Penguins – Rangers X’s & O’s
The Rangers superior play 5 v 5 is the story going into Game 3 and how can’t it be when we live in such a crazed advance stats world now when it comes to analyzing NHL teams and you have the second best possession team (Pittsburgh) vs the 26th ranked possession team (New York) from the regular season.
The Rangers 5 v 5 have a Shot Attempts For percentage of 57% (98 shot attempts), Pittsburgh a meager 43%.
Scoring chances, the Rangers are +16 through two games, with a 50-34 advantage.
Despite the Rangers poor possession numbers during the regular season, as stated before the series, what gets overlooked with them is their even strength goal production.
They were tied for first in the NHL in even strength goals, also led the NHL last season, and have out-scored the Penguins 5-2 during 5-on-5 play through two games.
The Rangers 5 v 5 are out-playing the Penguins by winning the critical areas that made the Penguins so dominant over the final month of the season.
New York not Pittsburgh has been the team creating more odd-man rushes (Penguins got caught with three men deep in the offensive zone several times in Game 2) and the team winning the neutral zone.
The Penguins’ ability to beat the first wave of the forecheck has been a major strength and the backbone to their push-it forward attacking offensive system under Mike Sullivan.
It was a disaster for the Penguins’ in Game 2 and it’s played a part in the Penguins poor possession numbers through two games. They are exiting the zone more like the team from the first three months of the season than the team from the final two months of the season.
Olli Maatta’s struggles are a major problem for the Penguins’ if he’s going to continue to play a top pairing role (some signs in today’s practice he may be scratched for Game 3) and Trevor Daley is showing some cracks defensively like he showed in Chicago this season. Daley has been on the ice for all 5 even strength goals against.
Mike Sullivan has talked in the past couple days that he wanted a penalty kill presence with his d-pairs for Game 2.
That certainly has Ben Lovejoy now playing ahead of Justin Schultz and it should be noted Schultz’ poor d-zone play has made it an easier decision.
However, the Penguins lose a lot in their transition game with Schultz out and Lovejoy in. With Derrick Pouliot still in exile, you have a coaching staff like so many others that have gone with the safer defenseman.
We’ll see if that stance changes with the Penguins’ struggles to exit the zone.
VIGNEAULT, RANGERS MAKE KEY ADJUSTMENT IN SLOWING PENGUINS’ DOWN THROUGH NEUTRAL ZONE
What makes the NHL playoffs so fascinating and why the playoffs are a different ball game than the regular season is the adjustments that are made or not made on a game-to-game basis.
Coming in, this was a series that was all about what adjustments if any the Rangers would make from the previous meetings, the critical area being the neutral zone. For Pittsburgh, there was no need to change. Trust the process and they would succeed had been the feeling from many about this club prior to Game 1.
The script has now been flipped.
The Rangers have figured out how to defend the Penguins’ through the neutral zone with great success and the Penguins’ are a team whose success is pivotal to how they play through the neutral zone, notably playing with speed.
The Rangers ran what was a 2-3 neutral zone trap that was sometimes disguised as a 1-1-3 with the F2 sitting back than aggressively stepping up.
The F2 often took away the Penguins cross-ice long pass that is almost always their first option.
One systematic change Alain Vigneault and his staff made was implementing a wave of three players back.
When the Penguins were getting zone entries it was often 1-on-3 or even 1-on-4 at times. And what you saw was a lot of players away from the puck standing still.
This wave of three players back, a tactic the Bruins used against Pittsburgh in 2013 playoffs, also limited the Penguins being able to turn puck battles into foot races, something they were able to exploit for the opening goal in Game 1 and burn a lot of teams over the last six weeks.
In Game 2, a 1-on-1 battle for the puck was turning into a 1-on-3 battle far too often.
A team built on gaining the offensive zone with speed and numbers, New York finding the scheme to slow the Penguins’ attack down through the middle of the ice, from the puck carrier to players away from the puck, [hide] has now forced the Penguins’ hand where adjustments to combat what the Rangers are doing has to be made.
What the Penguins love to do is get teams going side to side and sending a player full steam ahead.
The first step for the Penguins to getting back to dominating through the neutral zone is beating the first wave of the Rangers forecheck. New York’s been able to force a poor first pass from the Pens ‘D’ which gives the ability to sit back and get into their neutral zone setup.
The Penguins are not catching them with two or three forwards deep. That must change, especially with Lundqvist back in net.[/hide]
[…] What Sullivan alluded to Monday is the Penguins are playing an East-West game, something that doesn’t suit their personnel or style. That can seen with the Penguins struggles through the neutral zone. […]
Question for the group – if you were wrong as often as Yoda and Sam are / were, don’t you think you’d pontificate less in order to shield yourself from further embarrassment? I think i would. But curious as to what the group thinks.
Self-awareness is lacking severely on this board, especially on looking at the short bus. Him, zatkoff fanboy maloni and of course same are all on board.
If I was wrong as often as yoda and sam I probably misread a jaywalk at 14 and end up road kill. How these two have survived into adulthood is a fucking mystery. “ALIENS”
lets revist the 2009 roster. orpik, hit and was defense 1st. eaton, defense 1st, scuderi, defense 1st, hal gill, big, would hit, defense 1st, letang, gonchar, offensive. it was a 2 to 1 ratio of defensive minded guys to offensive minded guys. now the pens have 6 D who are all better with the puck than defending. it’s not a good equation. rangers in 6.
What does the 2009 roster have to do with anything? The NHL is completely different now than it was in 2009 and every roster in the league is completely different than it was in 2009 so every matchup or potential matchup is completely different. You might as well compare them to the 1979 Steelers because they’re about as relative as the 2009 Pens are.
Can’t you READ Gaydogg?! You have to beat this team 2-1. HAVE TO. Rangers in 6. Pay attention.
don’t think for a second that every team in the NHL wouldn’t be overjoyed to face the 6 pens D in a playoff series. there isn’t one ranger who is sore or bruised up going into game 3. the pens are in troulbe. fast speedy D who don’t hit is not the way to go in the NHL playoffs.
It’s worked pretty well for Chicago winning 3 of the last 5 Championships with defensive corps that weren’t very physical.
yeah but it isn’t going to work for the pens. you have to beat the rangers 2-1. the pens aren’t capable of holding anyone to 1 goal in the playoffs.
Have to!
with crosby in lineup and no russian pens were 15-1 last 16 games with russian back from vacation pens are 0-1
So start Zatkoff too. Whatever you do, don’t put Fleury in there. Pens are like 6-1 without him.
when fleury team still plays decent ,but
when malkin plays teams chemistry and fire is gone
nice try stan with your fleury malkin comparision
#TypicalStan
You’re a bona fide moron.
By the way Sam, chubby traded yet?
Are you all really worried about losing this series???
You’re assuming we have this in the bag? ??
We lost home ice and we looked terrible. I’d say things need to change or we will lose the series.
This series was never going to be a total cake walk. But people are far too reactionary game to game. They looked bad last game. It’s 1 game. It’s not the end of the world. If they dominate next game, it doesn’t mean they’re winning in five, either. It’s a long, long series generally speaking. No place in the analysis to be fickle.
It is still in the cards. I would feel better with an actual starter in but if the Pens don’t adjust to the Rags picket fence at the blueline we could still be in trouble. Ultimately I think Sullivan has an answer for what we saw in game two but it’s no guarantee.
Best of 5 right now-its about executing to allow your strengths to take over- be very intersting to see how Sullivan and staff create this layout. Not to mention, Lundquist-def some concern.
What? The pens aren’t built to win playoff hockey games. Blasphemy. 6 smallish bottom paring Dmen is what every team craves. Put Daley back with Dumo.
Defense shouldn’t matter when you have zatkoff in net.
Eh – it might – with Sestito in Wilkes Barre.
The way the Pens have played and your boyfriend fleury couldn’t save them
I’m not total sure I understand that notion that using Lovejoy/Cole for their pk abilities automatically means it hurts their transition game, Lovejoy and Cole were the only 2 defenseman who were on the ice for more 5on5 shots for than shots against. Granted shots aren’t the only indicator of good transition but creating a positive shot differential is definitely a good sign of offensive possibility and both Lovejoy and Cole did a better job of creating this positive offensive situation than Daley, Dumoulin and Maata(Letang was break even at 17sf/17sa).
Zzzzzzzzzzxx
My stats tell me that these 2 shitbags are playing great….therefore, they must be awesome!
What better validation than having 2 clueless fools not understand your post. All I need now is for Sam and Yoda to comment and I’ll know it is 100% accurate.
Fleury played well, but he hardly bailed the D out on a nightly basis, not at all a liability. The D played quite well the 2nd half especially moving the puck. 1 bad game doesnt change that
I agree to an extent during the 2nd half of the season but during the 1st half it was all Fleury covering up for some pretty bad defense.
I will agree on the second half of the year, but they also played very shaky in game 1. It’s just frustrating. With the picks and resources we spent, it should look better than it does imo. Hopefully they can turn things around.
Nice to see Murray practicing. Regardless, we need to play zatkoff. He’s the hot goalie.
Id play Zak over Murray in game three too. If fleury is ready then fleury plays.
I think Murray is probably at the front end of what we saw just happen with Fleury – probably going to have to practice week or so with no setbacks before he even dresses as a backup.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Maata scratched. It’s horrible saying that though. Take two defenseman in the first round who should be entering their prime, instead one is scratched and the other one is maybe the worst player on the ice. Unless something drastically changes regarding them, it’s hard to see us doing much in the playoffs this year. It’s incredible a team can dedicate so many picks to their defense and have it be brutal. Fleury compensated for that most of the year, but now with zatkoff in net, it’s borderline hopeless.
thats why most pens Defense are usually bottom pairings or healthy scratched in other teams
Trade chubby, sam.
Gotta give this team a lot of credit for going nearly unbeaten down the stretch and getting home ice advantage with a “defense are usually bottom pairings or healthy scratched in other teams.” Really impressive.
http://www.nathansfamous.com/contest/hall-of-fame
Chubby traded yet?
Bennett healthy yet ?
trade chubby sam.