Pittsburgh Penguins: Sprong has Sprung – Thoughts on Pens vs. Senators
By Mike Necciai
The Pittsburgh Penguins finally got that proverbial monkey off their back by recording their first win for the 2015-16 season. And, despite being 1-3 at this point in the young season, last night’s win can actually provide fans with a glimmer of hope that this team can turn things around quickly.
The Pens saw both Evgeni Malkin and Daniel Sprong record their first goal of the season while Marc-Andre Fleury completed a shutout of the red-hot Ottawa Senators. Pittsburgh looked like a completely different team for a full sixty minutes tonight and it made all the difference in this victory.
Sprong has Sprung
Daniel Sprong was given an increased role due to the injury to Beau Bennett and he flourished. There’s nothing more to say about this kid other than acknowledging just how special he is and how lucky the Pittsburgh Penguins are that he fell to them at number 46 in this summer’s NHL entry draft.
Sprong recorded 13:07 time-on-ice, a large increase over his limited shifts over the past three games. The increase in time was well-deserved and should have come sooner but despite that, it was great to see the youngster take advantage of his opportunity with four shots and one goal. And, do you think youth brings a bit of exuberance to the lineup?
Sprong’s situation will be intriguing as he approaches the conclusion of his nine-game tryout. There’s simply no question that he is earning a full NHL season with his play but there’s one major problem, where does he play?
If Pascal Dupuis, Eric Fehr and Beau Bennett are all healthy, is there a spot for him in the lineup? Has he proved to be more worthy than Bennett? Is Mike Johnston willing to bump Dupuis to the fourth line in order to put Sprong in a situation to succeed? Is it worth burning a year of his entry-level contract if he’s going to play fourth line minutes?
There are endless questions that will need answered and of course, you can’t count on this lineup to remain healthy. Especially considering Dupuis’ health concerns and Bennett’s track record. The Pittsburgh Penguins have a tough decision facing them. I wish I could say that I’m fully confident they’ll make the right choice.
Pittsburgh Penguins Buying Into Their Own Philosophy
The Penguins need to buy into their own philosophy or they’ll fail miserably trying to deploy a hybrid lineup consisting of their “younger, faster” mentality and traditional thinking. Last night, they took a step in the right direction, though questionable decisions still surfaced.
Scratching Rob Scuderi and dressing Adam Clendening proved to be very beneficial. Clendening made a few bad plays and also took two penalties that were avoidable by simply moving his feet. But, he was still a welcomed change over a sluggish Scuderi that doesn’t matchup well against fast, skilled teams like Ottawa. At this point in his career, he struggles to matchup well against anyone.
I also liked the addition of Bryan Rust with Bennett going out with injury. While I don’t see Rust as a long-term solution in the NHL, he’s a good call-up and has potential to create offense. But, dressing Bobby Farnham over Sergei Plotnikov? Sometimes I feel as if this coaching staff makes decisions specifically to strike the nerves of their fan base.
It goes without saying that the third line, consisting of Plotnikov, Nick Bonino and Beau Bennett has been Pittsburgh’s best line recently. Reminiscent of the impact the team witnessed from Jordan Staal’s trio in 2008 and 2009, they pack a scoring punch and make life fairly difficult for opponents. Giving Sprong the right-wing duties made sense but scratching Plotnikov doesn’t sit well with me. Kevin Porter wasn’t bad there but I prefer him on line four and Farnham in the press box.
Mike Johnston Answered, But is it Enough?
An 0-3 start for this Pittsburgh Penguins team is unacceptable. An 0-4 or 0-5 start likely would have jump-started a coaching change. How much does this win mean for Johnston’s job security?
There were noticeable differences in how the Pens attacked the offensive zone against Ottawa. For me, the most glaring change was the support that their defensemen received from forwards when pinching. It wasn’t happening in games one through three and odd-man breaks were the result. So, I give Johnston a lot of credit for the adjustment he made and whether or not it was a case of players failing to follow their assignment, he seems to have addressed it.
The Pens also weren’t afraid to get the puck in deep and wear down the Senators’ defense. They weren’t sticking to the perimeter and firing low-percentage shots as often as we had witnessed in prior games. Again, kudos to Johnston and company for adjusting as needed.
That being said, it was only one game. I mentioned on Twitter earlier in the day that I haven’t completely lost faith in Johnston just yet but he clearly has a lot to prove with how he responds to this slow start. Last night was a great jumping off point but can he continue to lead the star-studded Pittsburgh Penguins with almost absurd expectations?
Next: Mike Johnston Watch Begins