joel Blomqvist: A+

He may not get the recognition as the No. 1 star of the game, but he was the Penguins’ most important player. It was a pretty good time to flash that talent as No. 1 goalie Tristan Jarry’s 14-day conditioning assignment is over, and the team must make a decision. Blomqvist stopped 32 of 34 shots, including some dandies.

Evgeni Malkin: A

Malkin skated faster at several points in the first period than I have seen him skate in years. He was flying. Karlsson’s goal was his handiwork; he forechecked, backchecked, and earned a paycheck. One goal, one assist, and three shots on goal. He was the Penguins’ best forward.

Erik Karlsson: Depends

His first period was resurgent. However, one of PHN’s trusted hockey insiders who was monitoring the game was not as forthcoming with praise, “He was as bad as he was last night, but Blomqvist is the difference. The puck didn’t go in the net.”

We’re going to give him a solid B. Defensive bobbles are baked into the Karlsson dessert, but he came through with offense and visibly exerted himself on defense. The journey of 1000 steps begins with the first.

Michael Bunting: B+

He’s clearly gaining momentum and confidence with each game, Carolina notwithstanding. He had three shots and the Penguins’ second goal, which he earned by beating the defenseman to the net. He is getting back to the combative, gritty forward that he was last season when he first arrived from Carolina.

Other Good Games: Blake Lizotte. Bryan Rust. Jesse Puljujarvi. Ryan Graves played a very solid game from start to finish. He was physical and in the right spots.

A couple of rough games: Valtteri Puustinen was essentially benched, playing under five minutes in the first two periods. Then he took a bad penalty later in the third period. No, no, no. Anthony Beauvillier was kind of invisible despite some offensive zone time. Matt Grzelcyk was probably a C or C+.