At the unofficial halfway point of the season, the Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves rising into the playoff picture. Let’s take a look back and grade their season to this point.
Coach Mike Sullivan: B+
After the dismal start the team suffered under Mike Johnston, Mike Sullivan has done a more than admiral job bringing this team back to life.
The power play has improved and has broken into the top-10 in the NHL, the penalty kill has remained strong, and superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have picked up their play considerably.
The only thing that keeps Sullivan and his staff out of the “A” range is the inconsistency that still plagues the team.
The Penguins will dominate stretches of game time but still find themselves trailing. They also often struggle to get the all-important first goal of the game.
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The Offense: B-
This season under Johnston, the Penguins had an abysmal offense. Even after he was removed the offense continued to struggle.
Just over a month ago, the Penguins ranked 28th in the league with a pathetic 2.19 goals per game. However, in the last four weeks, the team has steadily climbed.
They currently rank 19th with 2.5 goals per game – far from where they should be, but still a vast improvement in a short amount of time.
Additionally, the power play has excelled since Sullivan was hired. This, combined the resurgence of Crosby and Malkin, has helped to give the offense more potency.
The Defense: A-
The defensive unit has been a bright spot for the Penguins all year. The unit as a whole ranks 10th in the league in goals against with 2.44.
Goaltending has been great as well. Marc-Andre Fleury has been excellent this season, keeping them in many games during their early season struggles. Backups Jeff Zatkoff and Matt Murray also came through clutch during Fleury’s concussion.
The team’s penalty kill has been superb. The unit ranks 7th as a whole and an even more impressive 3rd on the road. Fleury is owed a lot of credit here as well, but there is no doubt the penalty kill has been effective all season.
Management: C+
Don’t get me wrong, upper management has been making some better moves. Both the Trevor Daley and Carl Hagelin trades made the team better, but they’re relatively minor moves.
Still, the Penguins have mismanaged the cap for years and even had to play with only five defensemen in the past. Additionally, firing Johnston in only his second season showed that management’s haphazard hiring process backfired tremendously.
It will be interesting to see what, if anything, Jim Rutherford does at the trade deadline. The Penguins have some big contracts in a win-now situation. If the team can’t pull one out soon, then the Penguins’ brightest years have likely passed them by.
That being said, the team has been improving, and the right deadline moves could help the team approach its pre-season potential. Management gets a C+, but it is still definitely a work in progress.
Overall: B
The first half of the 2015-16 Penguins season has been a roller coaster. First a terrible start, then a prolonged winning streak, then another downturn after that. That instability ultimately led to Johnston’s ouster.
With Sullivan came greater stability. The offense, power play, and super stars have all improved and the team has begun rising as a result.
The Penguins currently occupy a playoff spot and that shouldn’t change in the second half of the season. It is far from the dominating team we may have expected, but the Pens’ first half performance merits a “B” overall.