Observations from the Penguins’ 3-2 overtime loss to the Canadiens.
The Penguins often speak of “keeping things simple” or “simplifying our game” when they deal with an impediment out of their control. They could be facing a stagnant defensive team or sloppy ice or a world-wide pandemic and they’ll cite the practicality of being simple.
However, they do not take this approach, or at least visually to the naked eye.
That the case with its flawed numerical merit in the first game of their qualifying game opposed the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.
The first forced gambling unit made many attempts to oppose a unit of death forged on a rough ice surface. The result is a more depressing functionality of this group.
On the other hand, the moment kept the fundamental and explosive things everywhere, waiting for a bounce or a lucky rebound. That technique gave penguins the only purpose at the moment.
Part of the simplicity is standing in front of the doorman. Penguins’ most productive unit could not do so well as opposed to Montreal’s Carey Price, who controlled swallowing nine of the 10 numerical merit shots he faced with unhindered prospects of the shooting runners. Overall, that included the Penguins’ two shots in a five-on-three series that lasted 1:32 of the time period.
“We just have to execute better,” Coach Mike Sullivan said. “We have to take a look to take pictures. But I think the only domain in which we could have taken a step forward in our overall game, adding forced play, is more of a network presence, which makes it difficult for Price to see. the disc. We had a chance to succeed online, to take away his lines of sight, and we didn’t do such a clever task in that domain tonight.
Penguins are the most sensible team in this game. The Canadians were the 24th best NHL team in the normal season. Clearly, it was a disappointing result.
However, not for lack of opportunities. Penguins had many chances to win, especially in the 3rd overtime. There’s an explanation for why to be optimistic.
But given the brevity of a series of the best five games, the location of a course correction is limited.
“We sense that the game of strength has to be bigger and we’re running through this procedure here,” Sullivan said. “Obviously, he had a chance to make a difference tonight and he didn’t. We will return to the paintings (Sunday).
What happened
Canadians seemed to be more productive at first, as they took the first lead in the game at 11:27 in the final. Continuing with a record in the left corner of the Penguins, Canadiens ahead Artturi Lehkonen made a backhand pass to left point for defenseman Brett Kulak, who crashed a stopwatch into a phalanx of bodies located above the area. In the slot, Canadiens forward Paul Byron diverted the disc with his right to Canadiens’ chest forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi. While Penguins’ defense Jack Johnson led Kotkaniemi into the cage, the puck looked at Kotkaniemi’s left arm and slid into net goalkeeper Matt Murray’s right skate. The deputies went to Byron and Kulak.
It has become a 2-0 game at 6:53 in the moment period. Thanks to a mis-executed pinching through the defense of penguins Brian Dumoulin, the Canadians ahead Nick Suzuki created a two-way race with Joel Armia ahead. When Suzuki won the offensive zone in the left wing, penguins’ kris Letang’s defense got rid of the pass and gave a variety of shots to Suzuki, who held Murray’s glove hand in the other aspect with a twisted left circle in the opposite direction. There’s no help
The Penguins got on the scoreboard at 9:55 of the second. Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson pinched in deep on the left wing to hassle Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher into a turnover within Montreal’s zone. Penguins forward Jake Guentzel claimed the puck on the left half wall and centered to forward Sidney Crosby in the left circle.
Crosby caused a crooked guy who hit the finish line. The rebound veered into the right half wall where Penguins’ defense Justin Schultz pounced and crushed a slap pass to the slot. Guentzel tried to divert the disc over the net, but directed it to Crosby, located to the right of the cage. Crosby then combined the disc in the compound where Price inadvertently threw him into the cage with his left skate. Guentzel and Schultz had assists.
The game drew, 2-2, thanks to a power game purpose at 12:34 of the second. From the most sensible of the left circle, the penguins in front of Jared McCann lifted a sharp turn towards the cage that struck the penguins in front of Patric Hornqvist, located above the crease, in the middle section. The woman fell on the ice just beyond the outer edges of the blue paint. The penguins ahead Bryan Rust caught up with Lehkonen and repelled Price’s gloved hand by the scoreboard. Hornqvist and McCann had assists.
Things have been strange since the 3rd period.
First, there was a five-on-three strength game opportunity discussed in the past that began at 19:02 on the 3rd on the new ice more commonly. The Penguins controlled to see five shots, but only two fell into the net.
After killing a minor robbery at McCann at 4:18 p.m., the Penguins earned another numerical merit after Byron asked for interference at 13:54. They generated a shot on purpose in three attempts, but gave two shots to a numerical memer against.
At the end of the deal, they were in a chance to win it when Conor Sheary won a penalty kick at 16:57. Sheary brought an undeniable technique to the net. When Price challenged him, Sheary turned to the left of the cage.
The Penguins had another power-play opportunity 3:09 into overtime. With parts of the top unit on the ice during the prior shift, the second unit took the ice and just blasted a handful of shots, hoping for a rebound or fortunate bounce. That approach offered promise but not the point that it could convert.
At 6:46 extra time, Canadiens ahead Jonathan Drouin won his own penalty kick. He went wide to the right and when he approached the crease, he tried a backhand, but he went crazy and couldn’t shoot.
The Canadians won at 13:57 overtime. Pushing the game to the right wing, Gallagher tried to make a pass in the middle, but blocked it by re-controlling the penguins ahead of Brandon Tanev. The deflection was released in the right circle where Canadians’ defense Jeff Petry jumped on it and passed a crooked in front of Murray’s blocker on the other side. The assistants went to Gallagher and the Philip Danault Center.
Statistically speaking
Penguins led 41-35.
• Gallagher led the game with nine shots.
Striker Evgeni Malkin led the penguins with eight shots.
The defense of Letang and Canadiens Shea Weber led the game with the same ice time of 31:35 in 34 turns.
• The Penguins had a 34-33 edge in faceoffs (51 percent).
• Crosby was 20 for 36 (56 percent).
• Danault was 12 for 23 (52 percent).
The Canadiens’ defense, Xavier Ouellet, led with seven blocked shots.
• Letang led the Penguins with five blocked shots.
Random
Ice was obviously a factor. It was the third game of the day on this surface in the August heat. It’s no surprise, but it’s obviously something that works more for Canadians than penguins. That’s not to say ice was the explanation for why The Canadians won. But it’s an environment that suits them best.
Authorities called this game closed. And there were other games that were called tight the day. There seemed to be a strict standard, especially for batting-related offenses such as crochet. It will be attractive to see if senior NHL officials recommend adjustments to officials on the ice.
The best players of the Canadians were not exactly the explanation for why they won this game. Yes, Price played a smart game. And there were contributions from guys like Gallagher and Danault. But it was not as if Price had absolutely stolen the game or that the defense Shea Weber, his captain, had damaged the space-time continuum with the comet with a slapped shot. Canadians played more commonly within their limits.
• It’s hard to say the Canadiens played a smart game given that they took so many penalties.
• Murray was adequate. He got toasted on the Suzuki goal. But beyond that, he was strong enough to win.
• Johnson had a rough one. On the Kotkaniemi goal, he collided with Penguins forward Zach-Aston-Reese than slammed Kotkaniemi into the net, aiding the goal. Then he got toasted by Drouin and hooked him, resulting in the failed penalty shot.
• It’s easy to say “put in Juuso Riikola” to replace Johnson on the left side of the third defensive pairing. There’s validity to that idea. But the coaching staff rarely displayed much trust in Riikola during the regular season for reasons which aren’t clear. And given that Riikola missed much of training camp as a precaution against potential secondary exposure to coronavirus, it’s not likely that trust has grown given his limited practice time the past three weeks.
• While there were some ugly hits and post-whistle scrums in many other games on the first day of the postseason, relatively little of that was on display in this contest. Sure, there were some frantic battles on the boards or near the cage, but nothing which cross a line in terms of being venomous. It was just two teams playing hard.
Penguins have tried a significantly different look with their first force game unit, i.e. bringing Jason Zucker, basically to the slot. Malkin worked the left side, while Crosby drove a few miles in the right circle. While Guentzel was on the front of the network, Letang worked the point on the first unit at the beginning, but eventually gave way to Schultz.
Clearly, whatever benefits the team hoped for with those alterations were not realized.
• The futility of the Penguins’ unsuccessful power play is amplified when you consider Danault, one of the NHL’s best defensive forwards, was in the penalty box three times, including on the two-man advantage in the third period.
Historically speaking
The last playoff game to provide several penalty shots, the first game of the 1923 Stanley Cup final between Senators NHL Ottawa and the Edmonton Eskimos of the Western Canadian Hockey League (WCHL).
(Note: at that time, the Cup played between the NHL champion and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association champions, as well as the WCHL).
Ottawa forwards Cy Denneny and Punch Broadbent were denied on shots in the first period while Edmonton forward Duke Keats was unsuccessful in the third period.
The Senators won the game, 2-1, in overtime then claimed the best-of-three series, 2-0.
Nitzy’s Hockey Den wrote an in-depth review of this game nearly a hundred years ago.
Oddly enough, it was the last Stanley Cup final to be played entirely in an impartial location (Vancouver) and took position after the so-called “Spanish flu” pandemic of 1918 and 1919.
Dodge the seventh playoff penalty in franchise history and first from now on Chris Conner failed in game six of a 2011 Eastern Conference quarter-final series as opposed to Tampa Bay Lightning goalkeeper Dwayne Roloson.
Tampa Bay that house game, 4-2.
The Penguins’ success in the penalty playoffs in franchise history remains a goal ahead jaromir Jagr opposed New York Rangers target John Vanbiesbrouck in Game Five of the 1992 Patrick Division Finals.
Penguins 3-2 on the way.
Drouin’s attempt is the fourth overtime penalty in NHL history. They all failed and 3 were referring to the penguins.
The first was Capitals ahead of Joe Juneau, who was rejected by Penguin goalkeeper Ken Wregget at the time of a fourth game overtime in a 1996 Eastern Conference quarter-final series.
Possibly this game is more vivid with a purpose through Petr Nedved, which gave the Penguins a 3-2 victory on the road in 4 overtime.
(Note: Juneau’s attempt is also the last all-time penalty shot in a playoff game opposed to penguins. They have never awarded a penalty kick in the playoffs in three attempts).
The moment the former Penguins overtaked Aleksey Morozov in the first overtime game in a 1998 Eastern Conference quarter-final series opposed to the Montreal Canadiens. He turned down through goalkeeper Andy Moog.
The Canadians would win 3-2 in this game.
The Florida Panthers ahead of Aleksander Barkov also had a flop in Game Five of a first-round series opposed to the New York Islanders in the 2016 playoffs.
Penguins’ last loss of overtime in the playoffs was a 4–3 loss to the Islanders in the first game of a first-round series last April. Striker Josh Bailey scored the winning goal.
Returning to game five in a second-round series opposed to the Washington Capitals in 2018, the Penguins have lost seven consecutive playoff games.
Oh, yes. Penguins and Canadians (and eight other teams) played a game in August for the first time.
Speaking in public
Schultz remains resolved in the work:
“I’m going to have to take a look at it, but we had a smart look, a smart opportunity. Obviously, there’s room for improvement. I think we can do a great job of moving, supporting each other, overcoming (Canadian punishment). But I think everything will be fine.”
Sullivan spoke of his team’s desire to direct traffic to the Montreal network:
“We generate a smart amount of scoring opportunities first. So it’s not that there hasn’t been an opportunity. There were a lot of them. The spaces where we can make it more complicated in Montreal are if we have more success on the network.” constantly and the goalkeeper’s sight lines. Make it harder for him to locate the disk and maybe create bounce opportunities. We had our moments when we were on the net, but we can improve.
Sullivan succinctly when asked to rate Murray’s game:
“I think it’s solid.
Murray talked about the Canadian approach:
“It’s a pretty undeniable team. They put records in the net and that’s what happened in the first goal. There was a gunshot wound. He went a deviating. It bounced in the air. I lost it in every body. I think he ended up falling on one of his boys. They are also the playoffs in general. That’s the kind of goals you get more and more in the playoffs. Traffic, frame going to the net. That’s what we have to be prepared for.”
Schultz inquired about ice situations as well as the noise of the fake crowd pumped into the sand:
“Unsurprisingly, the ice was hard, especially the extra time. But any of the groups have to play with that. We expected that. The noise of the crowd, I didn’t really notice when you’re in the heat of the action. It wasn’t too much, it was smart there.
• Petry was also asked about the ice:
“They’ve taken a step forward in our exhibition game. There are times when the record jumps a little. But I think (the conditions) were smart and they took a step forward, especially with 3 games today. They do a smart task of keeping up. ice and looking to get to the (state) possible. »
Suzuki spoke of the importance of victory given that the series is the best of five:
“It gives us a lot of confidence. A lot of other people didn’t make us suitors. Therefore, we must show that we can compete with anyone. It’s a smart first step, but we know that (penguins) are going to bring your A-game for the next game and we need to be able to do it.
Petry rented the price:
“He made some really big saves and gave us that calming influence that (Price) is all about. He was calm and collected back there. Especially when a team is on the forecheck and controlling the play a little bit, when you have that calming influence from him back there, it, I think, settles everybody down.”
• Canadiens coach Claude Julien summed up the dynamic of his mostly younger, untested roster going against the vaunted Penguins quite well:
“We’re playing an experienced team. They’ve won (Stanley Cup titles). They know how to win. And we have what we have. And the only chance we have is that we play on our toes and not on our heels. Go out there, having some confidence, play hard. We’ll put you out there because we have confidence in you. Now, you’ve just got to go out there and show it. That was the message from us as a coaching staff. But also there’s a message coming from their teammates. Their teammates are supporting them and giving them the confidence that they need. I think they feel pretty good about where they are right now and our group. I hope they can continue to play that way because they were key to our victory tonight.”
• Petry on the penalty kill:
“It’s big. Penalty is a key component of our game. We obviously want to restrict the number of opportunities that have a numerical advantage. We figured out a way to kill them. To move forward, we just want to be a little more disciplined with our sticks and make sure we don’t give them the opportunities. It’s a talented band. The more opportunities we give them, the more I think we’ll have problems.”
Visually speaking
• Game summary.
• Event summary.
• Highlights:
Follow the penguins all season.
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