It was a weird game. The Penguins outshot the Predators by a 43 to 26 margin, but at the same time I think it was a power play infused “success” for the Penguins. The power play wasn't bad they just couldn't get a goal by Pekka Rinne. The power play not scoring was a problem because at even-strength it was all Predators
At evens the Predators out attempted the Penguins 45-32 and the heat map shows the Penguins didn’t exactly get in tight on Pekka Rinne. Score effects had the Predators with a ~50-28 advantage. It was up to the Pittsburgh power play on this evening and while chances were generated they couldn’t find a way to break through. It happens.
The Penguins are still favored to play the Islanders in round one. Pittsburgh can go a long way in securing this favorable playoff matchup by defeating the Hurricanes tomorrow and all but eliminating their chance to catch the Penguins or Islanders in the standings. A regulation loss makes things murkier and puts the Capitals on the table for a round one matchup. Not ideal!
One positive from the game was the third line continuing their territorial advantage. This when combined with the return of Evgeni Malkin makes the Penguins forward group very formidable. Last night they were CF 12 CA 4 for 75.0%. If Patric Hornqvist can find his early season 5v5 goal scoring ability we’d be looking at the best third line since HBK caught lightning in a bottle. In 124 minutes together they have a CF 137 CA 91. They have a 27-11 advantage on high-danger shot attempts as well.
Erik Gudbranson has played terrific since becoming a Penguin, until the last three games. His CF% in his last three are 45.16, 37.14, and last night 42.86. Something to keep an eye on as we enter the playoffs. The possession stuff matters more for players who are unable to make up for bad possession metrics with offense. Even with the Penguins Gudbranson hasn’t moved the needle offensively (0.24 points per 60 5v5).
Olli Maatta is back. He played with Brian Dumoulin who bumped over to his off side (right). Maatta finished the game with a CF% of 64.71% so not a bad return to the lineup. I still wonder about his fit moving forward. You’d think if the Penguins were going to play him with Schultz or Gudbranson they would have done it last night. One thing of note is that Brian Dumoulin did see five minutes of 5v5 action with Justin Schultz last night. Does that leave the door open a sliver for Maatta to play with Letang (not a bad idea)?
Sidney Crosby failed to register a point last night. The good news is he won’t have to go up against Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis again. That pairing shut the Crosby line down last night. To hit the 100 point mark he needs a point per game in the remaining four games the Penguins have (CAR, DET, DET, NYR) Can he do it? Of course, he’s Sidney Crosby!
If you thought you weren’t going to get a Jack Johnson mention, bad news for you. He and Justin Schultz were dreadful again last night and are one of the worst duos in the NHL at the moment. Among 117 defenseman who have played at least 1,000 minutes this season Jack Johnson’s 0.29 points per 60 at 5v5 is 116th despite his top four common forwards being Phil Kessel, Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, and Jake Guentzel. That isn’t good. Defensively his 63.55 CA/60 is “good” for 108th out of 117. He’s not creating offense or suppressing shots. I sure hope he learns the system before the playoffs start!
Thanks for reading!
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»