After having one of the best stretches in the NHL the Penguins now have a season high four game losing streak after their 4-3 loss to the Washington Capitals. Three out of the four games they were able to scrape out a point, which isn’t nothing, but teams scraping out one point in a loss was also why it was so difficult for the Penguins to climb the standings despite winning a huge chunk of games. As a result Pittsburgh is still 16 points clear for a playoff spot.
The game itself was a feast of special teams goals. Pittsburgh scored all three of their goals on the power play, they even gave up a goal short handed. While Washington added a power play goal to the one they had shorthanded.
The Penguins are currently wasting a great run of power play goals the last four games during the losing streak. They are seven for their last 14 in those games. They are nine for their last 17 in the last five games. They are 12 for 34 in their last nine games. They are 13 for 39 since January 11th. Why is that significant? It is when Evgeni Malkin returned. It is a 33% power play. Prior to Malkin’s return the team was 17 for 97 (17.5%). I’m old enough to remember when people tried to make the argument for keeping Evgeni Malkin off the power play when he returned last year. Predictably, we get more and more evidence of how dopey that line of thinking is.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. When Kasperi Kapanen isn’t scoring goals I’m not really sure what else there is. You use one first round pick is a fool me once shame on you situation. The second first round pick is a shame on me (Rutherford) situation. There will likely be a section of games later this year where he goes on a heater shooting and people put their pitchforks away, but shooting percentage is a hell of a drug and it doesn’t change the fact he’s a rush player totally dependent on that drug. I would hope for a heater before the trade deadline and reach out to other teams to sell high. Who knows maybe you’ll find somebody with a Brock Boeser or JT Miller out there who likes him…
We are now at the all star break. It will be a nice rest for most players, but the player who needs the rest most will be headed to Las Vegas. I understand a player like Jarry wanting to go and experience something he is not guaranteed to be a part of again. However, in the scope of this season he is the player on the Penguins who is most in need of a rest and taking a few days away from the sport. I have legit concerns about his workload. Early in the year we were just predicting he could possibly be overworked. We are halfway through now and he is definitely being overworked. He has played in 37 out of 46 games. He is on pace for 66 games. This is not normal by any stretch in recent years. Looking through the goalies who have played in 66 games in the cap era is mostly over ten years ago. There are 72 instances of a goalie doing it in 16 years. There are some semi-recently, but not many. Only five in the last five years. Jarry is heading towards rarified air in the modern game. Not great in my opinion.
Tristan Jarry has surrendered 3.45 more goals than expected of him during his last four appearances, per Evolving Hockey.
— Danny Shirey (@DannyShireyPGH) February 2, 2022
Might already be seeing the impacts of the hefty workload he’s taken on to this point.
Thanks for reading!