Penguins
Penguins Report Card: ‘Right Intentions,’ but One Big Flaw Exposed

There was some off-ice drama during Sunday’s game at PPG Paints Arena that was far too emblematic of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ effort against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Penguins dominated Tampa Bay, outshooting them 14-2 in the first period, but they led only 1-0. Tampa Bay scored on their fourth shot to tie the game 1-1 and then scored again on their eighth shot for a 2-1 lead, despite the Penguins outshooting them 21-8 at the time.
Nikita Kucherov scored a late goal in the third period, then Tampa Bay potted a pair of empty netters for a 5-2 win at PPG Paints Arena.
Read More: Better Effort, Similar Outcome in Penguins’ Loss to Lightning
Off the ice, a young fan attempted to dislodge a puck caught in the netting. As he did, an older fan swooped in and caught the puck, then refused to give it back. That was exactly what happened to the Penguins as they banged on the glass for a puck to fall, only to watch their opponent steal it away with
Side note: Three full sections of fans were chanting and excoriating the adult and cheering for the young fan who was having some fun with the attention by standing on his seat to lead cheers for the game (Good on you, kid!). The adult behaved badly and was later escorted out, but not without a few one-finger salutes to his Penguins’ brethren.
@TheDanKingerski pic.twitter.com/YuPtC1cG6k
— Danny (@PensML) January 12, 2025
Just as the kid did most of the work to loosen the puck, the Penguins did most of the work necessary to win, but Tampa Bay grabbed the puck at the end. The Penguins outshot them 33-16 while goalies were in the net and 33-18 after Tampa Bay scored a pair of empty-net goals.
“Yesterday, we didn’t really give ourselves a chance. Tonight, I thought we deserved better, but you don’t get points for playing well,” said Sidney Crosby. “You’ve got to find a way to win (those) games, and we have to do that.”
In the locker room, the players were frustrated but not disgusted. They felt like they could have won but didn’t find the “that goal” to get it done. Both Bryan Rust and Cody Glass expressed some confidence in the team’s performance through some headshakes at the result, but Kris Letang focused on the breakdowns that cost them the game.
“You know, we played pretty well for most of the game. It doesn’t take much for that team (to score),” said Kris Letang. “So you can never lift your foot off the gas against a team like that. They’re too dangerous offensively. And we got burned.”
Penguins Xs and Os
For the most part, the Penguins defended hard, played 200 feet, and maintained a good structure to keep Tampa Bay on the perimeter, especially in the first period.
The Penguins didn’t try to outskate Tampa Bay; instead, they held their position, keeping Tampa at bay (you see what I did there?) and absorbed Tampa’s puck possession.
In the first period, on the offensive side of the rink, the Penguins were content to possess the puck down low, though they were not aggressive enough to get to the net and create chaos.
The Penguins were able to break out with speed, especially in the first half of the game. Because they held onto the puck and defended hard, Tampa Bay’s forecheck couldn’t get on them.
They really missed Michael Bunting, who was scratched after being involved in a car accident outside the arena as he reported for work. His net-front chaos was sorely missed.
“I thought we were doing a good job of getting it to the point–maybe (we needed to) get the goalies’ eyes a little bit more,” said Glass. “I felt like we were doing a really good job of getting it up high, getting it (to the net). But I think maybe we’re trying to be a little bit too cute with our shots that were in the slot or maybe (making) an extra pass, something like that.”
The Penguins got flat-footed and sloppy a few times in the second period, and Tampa Bay’s gunslingers hit a couple of posts and put a couple in the net.
The Penguins rebounded well in the third period to tie the game, as they’ve done several times recently, but they were a player or two short against a good Tampa Bay team that didn’t need a lot of chances to score.
In their end, their fatal flaw was on display: They don’t have players who can be counted upon to score.
Perhaps their second fatal flaw was also displayed: Too often this season, they haven’t gotten “that” save from their starting goalie.
Penguins Report Card
Team: B-
They get a mediocre grade because they didn’t finish Tampa Bay when they had the chance. They were all over Tampa Bay in the first period but did little with the domination. NaturalStatTrick.com showed the Penguins with only four high-danger chances, and that might have been exclusively from the top line.
Sullivan defended his group.
“Their intentions are in the right place. You know, we’re trying to make good decisions through the neutral zone, we’re trying to play the game straight ahead, trying to get inside the dots and get to the blue paint,” Sullivan said. “There were a fair amount of instances in that regard. I think at the end of the day, all you can do is control the process and how you go about it.”
We’ll disagree a bit with Sullivan. This is a top-line team right now. Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell, and Bryan Rust had great chances, but you’d be hard-pressed to find other great scoring chances.
The other three lines needed to get there—between the dots and the blue paint—instead of trying. Perhaps that’s more a personnel thing than an effort thing.
Tristan Jarry: C
The best adjective I can use is messy.
Jarry faced 10 shots in the first 47 minutes, yet he didn’t project the quiet confidence the team loves. Jarry earned his keep with a big save on the 11th shot, as Brandon Hagel had a shorthanded breakaway, but he fought the puck more than a little bit.
Hagel’s toe-drag-and-snap goal in the second period was filthy. It’s no fault to the goalie when a good player does something good. However, the second goal was suspect as Kucherov whacked at the puck while falling backward from about 45 feet away. In a tight game, you need that save. It changed the completion of the game dramatically.
O’Connor-Glass-Tomasino: C-
This is a quiet line by design. Glass is a player who produces a few scoring chances and doesn’t allow any. However, they yielded more chances (4) than they had (1).
Without Evgeni Malkin in the lineup (placed on IR Sunday), this is their chance to shine. Now or never, kids.
“Without a doubt, it’s when you have players of that caliber of that audio lineup, it’s hard to replace that. And so, you know, I think from a matchup standpoint, it’s a little bit easier for our opponents, without a doubt. But having said that, it’s going to give opportunities for guys, some of these younger guys that we have in our lineup right now. It’s given them opportunities to step up and try to make an impact. And so that’s what we have to do.
Power Play: B-
Their zone entries were markedly improved from Saturday to Sunday, and they scored on their third opportunity. On the first couple of chances, they moved the puck around the zone but passed up good shots, looking for a great shot, which didn’t materialize. They were too cute. It should serve as a lesson that they scored a greasy goal when Kevin Hayes swatted a bouncing puck into the net from the side of the crease.