The State of The Pittsburgh Penguins...
The Penguins dropped another heart breaker to the New York Rangers last night. They had built a 2-goal lead and played some very inspired hockey during the first 45 minutes of the game. That all changed quickly.
Marc Andre Fleury, who looked like he was on his way to posting a shut out, allowed a deflection goal. The goal could have beaten anyone in the league, but it seemed to deflate him. He quickly allowed another, and the rest is history...regulation ended and the Penguins could not get it done in the shoot-out.
The Penguins hot start is still masking how bad they have been lately, at least in stretches. In case anyone is keeping track, the flightless bird has won only 4 of 17 games. Granted several of the losses have come in shootouts or overtime, but that is not going to get it done. They have played well in spurts, but they have had difficulty putting together complete games.
What are the major deficiencies on this team? Where can they improve? Well, let's start with the scoring.
They have gotten little offensive support from their wingers this season. In fact, Mark Recchi is the only winger who has more than 6 goals, that sort of production is not going to win games. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have no one who can truly finish for them and that aspect needs immediate attention from general manager Ray Shero. Certain guys have played well on the wing in spurts, such as Recchi, Nils Ekman and recently Eric Christensen, but the team will suffer without consistent scoring from the wing. Crosby would be leading the league by a 10-point margin if he played with a true finisher.
This cannot all be blamed on the players. Most of them have skated on different lines as often as every other shift. Michel Therrien is not allowing guys to build chemistry. Sure, it is Malkin's fault when he throws the puck to an area where a winger should be and it results in a turnover, but he would have an idea as to where a guy was really going to be if he skated with him frequently enough. Then again, after watching him for the first 1/4 season, even my hockey IQ tells me that all you need to do is get into open space and he will get you the puck. Why his wingers aren't doing it, I don't know. The line shuffling is going to be the downfall of Therrien if it continues.
Ray Shero's marquee acquisitions during the off-season were Nils Ekman and Jarkko Ruutu. Ekman, who was used to playing with Joe Thornton and Johnathan Cheechoo in San Jose, stated the season on Sidney Crosby's wing only to be taken out of that role on opening night. Many nights he was used in a checking role, and only recently has been getting top 6-ice time, which has helped him to look better. Ruutu, who is a great agitator with some scoring touch, was thrown into a 4th line role and not given much more than 6-7 minutes a game. When Shero made the signing, he mentioned using him with skilled players to see if they could catch lightning in a bottle, hasn't happened. Do not think the GM is turning a blind eye to these two situations.
The defense started the season playing very well, but the loss of Mark Eaton set them a ways back. The guys were able to hang in there for a while, but have since been exposed. Josef Melichar takes at least 2 horrible penalties per game and doesn't hit anyone. Sergei Gonchar is either one of the best players on the ice, or one of the worst...lately it's been the latter. Rob Scuderi is good on the penalty kill and not much else. Ryan Whitney has cooled off considerably and Brooks Orpik is up and down. As much as the Wilkes Barre-Scranton recalls want to help, there is a reason that both Alain Nasreddine and Micki Dupont haven't found work in the NHL over their careers. They need Eaton back...now. Shero should also use Eric Christensen or Ryan Malone to get a stay at home d-man to help solidify the squad.
The goaltending has been all things this season. Both Jocelyn Thibault and Marc Andre Fleury have been magical at times, but they are no longer stealing points for this team. Occasionally, goaltending is effected more by how many goals a team scores, than by how many they allow. The Penguins were able to generate offense early this season, and were winning games 4-2 and 5-3. Those have now become 3-2 and 2-1 losses. The goaltending has still been solid, but it looks a lot weaker when there is a goose egg on the board. The team has got to make up for an occasional bad goal. These goalies are not able to make mistakes right now and if they do, it is resulting in a loss. If a goalie feels like 1 or 2 goals against are going to lose the game for him, he is more apt to make a mistake trying to overcompensate for his team.
The special teams are one of the worst parts of the Penguins game right now. They are not scoring on the power play, but they are allowing the opposition to do so at an alarming rate. Remedy number 1: Shoot the puck and get it through to the net. As I have said before, the Pens have to lead the league in having their shots blocked. Also, when you get that shot through, have a couple guys crash the net...rebounds mean nothing right now. Remedy number 2: Block some shots, and they need to stop running around like the keystone cops. There are occasions this season when the Benny Hill Music should be played while the Pens are trying to kill a penalty.
Though I have just pointed out these problem areas, the team is not far away from being a winner. There is a lot of youth and inexperience but they are developing. These kids will learn how to win, and with Sidney Crosby leading the way, they cannot go wrong. I am not ready to concede the playoffs this year, but I think they will be more prepared for a run next season.
*****
The Penguins have not ruled out suspending John Leclair if he doesn't eventually report to Wilkes Barre Scranton or retire. Though GM Ray Shero is trying to find a good fit for him, the Penguins are not going to be content paying a salary while he sits at home. This is starting to take an interesting turn, one that I didn't see coming when this saga started last week.
*****
Ray Shero announced that Jordan Staal would not play in the World Junior Championships for Canada. They had invited him to camp, but the Penguins have declined the
Marc Andre Fleury, who looked like he was on his way to posting a shut out, allowed a deflection goal. The goal could have beaten anyone in the league, but it seemed to deflate him. He quickly allowed another, and the rest is history...regulation ended and the Penguins could not get it done in the shoot-out.
The Penguins hot start is still masking how bad they have been lately, at least in stretches. In case anyone is keeping track, the flightless bird has won only 4 of 17 games. Granted several of the losses have come in shootouts or overtime, but that is not going to get it done. They have played well in spurts, but they have had difficulty putting together complete games.
What are the major deficiencies on this team? Where can they improve? Well, let's start with the scoring.
They have gotten little offensive support from their wingers this season. In fact, Mark Recchi is the only winger who has more than 6 goals, that sort of production is not going to win games. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have no one who can truly finish for them and that aspect needs immediate attention from general manager Ray Shero. Certain guys have played well on the wing in spurts, such as Recchi, Nils Ekman and recently Eric Christensen, but the team will suffer without consistent scoring from the wing. Crosby would be leading the league by a 10-point margin if he played with a true finisher.
This cannot all be blamed on the players. Most of them have skated on different lines as often as every other shift. Michel Therrien is not allowing guys to build chemistry. Sure, it is Malkin's fault when he throws the puck to an area where a winger should be and it results in a turnover, but he would have an idea as to where a guy was really going to be if he skated with him frequently enough. Then again, after watching him for the first 1/4 season, even my hockey IQ tells me that all you need to do is get into open space and he will get you the puck. Why his wingers aren't doing it, I don't know. The line shuffling is going to be the downfall of Therrien if it continues.
Ray Shero's marquee acquisitions during the off-season were Nils Ekman and Jarkko Ruutu. Ekman, who was used to playing with Joe Thornton and Johnathan Cheechoo in San Jose, stated the season on Sidney Crosby's wing only to be taken out of that role on opening night. Many nights he was used in a checking role, and only recently has been getting top 6-ice time, which has helped him to look better. Ruutu, who is a great agitator with some scoring touch, was thrown into a 4th line role and not given much more than 6-7 minutes a game. When Shero made the signing, he mentioned using him with skilled players to see if they could catch lightning in a bottle, hasn't happened. Do not think the GM is turning a blind eye to these two situations.
The defense started the season playing very well, but the loss of Mark Eaton set them a ways back. The guys were able to hang in there for a while, but have since been exposed. Josef Melichar takes at least 2 horrible penalties per game and doesn't hit anyone. Sergei Gonchar is either one of the best players on the ice, or one of the worst...lately it's been the latter. Rob Scuderi is good on the penalty kill and not much else. Ryan Whitney has cooled off considerably and Brooks Orpik is up and down. As much as the Wilkes Barre-Scranton recalls want to help, there is a reason that both Alain Nasreddine and Micki Dupont haven't found work in the NHL over their careers. They need Eaton back...now. Shero should also use Eric Christensen or Ryan Malone to get a stay at home d-man to help solidify the squad.
The goaltending has been all things this season. Both Jocelyn Thibault and Marc Andre Fleury have been magical at times, but they are no longer stealing points for this team. Occasionally, goaltending is effected more by how many goals a team scores, than by how many they allow. The Penguins were able to generate offense early this season, and were winning games 4-2 and 5-3. Those have now become 3-2 and 2-1 losses. The goaltending has still been solid, but it looks a lot weaker when there is a goose egg on the board. The team has got to make up for an occasional bad goal. These goalies are not able to make mistakes right now and if they do, it is resulting in a loss. If a goalie feels like 1 or 2 goals against are going to lose the game for him, he is more apt to make a mistake trying to overcompensate for his team.
The special teams are one of the worst parts of the Penguins game right now. They are not scoring on the power play, but they are allowing the opposition to do so at an alarming rate. Remedy number 1: Shoot the puck and get it through to the net. As I have said before, the Pens have to lead the league in having their shots blocked. Also, when you get that shot through, have a couple guys crash the net...rebounds mean nothing right now. Remedy number 2: Block some shots, and they need to stop running around like the keystone cops. There are occasions this season when the Benny Hill Music should be played while the Pens are trying to kill a penalty.
Though I have just pointed out these problem areas, the team is not far away from being a winner. There is a lot of youth and inexperience but they are developing. These kids will learn how to win, and with Sidney Crosby leading the way, they cannot go wrong. I am not ready to concede the playoffs this year, but I think they will be more prepared for a run next season.
*****
The Penguins have not ruled out suspending John Leclair if he doesn't eventually report to Wilkes Barre Scranton or retire. Though GM Ray Shero is trying to find a good fit for him, the Penguins are not going to be content paying a salary while he sits at home. This is starting to take an interesting turn, one that I didn't see coming when this saga started last week.
*****
Ray Shero announced that Jordan Staal would not play in the World Junior Championships for Canada. They had invited him to camp, but the Penguins have declined the
posted by Bmetzer66 at 5:43 PM
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