Penguins produce victory, questions in Game 1 slog
In the light of day, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ nightmarish performance in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final looks like a dream come true.
After producing only 12 shots, and no shots for a span of 37:09, in a 5-3 victory Monday in Game 1, the Penguins said their execution was unacceptable. Tuesday, they could see the positives more clearly and were making adjustments to ensure there is no shortage of shots in Game 2 on Wednesday.
“I don’t think we should discount the quick-strike ability or the opportunistic play from some of our guys,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “We get some big plays at key times that end up changing the outcome of a game. I think our team has that ability.”
Sullivan also said his team defended hard. “But we defended a little bit more often than we would like,” Sullivan said.
Among other Penguins positives in Game 1 is the fact that Jake Guentzel emerged from his eight-game goal drought to score and Chris Kunitz continued to raise his performance level.
“Sometimes we’ve played (Kunitz) in the top-six role, on the power play, and other times we’ve played him in the bottomsix role. He’s helping our penalty kill,” Sullivan said. “Whatever we ask of him as a coaching staff, he embraces. That’s what we’ve grown to love about Kuny. He’s a high-stakes player. He’s a fierce competitor.”
The adjustment the Penguins will make in Game 2 is working more precisely to dump the puck away from goalie Pekka Rinne to make sure he cannot play it behind the net.
“Their goalie is really good at handling the puck,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. “You have to put the puck in good places to forecheck. They’ve got (defensemen who) can skate themselves out of trouble.”
What you will see is the Penguins angling the puck toward the corners, away from the trapezoid.
“Our forecheck has to be a little bit better,” Crosby said. “There were chances that we did have (in Game 1) that we didn’t execute. We missed the net or hit a skate on a pass that could have set up a shot.”
Count on the Penguins shooting more than they did in Game 1. They did score four goals against Rinne on 12 shots. Counting the regular season and playoffs, Rinne is 1-5-2 lifetime against the Penguins.
“He makes us work,” Crosby said. “I don’t think we pay attention to regular-season records or things that have happened in the past. It’s difficult this time of year, no matter who you’re playing. Especially against a guy like him.”
Sullivan doesn’t reveal his lineup considerations, but he could choose to put Carl Hagelin back in the lineup for Game 2 to give the Penguins even more speed.
“We can do a better job of controlling territory,” Sullivan said. “I think we can generate more scoring chances, more quality shots by controlling territory.”