One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Over the last two weeks the Pittsburgh Penguins have started to look a little like the team that everyone thought that they were going to be after winning the draft lottery to secure the rights to uber phenom Sidney Crosby and bringing in several high profile free agents. At times during the same period, they have looked like the same team that has struggled in the new look NHL, taking ill advised penalties, struggling in their own zone, not getting to loose pucks and most importantly, losing games. Will the real Pittsburgh Penguins please stand up!

After picking up their first win of the season on October 27th against the Atlanta Thrashers they went on to lose their next game 5-3 against the Carolina Hurricanes, blowing a 3-1 third period lead, something that they have become very adept at doing. They bounced back with their best week of the season by posting two big wins over division opponents, a 4-3 overtime win in New Jersey and a 5-1 throttling of the New York Islanders. There was a buzz forming around the team, and it seemed as if they were turning the corner. Ryan Whitney and Eric Christensen had been called up right before the New Jersey game and each were contributing in all situations. Then the team lost their inspirational leader, John LeClair, to facial fractures after being struck with a puck during the morning skate last Saturday. That seemed to hurt more than anyone could have expected. LeClair had recently lifted his game to a level not seen earlier in the season, he was scoring goals on the power play and becoming a great locker room presence. Losing him brought out the worst in the team, they went on to play their worst game of the season and lost 6-3 to the Boston Bruins.

Things did not look to get any better with games against the division leading New York Rangers, and the high scoring Atlanta Thrashers. The Penguins dominated most of the first two periods in the Ranger game, staking themselves to a 3-0 lead, only to watch the Rangers score 2 third period goals. They were able to avoid a complete meltdown and won the game 3-2. The win put them within 1 game of .500. Which was amazing after they were winless in their first 9 games. Unfortunately, they stayed consistent in their pattern and lost to the Atlanta Thrashers Wednesday night 5-0, and looked very bad in the process.

What is the problem? Where is the consistency? How can a team look amazing one night and look horrible another? Here are a couple thoughts...

• Discipline - The team needs to play a more disciplined game. That means staying out of the penalty box. Ill advised penalties, especially during vital points of the game have cost them on more than one occasion. As evidenced in the loss to Boston last Saturday, the Penguins spent close to 8:00 minutes during the opening period in the penalty box. Two of the penalties were called when Rob Scuderi flipped pucks into the stands while shorthanded, causing the team to go down by two men.

• Goaltending - The Penguins need more consistent play from their goaltenders. Jocelyn Thibault will get another chance, but has been nothing close to what the team thought they were getting when they sent a 3rd round pick to Chicago for his rights. Sebastian Caron has been good at times, but seems to let in a horrible goal at least once a game. To succeed in the NHL you need a goaltender who can occasionally steal a win for you. The Penguins do not have that on the NHL roster right now. Could Marc Andre Fleury be the answer? We won't know until they decide to forget the contract situation and give him a chance. Wonder if Craig Patrick is second guessing his decision to pass on Curtis Joseph, all that he has done is post a 7-4 record, 2.12 gaa and a .925 s% on a very average Phoenix Coyote team.

• Defense - The team has got to recommit itself to playing team defense. When they have done so throughout the season it has been successful. The forwards have got to come back into the defensive zone and help out. Finish their checks and clear the puck up ice. The team has nonchalantly tried to clear the puck on numerous occasions and those have ended up in their net. They have got to utilize each other more effectively, by playing their positions and chipping the puck along the boards until it is out of the zone. There should never be a clearing pass through the slot or up the middle of the ice. Two mistakes that this team makes on a consistant basis.

• Penalty Killing - The Pittsburgh Penguins currently rank 29th on the penalty kill with a 76.3 % kill rate. That is unacceptable, especially for a team that has been taking as many penalties as they have. This has got to change. Maxime Talbot and Matt Murley have done a decent job recently, but the team has got to get better. The rest of the problems they are encountering have been compounded by the horrible penalty killing. The team has found itself down by 2 and 3 goals early in games because of the lack of success in this area.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have shown some signs of becoming a contender in the Eastern Conference, but until they consistently do the things that have helped them win games lately, they will be a step behind the rest of the conference. The pattern of taking one step forward and two steps back has got to be broken.

NHL Notes:

• Sidney Crosby was named NHL rookie of the month for October after posting 2 goals and 12 assists in 11 October games.
• Eric Cole of the Carolina Hurricanes set an NHL record Wednesday night by being the first player in history to get awarded two penalty shots in one game. Cole scored on his first opportunity after being pulled down by Buffalo Sabres forward Jochen Hecht.
• Veteran center Pierre Turgeon scored his 500th career goal Tuesday night in a Colorado win over the San Jose Sharks. The 36 year old has played for the New Islanders, Montreal Canadians, Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars and now the Colorado Avalanche.
• Cam Neely who is set to be enshrined in the NHL Hall of Fame in Toronto has never set foot in the building. His induction will be his first visit.