By Mark Madden
April 1, 2019
Matt Murray #30 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates with teammates after a 3-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at PPG Paints Arena on March 31, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)
Julius Caesar was told to “beware the ides of March.”
But the Penguins faced problems the whole darn month.
Injuries mounted: Kris Letang played three games; Evgeni Malkin missed the last seven; Olli Maatta the first 14; Bryan Rust the first nine.
Slumps pervaded: Patric Hornqvist and Phil Kessel had just three goals each. Hornqvist scored one at even strength, Kessel none.
Statistically, Sidney Crosby came in like a lion but went out like a lamb: He had six goals and nine assists in March’s first eight games, but only two assists in the final eight. (Crosby still dominates otherwise.)
But the Penguins went 10-3-3 in March, collecting 23 points to equal their best month of the season. They took hold of a top-three spot in the Metropolitan Division and have a legitimate shot at grabbing home ice in the first round of the playoffs.
Given such heightened circumstances, that’s nearly miraculous.
Goaltender Matt Murray was the primary factor. Murray went 9-3-3 with a .935 save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.18. Murray conceded the odd soft goal, but mostly made what’s hard look easy. He shouldered a big workload, starting every game but one, and helped the Penguins dodge a hail of bullets.
GM Jim Rutherford was a big factor, too.
The acquisitions by Rutherford at or before the Feb. 25 trade deadline have arguably panned out better than any made by other teams. Brian Boyle and Wayne Simmonds languish on Nashville’s fourth line. Columbus went all in, but aren’t greatly improved.
But Eric Gudbranson is a rock and a physical force on the Penguins’ defense. Jared McCann has been a catalyst and scorer of big goals. Nick Bjugstad has a quirky style — he makes minimal contact despite being 6-foot-6 — but his reach and skill pay dividends. Call-up Teddy Blueger joins McCann in providing energy. Offseason signing Jack Johnson has become good on defense after some anxious moments.
Rutherford’s trades make the lineup fit together better. Players are sometimes acquired with no plan for their use. (See Iginla, Jarome.) But these Penguins have meshed. Witness the “twin towers” defense pairing of Gudbranson and Marcus Pettersson (also dealt for by Rutherford this season). The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
Better structure also helped make for a good March. Mistakes have been minimized, especially in the neutral zone.
Consider Sunday’s 3-1 home victory against Carolina: The Penguins allowed just nine shots on goal in the game’s first 30 minutes. That’s especially impressive given the Hurricanes lead the NHL in shots per game at 34.6.
Once the Penguins led, 2-0, they put show biz in the rear-view mirror and got the puck in deep, then worked down low. They settled for winning.
The fourth line provided two goals: Garrett Wilson scored, as did Matt Cullen. That put an exclamation point on the Penguins’ March madness. (Or was it method?)
If the Penguins play like that in a playoff series against the New York Islanders or Carolina, every game will be close. But the Penguins will win in five games, maybe six. The Penguins have playmakers. Those teams must feast on opposition mistakes.
Malkin will likely return Thursday at home vs. Detroit and play in the regular season’s last two games. Letang’s prospects are more uncertain, because he’s got a history of neck problems and the Penguins won’t put him at risk for the long term.
That’s why Brian Dumoulin shifted to right defense to partner Maatta upon Maatta’s return from injury. The other two pairs have done well, so this maintains their stability. Dumoulin is the only one adjusting, and his performance this season has been so well-rounded and steady it shouldn’t make a difference (and hasn’t so far).
That’s logical and effective coaching. It’s a reasonable Plan B should Letang not be ready for the beginning of the post-season.
The likeliest first-round match-up for the Penguins is the Islanders. There’s a history there, and most of it’s bad: abject heartbreak in 1975, ‘82 and said ‘93, and let’s not forget nearly brawling to the death during the 2011 regular season. Barry Trotz is the Islanders coach, and the same coach who eliminated the Penguins in last year’s playoffs.
Et tu, Barry? Not this time around.
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM 105.9.
Categories: Sports | Penguins | Mark Madden Columns
No comments:
Post a Comment