Penguins Report Card: Very Different Type of Penguins Win

Sometimes, the Pittsburgh Penguins insist on playing on the rush just to show they still have it. Those nights usually don’t end well. Occasionally, the Penguins button up and play a tight defensive concept, and other times they stay on the forecheck with varying results.

Saturday, the Penguins combined a responsible defensive game with physicality to beat the Nashville Predators 3-0 at PPG Paints Arena. It was the Penguin’s second consecutive win and the first time since Dec. 17-19 that they’ve won two in a row.

Sidney Crosby scored a goal for the fourth consecutive game. Philip Tomasino ripped a one-timer just after a power play expired. And Alex Nedeljkovic was stellar in the face of only 25 shots in the Penguins’ first shutout of the season.

Instead of the diehard fans getting grumpy and showering boos from the upper deck as they did on the homestand, “Let’s Go Pens!” chants could be heard in the third period. It was a cathartic evening for the ailing Penguins to win a physical game and do so by being as physical as Nashville. It was an emotional 24 hours for the team after general manager Kyle Dubas traded Marcus Petterson and Drew O’Connor to the Vancouver Canucks (part of the return included winger Danton Heinen and defenseman Vincent Desharnais, who both played Saturday).

“Obviously, the last 24 hours with all the trades and everything, it’s tough to say goodbye to your friends and teammates. But with that said, I thought that Heinen and Vinnie really played awesome for us tonight,” Rickard Rakell said. “Tonight it looked like (Heinen) played for our team before (which he did for two seasons from 2021-2023), so he kind of knows the system. But I felt like Vinnie played really well for us, too.”

It was certainly a different Penguins team. The newly acquired 6-foot-7 Desharnais kept the crease clean. Michael Bunting and Anthony Beauvillier finished checks on the forecheck, and fourth-liner Boko Imama thumped a few Nashville defensemen and kept the threat of unwarranted violence to a minimum.

What’s all this I hear of violins on TV? (50-year-old SNL reference).

After losing to a trio of weak opponents on the marathon seven-game road trip, the Penguins dispatched Nashville beginning on the first shift. Coach Mike Sullivan started his gritty fourth line, including Imama, who delivered a punishing hit on Nashville defenseman Luke Schenn.

“(Starting the fourth line) was just a reaction to their group. We were looking for certain matchups. They started their fourth line … they wanted to try to establish energy right away and gain momentum,” said Sullivan. “I thought it was a good opportunity to start our guys to help us keep momentum and give us some energy. I think the team was excited when they announced the starting lineup in the locker room before we went out because, as you guys know, that’s not always the norm.

“And so I think it’s great for those guys. I think it makes them feel that their contribution matters, and it does.”

Substitute the word energy for physical presence. Neither team needed skywriting to get the message from Sullivan’s starting lineup. Sullivan used his physical players to ground his team in a gritty game.

It worked to perfection.

Nashville isn’t without some tough guys, including Michael McCarron, who also started the game. McCarron has taken some liberties with the Penguins in the past, especially Sidney Crosby (March 30, 2023). Last November, McCarron fought Penguins defenseman John Ludvig.

Sullivan hates tough guys, right? Imama didn’t have to play a lot of minutes to be effective. In fact, he nearly gave away a second-period power play by defending Matt Grzelcyk, who was roughed up at the whistle. Fortunately for Imama, both he and Zachary L’Heureux received extra minors, preserving the Penguins’ power play–which they did little with, but that’s another story.

The message was heeded, and even the Penguins offense was the result of hard-nosed play.

“I think when you win those tough games, those close games, and the physical ones, those are ones that you probably build a little bit more off of,” said Sidney Crosby. “There’s no win that’s easy, but when you go through ones like that I think you appreciate them a little bit more. They’ve got some big bodies and are pretty physical. I thought we did a good job of just playing through it and being physical ourselves.”

Unfortunately for the Penguins, most of the teams ahead of them in the standings also won (except Tampa Bay, which lost to the New York Islanders). The Penguins remain at least seven points out of a wild-card spot, giving multiple games in hand to most ahead of them.

Penguins Xs and Os

Tape-to-tape passes are great, but they mean little if they’re not going anywhere. Saturday, the Penguins executed their breakouts with precision leading to good neutral zone momentum and controlled zone entries.

“(We did well) just moving the puck. I thought our D did a really good job getting it to the forwards, and if they couldn’t make the pass, they skated it themselves, or they got it deep,” Crosby said. “So, it was pretty simple, but it’s not always easy to execute that consistently. I think the D was really good at just taking the play that was there, and then our forwards were on pucks and winning battles, which is a big part of it.”

The gritty Penguins won a lot of battles and competed well in the ones they didn’t win.

Tactically, the Penguins–all four lines–took the puck low, forcing Nashville to turn and defend. If you’ve wondered what Sullivan and players mean when they say, “We have to hang onto pucks,” that’s it.

The Penguins low possession opened the low-to-high game, and the team wasn’t shy about going to the net. They created good traffic in the dirty areas, which kept Nashville on defense.

“Our team defense starts in the offensive zone in the puck pursuit or puck possession game just by hanging onto pucks and forcing teams to expend energy to defend us. But even when we don’t have the puck, we get up in fives and play on top of teams, and I think that’s what our team is at its best,” said Sullivan. “I think our guys like to play that game, especially Sid and those guys. So, there’s an element of physicality associated with that aspect of the game. I think it helps us emotionally to get invested.”

Another feature of the Penguins’ game was a well-executed forecheck. They didn’t sell out or get loose, but they did pressure defensemen, creating turnovers. The Penguins were eventually scored with five takeaways, which still might be low.

With Nashville fighting forward for 200 feet, the Penguins were able to establish the layers in their game and largely keep Nashville from entering with speed or establishing a forecheck.

Penguins Report Card

Team: A

Perhaps I’m grading on the curve? It was the simple, straight-ahead game with no frills, limited mistakes, and opportunistic goals that they lacked against the sludge of the Western Conference. They gave Nashville nothing.

It wasn’t a high-energy game, but it was still fun to watch if you enjoy hockey with a good bit of “want to.”

Top Tier Performances

Michael Bunting

He had a little extra Saturday. He was a bloodhound on the forecheck, hard in the corners, and a pest at the net.

Cody Glass

Glass played a more assertive game, creating some turnovers on the forecheck and creating some offense. He had a great chance on a two-on-one in the second period, but Nashville goalie Juuse Saros quickly closed the five-hole on Glass’s redirect. The “second” line centered by Glass with Bunting and Danton Heinen had five high-danger scoring chances, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. That was the best mark by any Penguins line.

Sidney Crosby

Did you see the offensive zone sequence in the third period in which he used his edges to glide, toe drag, and zip around everyone, including a couple of Nashville defenders? Crosby had a few turnovers early on but settled in to dominate. The Penguins’ top line had four high dangers.

Matt Grzelcyk

He was sharp, though perhaps under the radar. He started many good breakouts and responsibly added an extra stick in the offensive zone.

Alex Nedeljkovic

The Penguins goalie is laying claim to the net. The Penguins have gotten this kind of extended run of consistently competent goaltending since early December. Nedeljkovic and the team are forming that sort of cohesive bond they had at the end of last season, and ‘Ned’ is doing his part. He stopped all 25 shots, including the wrap-around attempt he gifted Jonathan Marchessault. Nedeljkovic could have a laugh after the game about the almost mishap.

He’s been very good.