Penguins Report Card: ‘Looking Like Team We Want to Be’ … Finally

BOSTON — Structure and patience can also resemble slumber and low energy. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins flirted with this line as tryptophan cycled through their systems at TD Garden, but the Penguins not only rallied from giving up an early goal but competently held the lead.

The Penguins increased their attack and grittiness throughout the game, also limiting mistakes and flexing the type of game they’ve been desperately seeking in a 2-1 win over Boston at TD Garden Friday.

Erik Karlsson had perhaps his best game this season, and goalie Tristan Jarry was solid, as was most of the team.

It wasn’t the first shot, but Boston scored on the second shot of the game. Conversely, the Penguins scored their first goal on the final shot of the second period with less than one second remaining. After 40 minutes, the shots were 26-20 in the Penguins’ favor, but the Penguins had nine high-danger scoring chances while allowing just two.

But oh those early goals threatened to undo them again.

“It is tough playing those (when) those early goals go in. And I think it’s hard for the group to come back whenever you’re down at any point of the game,” goalie Tristan Jarry said. “It’s especially hard when it’s in the first five minutes. But I think we did a great job tonight just responding.”

In the third period, they attacked the dirty areas, and the results were significant. Even with a lead, the Penguins didn’t sit back.

“It felt like we were creating a little bit more. We were able to get some more scoring chances in the slot (in the third period),” Rickard Rakell said. “We were working hard–making simple plays–to get ourselves going. We were playing a little bit on the outside (in the first two periods). Yeah. The two goals we scored were in the slot.”

Rakell scored the Penguins’ first goal with .8 seconds remaining in the second period and did so from the low slot as Sidney Crosby circled the net and laid a perfect pass on his stick.

The metrics favored the Penguins after 40 minutes, but the visuals were muted, unlike Grandpa turning up the TV for the Thanksgiving football game while his hearing aid makes that piercing high-pitched tone.

Both sides held structure, taking away the middle of the ice and denying second chances. The longer it went, the stronger the Penguins became. Their confidence grew as Kris Letang made a kick-save to preserve the lead with eight minutes remaining, and Karlsson’s strong game earned him ice time in the final minutes.

“Without a doubt, I think his last two games might have been his best two of the year on both sides of the puck,”  said coach Mike Sullivan. “We used him in the six-on-five down the stretch. We thought he was defending hard, and he’s so good with the puck, and he skates so well. And, you know, he has the ability to close on people… (Like Letang), they anticipate well, they get on top of people, they use their stick skills and their brains to win pucks and defend that way.”

Penguins Xs and Os

It was quite likely the Penguins’ best game of the season. They were not high-flying or pressing for offense at the expense of their responsibilities. The Penguins protected the front of their net while increasingly finding ways to get to the Boston net.

The first 39 minutes were a bit soft. The Penguins remained on the perimeter, shooting often but not finding many rebounds. Boston goalie Jeremy Swayman also made a few tough saves look easy and did not allow many, if any, rebounds.

The Penguins fought for a lead in the third period. They fought toward the net, and the second line, with Drew O’Connor, Evgeni Malkin, and Philip Tomasino, was easily the team’s best. The Malkin line provided the best chances and longest pressure, eventually getting the game-winner when all three forwards touched kep the puck in the zone, O’Connor battled multiple defenders at the netfront, and Tomasino took the puck to the slot and seemed to fool Swayman with a late curl of the stick.

“I shot everywhere else! So I tried five-hole,” joked Tomasino who was bubbling after getting his first goal of the season but also the winner in just his second game with the team.

After taking the lead, the Penguins did not sit back. They did not gamble or make mistakes. No, really. The Penguins played a professional defensive game while maintaining pressure on Boston.

They’re still mired deep in the standings, but the Penguins have won three of five.

“I think there’s a lot to like about (our performance). We’re in a one-goal hockey game–I thought we defended hard. I thought we were above the puck most of the night and did a pretty good job controlling territory. In the second period and a fair amount of the third period, we were on our toes … we got a couple of big saves and some huge blocked shots from a number of guys. That’s the cost of winning,” Sullivan said.

“I felt like the last couple of games, we did so much more to be the team that we want to be.”

Penguins Report Card

Team: A

You might want to sit down for this. The Penguins were not dominant, nor were they perfect, but they were professional. The third pairing with Ryan Shea and Jack St. Ivany made a ghastly mistake about 90 seconds into the game, but the team didn’t self-destruct. The Penguins didn’t blitz the Bruins in the slot, but they kept working until they got there in the third period. They didn’t overwhelm Boston, but they defended well, played hard for the entirety of the 60-minute game, and earned the game-winner while Jarry made necessary saves down the stretch.

That’s how good teams win games against good opponents.

You may want to remain seated.

Erik Karlsson: A+

Karlsson was great Friday, following his strong performance Wednesday against Vancouver. He defended like he cared about the outcome of each play, played tight gaps, and raced back into position. Karlsson hustled around the ice and was careful with the puck, too.

He was a big reason the Penguins breakouts were generally very good.

It was really a solid two-way game by Karlsson.

Tristan Jarry: A

He was hung out to dry on the Boston goal. However, he didn’t melt or get scrambly, which kept the team calm, too. The Penguins retrenched (and the defensemen responsible sat on the bench for a while).

Jarry made several key saves in the third period as Boston ramped up their energy and attack. He stopped 32 of 33 shots and got a big bear hug from Karlsson at the end of the game.

Philip Tomasino: B

He squeezed off plenty of shots, leading the Penguins with six.  Tomasino’s game has some holes; he can be soft and not assertive, especially on the defensive side, but he made a point to let it rip Friday.

If you’re not going to be great away from the puck, at least provide offense.

“I think he’s a skilled player. I think he has the ability to make plays. He’s got very good offensive instincts,” said Sullivan. “I still think there are elements of his game away from the puck, (for example) puck battles, being strong on pucks, things of that nature that know we’re going to continue to work with him. But we really like his vision and his offensive instincts.”