Penguins Grades: A Locker Room Visual, Criticism, & Why They Lost

Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA — The Pittsburgh Penguins lost. Their season is over. And in the dressing room aftermath of their heartbreaking 1-0 Game 6 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, a game in which they dominated the crucial moments, a telling visual burned brightly as the true core of the team gathered on the empty end of the locker room, commiserating about so many chances so close.

After speaking with the media, Erik Karlsson shuffled across the room as Sidney Crosby sat in his stall, his agonized scowl with one hand on his chin directed straight toward the floor. The third member of the conversation was Bryan Rust, wearing a gutted look on his face as he shook his head while Karlsson told him how close his late third-period scoring chance came to beating Flyers goalie Dan Vladar.

“Yeah, it’s unfortunate. Especially in the second half of that game, we got some really good looks. We were a shot away from going back. That’s where it just comes into balances sometimes,” said Crosby. “But putting yourself in that position is tough. I think we all had a lot of belief that we could dig ourselves (out). And I think our game showed that. It’s just unfortunate that we got behind early in the series.”

The Penguins’ other veterans had cleared out of the room. In fact, the alternate captains were the first out of the room. Evgeni Malkin, 39, faces an uncertain future this summer as he lacks a contract for next season and, despite publicly pushing general manager Kyle Dubas, received only a promise from the GM to discuss it after the season.

Defenseman Kris Letang, 38, is also close to the end. His play lacked consistency this season as he alternated stretches of strong play with problematic performances.

Perhaps that scene in the room was emblematic of what is coming this summer. Perhaps it should be too.

The specter of the end of the era of the Core Three era was the unspoken possibility. Emotions too raw, the loss too fresh to dig into the real topic of the summer, but Penguins coach Dan Muse was emotional discussing his core-three (Crosby, Malkin, Letang).

“It’s special. To be doing what they’ve been doing for this long at such a high level, just continuing to being able to elevate their games, especially when things get hard and it’s late in the season, and whether it’s fighting a playoff spot or when the team needs to dig out of a hole during the regular season or in the playoffs, they just continue to elevate and find different levels,” Muse said. “And I don’t think the three of them get enough credit for the fact that they’ve been doing it together for this long. It hasn’t happened before in sports in North America, and there’s a reason for it, because it’s ridiculously hard. It’s so uncommon, and it takes special people to be able to do it.”

In reality, it was the real beating hearts of the Penguins that were still gathered in the room, a portrait of the immediate future: Crosby, Rust, and Karlsson. They were not ready to let go of a season that was long on happy surprises, potential reached, but ultimately was short on success. For as talented and engrained in the fabric of organizational history, it is Rust and Karlsson who are the leaders.

“We probably played our best game of the series. You know, they bent, but they didn’t break, and that’s why they’re moving on to the second round,” said Karlsson. “It’s unfortunate that we didn’t have more games like this, but hopefully it’s something that we can build on.”

Penguins Analysis

The Penguins lost because they didn’t score. Getting past the painfully banal, the Penguins didn’t score because they didn’t earn a greasy, gritty, ugly goal. There were only a couple of tipped shots. There were few forwards who claimed position to slam a rebound or even provide a backboard for a wide shot.

It sure seemed there was just a hint of disappointment from some players in teammates who didn’t follow strong regular seasons with production–any production-in the playoffs.

“(This season), I think we got everyone playing up to their full potential all year. You know, then come this time of the year, you’re going to need a little bit more. And we just couldn’t reach that level, unfortunately,” Karlsson said. “And again, that’s sometimes a little bit of bad luck, and sometimes a little bit of inexperience … we just couldn’t find that extra gear that is needed this time of the year.”

The Penguins played with speed, intent, and passion, but they didn’t have enough players bumping Vladar or finding pucks around the crease. Nor did they have enough players pumping shots at Vladar.

There were also silly moments of gamesmanship in Game 6, such as Flyers center Trevor Zegras delaying the game after an icing call which would have trapped their five-man unit in the defensive zone for over two minutes. Zegras claimed a skate issue and left the ice, causing confusion, arguments, and allowing Flyers coach Rick Tocchet to replace the exhausted Zegras with a fresh Christian Dvorak. Zegras miraculously reappeared on the bench as soon as play began–without him.

There was Letang’s punch at the end of the second period when he lost his temper at the horn and deked Travis Konecny, putting the Penguins shorthanded to start the third period.

And there were so many close calls. Egor Chinakhov got his best look of the series when he stepped into a snapshot from the slot on a second period power play. His shot rocketed past Vladar, but only took paint off the post.

Unfortunately, that was Chinakhov’s only open look of the series. He and rookie Ben Kindel made their playoff debuts, but neither made an offensive impact, though to their credit, they both played complete games and didn’t make mistakes defensively.

The tactical analysis of the game matters not when the season is over. This team will not return next season, as some players leave via free agency and others likely via trade. And that’s what made the core’s conversation such a burning visual.

Perhaps that is also why general manager Kyle Dubas has singularly praised each of Karlsson, Rust, and Crosby as players he wants to have around the young players.

As for the nuts and bolts of the game, the Penguins turned up the heat. They thoroughly dominated from late in the second period through the end of the game. The Penguins allowed just five shots in OT and six in the third period.

While the emotions were too raw in the postgame room, the Penguins clearly clicked as they realized their season was hanging. Their breakouts began connecting. Their best lines–the fourth line centered by Blake Lizotte and the top line with Crosby–ground away in the offensive zone. Numerous Grade-A chances were stopped, blocked, just missed, and otherwise not meant to be.

The one thing the Penguins did not do well enough, however, was to make life difficult for Vladar. Interestingly, it was Silovs who was one of the Penguins players to note their lack of traffic in the crease.

“I think we probably could have made it a little bit harder on (Vladar) and but he did a good job as well. So nothing to say too much about (the goalie battle),” said Silovs.

The series featured a lot of Penguins players who notched regular season goals but had bus tickets in the playoffs; too many players who were ultimately passengers.

Penguins Report Card

Team: B+

It was fitting that with their season on the line, and the end of some careers perhaps hanging in the balance, the Penguins played a near-perfect microcosm of their season. They were so very good in areas, but also gave up far too many loud, figuratively deafening, scoring chances, then pushed hard down the stretch only to end just short.

“Yeah. I thought the guys battled hard. We created chances. It’s raw right now, so it’s not a time that I’m going to get into much detail with any of his these answers,” Muse said. “But guys battled. We had looks. We had chances. They had saves. Guys did what they needed to do. That happens sometimes.”

The team had a mix of stellar and outstanding performances balanced by some inconsistent and dreadful ones.

Arturs Silovs: A+

The Arty Party got the Penguins to OT. He deserved a win. Breakaways–stopped. Point blank chances–saved. No need to overthink it. Silovs was the difference.

It was rather sad that Silovs’s bugaboo of giving up long-range goals was ultimately what burned him. He appeared to be distracted by a net-front battle with Ryan Shea, who cleared the crease, allowing Silovs to see Cam York’s shot from stick to net, but it still eluded him. No one said life was fair. Silovs was outstanding.

Standouts

Parker Wotherspoon: The Penguins defenseman had to hang on for dear life a few times, but he nullified

Sam Girard: Like a few others, he also may have submitted his best game of the season. He pinched several times to keep the offensive play alive, played tight gaps in the neutral zone to create possession changes, and sent the Penguins forward with good breakouts.

Erik Karlsson: He was dynamic. Perhaps he tried too hard in a few spots, but his breakouts were perfect and he commanded the offensive blue line. He shone like a superstar should, but with the packed zone in front of the Flyers’ net, his ability to score from the blue line was negated.

Fourth Line: Connor Dewar was scrapping for pucks in scoring zones. Noel Acciari played his best game of the season. Acciari was extraordinary as he won pucks on the wall, created turnovers on the forecheck. He propelled the fourth line with backcheck steals, hits, and was a 10 of 10.

Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust: The Penguins’ lions roared. Their push and the emotion with which they did so were palpable. The Flyers essentially recoiled into a bunkered position around the net as they attacked.

Dan Muse: The Penguins’ coach pushed the right buttons. He created a system for his players and let them play.

Needed More

Tommy Novak: He had the game on his stick later in the third period. A deflected puck came to him, and he had an open net, but he didn’t shoot. Whether the puck bounced or he didn’t realize his opportunity mattered not. Novak was a non-factor in the series. His lines failed to register a single shot in multiple games. Novak finished the series with two assists and a minus-four rating.

Evgeni Malkin: The Penguins star just didn’t have his best game in Game 6. After an outstanding effort in Game 4, Malkin faded. He never found the puck with time or space in Game 6. Perhaps that’s on his center, perhaps that’s on him. But Malkin was a nonfactor.

Anthony Mantha: His goalless playoff career continued. Mantha had a few great looks, but didn’t make great shots. He was indeed one of those players the Penguins needed to play around the net, but didn’t do so enough.

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