The hockey gods served up a much-needed feast for the offense-starved Pittsburgh Penguins.
After a couple of superior efforts against top Atlantic Division competition that resulted in frustrating losses, the Penguins had scored just two goals in their last three games. The frustration that had crept into the room quickly vanished.
The Penguins soundly defeated the hated Philadelphia Flyers 6-2 Thursday at PPG Paints Arena.
“I think it’s been coming (over) the last few games. Obviously, I think (our line) scored one in each of our last three, but inside the room, you could feel it building and getting chances,” said Blake Lizotte. “And I think throughout the season, you just hit stretches sometimes where they don’t fall. And once one goes, they seem to all go. So hopefully we can keep finding the back of the net.”
More importantly, the Penguins needed just 12:25 score two goals and generally took advantage of the soft, scattered Flyers and bad goaltending by Samuel Ersson, whose season save percentage is a mere .855.
Justin Brazeau cleaned the plate when Ben Kindel fooled everyone with a slap-pass to him on the doorstep at 2:16 of the first period. The pressure to score was quickly lifted, and Bryan Rust took advantage of Ersson’s struggles with a wrister at 12:25 for a 2-0 lead.
“I was there in case he did (make the pass),” Brazeau quipped to PHN. “It was a great look by him.”
Ersson stopped 11 of 14 shots before Flyers coach Rick Tocchet had seen enough and called for rookie Aleksei Kolosov early in the second period.
“I think especially anytime you’re struggling like that, to kind of score a goal and to get one early when you’re doing the right things, is a good feeling.”
The good feelings multiplied.
The Penguins hung a few more on the Flyers before getting entirely too sloppy in the latter half of the third period. But the game had been decided when they eased up and thought the Flyers would help them run out the clock.
Philadelphia scored a couple of latter third-period goals to make the score respectable, but the Penguins easily closed it out in front of a near-sellout crowd of 17,963.
And, of course, when the Penguins play Philadelphia, Sidney Crosby has a special gear reserved just for the orange and black. They made him angry 20 years ago, and that hasn’t subsided as he punishes them annually. He had a goal and an assist.
Penguins Analysis
So many phases to the game, so many varied pushes and retrenches.
Defensively, the Penguins played a tight gap, especially in the first period. The Penguins yielded a few chances, but were generally on the puck for 200 feet; the same type of game they played against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.
However, it was not as clean. There were mistakes, as the rewards of offensive proved too tempting for a couple of forwards (notably Evgeni Malkin), and the Penguins fought a temptation to play as loosely as the Flyers.
The Flyers invited them to a track meet, but the Penguins mostly stayed structured. Mostly, anyway.
On the first shift of the game, the Penguins chipped the puck to open ice and attacked. Their forecheck quickly became puck possession and a Grade A scoring chance within the first seconds of the game. That also became a power play.
It was a running theme Thursday. The Penguins were able to properly vary their attack. When Philadelphia played tight gaps, the Penguins chipped the puck behind them. When Philly gave the blue line to defend, the Penguins’ rush game took the puck deep.
“I thought we were really on the hunt, on the attack, spending a lot of time in zone,” said coach Dan Muse. “You assume they’re going to try to push, and you want to be the one who continues to push. Sometimes in the game, there will be those swings (like the second period) … You don’t want those to stack. You don’t want there to be three or four that go in their favor … In terms of being physical, going out there, just getting in on the forecheck, for sure, that’s a way that we can start to generate momentum.”
When they had the puck, the Penguins didn’t waste time on the perimeter. They took puck possession to the low zone, played behind the Flyers’ defense, and got to the net. When the Penguins do that, they are very … very good.
Of course, they scored three power-play goals, but the visual difference between the Penguins and Philadelphia on Thursday posited that those goals were coming, regardless of power plays.
There were some missteps. Malkin forgot his position and good defensive posture a few times. As a winger, his coverage should generally be high in the zone, but he yielded a pair of great scoring chances by jumping behind the net–like a center–to help. But both Penguins defensemen were already there. Three defenders behind the net usually means there will be an open man in front–and, indeed, there was.
Goalie Stuart Skinner made those saves, to the Penguins’ benefit.
Tommy Novak played center between Malkin (RW) and Egor Chinakhov (LW), and he was a bit slow to react, or simply surprised by Malkin’s defensive choices.
It’s tough to grade the Penguins’ breakouts and defensive exits, as Philadelphia didn’t contest them. Actually, Philadelphia was loose and, shockingly, soft even in their neutral zone attack.
The Penguins’ defense was usually able to cleanly create exits and speed through the neutral zone with easy passes ahead. Even as Philadelphia was able to create layers in the neutral zone, the Penguins were able to create seams and move forward.
Defenseman Ryan Shea was especially good at connecting on the up passes.
The Flyers pressed heavily in the second period. They charged, and the Penguins were caught flatfooted with a 3-0 lead. Philadelphia was able to get good second and third chance shots down low, which tested both Skinner and the Penguins’ defense. They zipped in and out of the slot and up the ice.
The Penguins steadied themselves without giving up more than a goal.
Penguins Report Card
Team: B
It’s a funny thing about hockey. The Penguins weren’t as good Thursday as they were against Tampa Bay Tuesday. They were a bit loose and just a bit sloppy. In fairness, that could be forgiven as it must have felt like a boulder was removed from their shoulders with a few goals, and they wanted more. They got a bit greedy and bit puck happy.
Largely, they played well. It wasn’t clean, but it was clearly a winning effort.
Stuart Skinner: A
I think he’s settling in and enjoying this atmosphere. He’s seeing the puck like a beachball, controlling rebounds, and providing a very competent game. The last couple of goals look bad on the stats, but the team had largely relaxed, leaving Skinner to clean up the party.
“He made some big saves there. I mean, I really liked our first (period), he made some in the second period there,” said Muse. “There were some breakdowns (in the second period). I thought he made some big saves.”
There’s no way general manager Kyle Dubas could have predicted this, but he looks like a genius after the Tristan Jarry trade that brought Brett Kulak and Skinner to Pittsburgh. AND the Penguins got a draft pick in that deal, too.
Egor Chinakhov: Stealthy A
Chinkhov hit the scoresheet in the first period when Malkin set up an unassisted path to the net and Chinakhov’s goal. But that’s not why he gets an A.
He gets an A for the quiet defensive work he provided. Without fanfare, he dutifully remained a high F3 when Malkin and Novak were low. He took over the point and can seem like a defenseman with the way he skates backward in front of the rush.
He broke up one such rush with a good red-line stand in the second period. Three goals in eight games with good defense.
The bigger question is–will Chinakhov further increase his offensive output if he’s put in a feature position?
Performances to Like
Ryan Shea: He is confidently skating with the puck when necessary, and his breakouts were on point.
Brett Kulak: He, too, showed some wheels at a couple of points in the game. Just perfectly steady and in position. He took away a couple of dangerous cross-slot passes with his stick. He also breezed to the net a couple of times, too.
Connor Dewar-Blake Lizotte-Noel Acciari: The crew was deployed after the Penguins scored, which is an important shift (as Penguins fans well know). They upped the physical ante and won that battle. They also drove the dagger into the Flyers’ heart with a quick strike goal shortly after Crosby scored to make the game 6-1.
Tommy Novak: He dished the puck well and made a couple of nice defensive zone steals to counterattack.
Fans: A+. Attendance has been rough this year. Noise and participation have not been strong suits since the old building, but Penguins fans showed up and brought some hate. Fans having fun begets more fans and more fun. Good on ya. A little hate, especially in hockey, makes the world go round.
Categorized: Penguins Analysis
