"Emotional," Kris Letang called this tumultuous Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena, one in which he'd returned from a monthlong absence due to injury and, tragically, his father's passing in Quebec, only to immediately put forth four points and hammer home an overtime blast, then to break up multiple times afterward.
The term 'emotional' gets tossed around a lot in sports. This usage qualified as quite the understatement.
This is 'emotional' in the sporting sense, ending the Penguins' 7-6 victory over the Panthers:
And this is 'emotional' in an emphatic, life-based context, captured in a superb still by Getty photographer Justin Berl:
JUSTIN BERL / GETTY
Kris Letang's congratulated by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jake Guentzel on his overtime goal.
And talk about 'emotional:'
This one means a lot π pic.twitter.com/M8u22IBbmZ
β Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 25, 2023
Mm-hm. None of that was lost on me. Especially not after having had my own exchange with Letang later to express condolences. He's a good, good man who's been to hell and back in recent weeks, when also including the scare that was his second stroke. It's impossible ... no, inhuman to not be happy for him.
"Entertaining" was the term Mike Sullivan applied to the overall evening, and that, too, was an understatement. Thirteen total goals, tons of speed and skill to spread around, and hey, where the home crowd was concerned, the right side wound up with one more where it counted.
None of that was lost on me, either. It was one blast after another. High-event hockey on 'roids. The Penguins had 49 shots to the Panthers' 39, an unimaginable 91 shot attempts to the Panthers' 69, and a combined 40 high-danger chances between the sides.
"There were a lot of good plays made on both sides, and there's a lot of talent on both teams, so I think the entertainment value was off the charts," Sullivan continued, though he'd then cringe a bit and add, "You know, from a coaching standpoint, we would like it to be a tighter game. And I know we're capable of it. We just we've gotta bring it more consistently."
Yeah. A little.
Sorry, but I'm about to be that guy: This team's going nowhere like this. It just isn't. And I'm as comfortable sharing that observation as I was praising the Penguins for their previous game two days earlier, even though it was a 2-1 overtime loss to the Devils in Newark, N.J., if only because they -- say it with me and Sullivan -- played ... the ... right ... way.
This, my friends, ain't it.
Nor is it on any upward trajectory.
I'm not just talking about the score, the shot totals, or the ghastly disparity in committing 16 giveaways to the Panthers' four. I'm not just talking about one lax night, since those can occur to anyone anywhere. Heck, I'm not even talking about the broader season scope in which the Penguins have conceded 33.4 shots per 60 minutes, seventh-most in the NHL.
Nope, I'm talking about this:
There'll be a dozen-plus goals on everyone else's highlight reel, but I'm starting here with one of those 16 giveaways.
Because I've got a really tough time getting too deep into serious conversation about a hockey success when there's a third-line forward making a drop pass like that at the attacking blue line. And for anyone who'd want to give Brock McGinn the benefit of the doubt that he didn't intend the backward motion of his blade that led to the lost possession, he's got one, two, three, four strides in which he could've easily done something smarter.
And on top of all that, look at the ice-time meters in the top left corner for Florida's third-pairing defensemen. They'd already been out for a minute and a half. They were gassed. They wanted nothing less in that moment than for McGinn to dump that puck deep.
This one's worse, though different:
Ryan Poehling does well to shoulder off the Panthers' Josh Mahura and drive behind the net. But the scoreboard shows a one-goal lead with 4:30 left in regulation and, even though the new fourth line of Poehling, Danton Heinen and Drew O'Connor had done well to contribute a couple of goals, including one a few minutes earlier ... wow, no. As in, not ever. There's not a blind backward pass to be made in that situation on that part of the rink.
For Sidney Crosby, maybe. But on the very next shift, Rickard Rakell showed how it's done right by eating the puck down there. Evgeni Malkin matched him moments later.
For the fourth line ... wow, no.
This one's worst of all, but also different:
I mean ... I'm trying not to pick on Brian Dumoulin. But if Sam Reinhart hadn't flubbed command of the puck just as he approached Casey DeSmith, this is all we'd be discussing on this day.
With 1:57 left, Sid cleans Aleksander Barkov on the draw, shortly after the Panthers had tied, 6-6. Pops it right onto Dumoulin's blade, in fact. At which point ... oh, just watch it again. There isn't much to analyze, beyond why oh why this player keeps getting maximum ice time -- 23:06, compared to Marcus Pettersson's 21:22 or P.O Joseph's laughably low 9:44 -- even with the defense nearly back to full health.
Being blunt: No team that's doing what's above on any regular basis is to be taken seriously once the games get dire.
And note, please, that none of the above examples illustrates a Florida goal, and there were only a half-dozen of those, many of which were finished far too easily on DeSmith, who's become a problem unto himself with seven victories in his 20 appearances and a .900 save percentage. Mind you, he wasn't supposed to start this one -- Tristan Jarry came down with an upper-body injury, and Sullivan wouldn't speculate on how long this latest absence might last -- but that's the backup's job.
Now ... imagine having to ride the owner of the league's 51st-best save percentage for another week or month or whatever.
Again, it's not my aim to be a bummer. It's just that ... hey, if we want to praise Letang and the Core on a night when all three find the net, all three combine for a fantastic moment, let's also remember that their own stated priority -- one I believe to be sincere -- is to raise the Stanley Cup again.
And from there, be very sure they feel the same way once the scoreboard smoke settles.
"It wasn't pretty," Sid would acknowledge.
"It wasn't perfect," Letang himself would acknowledge.
"A grade C or D," Bryan Rust would label it.
Exactly. And it was a pronounced regression from Newark, outcome notwithstanding.
"On the defensive side of the game, I thought we did," Sullivan replied when asked if the Penguins took a step backward. "I don't think we played the game as tight. It was another one of those high-event games. I think we've got to get better there. We have to get better. We're playing a dynamic team offensively, but some of it, I think, is self-inflicted. It starts with managing the puck, but just understanding how to win - making sure you make good decisions when you're late in shifts, forcing our opponents to have to beat us -- and I thought we had some lapses."
Start celebrating when that changes for more than an isolated game every now and then.
JOE SARGENT / GETTY
Sidney Crosby whips a breakaway backhander through the five-hole of the Panthers' Alex Lyon.
β’ Stressing the credit where due: The Penguins overcame three deficits to take these two valuable points, including an early 2-0 deficit that'd enter the first intermission as a 3-3 tie. They pressed the attack, they were creative, and the goals from Rakell, Heinen, O'Connor, Sid, Geno and the two by Letang ... yeah, it's seven goals in an NHL game. And Sid and Geno, those who should lead such a charge, had three points apiece.
"What I love about our group is just our compete level," Sullivan would say to that, "the perseverance to stay with it."
That's fair. It's just not nearly enough.
β’ Danny Shirey has much more on Letang.
β’ Heinen's goal -- he also had two assists -- was his first since ... hang on ... Oct. 22, with a drought of 34 games in between.
I asked the question anyone would've:
"Yeah," he'd reply, "I'm not going to lie: It felt good. It's been a while. But the more important thing is to chip in and help the team win."
That's how he can achieve the latter. He needs to score.
β’ O'Connor battled down the left boards to set up Heinen's goal, then barreled through the Florida crease for his own. Somewhat surprisingly, neither of those got him benched and, as of yet, scratched for the next game.
Let the kid play. Never know who can rise up.
β’ There's no plane of existence upon which Chad Ruhwedel should be playing ahead of Mark Friedman. And I'm no fan of Friedman.
β’ Good on Sullivan for altering his approach to overtime in two ways, first by having Jeff Carter take faceoffs, then rush off the rink -- he'd go 1 for 2 -- and second by utilizing Rakell. He's slow to change, but he does change.
β’ Remember that the Panthers played the previous night in New York -- and were pummeled by the Rangers, 6-2 -- and just finished a run of nine road games out of 11, so it would've been reasonable to expect them to fade. That they didn't drew thick praise from Paul Maurice: "You want it so bad for them because they've got nothing left. They gave what they had to give. Each guy had a piece of the game where he tried to make an impact. It's a tough way to lose a hockey game."
β’ For a roster that's got Barkov and a bunch more up front, Carter Verhaeghe stood out big-time with his two goals -- he's now got a career-high 25 --that easily might've been more. But he also had another moment I couldn't help but spotlight in the mandatory-read Freeze Frame feature.
β’ A healthy minute I spent with Poehling:
Reminds me a lot of Ryan Malone. On and off the ice. Just saying.
β’ Just for fun: Letang had a power-play goal, a power-play assist, an even-strength goal, an even-strength assist and an overtime goal, becoming the first defenseman in NHL history to achieve all that in the same game. Arcane stuff, to be sure, but hey.
β’ Yeah, Ron Hextall and Brian Burke were at the game, watching from their usual perch.
β’ How did we all get so unlucky as to witness a game in which neither team dressed a backup goaltender ... and neither was forced to go the full EBUG? Come on, hockey gods! Pretty sure we've never seen a live EBUG in Pittsburgh before! Never mind a DUAL EBUG!
β’ No EBUG could've been much of a downgrade over what was out there. Heck, could've pulled someone from the seats who wouldn't have chased that 50/50 puck with Verhaeghe, as DeSmith did. Same goes for Lyon's comical reaction on Letang's goal, when he looked to his left around a screening Sid, only to leave Letang half a mile of vacated short side.
β’ Thanks for reading my hockey coverage. It's my favorite non-EBUG activity.
THE ESSENTIALS
β’ Boxscore
β’ Live file
β’ Scoreboard
β’ Standings
β’ Statistics
β’ Schedule
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE THREE STARS
As selected at PPG Paints Arena:
1. Kris Letang, Penguins D
2. Evgeni Malkin, Penguins C
3. Carter Verhaeghe, Panthers LW
THE INJURIES
β’ Tristan Jarry, goaltender, has a lower-body injury and was scratched despite having been announced earlier in the day as the starter. Danny Shirey has the details.
β’ Jan Rutta, defenseman, has an upper-body injury and is on long-term injured reserve.
β’ Josh Archibald, right winger, has a lower-body injury and is on injured reserve.
β’ Kasperi Kapanen, right winger, has a lower-body injury and is on injured reserve.
THE LINEUPS
Sullivan's lines and pairings:
Jake Guentzel-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust
Jason Zucker-Evgeni Malkin-Rickard Rakell
Brock McGinn-Teddy Blueger-Jeff Carter
Drew O'Connor-Ryan Poehling-Danton Heinen
Brian Dumoulin-Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson-Jeff Petry
P.O Joseph-Chad Ruhwedel
And for Maurice's Panthers:
Anton Lundell-Aleksander Barkov-Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhagie-Eetu Luostarinen-Matthew Tkachuk
Grigori Denisenko-Chris Tierney-Nick Cousins
Ryan Lomberg-Colin White-Givani Smith
Gustav Forsling-Aaron Ekblad
Marc Staal-Brandon Montour
Josh Mahura-Radko Gudas
THE SCHEDULE
There's a practice Wednesday, 12 p.m., in Cranberry, Pa. Danny will cover that. The next game's against the Capitals Thursday, 7:08 p.m., in Washington. Taylor Haase will cover that.
THE MULTIMEDIA
THE CONTENT
Visit our team page for everything.
