Heading into Game 4 both coaches are going to have to be mindful about how they utilize certain players on their roster. Each team has some players that are struggling and depending on how ice time is doled out moving forward it could have a big impact on who is awarded the Stanley Cup.
On the Penguins side of things it is the middle pairing of Ben Lovejoy and Olli Maatta that have been getting pounded this series. The logical explanation is that Mike Sullivan is heavily sheltering the pairing of Justin Schultz and Ian Cole. That is working for Schultz and Cole but not so much for Lovejoy and Maatta. This is a tough scenario for the Penguins because you can only realistically shelter one pairing. Can Schultz and Cole handle a bigger workload? I have my reservations about that. It will be up to Maatta and Lovejoy to play better.
Here is some of the microdata from Game 3.
At the very bottom you see the Lovejoy/Maatta pairing. Their possession numbers were bad. The nice thing about these microstats being provided is that you can pin point why they were bad.
Lovejoy and Maatta’s major issues were in the defensive end, having the two highest defensive zone turnover rates at 20% and 15.8% respectively. Just to give you an idea, the team average Defensive Zone Turnover% was 6.5%.
Each player was on the ice for 30 defensive rebound opportunities. Their ability to corral these rebounds was atrocious in Game 3 and led to extended zone time for the Sharks. Lovejoy was 0 for 30 and Maatta was 3 for 30. The fact they had 30 opportunities for a rebound means they were hemmed in their own end. Not being able to retrieve those rebounds compounded the problem.
You can also look at players like Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang and see why criticism of their play is overblown. They haven’t played perfect hockey, but the idea that they are somehow a liability is foolish. The fact that they have as many possessions with the puck as they do speaks volumes with how active they are in the game. Letang leads all defensemen in steals and Malkin leads for all forwards. They are both on the high end of possession for the game. The idea that isolated mistakes trump the body of work that high end players put in is a common error in evaluating players. When players have the puck as often as Malkin and Letang mistakes are going to be made. You aren't going to get perfection in a sport that is defined as "controlled chaos".
The problem people are having with Evgeni Malkin is the fact that his point production has been nonexistent in the Stanley Cup Final. After going on a five game point streak he has a goose egg against the Sharks.
Bryan Rust has had some great moments in this playoff run but he isn’t a long term top six winger option in the NHL. In Game 3 his turnover percentage was 47.8% which led the team. Perhaps Mike Sullivan noticed this as well as he gave Crosby and Malkin 2:45 of ice time together at even-strength. That was the most they have been together in the series and way higher than the 9 seconds they played together in Game 2. When on the ice together the Penguins generated seven shot attempts to only one against. Mike Sullivan should keep the lines the way while finding 5v5 time for Sid and Geno based on game situation (TV timeouts, end of the period, off Sharks icings, down a few goals etc...
Evgeni Malkin is consistently in the other team’s zone. This is a good thing. The process is right. Now it is a matter of fine tuning that zone time into being more effective. He needs to be more assertive and selfish in an effort to generate his own shooting opportunities. He is deferring too often and by deferring to a player that has a turnover percentage of 47.8 (Rust) you lose opportunities. He agrees.
It is only a matter of time until the points come. Process is fine. Process wins out.
As far as the power play
He’s right on that too. The same issues that have plagued the Penguins power play all season long are hurting them in the Stanley Cup Final. There is no player movement once they gain a controlled entry. Everything is station to station with static skating movement. The penalty killers are never asked to leave their comfort zone. As far as zone entries are concerned I don’t have a problem with the drop pass in the neutral zone. It has worked a lot for many teams around the league this year including the Penguins. The only adjustment is for Letang to keep the puck if San Jose’s F1 is heavily cheating on the drop.
With the ice conditions in both arenas not optimal you might see the teams chipping and chasing more often.
Hertl is out. This does not help the bottom six for San Jose. They were dominated in Game 3. The trickledown effect should help the Penguins against in Game 4.
As for Matt Murray. He had a bad Game 3. His four prior games were .933, .941, .923, and .955. He’s been playing good hockey since being benched for Fleury.
That is the right mindset to have. Unfortunately he plays the one position that is the most results based. If a goalie screws up they can only hold the status quo. If a player screws up they can go out and get another goal. That is the nature of the beast though.
Tomas Hertl is out again. This does not help the bottom six for San Jose. They were dominated in Game 3. The trickledown effect should help the Penguins against in Game 4. Here is the Sharks projected lineup
There will be a huge swing in the tone of the series tonight. Which team will be riding high heading into Game 5?
Thanks for reading!
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