Pittsburgh concluded their back to back weekend series taking one out of a possible four standings points. Their caliber of play wasn’t necessarily bad, but the results are less than optimal. Any wiggle room the team earned earlier in the season is gone. A lot of why the wiggle room is gone is because of their game results. In their last eight games they have only earned six out of a possible 16 points. The other factor is the division they play in. The Metropolitan Division is crammed right now.
Carolina is in last place and also has the least amount of games played. They have at least two games in hand on every team in the division and some teams they have more. Pittsburgh isn’t in danger right now, but you can see how a losing stretch will put the pressure on especially if the other teams remain tight in the standings. Things could get dicey quick if Crosby and/or Malkin were to miss extended time. Something that has happened in the past with both players.
If things don't change look for Jim Rutherford to make a significant change in the month of December. It's happened a few times already in his Penguins tenure.
Pittsburgh got an up close and personal look at Kyle Turris’ debut with the Predators. He was really good. He finished with a goal and an assist. You can see how his addition will have a positive impact on the lineup depth and this will especially be true when Nick Bonino returns to the lineup. What was a weakness last year is vastly improved this year. Being able to upgrade there without giving up any of their big four defensemen was a really solid win now trade for David Poile.
Jake Guentzel was finally returned to Sidney Crosby’s line and the results were very good. They generated a lot of shot attempts and were both pushing 70% possession. Crosby didn’t end up with any points, but they will be a given if he is on the ice for ~24 shot attempts in a game at even-strength This was a good game for him. He even used a deke in the shootout which was a nearly extinct part of his game. It was refreshing to see. He needs to build off of this game because he only has three points in his last ten games and hasn’t scored a goal since October 20th. A very rare extended drought for both points and goals.
Bryan Rust kicked off the scoring with a shorthanded goal. It was a great shot off the short side post.
He needs a new contract at the end of the year and he has already surpassed any expectations I had for him a long time ago. His quality of play is going to net him some money moving forward. Don’t be surprised if his next contract has an AAV upwards of 3.5M.
Kris Letang hasn’t looked like himself so far this year. Last game was a step in the right direction. He and Brian Dumoulin were the best pairing on the possession front and he was not on the ice for any goals against and added two assists.
Speaking of Brian Dumoulin, he scored a goal. He now has the same amount playoff goals as regular season goals (3). Dumoulin’s overall lack of offensive production continues to puzzle me. His skill set and quality of teammates are both high enough to where he should compiling more goals and assists.
Phil Kessel continues to be extremely productive. He has goals in three straight games. He has had at least one point in every game this year outside of four games. Overall he has 22 points in 19 games. He’s been great. With a depleted lineup the team needs its stars to step up. Phil has.
Pittsburgh has a winnable game on Tuesday night. The Buffalo Sabres will be visiting. They are second to last place in the conference.
Thanks for reading!