Before the game
The Penguins are without Crosby for the first time this season with Samuel Girard in the lineup for the first time. Arturs Silovs scored in the net.
The visiting New Jersey Devils brought this lineup to the game.
Issue 1
Both teams exchanged some chances early, with the Penguins being the better team early, before New Jersey started to have the better game, with the Evgeni Malkin line creating some opportunities and forcing Silovs to make a couple of nice blocks.
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Pittsburgh got its first power play and decent zone time, and it took them a while to get used to it. Malkin and Kris Letang moved the puck, and Letang fired. Tommy Novak gets an article to rejig things with Jacob Markstrom. 1-0.
One goal often leads to another, and New Jersey had a chance late but failed.
The score was 9-6 PIT in the first game, and the power-play goal was the difference.
Second issue
The Devils adjusted and responded in the second period with a better effort and better control of the puck. They started their first power play when Malkin stuck a man high.
Power plays don’t score points, but they help achieve your goals quickly. Paul Cotter gets a single from Dougie Hamilton. For some unknown reason, the Penguins decided to challenge since there was almost nothing there.
The goal stood and New Jersey continued to take advantage. The Pens tied the score but were back in the penalty box soon after, with Avery Hayes being the guilty party this time on a slash.
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The shootout continued, with Hayes making a free throw this time, but the Penguins were unable to score on their second power play of the night. Soon after, it was Kris Letang’s turn in the penalty area after knocking down Jesper Bratt. Another kill came after a Connor Dewar hero goal kept the ice charge going.
As it turned out, another power play could be squeezed into a shootout with 2:00 left, and this time the Devils’ Simon Nemec was the culprit. The Pen team had no chance to overtake the score at the last minute.
Silov and saves like this were the reason the game was tied in two periods:
The third issue
Pittsburgh started the third inning strong, with a lineup of Hayes, Rucker and Rust building momentum and increasing the pressure. Moments later, Ryan Shea hit the post hard and the puck bounced toward Connor Clifton. Clifton could tell Markstrom had strayed away from his angle and quickly took another shot. The ball hit the crossbar and it went in. 2-1 Burns.
50 seconds later, the Pan team doubled their lead. Malkin saved Egor Chinakhov, who drove to the net and deftly lifted the puck over Markstrom. 3-1 strokes, that’s it.
The Devils tied Markstrom with four minutes to play and became more aggressive after trailing by two goals. That extra pressure may be why Clifton backhanded the puck and knocked it out of the game for the penalty kick. They took Markstrom out for a 6v4, but their push ended when Blake Lizotte took a pass from Hamilton, skated off and put the puck in an empty net. 4-1.
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some ideas
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Faceoffs will be one of the areas the Steelers need to monitor without Crosby. He is always close to the top in the league not only in faceoff winning percentage, but also in terms of pure number of faceoffs. For example, Crosby’s 1,171 faceoffs this season account for almost 39% of the team’s total draws, third-most in the league. Ben Kindel (well behind with 402 faceoffs) is next on the list. Tonight’s faceoffs were tough, with the Pens winning just 40% of their draws and most of their top centers struggling (Rucker at 30%, Lizotte and Novak at 33%).
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Well, Dan Muse had no idea what goalie interference was during his Olympic break. Muse is currently 0-6 in challenging coaches. Each time seemed to be a worse challenge than the next, this time with almost no contact with the goalkeeper. This is arguably the only hole in Muse’s coaching career so far. Whatever the thought process is for these challenges, they need to be addressed!
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One area where Muse excels is in goalie selection. Silovs had an incredible performance in this game and was at his best even though the game was close for most of the time. The Pens struggled in this game and thanks to their goaltending, they were not punished for it and were able to score some goals in the third period to pull away.
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Connor Dewar was detached shorthanded twice. Both games were scoreless, though that shows he’s certainly looking to get some minutes in even when shorthanded these days. The Pens have had good PK this year (and have been very good lately), but they haven’t really been aggressive on offense often. This may be changing.
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Samuel Girard’s performance as the Penguin is entertaining and, as expected, he’s a great skater. You can tell he’s well-educated and well-trained, with a team-high three blocks and impeccable positioning in the defensive zone, making a good first impression.
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Evgeni Malkin always seems to look new and fresh when he takes a few weeks off, and he no doubt knows he has to step up without No. 87. That’s generally effective, too, considering he’s scoring 1.34 points per game in this situation. Two assists tonight, plus four shots on goal, was a very impressive performance.
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Defense was just as important as offense tonight. Letang’s shot was blocked and he scored. Shea hit two wickets, the second creating a chance for his partner Clifton to score himself. Everybody has to be on deck like that.
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Penalty kill also has to be strong, and completes the job at a perfect 5/5, plus Lizotte’s EN key. There was a lot of effort there, especially in the second quarter, where New Jersey had four cracks on their power play.
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The team improved to 11-1-5 against conference opponents this year. Plenty of stuff that could help them pile up points against the teams that are competing the most for a playoff spot.
This secured the team’s first win after the break and got the Pens off to a good start on a challenging road ahead. They perform well at home against teams behind them in the table, which is what they should do. Next up are two games this weekend in the afternoon, Saturday against the Rangers in New York.
