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5 Penguins One-Timers: A Big Dose of Reality
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- 5 Penguins One-Timers: A Big Dose of Reality
5 Penguins One-Timers: A Big Dose of Reality
The Pittsburgh Penguins ' loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday felt like a bit more than a bad Saturday night at the barn. After a couple of entertaining and big wins over the pair of New York teams, the Penguins landed back upon the hockey earth with the same thud of a slapshot pounding Noel Acciari's shin pads.
The loss not only stung the Penguins but also the fanbase, perhaps as both saw the unseemly warts that a pair of wins masked, complete with good goaltending performances.
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With the first drops of adversity, the larger question is–can this team be as good as they think, or will they be as bad as so many have predicted?
Make no mistake, every one of the players has seen, heard, and been confronted with the predictions. They know that no one thinks they will be competitive through the full obstacle course of the NHL season, and they have quietly used it as a bit of motivation.
"Anytime people try to underestimate you, have those low expectations (for the team), it fuels the fire a little bit more," Bryan Rust said.
Penguins One Timers
1. Things Get Tougher
The schedule, no matter who they play, is going to get much harder. The old hockey axiom that October is for settling in, the next few weeks leading to Thanksgiving are for dialing in, the weeks to Christmas are for ramping up the intensity, and after Christmas, it's go time, is as out of date as plaid pants, split-level houses in the 'burbs, and saying "That's swell."
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I mean, 6-7, right?
With loser points and a widening middle thanks to the salary cap, teams have to get to full speed as fast as possible. New York showed the Penguins the difference between a team beginning the season (Game 1) and a team dailing in (Game 3).
New York was infinitely better in Game 3. Their penalty kill was aggressive–and scored a shorthanded goal. The game was faster, more physical, and significantly elevated from the energetic but loose Game 1.
The Penguins have a chance to arrive home next week with a 4-2-0 record and feel good about themselves. They play a pair of rebuilding teams, Anaheim and San Jose, with the always well-structured LA Kings sandwiched between them.
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But we're also going to see if they have the horses to gallop.
2. The Muse System
Muse's system is tailor-made for this club.
Inexplicably, former coach Mike Sullivan stayed with his more complex forecheck system despite the slower, and quite frankly, lesser talented roster.
Muse has pulled back on the reins, installing a simpler structure that also relies on the defensemen to be active. Coach Francis Anzalone, who runs the Total Package Hockey School, which has produced a couple of Penguins prospects (and many more around the league), will help us this week break down the system in greater detail with video and conversation on the PHN YouTube page.
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The words Anazalone used with us on Saturday were "simple" and "structured."
The new structure is a 1-1-3, with active defensemen. While that may look like a defensive posture, it is not. The first advantage for the Penguins is that it creates additional layers in the neutral zone, something a few players also noted. The scheme protects defensemen going back for the puck, which should allow a better transition game.
The other advantage is using the defensemen's speed. Oddly, Muse downplayed the idea that the team chose blue line speed, but with the scheme and speed, the defensemen have a runway to attack, and the skill to do so.
Some of the centers will have the puck less, which is both a good and bad thing when you have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin at the top of the lineup.
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3. Sidney Crosby
You can tell when Crosby is fighting the game. He gets off the ice quickly. He's more vocal with linemates. And he forces plays.
Over the past week: Check. Check. And check.
On the bench, Crosby had instructions for linemate Ville Koivunen before the Penguins returned the rookie to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday.
It's not a point of worry. Crosby needs a lot of repetition, but he also only likes to play two preseason games. This isn't the first sluggish start for Crosby, who has just one goal and one assist in three games. Something good happens, and Crosby soars. For the Penguins to keep the good feeling from their solid start, it wouldn't hurt if that good moment happened sooner rather than later.
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4. Kris Letang
Conversely, Letang has not looked up to his past standards. In a system designed to turn loose the defensemen, conventional wisdom would posit Letang to be a featured player. However, he doesn't have a point in three games, has eight giveaways, and five shots despite running the top power play.
While Crosby is noticeable, Letang has been the opposite. Defense partner Ryan Shea has been present, pinching and battling, but Letang has been conspicuous by his absence.
Given Letang's rough campaign last year, which was statistically the worst of his career, a bad start is concerning. Including this year, he has three years left on his contract, which carries a 35+ designation.
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5. Ville Koivunen
There is no question that Ben Kindel and Harrison Brunicke are the real deal. Kindel is a revelation as the third-line center. Brunicke has had ups and downs, but he clearly is good enough to weather the storms of the NHL, even if coaches need to sit him down occasionally.
However, Ville Koivunen's demotion was more than a bit perplexing.
He was so very good last season. He is part of the future. And he had a very good preseason. And two bad games earned him the hook?
That seemed premature, at best. Wrong, at worst.
It seemed that other players were more deserving of the demotion, given their lower ceilings or extended chances that didn't produce enough. It would seem unlikely that, given the Penguins' cadre of reclamation projects, any would have been lost to waivers.
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And, Dubas has often said he doesn't mind losing players via waivers.
Koivunen is probably going through a bit of emotion right now; anxious to start the season well and establish an NHL career, playing beside Crosby, then poof, you're having dinner at the Mohegan Casino and on the bus to Lehigh Valley, probably wondering what the hell just happened.
It is a big test for Koivunen to keep his mental game straight. Me? I'd be a total jerk about it. If Koivunen can clean up his game quickly, he should be back here ASAP.
And Penguins fans aren't wrong to want a left-side defenseman recalled, as well.
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