Penguins Wrap: Goalies Shine; Boko-mania; RFA Targets?

The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the week flying high — or as high as a team with very faint playoffs hopes can reach. An ugly loss brought them crashing back to earth, even though they were able to quickly recover for a feel-good, fun-t0-watch win.

After a mostly stellar ride with the re-emergence of goaltender Tristan Jarry, Alex Nedeljkovic returned after two weeks off and, as they like to say in hockey, stood on his head.

If you weren’t sure who Boko Imama was before, he introduced himself in a big way.

Looking ahead, questions are answered about the offseason, including possible RFA targets. Looking just a little farther ahead, the Penguins are headed back to Europe.

To catch up on all of this and more from the past week, click the links.

Saturday: With a week to digest everything, it seems Penguins president of hockey operations/general manager Kyle Dubas just “nibbled around the edges” with his NHL trade deadline moves. Meanwhile, coach Mike Sullivan offered an interesting assessment of defenseman Kris Letang. It’s in the Penguins notebook.

The resurgence of goaltender Tristan Jarry continued. He was again strong as the Penguins won their fourth game in a row, over New Jersey.

A theme during their winning streak was emerging — goaltenders and grinders. Jarry and the third line stood out. There were a lot of grades in the ‘A’ and ‘B’ range, but also some rough performances to point out in the Penguins grades.

Sunday: Sure, it’s farfetched. Penguins fans hate the guy, who is not only a pest but also is a darned good hockey player. So, just for fun, Dave Molinari took a look at the unlikely scenario of the Penguins getting Brad Marchand.

Monday: What about Mitchell Marner? Will all those draft picks really boost the roster in the near future? What return might Rickard Rakell bring? Those questions, and more, are asked and answered in a Penguins Q&A.

A guy can dream, can’t he? In this case, a locker room full of guys, perhaps buoyed by their four-game winning streak, looked past the huge odds against making the playoffs and still felt as if they were playing for something.

A winning streak made things a little lighter. Looking at the standings offered a reality check. So for the Penguins, what does winning mean?

Tuesday: The Penguins used to be one of the marquee teams that got tabbed for all sorts of things, such as outdoor games. Also, games in Europe. Well, they are going back overseas next season, this time with two games in Sweden.

The Penguins might look at beefing up their young talent pool by swooping in on some restricted free agents this summer. PHN offered not only a look at what that process might be, but also threw out the names of several potential RFA targets.

The Penguins’ winning streak ended with a thud. A two-goal lead going into the third period got washed away by the bad habits that have plagued them most of the season, and they fell to the New York Islanders.

To say coach Mike Sullivan was perplexed would be an understatement. He pointed out a laundry list of flaws in the come-from-ahead loss that probably drove a nail in whatever slim hopes the Penguins had of making the playoffs. There were harsh marks in the Penguins grades.

Wednesday: If you were still holding out hope for a playoff spot, this news might convince you to give it up. The Penguins’ odds of reaching the postseason hit 0 percent by one metric. On the flip side, about that first overall draft pick…

Thursday: PHN takes a look at the narratives and the reality surrounding coach Mike Sullivan. That, and a couple issues, including the team’s issues on defense, are examined in this edition of Penguins one-timers.

A couple interesting shifts emerged during the Penguins’ workout. Connor Timmons was promoted to the top defensive pairing — moving veteran Kris Letang to his off side — and Conor Dewar was promoted to the second line alongside Evgeni Malkin. It’s in the practice report.

The Penguins would like to get working evaluations on several new and young players as the season winds down. Yet it’s in coach Mike Sullivan’s DNA to come up with the most competitive lineup. Sullivan addressed the way he balances those things.

Friday: Philip Tomasino and Vladislav Kolyachonok, both young players, have worked to get on track since joining the Penguins. PHN takes a look at their youth struggles.

Boko Imama came up an assist shy of a Gordie Howe hat trick, but he had a memorable game, and the fans at PPG Paints Arena seemed to love it. Watch as he fights and scores.

The Columbus Blue Jackets can’t buy a win in Pittsburgh, and this matchup was no different. Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, idle for two weeks, came up big as the Penguins got back on the winning side of things.

Imama, Nedeljkovic and the Penguins’ top line were among the bright sp0ts in an entertaining win that harkened back to the 1980s style of play. There were a few flaws, including the defensive play. Read it all in the Penguins grades.