During the seven-game losing streak I talked about how falling way behind in the playoff standings was a tough thing to overcome once you get to American Thanksgiving. The Pittsburgh Penguins have responded in a big way. They are now the owners of the longest winning streak in the league at five. They are also 7-1-1 in their last nine games. They sit third overall in the Metropolitan Division with multiple teams nipping at them either tied in points or one behind. Imagine what things would have looked like without the winning streak.
The latest win came over the forever stuck in neutral Flyers. Pittsburgh earned a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia in the first meeting between the two teams this year. The victory showcased how difficult things can potentially be against the Penguins if they have Sidney Crosby playing at a high level and some depth scoring. Ryan Poehling finished the night with two goals while Josh Archibald added his fourth goal of the year. A three spot from the depth crew and it becomes quite an uphill battle for the opposition. Thow in a 29 for 30 performance from Jarry and you have a game with the outcome all but decided.
I don’t think it is any coincidence the Penguins got their best bottom six center back and things have started to become a little easier for everyone involved. Teddy Blueger added three assists last night and his return to the lineup has allowed Mike Sullivan to fall back into some matchup habits he is used to. Blueger can eat tough minutes and has for a number of years. He’s a competent penalty killer. He shouldn’t be relied on for offense, but he’s capable to showing up time to time like last night in a big way. It was something very much lacking from the beginning of the season. This should help keep some of the pressure off of the top six. His 59.61 xGF% isn’t hurting things, either.
I still have my reservations about the ability for the depth scoring to continue along at a decent rate. I think the team should definitely be looking to improve the bottom six, namely the third line center... things haven’t been great there.
Kris Letang was giving off some 2020-21 vibes and for those who don’t remember it was the first year there were some real concerns arising about his aging curve and ability to continue being a top end player. He shut those down with this play the following two seasons. Some of the underlying numbers this year have looked like the down year. However, we have some good news as of late. Letang’s last four games have been very solid and something to build off of. His xGF% in those four games:
54.10
60.74
54.30
69.01
This is the first stretch of four games in a row above the 50% mark. Something to build on
Sidney Crosby’s goal last night was the 52nd of his career against the Philadelphia Flyers. It is a new record. He broke his tie with Mario Lemieux. Penguins hold the top three spots with Jaromir Jagr rounding out the group
If Sid can do this at 5v5, they can certainly give him similar looks on the power play...
The Penguins are right back at it tonight. They are hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs for third and final(?) meeting of the year. To this point the teams have split the first two matchups with a 4-2 victory going the Penguins way and a 5-2 result for the Maple Leafs. Toronto heads into tonight’s game with some injuries on defense. Jake Muzzin (might be out for the year), TJ Brodie, and now Morgan Reilley are all on IR. No excuses for the Penguins forwards.
Matt Murray played last night so it will be Erik Kallgren in net for Toronto. He has 23 NHL games to his name with an .889 save percentage. Again, no excuses for the Penguins forwards.
Thanks for reading!
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