Penguins Grades: Great Structural Game, but Pens Missing Ingredients (+)

The Pittsburgh Penguins limited the zippy New Jersey Devils to only 25 shots in three-plus periods in their 2-1 OT loss to New Jersey on Sunday at Prudential Center.

The Penguins limited New Jersey to only two shots in the second period and one goal regulation. The problem, despite the Penguins’ domination through much of the middle 50 minutes, they, too, scored only once.

Get the Penguins game recap here. And the Penguins locker room reaction here.

“I thought tonight was a better game than we played against Ottawa — when we beat Ottawa. I thought it was much tighter defensively,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “It wasn’t as loose. We didn’t give up as many scoring chances. We generated a fair amount of offense. In the second period, I thought we did a great job controlling territory. There was a lot to like about this game.”

The Penguin’s missing ingredients were on full display Sunday. It is 2023, no longer 2016, and other teams are as fast, if not a smidge faster, than the Penguins. It was a preview of how this roster would perform in the playoffs against the top Metro Division teams. Make no mistake, the organization should be breaking down the game as we type.