Penguins Report Card: Tactics, Standouts, & How they Beat Philly | PHN+

It was the regulation win the Pittsburgh Penguins desperately needed. As PHN+ detailed earlier on Tuesday, a couple of regulation losses or more point-sharing OT wins could put the Penguins in a large hole in the East Division. Without captain Sidney Crosby, without practice, or even a morning skate to work out the lines, the Penguins played one of their best games of the season as they beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2 at PPG Paints Arena.

In regulation.

Without Sidney Crosby.

“We’ve talked a lot with the team about mindset. Just making sure we respond to the ebbs and flows the right way,” Mike Sullivan said. “It’s a game of mistakes out there. We have to make sure we get back on our toes and grab the momentum when things don’t go our way.”

Here we go, the Pittsburgh Penguins report card, and there were some slick Xs and Os which launched the Penguins forward. We’ll explain those and dish some good grades, and one not so good one.

Tactical:

Holy playing on the rush, Batman.

The Penguins did a solid job in the first and second periods–when the game was in doubt–generating speed out of the defensive zone. Specifically, the Penguins were able to transition with speed using surgical breakout passes, which were obviously designed for the Flyers systems.

But the forwards’ race to spots and what the defensemen next did created the offensive rush.