Penguins Report Card: A Point Earned, but Needs Improvement | PHN+

Thank goodness the games against the New Jersey Devils are finished for a little while. The Devils soul-sucking energy kept the puck moving in a lifeless to-and-fro from end to end. Still, neither the Pittsburgh Penguins nor New Jersey had more than a couple of sustained bursts of offensive pressure until the Penguins got after it in the final minutes.

Believe it or not, the New Jersey Devils had more shots in the slot and more chances off the rush. And without an official tally, the Devils were clearly better on the rush, too.

Except, of course, for the Sidney Crosby line.

“I just think it comes down to finishing. I think we generated some good chances, I don’t know what the final number was on scoring chances for the last three games, but I think we had some pretty good looks throughout,” Crosby said. “But I think it just comes down to execution and finishing at the end of the day. So the good thing is the looks are there. So we just got to bury more.

Though New Jersey hemmed-in the Penguins’ top line a couple of times, the hows and whys of the Sunday game may offer us a glimpse of what is to come until the Penguins address their center situation with health or trade.