Penguins Report Card: What They Did Right and Wrong vs. Maple Leafs

TORONTO — One or two plays can flush a solid effort. The Pittsburgh Penguins reinforced that idea when their mistakes quickly turned a first-period lead into a pair of Toronto Maple Leafs’ goals just 2:03 apart early in the second period.

Not capitalizing on long stretches of dominant play is also a toxin the Penguins could do without.

Stop me when you’ve heard this one before.

The Toronto Maple Leafs took a 2-1 lead early in the second period when Toronto converted a three-on-none odd-man break (William Nylander), and an awkward carrom off the end wall popped in front to Matthew Knies. The backbreaker was a rough play by Sidney Crosby as he allowed a rim-around to go past him in hopes it would reach defenseman Marcus Pettersson, which it did not.

Crosby and Pettersson’s disconnect resulted in Mitch Marner’s breakaway goal. The Penguins pushed, but they were unable to dominate as they did in the first period.

The first three goals were significant Penguins breakdowns, even if bad luck played a role.

“I thought we had sustained offense, sustained pressure, sustained zone time (in the first period). I thought we could have put more pucks on the net than we did. We were we were looking for something better a lot,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “Sometimes the best players just putting it on the net can get traffic there (and) we can create opportunities off of it. That’s something that we talked about in between periods and on the bench.

“But I thought we had we had a lot of really good looks in the first. I thought they had the momentum in the second. I thought they had some sustained looks. You know, we defended hard, but we didn’t have the puck as much.”

No, that’s not a way to protect your rookie goalie, as Joel Blomqvist earned the Penguins’ net by virtue of his stellar performance Thursday in the win over Detroit. Blomqvist was equally stellar, if not brilliant, again Saturday against Toronto.

Blomqvist is not a man of many words yet. He demurred when asked about his own performance.

“(My performance) was all right,” he said. “I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t end up with the win. Yeah. So, that’s on my mind right now.”

However, defenseman Kris Letang had high praise for him.

“We’ve heard so many good things about him in the last few years, and now that he’s able to prove it at the NHL level, it’s great,” said Letang. “Obviously, there’s a certain level of maturity that some guys don’t have at that age, but he does.”

Read more: Riding Hot Hand? Blomqvist Starting Over Jarry in Toronto

Blomqvist can be disappointed in the loss, but coaches will notice his play. Auston Matthews could have scored a few times if not for quick pad saves by Blomqvist, who likes to play deep in the crease. Matthews had 69 goals last season, handily winning the Rocket Richard trophy. He had eight shots but no goals and no points.

Blomqvist kicked away his shots with the calm of a goalie with a much longer and prestigious resume. While Toronto buried the Penguins in the second period, Blomqvist kept his team in the game.

Read More: Penguins Mistakes Lead to Maple Leafs Goals; Pens Lose 4-2

What the team did right

The Penguins’ forecheck was suffocating, primarily in the first period. All four lines were ready and present, creating numerous turnovers and fumbled breakouts.

The Penguins fourth line was particularly effective, as was Crosby’s line with Bryan Rust, who returned from injury to play his first game of the season. Rust made himself known with several forecheck steals and a few hits on the end wall.

They didn’t convert those opportunities into Grade A scoring chances.

“We didn’t put as many pucks on the net as we could have,” lamented Sullivan. “We were looking for something better.”

Better is rarely available, even with Crosby and Evgeni Malkin holding the puck.

What the team did wrong

Let’s set the record straight: the Penguins are a grinding, down-low team. The rush team that may reside in their hearts is gone. In the first period, they dominated the small areas in the corners and along the walls.

They allowed Toronto to take them away from that game in the second and third periods. It will forever live as a battle of is vs. was, but the Penguins reverted to “was” by playing on the rush in the second period and moving the puck like a wide-open team, which they were but are no longer. They needed more greasy shots from around the net.

Instead, they looked for pretty. They did not find nearly enough of it, especially against a Craig Berube-coached team.

Actually, they needed more shots from anywhere. The passing and looking for the next play limited them to only 23 shots. Given their zone time, they should have posted that many in the first period.

Penguins Report Card

Team Grade: C-

“I just think it’s a work in progress and it’s a game of momentum. We’ve got to find a way to sustain it more consistently than we have to this point,” said Sullivan. “We didn’t have a very good outing in the first game. I thought in the second game, we played pretty solid in Detroit against a pretty dynamic offensive team. You know, tonight, I thought we had our moments.”

Moments are fleeting. The Penguins’ inconsistency is back. Should they fail to deal with it now, it will grow into the same monster that has swallowed the last two seasons.

On Saturday, they showed their best, then their sloppy, mistake-prone side. Unfortunately for the Penguins, the latter spent more time on the ice than the former.

Toronto is a pretty, pretty good team, but the Penguins had them but didn’t finish them.

Joel Blomqvist: A

Blomqivst passed his three tests in the first period, stopping Pontus Holmberg from the doorstep, Auston Matthews alone from the slot, and David Kampf from a few feet away. The Penguins goalie situation is getting interesting.

Ryan Graves: A

Yep. If we’re going to rip him on occasion, it’s only fair to call out a strong game, too. Graves nullified a few Toronto rushes with tight gaps and used his reach to swat pucks away from rushers–exactly what he and Sullivan said he had to do in order to be successful. Graves played like a big defenseman on Saturday.

Rutger McGroarty: C+

I think our affinity for the kid goes without saying. We like him, but the PHN report card is not a place for personal bias. He was a bit invisible, a step behind the play in the offensive zone, and it wasn’t his best game. He didn’t make much of an impact and had zero shots and zero blocks, and his typical wall play wasn’t as prevalent as it has been.

Rookies are going to have good nights and bad nights, but the Penguins are not in a position to experience the growing pains, at least not yet. They need some production from him to go along with the struggles.

Sullivan’s lineup choice came down to him and Jesse Puljujarvi for the final sweater, and we’re wondering if Puljujarvi will get the nod on Monday in Montreal.

Marcus Pettersson: D

Marcus was knocked off the puck, got behind on a few rushes, and was not his steady-eddy self. He was a deserved minus-2. He was scored with a pair of takeaways but also a pair of giveaways.

Evgeni Malkin: B

Malkin is comparatively moving well, he’s commanding the puck in the offensive zone and creating chances. Compared to his best, he’s a 38-year-old version of himself. Compared to most players, he’s still one of the best in the game.

Malkin was as helpless as everyone else to turn the tide in the second period; the Penguins needed a spark, a play, a momentum shifter. He wasn’t able to provide it, either. That’s the difference between an A and a B.

Penguins Power Play: A

Well, look at that. A competent Penguins power play, again. Letang scored a textbook power-play goal when he took the space at the top of the zone and pushed forward. So often, and for a few years, the Penguin’s power play was a cream puff on the perimeter, hoping for a tip play or to score on the rush. You know, pretty goals. Now, they’re taking the space, pressuring the PK into mistakes, and taking advantage of them.

Now, if they could do that 5v5…