The Pittsburgh Penguins dropped another close decision to another Western Conference powerhouse, this time a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.
The game was available for the taking just like it was against St. Louis last Sunday. Once again the Penguins power play failed to make good on a wonderful opportunity. The power play was 0-7. It wasn’t for lack of trying, they attempted 22 shots on those 7 opportunities. End result is still the same, no goals and another loss.
The Penguins were on the wrong end of a no goal call in the middle of the 3rd period which would have changed the fabric of the game but it wasn’t to be. Brandon Sutter was called for goaltender interference.
Here is an explanation from The Situation Room Blog on NHL.com:
At 9:41 of the the third period in the Los Angeles Kings/Pittsburgh Penguins game, the Situation Room initiated video review after the puck entered the Los Angeles net. The referee informed the Situation Room that after a huddle, the officials’ group decision was that Pittsburgh’s Brandon Sutter pushed Los Angeles goaltender Martin Jones’ pad and the puck into the net, impeding Jones’ ability to play his position. According to Rule 78.5 (ix) “Apparent goals shall be disallowed by the Referee when a goaltender has been pushed into the net together with the puck after making a save.… This is not a reviewable play therefore the referee’s call on the ice stands – no penalty and no goal Pittsburgh.
I don’t happen to agree with that assessment and at worst the Penguins should have been on yet another power play due to the Doughty crosschecks. You be the judge
The biggest loss from the game has nothing to do with the result, it’s the Penguins, it has to do with injury. Marcel Goc crashed into the end boards and his foot was crunched and contorted violently. He is going to miss some time. The question now is whether anything broke or if he is just dealing with a high ankle sprain. This is very bad news for the Penguins. Bottom 6 forward depth was not completely solved by trading for Goc and Stempniak, losing Goc sets the Penguins back even further now. Penguins need to be completely healthy for them to make a serious run at a title. Goc is part of that equation. The Goc injury solidifies a player like Craig Adams in the lineup further. I’m not convinced the Penguins would ever do the prudent thing and bench Adams, but now they won’t for sure.
The Penguins did OK against the Kings at 5 on 5. The evidence was their ability to draw seven penalties. You can’t draw penalties if you don’t have the puck. Even though LA held the possession advantage at the end of the game the Penguins kept it close up until the very end. That is a good sign against the league’s top possession team.
Simon Despres was scratched, he shouldn’t be scratched. I don’t have much to add on this front. When the Penguins have all of their defensemen healthy I completely understand Despres not playing. They are not healthy and Despres has been one of the Penguins better possession players.
one of these players is scratched vs. the best possession team in the league. guess which one? pic.twitter.com/8PpKqZqmJ9
— Mike Darnay (@MikeDarnay) March 27, 2014
These are the kind of choices that matter in a playoff series. The Penguins did OK last night, but how many times do you think the Penguins can hold of LA at even strength in a potential playoff series with the defense corp. they used last night? What if the Penguins don’t get 7 power plays? Skill > Grit 10 times out of 10. Despres is skillfull youth, a demographic that has been ignored far too often in recent years by the Penguins decision makers.
Brian Gibbons continues to provide production in his own unique way, he has a knack for drawing penalties. In fact he is one of the best in the NHL at it
Not only does Gibbons have best penalty drawn/taken differential on the Penguins, he's one of the best in the league pic.twitter.com/B0FOCFFfLj
— Adam Gretz (@AGretz) March 27, 2014
Jayson Megna provided quality play for the Penguins. This should come as no surprise. Megna has the frame, the speed, the skills, and the work ethic to be an effective bottom 6 NHL player at this point. He helped create the situation in front of the LA net which led to the Kunitz goal. Megna was out with Crosby and Kunitz after Stempniak got a shift killing a penalty. Megna’s shift on the top line probably wasn’t by design, but Megna made the most of it.
Craig Adams and Tanner Glass both took needless offensive zone penalties. Craig Adams (“PK specialist…) also failed to make a clearing attempt on the penalty kill last night, the sequence that followed was Drew Doughty blasting the puck towards the net for LA’s first goal, courtesy of a Jeff Carter screen tip.
Something to remember about the Penguins PK is that Marc Andre Fleury had a ridiculous shorthanded save percentage of around .936% halfway through the year. That isn’t sustainable and it hasn’t been. He is currently at .917%. That is still really good, but it’s not what it was and neither is the Penguins PK success rate lately. For the record Jeff Zatkoff is currently at .924%. That is 6th best amongst goalies who have played in at least 50 minutes of 4 vs 5 action.
The Penguins travel to Columbus to take on the desperate Blue Jackets. Columbus is coming off a crucial win against Detroit and they remain in the thick of the playoff race. Huge game for the Jackets. Just look at this race for the final playoff spot(s):
Penguins are going to have to find a way tonight because it doesn’t get any easier with Chicago coming to town on Sunday. The Penguins are 6-7-2 since the Olympic break. Injuries are at the forefront, but the opponents they play could care less about the Penguins injury situation. The Penguins need to find and develop ways to win as the playoffs move closer.
I’ll end on a positive note; Beau Bennett should be making his return to the Penguins lineup tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He is an upgrade for the forward unit. The Penguins need as many of those as they can get right now. I look forward to seeing how Bennett acclimates himself to NHL action in the coming weeks.
Thanks for reading!