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Penguins Report Card: ‘It Was Horrible’; How Teams are Attacking Pens
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- Penguins Report Card: ‘It Was Horrible’; How Teams are Attacking Pens
Philip G. Pavely-Imagn Images Philip G. Pavely-Imagn Images
Many of the Pittsburgh Penguins had an adventurous drive to the arena on Thursday after the main artery between Cranberry and the city was unexpectedly closed, with thousands of drivers stuck with nowhere to go following an afternoon tractor-trailer accident. The snarled traffic and players trapped on the highway forced the game to be delayed by 30 minutes.
It was quite ironic that the Penguins were stuck in traffic because they created almost none in front of Montreal Canadiens rookie goalie Jacob Fowler, who was making his NHL debut.
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Fowler saw just about everything, and the Penguins oversaw one of their worst performances of the season in a 4-2 loss to Montreal at PPG Paints Arena.
"Yeah, it was horrible," Kris Letang said succinctly.
After two periods, the Penguins had just 10 even-strength shots. They totalled 11 on their three power plays, but very few were dangerous. The one that looked like a goal–a deflection by Ben Kindel that should have lit the lamp, met the pads of Fowler's quickly closed five-hole.
"I just thought it was execution. I thought it was just that we were slow to get to areas, slow to support, we weren't winning the races that I feel like normally at least in," coach Dan Muse said. "And so I just thought close to everything looked off."
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Rutger McGroarty hit the post on an open rush, and the Penguins Kids Line also created a three-on-one but failed to get a shot on goal.
It was that type of frustration-inducing night. Montreal didn't have to bring their A game; they just had to patiently defend the Penguins, who remained on the perimeter.
"Overall, no (I'm not satisfied with net-front play). If you look over the last stretch of games, yeah, I think it's it's been better," Muse said. "I don't think that was the case tonight. I think there were a number of instances where we were around (the net). We definitely had an opportunity to stay there and and we didn't."
Penguins Analysis
The Penguins were maddeningly stuck to the perimeter Thursday. On both the power play and even strength, they accepted the ice Montreal ceded, but failed to take any of the good ice.
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In short, the Penguins neither got traffic in front of Fowler nor did they fight for the ice between the dots.
"It's something we talked about putting traffic in front of him. And that's not what happened tonight," Letang said. "I think (Fowler) saw pretty much all of it."
For the purposes of analysis, the Kindel line (AKA the Kids Line with Ville Koivunen and McGroarty) is excluded from the criticism richly deserved by the remainder of the yellow lid combatants.
However, even they could be a little better, or rather, a little quicker with the shots.
"It's those little details that matter at this level. Some of the time, it's just getting that shot off a little bit quicker," said Muse. "There were some instances of that tonight, or just getting a little bit better position on the inside. Those are the things that I think, as young players, they're continuing to learn–just how it's a fine line."
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The Penguins finally clicked in the final 10 minutes, but it was 4-1. Too little, too late.
Tactical Attack
There is one tactical wrinkle to which the Penguins should pay close attention. The Tampa Bay Lightning deployed a similar rush technique a week ago, and Montreal used it effectively Thursday to create odd-man rushes.
Goalie Tristan Jarry called it the "flat pass."
Essentially, one or two rushers front the defensemen, but slide a little pass to a trailer, which now has speed past the defenders. Tampa Bay tortured the Penguins with them, and Montreal had no shortage of odd-man rushes as a result, as well.
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The rushes are forcing the Penguins to track back well. And against speed, they have not.
It doesn't help that many of the Penguins' defenders' first instinct is to jump forward to confront the puck, leaving their backside very much exposed as the forwards chase.
Montreal's speed on those rushes exposed the Penguins' forwards, who would be the only line of defense, as they needed to keep up with the opposition–but that's doubly tough as the Penguins are trying to play down low.
However, through the tactical analysis of Thursday's loss, the primary culprit was simply a brutal game. Disconnected at every level. Disjointed. Unsatisfying. It was the Salisbury Steak of hockey performances.
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Penguins Report Card
Team: F
Did the traffic jam just throw everyone off? Letang hedged. Muse unsurprisingly dismissed the idea. And Jarry wondered aloud if it did. After all, the Penguins were dreadful in the first period. They amassed just four shots and even less danger.
"I think it was just a little bit of tough circumstances to get into the rink. That obviously led to a later start, and I think just that might have played a little bit into what happened at the beginning," said Jarry. "I'm not sure, but we have to come out better."
Early in the second period, they were starting to play well. And that's when Montreal exposed their track-back flaw or the flat pass option. Not even Sidney Crosby was immune.
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Tristan Jarry: C-
It wasn't Jarry's best. A couple of rough ones beat him. No, it's not proof of whatever narrative you'd like to impose. It was a rough game, not a career-ender. Perspective.
McGroarty-Kindel-Koivunen: B+
They were easily the Penguins' best line. On the whole, they created the most dangerous chances and were the only line to get on the rush, but good grief, they are suffering some extraordinary bad luck. McGroarty hit the post. Fowler took away a couple of good chances from Koivunen and Kindel. And the puck bounced away from McGroarty on a three-on-one.
If just one goes in, the goals are going to flow like Niagara Falls. But they get a B+ until then.
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Tommy Novak : Again
Another good game from Novak, at least in relation to the team. Novak set up the Penguins' first goal with good puck possession. He defended a couple of chances in the middle of the ice, too. He's playing quite well on the Penguins' top line.
Blame Game
Kris Letang had a brutal shift early in the game. He and the second line (Anthony Mantha-Kevin Hayes-Justin Brazeau) were caught on the ice for two minutes; Letang for nearly 2:30. When it was time to clear the puck or skate it to center, Letang did just that … but it hopped right off his stick to Alexander Texiera, who quickly converted. Letang had iced the puck on the shift, trapping himself on the ice. Otherwise, he was just fine, at least in comparison to the rest of the team.
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It was more red meat for the anti-Letang crowd.
Mantha-Hayes-Brazeau. Against the zippy Canadiens, they were speed bumps providing not enough resistance or offense. The Penguins' big bodies needed to rough up Fowler. Take away some eyes. Something.
The post Penguins Report Card: 'It Was Horrible'; How Teams are Attacking Pens appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now .
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