Pittsburgh Penguins Three Stars of Last Week

Jan 13, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman

(58) is congratulated at the bench after scoring a goal against the Minnesota Wild during the third period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins won 7-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Returning to the ice after the All-Star break, the Pittsburgh Penguins turned their focus towards becoming a complete hockey team. After playing .500 hockey last week, they have shown very little progress towards accomplishing that goal.

On Tuesday, the Penguins welcomed the Winnipeg Jets into town but did so without the services of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. In a game that featured 112 combined hits, the Penguins managed erase two Winnipeg leads on route to a 5-3 victory.

On Wednesday, the Pens traveled to Washington D.C. to take on the Washington Capitals. It was clear that the physical affair from the night before left them without the energy needed to compete against their division rivals. The Penguins never managed to make a game of the tilt and were blanked by the Caps 4-0.

After hopping on a train heading to Newark, the Pens had a chance to take two points against another divisional opponent. In what was easily the least entertaining game of the year, the Penguins managed to tie the game with just over three minutes remaining and won it on overtime.

Returning home on Sunday afternoon, the Pens had an opportunity to take over first place in the Metro with a win against the Nashville Predators. The Penguins utilized another lackluster performance to suffer their second shutout loss of the week.

Here are your three stars from last week.

3. Team Effort Against the Jets

Jan 27, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins left wing

(39) and right wing

(right) celebrate a goal by center

(16) against the Winnipeg Jets during the third period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Heading into this game, everyone knew that the Jets would bring an element of physicality. The Penguins would have had to match in order come out victorious. Typically the Jets are the team to dictate this style of hockey game, but the Pens were the aggressors for most of the evening.

“They came right us. No, actually, they went right through us,” Bryan Little told Dejan Kovacevic after the game.

We saw all four of the non-empty net goals come from the area immediately surrounding the net.

Tuesday’s game against the Jets was a prime example of Mike Johnston’s system working exactly as it should. Every player on the roster was on the same page and executed accordingly.  The Pens trailed twice in this game, but they were resilient in their attention to details and it paid off in the end.

Jan 18, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (58) moves the puck against the New York Rangers during the third period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Rangers won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

1. Kris Letang

Letang had a monster game on Tuesday night against the Winnipeg Jets with five assists. He also had two more helpers on Friday in New Jersey. Letang sits just three points back of Calgary’s Mark Giordano for the top spot in points amongst defensemen.

This is easily becoming Letang’s best season in the NHL, and if he keeps up this style of play, he will be in contention for the Norris Trophy.

Dishonorable Mentions

Sidney Crosby: Sid might be playing the worst stretch of hockey in his career. It’s

Jan 10, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87). Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

like he is missing that extra gear that makes him so much better than everyone else. He’s barely looking to create socring chances for himself. There have been numerous examples of Crosby playing with his back towards the goal. Whether it is a nagging injury or purely frustration, something is up with the captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

A One-Dimensional Team: When the Penguins execute their system correctly they are a tough team to beat, but when they don’t, the wheels seem to fall off the wagon. They either get bodies to the net to create scoring chances or they don’t, and we see results like we did against the Capitals and Predators. Chalking this up as the Penguins failing to execute would be too easy. Part of the problem is that teams have them figured out, and the Pens seemingly have no plan B.

Play of the Week

Kris Letang, Brandon Sutter and Simon Despres team up for the OT winner against the New Jersey Devils on Friday night.

The Road Ahead

The Penguins embark on their annual Western Canada road-trip. They’ll take on the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night and then face a back-to-back situation against the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks.