The Penguins lost to the Blue Jackets in a shootout by the final score of 4-3 but you can't help but feel like the Penguins stole a point.
It was the Kris Letang show for the Penguins last night as he provided multiple highlight reel plays.
Craig Adams forgot who he was and made a great pass over to Letang for a shorthanded goal. I can't think of five defenseman in the league who have the finishing ability in close that Letang does
Letang has always had a decent shot in terms of velocity. It just hasn't always been accurate or utilized enough. This shot was an on point laser beam
He displayed that awesome finishing ability again in the shootout with a smooth move to the forehand.
5v5 possession, Penguins +8% at Blue Jackets. pic.twitter.com/mggCZvBpKA
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) December 14, 2014
Letang is that guy in the lower right by himself. Lower right is where you want to be.
Coach on 58: "I thought Kris was very good tonight. Certainly a guy that can skate like that and jump up into the play is a valuable asset."
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 14, 2014
Letang has missed five games so far this year but has seven goals in 24 games. He is on pace for 22 goals which would double his career high.
And that in a nutshell is why 7.25M for Kris Letang is a great deal for the Penguins. Mike Johnston will get the most out of Letang while the last regime held him back in my opinion. Johnston's approach to the game is a big reason why I picked Letang as my Norris Trophy winner before the season.
One area where you will never see/hear criticism about Marc-Andre Fleury is his shootout ability. He is the all time leader in save percentage during the shootout. Perhaps in situations like last night it wouldn't be a terrible idea to get Fleury up and stretching so that he can play the role of "relief pitcher" and come in specifically for the shootout. He's that good at it.
Thomas Greiss is a good goalie but breakaways are one area where he will always be lacking when compared to a guy like Fleury.
GM Jim Rutherford and Dr. Dharmesh Vyas will speak at 11:30 am about Crosby's health.
— Josh Yohe (@JoshYohe_Trib) December 14, 2014
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