Story by
Penguins Blog: How Rookie Defensemen, Team Dealing with Rocky Road
- Story by
- Penguins Blog: How Rookie Defensemen, Team Dealing with Rocky Road
Penguins Blog: How Rookie Defensemen, Team Dealing with Rocky Road
"That guy…he really rebounded well."
Pittsburgh Penguins rookie defenseman Owen Pickering nodded toward defense partner and fellow rookie Harrison Brunicke . Both were shellshocked on Saturday because before they settled into the game, before they played their third shift, they were both a minus-2.
Advertisement
And their heads were spinning. Brunicke got over the goals and settled into a solid game, though Pickering was better as well, but had another mistake (trying to hold the offensive blue line) that contributed to a goal later in the game.
This reporter spoke individually with each defenseman and the larger issues their dealing with, and that start in Winnipeg couldn't be overlooked. It was top of mind for each.
"I mean, that's a tough start. Definitely not (long pause), how you draw it up. Kind of a little shell-shocked on the bench, for sure," Pickering told PHN. "I feel like I settled in. Not bad … I kind of just blocked the game out. Like, I didn't really–I talked to the coaches about it, went over some things, but honestly like just move on and flush."
Pickering, 21, is a couple of years older, but they're both newbies in the league and in the Penguins' veteran-led room, and they are often together on the ice and in the room.
Advertisement
In addition to the rough go in Winnipeg, Pickering and Brunicke were victimized for the game winner in Toronto Monday night.
Call it growing pains.
Pickering was quick to praise Brunicke for essentially getting his head straight after the disastrous start Saturday. And it's a full team effort behind the bench. Pickering said not only has assistant Todd Nelson worked with him, but it's been the entire staff, heady coach Dan Muse included.
"All the coaches are great with that. They're all kind of pretty hands-on, so it's nice to have kind of different perspectives," Pickering said. "They're all the same way. So quite a bit (of video). I mean, you talk and they're great on the support side. And I know all the young guys are kind of in the same boat with that, so it's nice."
Advertisement
Pickering has struggled since getting the recall from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last week. He's had plenty of good moments, quick nullifications, and nice plays befitting a shutdown defenseman.
But he's also had some bad moments, like his part in the first two goals Saturday and a third later in the game. And like getting beat off the wall by Bobby McMann for the game-winning goal Monday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs .
Pickering played only 11:05 on Monday as he was obviously not on his game, even as the Penguins dominated Toronto. It wouldn't be fair to say Pickering lacks confidence, but it might be fair to say the evidence shows he's not comfortable.
His average shift time in his previous two games was :38 and :37, respectively. Pickering explained. Or admitted. It's tough for a young defenseman, especially when things go wrong.
Advertisement
"I wouldn't say it's something specific. I mean, I feel like it's just getting back into it. And there's, there's a couple of times like that, like the first period (Winnipeg), I cut a couple shifts short just because I was like–not panicking, but you just kind of want to have a good one and stack it, you know," Pickering admitted. "So it's like kind of that mentality of, 'okay, we go up the ice, we come back down, we break out, and I'm like, all right, let's get off,' and we'll stack those shifts and try to kind of get back into it that way."
After answering the question Monday morning, Pickering's average shift time climbed to a short, but more normal :44. The still filling-out 6-foot-5 defenseman has the skills and talent to be an NHL defenseman. It seems the next step is knowing it.
"I'm confident in myself and all that. I mean, I played three games, so I'm going to keep building, and that's the message I'm getting," said Pickering.
Unfairness
Baked into the imbalanced, compressed, and catywampus hockey schedule is exhaustion. Tired legs, weary noggins, but a game to play are part of being an NHL player.
Advertisement
Why?
The Penguins' schedule over seven days including a home game on Monday, a short 45-minute flight to Philadelphia for a road game, a few-hour flight to Minneapolis that counts as a travel day and some wandering around the Mall of America, a game against Minneapolis, a practice day, and a flight that is slightly less than two hours to Winnipeg. An afternoon game with a late-night landing in Toronto. A game the next evening and a flight home.
Monday to Monday. Five games, eight days.
Toronto was playing it's fourth game in nine days, including a pair of road games in nearby Columbus and Philadelphia.
Advertisement
"I think we played two good periods, and then we got a little flat in the third, and obviously they kept coming, and stepped up their game," Erik Karlsson said. "And we couldn't find a way to maintain the level that we had for the first 40, and I think we just started playing a little bit too safe, and you know that's usually a sign when you don't feel your best, and maybe we ran out of gas."
If indeed the Penguins were out of gas in the third period, as Erik Karlsson suggested, how many games each season are decided by the calendar more so than the players?
When will the NHL get on a more normalized schedule? There are 100 reasons that a more standardized schedule isn't possible, which is a point the league is quick to point out. There are shared arenas, concerts, and TV considerations, but surely there are options and fixes.
Yet with AI and creativity, a team shouldn't be absolutely drained by the end of their road trip. As the hockey writer with the longest existing streak of covering games (we're somewhere over 130), I will attest that it is a grind unlike any other. Despite having one of the easiest travel schedules, it's an unfair and unnecessary obstacle for all teams at different points.
Advertisement
The post Penguins Blog: How Rookie Defensemen, Team Dealing with Rocky Road appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now .
Related Headlines
