Pittsburgh Penguins: 3 ways they can maintain their momentum from last season
The Pittsburgh Penguins have much to look forward to this season. The Penguins beat up on their Covid Friendly East Division rivals last year to the tune of 77 points and a First Place Division Banner, their 9th in franchise history.
They bowed out in the First Round of the playoffs, in 6 games to the up-and-coming New York Islanders (4-2). However painful that was, they did lose Game 1 in Overtime and to add insult to injury, lost Game 5 in Double Overtime. Meaning, they are not that far away from grabbing their 6th Holy Grail. I know, the 2016-2017 chip seems like eons ago. I get it.
Pitt laid the foundation for success in 2020-2021 and are now ready to take it to the Next Level. However, they must do these 3 things in order to get there in 2021-2022.
Pittsburgh Penguins: 3. Score Goals – Offense
We all know that in order to win you must score goals. That said, in 2020-21, the Penguins were 2nd overall in Goals Scored with 196. They must keep their 3.5 goal per game average going in 2021-2022, or at least rank in the top 5 overall in the NHL. As of today, they rank 11th overall in the NHL with a 3.08 goals per game average.
This means that the Core 4 must have a similar season to last years production, (Sid the Kid-62 pts, Guentzel-57 pts, Letang-45 pts and Rust-42 pts). Let’s just say that it’s been a slow start for the Core 4.
It also means that in order to score goals, you must take shots. Of the 11 games the Penguins have played to date, they have Out Shot as well as Out Hit, their opponents in 6 of those matches. Three of those games resulted in “Pure Wins” (Regulation Wins) for Pittsburgh. In those three “Pure Win” games, the Pens Out Shot, Out Hit and Blocked More Shots than their opponent. Now that’s an interesting trend.
This also means that the young guns, Kapanen, Heinen and Rodrigues must pick up the slack until Malkin, (knee) gets back into the line up some time in Dec 2021 and Crosby, (Covid 19) expected back in the line up on Nov20th . Secondary scoring will be relied upon, needs to step up and produce. We are starting to see a glimmer here, of what may come.
Pittsburgh Penguins: 2. Stop Goals – Defense
We all know that, “Offense Sells Tickets and Defense Wins Championships”, especially in Pittsburgh. (Shout out to Steeler Nation) The last line of Defense in hockey is the Goalie. In order to keep last years momentum going, the goaltending must keep their end of the bargain. Stopping Pucks.
The offense will score goals this year, that’s a given. The goalie however, Must Make Saves. The Penguin goalie tandem of Jarry and DeSmith, must make saves when the team is not at its best and especially at Key Points in the Game.
A key save, at a crucial time is a momentum shift that can literally turn a game around. The jolt of confidence from the back end, is what a team feeds off of and propels them to victory. Tristan Jarry was 3rd overall in save percentage last season at .912.
However, he ranked 31st overall in the NHL with 2.63 Goals Against Average. Pittsburgh also ranked 13th overall in Goals Against with 156. Team Defense must improve overall this season.
In the three “Pure Wins”, Pittsburgh gave up; 2 Goals vs Tampa Bay, 2 Goals vs Chicago and 1 Goals vs Toronto. Jarry must be more constant than what he has showed to date, ranking 15th overall in the NHL in Goals Against Average with 2.23 GAA, as well as 16th overall in the NHL in save % at .929. The Goalie is the most important position in Hockey and it will be a key area to watch unfold this year.
Pittsburgh Penguins: 1. Power Play – Special Teams
In order to win, all 3 aspects of the team must work in unison. Offense, Defense and Special Teams. When these 3 parts lack cohesion, the team fails or get punted in the First Round of the Playoffs.
Last year, the Penguin Power Play ranked 4th overall in the NHL, clipping at 23.1%. This is something to build on for 2021-2022. It appears they have the right players, with the right tools and the right schemes, to be able to take it to the next level and crack the top 3 in Power Play Percentage. However, as we speak their PP is brutal. This must get better over the next 10 games or they will be in trouble this season.
The weak link last year was their Penalty Kill. It ranked 24th overall in the NHL at a 78.8% Kill Rate. This was a must improve for the 2021-2022 in order for the Pens to make some noise, and so far this season it has. The Penguins Penalty Kill ranks #1 overall in the NHL at 92.3%. Wow.
Pittsburgh Penguins: My View from the Cheap Seats
The Pittsburgh Penguins are ready to get to the Next Level This Year. Time is running out for Crosby, Malkin and Letang to solidify their legacies in the league. They should be very motivated to win this year.
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They have the Coach (Mike Sullivan 254 wins -133 loss in 432 games coached for a .640 winning % with Pittsburgh over 7 years and 2 Cups in 2015-16 and 2016-17), the Team and all the tools to get there. Barring any serious Injuries to Key Players of course. Oh no, Oh no, Oh no no no no…
Quote of the Day:
I found out that if you are going to win games, you had better be ready to adapt.
-Scotty Bowman