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Penguins Report Card: THAT’S How It’s Done; Murashov Looks Special
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- Penguins Report Card: THAT’S How It’s Done; Murashov Looks Special
Penguins Report Card: THAT’S How It’s Done; Murashov Looks Special
STOCKHOLM — Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Muse made a half dozen changes to the lineup from Friday's stinker. It would be fair to say they worked.
Not only did Muse's lineup swaps work, but the team remained committed to honest hockey instead of using their cushion to add even more goals. A commitment to defense replaced irresponsible hockey, albeit including a rough patch with three penalties over six minutes in the second period.
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The Penguins eventually sucked the life out of the game like a good defensive team should, and coasted to a 4-0 win over the Nashville Predators at Avicii Arena Sunday afternoon. The resounding win erased their ignominious collapse Friday when they lost the first of the two-game Swedish set 2-1 in overtime.
And rookie goalie Sergei Murashov was unbeatable, earning his first shutout and first win in just his second start.
As for the changes, Muse put rookie forward Ben Kindel back to third-line center. He put fourth-line grinder Connor Dewar on the top line with Sidney Crosby , Kevin Hayes with Evgeni Malkin on the second line, as well as inserted Danton Heinen and defenseman Connor Clifton into the lineup.
It was a different team, literally and figuratively.
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"I think we were pretty motivated coming off the last game, the way it finished. We didn't feel like we played our best, and to have it finish the way it did, I thought we were motivated to bounce back," said Crosby. "I thought it showed with the way we played. It doesn't always work out that you get three (goals in the first period), even if you have a good start, so that was big, and obviously, penalty kill was big in the second. But that start was huge."
Oh, the Penguins flirted with their demons. After a dull few minutes to begin the second period, the Penguins opened the game, and the teams began trading chances. However, just when the game looked like a rerun of the last few games in which the team failed to close out would-be wins, the penalty kill saved them, then they sucked the life out of the game.
By the middle of the third period, Nashville was ready to go home. The Penguins outshot Nashville 10-2 in the first period, then the Penguins took away time and space in the final 40 minutes.
"The second period, I mean, we're on a kill a lot, and so credit to those guys. They did a really good job. That can be tough, too, for the guys that don't kill penalties because now they're sitting and waiting," said Muse. "I thought, given those circumstances, the guys did a good job, and the guys that needed to go out there to kill the penalties did an outstanding job. Sergei made some big saves, and then the guys were able to get back into the game. I thought they did a good job with that."
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Was that so hard?
Oh, and Murashov made all the saves he should have, and a couple of good ones when tested. Murashov stopped all 22 shots. He tied Dennis Herron for the fastest Penguins rookie to earn a shutout and was the sixth-youngest in franchise history.
Murashov is something special.
"I think it's more his preparation, the way he comes to the rink," Kris Letang said of the rookie netminder. "Obviously, on the ice, he is really good, but he's a true professional, prepares really well, and you can see that in the result."
Penguins Analysis
The team came first. The first few shifts of the third period set the perfect tone. The Penguins did not push for more offense, though they took space when available. The Penguins kept their F3 high in the offensive zone, creating layers and neutral zone traffic, which instantly frustrated Nashville.
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Yes. The Penguins. Using a defensive posture to frustrate an opponent in submission. It was a Jultomten miracle.
Nashville didn't have an odd-man break, which is a fact that should allow coach Dan Muse to sleep well on the plane home.
"Then yeah, we needed some saves there in the third period, which we got. We didn't have as much sustained time as in the first period, but I thought overall the guys did a good job in terms of getting the job done."
Tactically, the first period was like a crisp practice. The breakouts were perfect. With connecting passes, each level had options, and the Penguins created speed with a variety of routes. The Penguins pushed ahead with linear passes in stride, they used a trailer out of the zone, and they reversed the puck to the short side out of the zone.
Each pass came with the satisfying "clack" as the puck crisply traveled blade to blade. The Penguins earned their breaks; Parker Wotherspoon 's wrist shot through traffic deflected into the net. Evgeni Malkin 's circle bankshot lit the lamp for the second game in a row, and Sidney Crosby stepped into a clearing attempt in the slow slot, putting it back faster than it came out.
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The Penguins fired their cannons early and then sailed.
Side note: Aside from the Penguins' first period, neither team had a great period over two games over here. The building enjoyed the games, but neither was a sellout. It wasn't like the NHL needed to introduce hockey to Sweden. These games were expensive and essentially shut down the regular season for both teams. It may be a point of pride for Swedish media or Finnish media to get the games in their country or city, but they must absolutely be the first two games of the season. These games cannot be in mid-season.
Penguins Report Card
Team: A-
They played their very best game in the first period, and made it ugly in the third. That's how it is done.
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Sergei Murashov: A
The Penguins didn't leave their netminder out to dry; instead, they protected the kid to whom they owed a win after their collapse last Sunday against the LA Kings . For his part, Murashov made some tough saves look too easy. He's quiet, steady, poised, and athletic.
He might become the best of the three goalies very, very soon.
But this time, he didn't know the Steelers were playing right after his game.
Hayes-Malkin-Mantha: A+
It would be hard to be more dominant than this line. Kevin Hayes was on his very best game. The puck followed him like a lost puppy, and he walked it up and down the ice, creating scoring chances and offensive pressure.
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Get this advanced stat line: 7-1 scoring chances. 3-0 high danger chances. An 87% expected goals rate. And a 1-0 scoreboard advantage.
Also, yes, you also saw Malkin backchecking and doing the dirty work in his own zone.
Ryan Graves : A+
We've seen 6-foot-4, 227-pound Ryan Graves play some sketchy and quiet hockey. After his call-up, we've seen him add some puck skills to his game. On Sunday, he played the heavy. Nashville has a few big boys, and Graves hit them all. In the second period, he delivered a thundering hit on Luke Evangelista near the Nashville bench, then didn't back down from Michael McCarron . He put a good hit on McCarron shortly after, as well.
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Graves has always been a good guy in the room. It's nice to have good things to talk about. He's making the most of his redemption.
Other Notable Grades
Penalty Kill: Killed off three chances, including 34 seconds of a two-man advantage in the second and another in the third.
Refs: What gives with the Penguins getting so few chances this season?
Danton Heinen: He was solid, which is all he needs to be.
Ben Kindel: Returning to center, Kindel was very good in the first period and perfectly responsible for the remainder of the game.
Our Hosts: Thank you, Sweden. Thank you, NHL, for putting on a good event. We can debate the efficacy or necessity, but the staff did a wonderful job, and this city is a pretty extraordinary place.
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