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Penguins let game slip away in a flash

November 16, 2018, 10:24 AM ET [268 Comments]
Ryan Wilson
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Penguins did not get the result they were looking for. They did not get the result they were on track for. They did get the result they deserve. In a flash the game went from being in control to becoming a penalty killing nightmare. Pittsburgh couldn’t stop the Tampa Bay Lightning power play and they couldn’t stop taking penalties.

Pittsburgh looked pretty good in the first period until the final minute when they took two minor penalties and the Lightning were able to cut their two goal deficit to just one. Instead of heading into the second period with their heads held high they went in trying to hang on to a one goal lead against one of the best teams in the league. Brayden Point scored at the end of the period and then added two more power play goals before the second minute in the second period ended. He scored three goals in 1:31 seconds. It was an impressive accomplishment.

Matt Murray finished the night with a .846 save percentage. His team did little to help him by taking seven penalties. He does need to find a way to make saves. He hasn’t been good enough. Last night’s game wouldn’t be the one I highlighted to make that point.

Pittsburgh wasted a great night by Patric Hornqvist who scored two goals and added an assist. Hornqvist had been one of the more vocal players the last few days and he backed his words up with a three point effort.

There is no guarantee Tanner Pearson will find success in Pittsburgh, but I do like the stylistic change he will bring in replacing Carl Hagelin. He’s a decent enough skater and is more capable making plays with the puck. I would rather have a good skater with hands than an excellent skater who is unable to create time and space with their puck skills. I think the odds are a lot better Tanner Pearson will find the back of the net with skilled players than Carl Hagelin. I think Hagelin’s final stretch with Pittsburgh is a lot like the one with the Rangers. A player that has/had value, but just couldn’t provide tangible offense with the ice time given. At a certain point the things Hagelin did well became a luxury without the offensive backing.

I believe it has been 11 games since the Penguins have scored an even-strength goal without Crosby or Malkin on the ice. Their depth is struggling to score. Mike Sullivan was asked the Daniel Sprong question after the game and had this to say.




Somebody get Sprong some aloe.

Here’s the issue though, Daniel Sprong was/is no worse than Matt Cullen or Derek Grant or Garrett Wilson. For a team that can’t score goals or seemingly prevent them the double standard with Sprong seems petty and foolish. Matt Cullen who is there for his defensive acumen and penalty killing has been a nightmare at 5v5 and last night took an incredibly dumb penalty at an incredibly dumb time and totally changed the path of the game. Will he be held accountable? Nah, he’s, Dad!

Something to think about as the Penguins sit in last place in the Eastern Conference




I think Mike Sullivan gets too much of a pass in all of this. The two consecutive Stanley Cups is a barrier to any useful conversation about the job he’s done. The 2015-16 roster was really good and you had a lot of the depth players playing some of the best hockey of their careers. Sullivan deserves credit for changing the mentality of a team that was mentally broken. His personal touch on the 2015-16 team is nothing but positive. However, since then the team hasn’t really played at a high level. The second Stanley Cup was a PDO fest. If it was due to the coaching then why isn’t he pressing those buttons now to improve the goaltending and secondary scoring? He’s afraid to play the younger guys who he didn’t coach in WB/S. It’s the same problem Bylsma had. Tired veterans and unskilled WB/S guys are getting the nod. The Penguins have been really average overall and lean heavily on Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Phil Kessel to provide everything. This is déjà vu.

Why does Jack Johnson have to play first pairing minutes? He’s more Rob Scuderi than Brooks Orpik.

Why are we giving the Derrick Pouliot treatment to Daniel Sprong. How does that help the player or his trade value?

Why do we have to treat Matt Cullen like a folk hero meme when all he’s doing is playing the Craig Adams role?

When things are rough the coach has to put all of his players in the best position to succeed. Sometimes that means breaking habit and giving players some new roles. Some of those roles are promotions and some of those are demotions. What do the Penguins miss if Cullen is out of the lineup? How bad would Sprong have to be in order to be a downgrade from the status quo? When is Riley Sheahan going to do anything at all? Are Phil Kessel and Jake Guentzel not good enough linemates?

OK, let’s not end today on a negative. Sidney Crosby does not have a concussion and he should be back in the lineup soon. That’s the best news in what has been a rough couple of weeks for the team.

I will also add that the Penguins yellow jerseys they debuted last night looked great. I love the bold color choice. I hope they stay around for a while. I wish the NHL would allow teams to wear color versus color. We don't have black and white televisions anymore.

Thanks for reading!
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