The Pittsburgh Penguins series against the Columbus Blue Jackets saw its fair share of goals. The Penguins lead the NHL averaging 4.2 goals a game. The forwards have done a terrific job doing what they do best- scoring.
Although defense hasn’t been the name of the game for this Pittsburgh Penguins team, Round 1 gave us some performances from players on the back end that were overlooked.
Take Olli Maatta for example. The young rear guard missed some time this season with a hand injury, but returned in time for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. On a team that’s missing Kris Letang, Maatta’s consistency and reliability shone in the first round.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Olli Maatta leads all Penguin D-men with a plus-4 rating during these playoffs. He also sits second in total time on ice per game with 20:57, behind only Justin Schultz. He even threw in 10 blocked shots for good measure.
The highlight of his first round was his ‘stick save’ in Game 5. Not even 30 seconds into the first period, a Columbus forward threw a close range shot on net that took big bounce over goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Maatta, who looked poised all series, watched the puck fall and smacked it away from a vacant crease while it was midair.
While the stats are proof of his solid play, his game is more about what you can’t quantify. He maintained good gap against forwards and played physically in front of the net. His stick was in passing and shooting lanes, and positioning never seemed to be an issue. If you weren’t noticing Maatta, he was probably doing his job.
A New Maatta
Maatta’s skating seemed to be an issue since his injury dampened 2014-15 season. He wasn’t accelerating, was getting BURNT by opposing forwards, and giving up quality chances. He became a whipping boy, and fans were quick to compare his defensive lapses to that of Derrick Pouliot. (Yeah, right.)
More from Pens Labyrinth
- Welcome To The Burgh: Lars Eller
- Penguins Waddle Toward The Season
- Farewell Carl Hagelin
- Penguins Line-up Breakdown vs Stanley Cup Champs Vegas
- Ryan Graves Solid Signing For The Pittsburgh Penguins
The current version of Maatta has been a reliable one however. He is skating smoother and kept up with a fast group of forwards from Columbus. His game might not see the numbers he put up during his rookie campaign, but if he continues to play like this, he really solidifies the Pittsburgh Penguins top 6.
Next: Penguins Ready for Round 2
Pittsburgh will be matched up against the cardiac kids from Toronto, or our pals from Washington in Round 2. Either way, we’ll hope for another solid series from Olli Maatta and the rest of the Pittsburgh Penguins.