Penguins staging late shows
smartly. We just try to get pucks down to our forwards and let them create down there. That’s what they’re really good at.”
The funny part about this increased offense from the back is that it pretty much is isolated to Cole and Schultz. Among the top four of Olli Maatta, Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin and Trevor Daley, only Daley’s points-pergame numbers have gone up in the past nine games.
Now, it is fair to believe that Letang will produce more than he has lately. In that 16-game chunk, Letang had nine points in the 11 he played. He has assists in back-to-back games but also has went pointless five of the past nine.
When Sullivan took over last season, Letang erupted for 53 points in the final 46 regular-season games, an average of 1.15. With Letang’s skating, smarts and ability to generate offense, more points are inevitable.
In the meantime, the Penguins are showing some defensive depth with their third pairing chipping in offensively the way it has been. If it keeps up, it’s going to make Schultz a rich man next summer, and it’s going to keep Derrick Pouliot, who’s seemingly all the way back from a lower-body injury, on the outside looking in.
“Pucks are just going in right now,” Schultz said. “We’ve been doing the same things. I think we have a little bit more confidence right now. We’re just trying to shoot. I think we can still shoot some more. Pucks are going in right now for us, and we’re getting rewarded.”
That’s so last year
Remember last season when the Penguins routinely turned the tide in the second period? The Penguins are still taking over games; it’s just happening a little later these days.
The Penguins have become arguably the best third-period team in hockey.
Their five comebacks when trailing after two periods were tied with the Devils for the most in the league entering Sunday. New Jersey, though, has just 21 goals in the third compared to 32 for the Penguins, which had them one off the NHL lead.
Only Anaheim (11) was allowing fewer, and the Penguins’ goal differential of plus-16 was significantly better than second-place Montreal (plus-11 entering Sunday).
“As long as we win,” goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said. “If it’s a good second or a good third, it doesn’t matter. We just have to get two points at the end.”
That’s one way of looking at it. The other is that these comebacks are a special tool that the Penguins have on their belt, one that eventually will come in handy. Some eye-popping numbers from Penguins historian Bob Grove:
The two NHL teams with the most third-period comebacks since 2006-07 are the Red Wings (63) and Penguins (58). Detroit has the longest playoff streak at 25 years, the Penguins second at 10.
Since 1989, the Penguins’ single-season record for third-period comebacks is the 11 the Stanley Cup-winning 2008-09 squad pulled off. No, the Penguins don’t want to treat it like a light switch, but believing you have a calling card can matter.
“We just keep working and sticking to our game,” Phil Kessel said. “We believe in each other in here.”
Ever see that?
Matt Cullen was the only Penguins player to finish without a shot on goal Saturday. Perhaps he was comforted by the fact that he was one of four players who had goals.
Wait, what? Scoring without shooting?
Cullen was hauled down with a clear path to the empty net late in the third period. By rule, he’s awarded the goal.
Even Sullivan said he couldn’t remember ever seeing such a thing happen in a game. Like a baseball player throwing his glove at a ball, and it resulting in a rulemandated triple.
“It’s been a long time,” Sullivan said. “I obviously know it’s in the rulebook. I think it was the right call. But I haven’t seen one since … I can’t remember when.”