Things haven’t been going well for the Penguins over the last week.
The Penguins’ hopes of three-peating this season seem to be a major long shot as things stand right now. The past 2 weeks have revealed significant deficiencies within their roster and performance that have cost them games against teams they should not be losing to. They went 1-2-0 this week despite playing two teams near the bottom of the league standings and an expansion franchise. What’s worse is that the problems that have plagued them for stretches during the season seem to be here to stay until something is done to correct them. If nothing changes with this team, they might not even make the playoffs, currently sitting outside of the wild-card race as of Monday morning despite playing the most games of all teams in the Eastern Conference.
After a rough week against the New York Rangers, Islanders, and Toronto Maple Leafs, the Penguins looked situated to have a bounce-back week starting with a game at home against Colorado. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh’s offense faltered mightily against the lowly Avalanche, as they lost 2-1. The Penguins outshot Colorado 40 to 28, but their uncharacteristically low shooting percentage persisted as they could not seem to beat Jonathan Bernier until Phil Kessel scored with only 12 seconds remaining in the game. Even more troubling was the power play, going 0 for 3 and looking out of sync for most of those chances. The defense and young goalie Tristan Jarry held down the fort, only allowing a redirected shot from the point into the net before an empty-netter at the end of the game, but you have to score goals to win games, and the Penguins couldn’t do it.
From there, the Penguins flew to Las Vegas for their first ever game in my hometown. From the seats above, I hoped to catch the team put on a show worthy of the Strip by lighting up the scoreboard. However, the Penguins again disappointed, losing 2-1 and looking sloppy throughout much of the game. The first goal of the game came less than two minutes in when the Penguins allowed Miller to come way too deep into the zone for a good chance on Murray, who did his best to make the initial save. Unfortunately, James Neal stood alone to gather the rebound and deposit the puck into an open net. Throughout much of the first period, the Penguins looked a little lost. They consistently whiffed on passes and passed up chances to shoot in order to attempt complicated passing plays that never panned out. They entered the dressing room tied at 1-1 thanks to a bit of puck luck as the Golden Knights cleared the puck directly at the linesman, allowing the Penguins to find Ian Cole open at the back door. After an even second period, the Penguins looked to tilt the ice in the third period, possessing the puck and creating chances throughout the first bit of the frame. However, a terrible pass by Brian Dumoulin sent the home team rushing the other way for the winning goal, a huge mistake that cost the Penguins the game. Again, their power play went 0 for 3 and looked useless out there, losing momentum for the team. The one bright spot was the return of Matt Murray, who looked good after an absence due to a lower-body injury.
On Saturday, the defending champs narrowly avoided a complete failure for the week. The Penguins visited Arizona to play the worst team in the league, but through most of the third period, the game was tied 2-2. With 3 minutes left, the Coyotes almost scored on a scramble play that would have made fans in Pittsburgh call for a complete overhaul of everything going on with this team. Luckily, the team survived that challenge to score with 15 seconds left on the clock to break the tie. Sidney Crosby added an empty net goal, and the Penguins escaped with a 4-2 victory. Still, their power play went 0 for 4, and their shooting percentage was not too strong against a weak opponent.
Pittsburgh General Manager Jim Rutherford was quoted in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on December 13 discussing his disappointment with the team’s performance so far. He talked about the team coming to a critical period and potentially making some changes to get this team playing the type of winning hockey they’ve grown accustomed to in Pittsburgh. The problem is, what changes can he make to fix this? Twice in the past decade, the Penguins have fired head coaches after uninspired starts, resulting both times in Stanley Cup victories (2009 and 2016), but we should all know, Mike Sullivan is not going anywhere after Stanley Cup Titles in back-to-back seasons, the only ones where he has been the bench boss for the Penguins. Nor should Sullivan go anywhere. It’s not like the system is what’s failing the Penguins.
The other option for Rutherford then: a trade. But at what position? And with what money? The Penguins could certainly use more scoring, but do they need an upgrade at center for their third line or an elite winger to skate alongside Sidney Crosby? Or do they need another puck moving defenseman to get them going into their offense more quickly? Any of these things would make for a nice addition, but even if one was available, what money do the Penguins have to acquire it? According to nhlnumbers.com, the Penguins have just over half a million dollars in cap space, so assuming they aren’t trading any of their big money players (Crosby, Malkin, Kessel, Letang, and Schultz are the only players whose cap hit exceeds $5 million a year), then how will they have space to fit a good player? Comment boards have been filled with the possibility of trading Ian Cole or Conor Sheary, but will that return any sort of substantial skill the Penguins need? Without Cole, who will stand in front of shots on the penalty kill or make a big hit? Sheary might seem more expendable, but his $3 million cap hit won’t free up much space. A trade doesn’t look like it could do much for the Penguins right now.
The big thing the Penguins need to do right now will sound silly: play better. The players on this roster are capable of performing much better than they currently are. Even the much-praised talents of Crosby, Malkin, and Letang have looked subpar lately as they skate unenthusiastically and make ill-advised passes that feed the opponents’ transition games. Everybody seems to consistently have mental lapses or mistakes with the puck that prevent this team from playing to their potential. It’s not that the system isn’t working, it’s that they are failing at executing at the most important times.
This week, the Penguins have another 3 games – 1 against a division rival. If the team looks like they did this past week, expect something to happen from Rutherford’s end soon, simply because he can’t sit back and do nothing. From a fan’s perspective, this all rests on the sticks of the players. If they believe they can make a run at a third Stanley Cup in 3 years, they need to start playing much better than they currently are.
