Answers, please
Nagging questions about health and scoring stick to this team
The 82-game Penguins season is down to the final sprint. Just 10 games remain before the postseason begins.
While the Penguins are just 10-10-2 since mid-February, players and coaches insist the process has been better than the results. Let’s look at 10 looming questions the Penguins need to answer before things get real.
1. Will they get healthy?
When Tristan Jarry was asked on Thursday about the Penguins’ 1-3 record against the New York Rangers, he pointed out gaping holes in the lineup.
“We played with a depleted lineup against them almost every game,” the goalie said.
What he’s saying is accurate. Evgeni Malkin was sick the first time the Penguins visited Madison Square Garden. Sidney Crosby, John Marino and Radim Zohorna were all ill most recently. Add in Jason Zucker and Brock McGinn, who are both nearing returns, and you have a pretty solid chunk of key players missing.
Now, getting them all back doesn’t guarantee a different result. But Penguins fans would agree that having Sidney Crosby in the lineup is a good thing.
2. How does the Malkin line come together?
This question has lingered for some time now. The Penguins went out got one winger (Rickard Rakell) to be part of the solution. They’re counting on Zucker to be the other piece to that puzzle.
Both have 30-plus goal seasons on their resumes. The Penguins don’t necessarily need them to produce on that level. And it’s unrealistic to think they will. But they need someone to help provide a scoring punch to a team that netted just one even-strength goal against Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin in four regular season meetings.
3. Can the bottom six be part of the scoring solution?
Depth scoring has been missing for the Penguins recently. Evan Rodrigues racked up 15 goals through his first 33 games. He has just three in the last 39. Danton Heinen scored in his first three games as a Penguin and nine goals in his first 30. He has five in the last 36.
Kasperi Kapanen has begun to emerge from his lull, thanks in part to his fit alongside Jeff Carter.
Plenty of players on the Penguins roster have proven they can score. Now, they need to have different skaters stepping up to add more consistent threats to the bottom two lines.
4. Can the transition defense improve?
Odd-man rushes have been a major talking point for the Penguins for several seasons. For the most part, they’ve cut down on the two-on-ones that plagued them during the 2019 postseason. However, recently, it’s a bit of a different concern. The Penguins often have numbers back but misdiagnose the threats, especially when the second wave comes.
“When teams have great defensemen like [New York’s Adam] Fox, [Colorado’s Cale] Makar, those type of guys, they’re tough to contain,” Kris Letang said. “They have great vision. They can spring their forwards pretty quick. Reducing time and space in the neutral zone makes their life harder.”
5. How will they manage the puck?
Part of the reason New York has been so effective in transition against the Penguins is that Pittsburgh is too often mismanaging the puck. One errant or careless pass can easily spring the speedy Rangers for a rush opportunity.
6. How does Tristan Jarry look when it matters most?
Goaltending is always one of the biggest X-factors in the postseason. But in Pittsburgh, that position seems to draw even more attention.
Jarry has largely responded from last year’s letdown on the way to earning an All-Star nod. However, since the All-Star Game, his numbers have dipped a bit. He recorded a .923 save percentage and 2.2 goalsagainst average before that showcase in Las Vegas. He’s put up a .912 save percentage and 2.73 goals-against average since.
While those numbers aren’t reason for concern — and are also linked to the way the club has played in front of him — making sure Jarry is confident and top of his game for the postseason is one of the most important considerations down the stretch.
7. How do the defensive pairings shake out?
For a huge part of the season, the Penguins rolled out the same six defensemen in the same pairings. That discussion has been complicated by Mark Friedman’s emergence and Marcus Pettersson’s recent lull.
In the game before Marino had a non-COVID illness, the Penguins opted for continuity, going back to the Pettersson-Marino pairing, while matching Mike Matheson with Chad Ruhwedel. Each of those tandems has one puck-moving defenseman with some offensive upside coupled with a stay-at-home guy. Stylistically, it works. However, if the Penguins feel Friedman has earned an opportunity or if they feel Pettersson needs some time in the press box, that thinking could change.
8. Can a call-up or depth player make a difference?
Drew O’Connor took a significant step forward this year in his second professional season. However, he’s not been back in the NHL since sustaining an upper-body in-jury in midJanuary. Multiple members of the organization have raved about Valtteri Puustinen’s development. But his stint in the NHL lasted just one game, due mostly to other roster considerations. You can add Radim Zohorna, Kasper Bjorkqvist, Filip Hallander and Anthony Angello to this this list.
During any postseason run, the depth of the club will be tested. Having reliable contributors stepping in will be critical.
9. Which side of the special teams story reveals itself?
At different points this season, the Penguins have boasted some of the NHL’s best special teams units. The penalty kill currently ranks second, even though it took a sizable step backward when Teddy Blueger was sidelined. On the power play, the Penguins have ranked in the top 10 since Malkin’s return on Jan. 11. The performance with the man-advantage has been more up-and-down. Especially for a team that’s been hurting to score at even strength, special teams could be a difference maker when it matters.
10. Can Mike Sullivan push the right buttons?
Sullivan hoisted the Cup in back-to-back season thanks to his two-word “Just Play” motto and a system that unlocked the Penguins’ speed game. He’s one of the most respected coaches in the game. There’s a reason he was slated to coach Team USA in the Olympics and earned Jack Adams Award buzz in each of the last several seasons. As the leader behind the bench, he’s as much a part of this as what unfolds on the ice.