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Penguins Grades: A Wild Ride. How It’s Coming Together Just in Time
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- Penguins Grades: A Wild Ride. How It’s Coming Together Just in Time
Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Bad luck for the Philadelphia Flyers and good luck for the Pittsburgh Penguins spotted the Penguins a 3-2 win in Game 5 at PPG Paints Arena Monday, and just deserts through the first 40 minutes had nothing to do with the Penguins' advantage. They yielded open chances, offensive zone pressure, and made their defensive zone a wild ride that Kennywood would close due to safety concerns.
However, for the second straight game, the Penguins were able to shut down the Flyers in the third period and asserted themselves for the win to continue the series, again forcing Game 6 Wednesday in Philadelphia.
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The Flyers lead the Round One Stanley Cup Playoffs series 3-2, but a series that looked like it was over is now a brawl to the finish as the Penguins attempt to become just the fifth team in NHL history to overcome a 3-0 series deficit.
And the Flyers attempt to not become the fifth team to choke away such a series.
"We generated some better chances, more quality through some of the offensive zone. You look at Tree's (Elmer Soderblom) goal there–a great play by Mo (Anthony Mantha) to get a good forecheck and then make a play out front," Sidney Crosby said. "We had some really good looks around the net that maybe didn't go in, but we generated some better quality, overall, just from the offensive zone play."
Also note Soderblom's new nickname: Tree.
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So, you're saying there's a chance?
The Penguins are the better team and after they stubbornly punted away the first few games on the altar of playing their game rather than dealing with the Flyers' design to stop them, the series momentum in the Penguins' favor is growing, despite a 3-2 series deficit. The Penguins are now off the mat, and the pressure is increasing on the Flyers to win Game 6 at home, lest they give the Penguins' storm even more momentum.
For many of the Flyers, this is their first playoff experience. For some of the Penguins, it is the same, but the Penguins have the added benefit of four players with a pair of Stanley Cup rings, who have worn the Penguins sweater for their entire career.
And those players, including Crosby and Bryan Rust , are playing well, which lights the path forward.
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As a team, even as the Penguins lost their structure for long stretches of Game 5, they pulled the Flyers out of that humdrum defensive posture with an offer of more open play that appeals to their top players like Trevor Zegras, but distinctly favors the Penguins.
The game winner later in the second period was fluky, and it sure seemed to mirror a goal that lives in Penguins history that was the kindling for a magical run. In March 1991, the Penguins got a similar goal against the then-division leading New York Rangers that spurred the Penguins to pass the Rangers before the end of the regular season, then win the organization's first championship.
Just like that mile marker goal, the hockey gods put their thumb on the scales Monday.
Overall, the Flyers' Grade A chance sailed wide while the Penguins' grinders snapped wicked shots past Flyers goalie Dan Vladar. Soderblom sniped a shot past Vladar on the Penguins' first shot of the game, and Connor Dewar gave the Penguins a 2-0 lead early in the second with a perfectly placed wrister that rocketed into and out of the net, initially fooling the referees.
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The Penguins put their chances into the net, but the Flyers rallied to tie the game 2-2 in the second period, and it looked like the game was in peril … until the hockey gods chipped in, too.
Penguins Analysis
Working backward, the third period was again the Penguins' best period. Tactically, they reversed course from their loose performance to a well-managed, above the puck, shutdown effort.
Their third period wasn't perfect, but after the wild chances of the first two periods, it was a Sunday afternoon nap.
"I don't think we were on our heels. I don't think we gave them the ice," said Bryan Rust. "I thought we stayed in their face, but I thought we played smart. We played responsible (hockey)."
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Game 5 became the first time in the series that the Penguins truly pulled the Flyers into their game. The first period was the most wide open–sometimes devolving into structural anarchy. It was as close to firewagon hockey as a playoff game can be.
The first two periods were wide open, loose, and both teams swapped chances and puck possession. It was thrilling for viewers, though fans and coaches may be forgiven for not breathing every time the other team had the puck.
Neither coach was entirely happy with that portion of the game.
"I think at times we got too loose defensively. There were parts–the end of the first period, some segments in the second–when we can create time and space for ourselves, that's obviously a good thing, but we also don't want to make it just completely back and forth, where it's just trading Grade A chances," said Penguins coach Dan Muse . "You know, that's never wanted it to be that way. We want to be able to create space for ourselves, but I think also recognizing the times that we can limit their space … especially the first two periods, we gave them some looks that I think we can limit those."
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Flyers coach Rick Tocchet also hinted that the Flyers' mental game took a hit Monday.
"I think we're just a little bit behind the eight ball when it comes to (little details and playing hard)," said Tocchet. "Tight games can go either way. We need some guys to loosen up a little bit. Maybe shorter shifts, you know, hold on to pucks."
Tactically, the Penguins breakout game plan again differed greatly from their simple wall chips and rush in Game 4. This time, almost exclusively the defensemen were skating with the puck to the defensive blue line and beyond to create open men at the offensive blue line as the Flyers structure adjusted to the puck carrier. And once inside the blue line, the Penguins then played a chip-and-charge game to positive effect.
However, not all was good. In fact, the Penguins' unstructured play trailing back to the defensive zone put a few sure-goals on the Flyers' sticks.
The second period was a little different from the first, but only because the Penguins were even worse structurally. The Flyers gave them a taste by allowing them to play with possession and play a more open style, and the Penguins were junkies for the chance to score a goal.
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Of course, the good luck was the Penguins' third goal attributed to Letang but clearly scored by the hockey gods with a couple of unpredictable bounces off the stanchion. Angels in the Outfield couldn't have done it better.
On paper, the second period shots were 6-5 in favor of the Flyers. However, the same virus that affected the Penguins in Games 1 and 2 with agonizing missed shots from scoring zones seemed to spread to the visitors' dressing room, and this time it was the Flyers who painted the glass with lost opportunity and regret.
Almost remarkably, the final shot sheet showed a paltry 21-20 shot edge for the Flyers, but the Flyers were able to attempt 59 shots to the Penguins' 58.
Penguins Report Card
Team: B-
With their season on the line, the Penguins played wildly. They didn't play their best game; they played their stubborn, favorite game and tried to outscore the Flyers rather than the buttoned up performance of Game 4.
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The Penguins again buckled down in the third period. That third period performance in which they allowed just six shots while holding the lead was another strong showing when it mattered most.
Arturs Silovs: B
It's a begrudging B instead of a B-. Silovs's rebound control was rough until the third period. As the game finally settled, so too did Silovs.
Silovs's rebounds, which were too many, contributed to Flyers' zone control in the first two periods. Fortunately for the Penguins, the Flyers missed a bevy of glorious chances while the Penguins were living dangerously. The Penguins' defensemen largely cleaned up any loose pucks near the crease, but when your season hangs in the balance, a few extra pucks are cause for concern. And there's the matter of Silovs allowing a soft goal to Alex Bump just six seconds after the Penguins seized all momentum and claimed a 2-0 lead.
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BUT, again, he made the necessary saves.
Players Who Had Better Games
Anthony Mantha: He had good hop and was fighting to play between the dots. He threw a couple of punches in post-whistle scrums that had Flyers' fans seething (They've forfeited their right to complain, yes?). Mantha had a couple of scoring chances and set up the Penguins' first goal. A solid performance from a struggling performer.
Kris Letang: There was an increased reliance on Penguins defensemen in Game 5 and Letang handled it well. Muse put the puck on his defensemen's sticks, and they were generally good. The mistakes and the open play were not on them.
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Elmer Soderblom: Penguins captain Sidney Crosby called the 6-foot-8, 246-pound winger "Tree" in postgame comments. Soderblom was an animal on the puck and on the wall. He scored the game's first goal, drew a penalty, and otherwise was immovable. He finished with four shot attempts, two on net, and three hits.
Top Line: Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust, and Rickard Rakell were the driving force in the Penguins' game. They kept it simple with a lot of chips to the low zone but then retrieved far more than their share. The advanced analytics show they were even in all categories, but the eyes showed them to be on the right side of the puck.
Fourth Line: They've been the Penguins' MVP of the series. They have turned territory countless times and have been the Penguins' consistently reliable line. They're always immediately noticeable when on the ice.
Notable Grades
Ben Kindel is not putting up numbers on the stat sheet but he's improving with every game. He's also playing fearlessly when the play gets physical.
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Tommy Novak played his best game of the series. He's still not creating much in the offensive zone, and the second line again had zero shots on goal, but he had more moments of offensive zone possession and a few good backchecks that ended Flyers' possession.
The post Penguins Grades: A Wild Ride. How It's Coming Together Just in Time appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now .
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