3 Rock-Solid Penguins who will take us far this year

The Pittsburgh Penguins are picking up steam.  The grind of another Regular Hockey Season is well under way and the Penguins just hit the 25 Game Mark in their schedule.  I thought this would be a good time to sit back, grab my favorite beverage and take a real hard look at this Penguins Roster. I wanted to see, who at this point, are the “Rock-Solid Players”.

As of Dec 09.2021

Pittsburgh Penguins    12-8-5=29 Pts

4th in the Metropolitan Division

7th-tied in the Eastern Conference

11th -tied Overall in the NHL

The Penguins hold Wild Card #1 Playoff Position, in the Eastern Conference.

We all know in the real world, rocks vary in color, size, density, and most are, how you say, “Rock Solid”.  With that “Rock Solid” theme in mind, so are Hockey Players.  They vary in color, size, density and we are always looking for those players who are “Rock Solid”.  So, let’s dive in and find out,  Who are the Rock-Solid Pittsburgh Penguins so far this year?

Jake Guentzel #59 LW, is the First Rock-Solid Pittsburgh Penguin, because of his Volcanic Scoring.  (The Scoria Rock is Volcanic and #59 is scoring alot of points (sic)

Scoria Rock:  

Scorcia rock is produced by volcanic activity. Like pumice, it forms when lava which is rich in gas cools quickly. It forms when molten rock is rising in a volcanic pipe, the decreasing pressure allows the gas to expand out (like opening a can of soda releases carbon dioxide.

Pittsburgh Penguins (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Guentzel has been the molten lava that has kept the Penguins in most games, on most nights.  He Leads the team in Goals Scored with 15.  He is Second on the team in Assists with 12.  He Leads the team in Points with 27.

Guentzel is 7th overall in the NHL for Goals Scored with 15.  He is tied for 12th in overall League Scoring with 27.  He is also 20th overall in the NHL for Faceoff Win percentage at 64.3%.

As we speak, #59 has a 13-game points streak.  Guentzel, just got injured against Seattle and now finds himself on the IR.

A truly volcanic performance to date, that will unfortunately be cooled off, due to injury.

Evan Rodrigues #9 C, is the Second Rock-Solid Pittsburgh Penguin, because of his streaky scoring.  (The Biotite Gneiss Rock has Streaky band characteristics)

Biotite Gneiss Rock:

The Biotite Gneiss rock is mostly composed of creamy-white feldspar and quartz, together with dark minerals, of which the most abundant is the dark mica biotite. The dark minerals are arranged in a streaky banding, giving the rock a gneissic texture.

Rodrigues is a streaky type of player, who scores in bunches.  He can get hot for a few games in a row, before cooling off.  He is Second on the team in Goals Scored with 8.  He is Third on the team in Assists with 10.  He is Second on the team in Points with 18.

The Most Goals Evan Rodrigues has scored in one season has been 9, and the Most Points he has scored in one season was 29, (with Buffalo during the 2018-2019 season).  #9 is well on his way to having a career year.

Guess who is an Unrestricted Free Agent at the end of 2021-2022…Yup…#9.

Would you sign him right now to a term deal?

Tristan Jarry #35 G is the Third Rock-Solid Pittsburgh Penguin, because of his superb angle control, spectacular Matrix like saves and is not venturing out to far from his net, of late. (The Breccia Rock is angular in nature and does not move far from source and is put together in a matrix)

Bressia Rock:

The Breccia is a rock formed from angular gravel and boulder-sized clasts cemented together in a matrix. The angular nature of the clasts indicates that they have not been transported very far from their source.

Pittsburgh Penguins (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

Jarry is 7th overall in the NHL in Wins with 11.  He is 5th overall in the NHL with a 1.92 Goals Against Average.  He is 8th overall in the NHL with a .934 Save Percentage.

Not to shabby, considering many people wanted to run him out of town after last year’s playoffs and again at the beginning of this season.  However, he has played some of his best hockey of late.

He will be the difference between the Penguins making the Playoffs or not.

My View from the Cheap Seats

As the Penguins pass the quarter mark of their schedule, I am impressed with the overall team play, especially over the last ten games and in particular, the Rock-Solid play of, #59, #9 and #35.

In my humble opinion, these three players will have a huge impact from here on, as to how well the penguins play on nightly basis and also where the team will end up in the Final Standings.

Quote of the Day:

“Be strong when you are Weak, brave when you are Scared and humble when you are Victorious”.

Kobe Bryant – LA Lakers