Power Play Woes Doom Penguins’ in Loss
Deserved a better fate?
Maybe but these things usually even out as the Penguins have gotten some W’s so far this season when they shouldn’t have.
Without three of their top-5 defensemen as Kris Letang is now on the shelf, the Penguins laid out a blueprint defensively in the first and second period of really how they need to defend whether they have a full roster or not. There were a lot of things to like in how they defended 5 vs 5. For whatever reason, the Penguins always seem to do this when they’re ravished with injuries at certain spots. A light will go off that this is how they need to play but it rarely continues when the roster gets back to full strength.
Another storyline out of the loss is a little goaltender controversy is brewing with Casey DeSmith being the much more consistent goaltender so far and the General Manager who was higher on Tristan Jarry than the [hide] coach no longer being here. Sullivan has a lot of trust in DeSmith, so we’ll see where this goes in the coming weeks and who gets the start Saturday night.
At the end of the day, there is no reason to over-analyze the Penguins loss.
An 0-6 night on the power play, while managing just seven shots on goal in six chances.
Clicking at just 13% on the season, even when the Penguins score a power play goal this season, the unit just doesn’t look right nor a threat.
“It looks like we’re looking for a better play that’s not there, said Mike Sullivan after the loss. I just think we’re in a little bit of a mindset where we’re a little too robotic and predictable. We’ve got to just free up our minds a little bit and the best way to do that, in my experience, is just to shoot the puck and create opportunity off of that.”
Sullivan is spot on with the viewpoint that the top unit is “too robotic and predictable”. Evgeni Malkin’s indecisiveness with the puck at the point and lack of power in his shot is making the unit far too easy to defend and there’s just not enough movement right now where opponents are rotating up high right into where the puck is headed.
GM Search will be fast and furious this week
Tuesday Morning Developments on the Penguins GM Search………
Pittsburgh’s significant interest in Tom Fitzgerald will result in Fitzgerald getting his contract extended for his General Manager role with the Devils. The Devils plan to officially kill the noise as the two sides began negotiations To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
— Chris Drury back in? The Penguins were initially led to believe permission was unlikely to be granted by the Rangers, but the Rangers are now believed to be leaning in the direction to accommodate an interview after some initial pushback of sticking to their standard of not allowing executives to interview during a season being played. As mentioned before, Drury will get a serious look from the Pens brass.
— The Penguins search this week is being described as fast and furious. Take in around 12-14 interviews, get the list down to around 5 by end of the weekend and possibly have the search wrapped up by the end of the following week.
And the sense around the league is that it’s going to be anyone’s ball game. There was going to be one favorite in this search if permission was allowed and that was Tom Fitzgerald.
Of the candidates (also including Chris Drury for now as permission looks to be heading in that direction) we can confirm, through league and team sources, the Penguins have scheduled interviews or talks with this week, one NHL Source Monday night grouped the following in tiers leading into the initial Interviews of where the hierarchy is believed to be on the Penguins list:
Tier 1:: To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
There’s a few others being kicked around internally that Pittsburgh hasn’t rule out speaking too.
One name that’s been brought up in the organization is Minnesota Wild To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
MORE BUZZ
Where is Jason Botterill in all of this?
Could always be a smoke screen but the messaging surrounding Jason Botterill continues to be the same in that neither To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
As per Josh Yohe and it’s so dam true…
“No player has been more responsible for goals against. He hasn’t scored a goal yet. The power play he quarterbacks is a train wreck.
He’s still a great skater and still manages to produce positive facets in the Penguins’ attack that many take for granted. But even the most loyal Letang fan — no player in recent team history is more polarizing in the fan base — can defend how he’s played this season. It’s been one mental error after another. He needs to be way better.
Grade: F”
100 % agree
I don’t mind using next years first round pick whatever it is 21,22, 23 if it is a good deal I would give up next years # 1 pick for either of these young defenseman 22 year old Montreal Canadiens defenseman Victor Mete He is skilled, good out let passer, can fly, and an play both sides…This is a kid who if we get him along with Pierre Oliver Joseph 21, and John Marino24, you then have three young defenseman only getting better for a decade. If not Victor Mete then St .Louis defenseman 24 year old Vince Dunn had… Read more »
The Pens do not have the cap space to bring in players unless they move players out plus they do not have a 2021 first round pick to give up. Montreal is looking good right now, although they are in the weakest division this year, so they will probably not want a first round pick, they will probably want an impact now player.
The Pens need more then a defensemen, they need a culture change. Aside from Crosby, Tanev Rust, and maybe Kapanen, they look like they just don’t care.
Victor Mete is 22 and only makes $735,000 and we have $1.3 million in cap space. Vince Dunn is 24 and only makes $1,8 million.. We have several players that are and can go on LTR injury list or stash some salary on the taxi squad or the minors Got to start somewhere Carramarod 148…i know what you are saying though. Culture change wont start until # 71 and # 58 are gone and their contracts are up after next year. But we can start to build now well st;louis has said they want a number one pick! Montreal is… Read more »
At this point any new blood and youth will help.
Peter Chirallii should not even be considered. Good god, he would make things worse than they already are.
That scares me. I can just picture the trades now… Penguins first round pick and Rust to Toronto for Joe Thorton. Why not!
Well once again if they listened to Sam team would’ve been much better. They should’ve have got Julien Brisbois and they let that slide and got GMJR
And they became the first team to go back to back in the salary cap era. Yeah, listening to you would have been a wise choice.
Drury is out.
Stay in NY and be an assistant GM. Dumb move by him.
If what I heard about Lemieux and Co is true, no one is going to want to be the GM. Who would want to be a GM and told you can’t make decisions to build the team you are paid to create and/or make better?
Let’s see how puppet Biden will go on his knees
Chinese officials tell Biden to abandon
Misguided policies of trump
I think when Biden says buy American he will import everything from china and just put a label made in USA on it
question…..why is it the pens sent me an email stating they are celebrating black history month while they’ve historically treated their black players like slave masters? they couldn’t wait to ship ryan reeves out of here faster than they aquired him and they played iginla on his off wing and said he was too slow and old and washed up and then he went on to score 30 goals the next season. i’m assuming they will send down pierre oliver joseph on march 1st as soon as black hisory month is over if you go by their past racist history.… Read more »
What happened with Reeves and Iginla was stupidity, not racism. Take your racism in everything crap and shove it. So I guess Trevor Daley and PO were/have been treated like slaves as well? Moron.
He is just trolling as usual.
I heard a rumor that JR wanted to trade both Malkin and Letang to free up cap space and get new blood & culture into the organization. Plus start restocking draft picks. He knew this team can no longer win with what they have. Pens brass said he was not allowed to trade them. It seems he was just a GM in name at this point. I would have left too. There is no other way to fix this team at this point. Crosby, Jake, Rust, Kap and Zucker are not going anywhere. Which is basically their top 6. I… Read more »
trade absolutely everyone and bring back rico fata. time to rebuild.
X-Generation lol
This pandemic is so bad that I bet at least 6 Of the devil players will die.
Funny most places that are hit are the Democratic areas.
Must be Trump’s fault
Ok, someone took over this site from DePaoli. Compete sentences. High school-level grammar. The writing has been stepped up.
I’m confident I’m better than chiarelli at being a GM. Slide into my DMs, penguins
I will trade you Crosby, Jake, Rust and a first round pick for your jelly doughnut.
You make donuts for living and you want other peoples donuts too
At least the new jerseys look nice. Now make them in black. Those were so nice in the 93’ era.
I have the 93 jersey still
As do I.
Also have the home jersey with the big penguin logo
Trade the Russian already told you clowns the more we keep him more stuck and lower value we will have 2017 was his last year to trade him after coming off with Stanley Cup win. Now good luck getting good return more pens keep him more his laziness is exposed once again sam was right by few years. Now drool you bandwagons on malkins cockk keep drooling
Potential GM: hey pens, am I allowed to trade sid, and everyone else with any value for 1st round picks so we can do a complete rebuild? pens: no way we are cup contenders
potential GM: ok I’m out