The playoffs kicked off late night and there were no shortage of goals. The Penguins will hope this continues because they are not built for low scoring contests the way the New York Rangers are, hello Igor Shesterkin. One way for the Penguins to hit their goal scoring ceiling is to have all their players available. There’s some encouraging news from the morning skate today
It was an optional morning skate. He was in a regular jersey. Mike Sullivan did say yesterday Zucker’s timetable was “accelerated”. Will it mean an appearance in tonight’s Game 1? No, he has been ruled out. What it does mean is we will see him sooner than later and it would be a great thing for the Penguins scoring depth. As thing stand right now the Penguins can muster up two scoring lines. Zucker gives them the potential to have three. Four is probably stretching it.
Even if Zucker hasn’t lived up to expectations whether it be performance or injury related I personally think this would help quite a bit
Now it goes without saying that the Penguins best players need to be playing well to make this a series. They need some help. They are older and can’t switch on god mode like they used to. Depth players are going to have to make it happen. Some of these depth players are likelier than others to do it. Here are some examples of players who have a decent chance of chipping in:
Danton Heinen: He’s the replacement for Jason Zucker at the moment. He’s third in 5v5 goals on the year. He has been a nice depth addition at a price point the Penguins had to shop at. As a third wheel on a top six line he does have the potential to pot a few goals. His hands and skills are able to take advantage of good situaitons
Evan Rodrigues: He is a huge reason why the Penguins stayed afloat in the pre-Malkin time period this year. His scoring dried up as the year went on. It was frustrating to see him lose the puck luck and vibe he had going on earlier in the year. That said, he continued to drive play and still finished the year an xGF% of 57.66. Even when he is not producing tangible offense he is still able to be functional. There’s a chance he can contribute if he continues to put himself and others in good spots. To do so he’s going to have to find some of that assertive decision making he was using the first half of the year when he was feeling it.
Mike Matheson: He had a really nice year. He is probably the best left-handed defenseman on the team at this point which could be interpreted as damning praise, but he is based on on-ice results. If things get bogged down the Penguins absolutely need skaters from the back to open things up. By my count the Penguins have two of these players. Kris Letang… and Mike Matheson.
Players the Penguins need but don’t hold your breath
Kasperi Kapanen: I have nothing unique to say here that hasn’t been said by a lot of people a lot of times this year. He’s inconsistent with the strengths to his game. Goal scoring by nature is inconsistent and can be unfair to players perception when shooting percentage goes down. I don’t think Kapanen’s perception is a victim of this. He doesn’t see the ice well even though his raw skill could take advantage of many situations. He has tunnel vision. He is very dependent on the rush which in turn is dependent on shooting percentage. The part about being inconsistent is you don’t know when you’ll get the good. I suppose it could happen in the playoffs, but don’t hold your breath.
Jeff Carter: He looks old and sluggish. He is cratering the lines he is on from a play driving perspective. I personally thought he had another year in him based on how his skating looked when he was initially acquired last season. You can’t argue with the numbers, though. Among regulars he was last in xGF% with 47.52. If you are looking for a glass half full approach I don’t think he has lost his finishing ability. If he gets chances there is potential to score. The issue is the play driving doesn’t afford him as many opportunities to take advantage of one of his strengths, shooting.
Brian Dumoulin: He’s playing on the top pairing. I’m not sure he can handle it. I got a first hand look at Dumoulin when I went to the Sabres and Penguins game on March 23rd. The biggest takeaway I had was how cooked Dumoulin’s skating looked. His lack of foot speed caused him to get caught and smothered on forechecks. Dumoulin is a good passer and can make a crisp breakout… when he has time and space. The playoffs are known for not allowing such a thing. It would be huge if the Brian Dumoulin we’ve been accustomed to seeing over the years made an appearance in the playoffs.
Game one is tonight. Let’s see if the Penguins can keep the band together for more than one round.
Thanks for reading!
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