theathleticuk
On a night dedicated to celebrating the franchise's storied past, the Pittsburgh Penguins inducted Jim Rutherford, Jack McGregor, Larry Murphy, and fan favorite Marc-Andre Fleury into the team's Hall of Fame at PPG Paints Arena. The pregame ceremony was a flawless tribute to the magic the organization has produced since 1967. However, the current squad's performance provided a stark and unpleasant contrast, as the Penguins fell 4-1 to the Ottawa Senators, turning what was meant to be a joyous occasion into another frustrating defeat.
The Penguins' aging core struggled to make an impact, and the power play failed to register a single shot across three opportunities. The team's persistent turnover issues once again proved insurmountable. Egor Chinakhov set up Tommy Novak late in the first period to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead, and for the first half of the game, the home team delivered a fairly strong, if unspectacular, performance. But that quickly unraveled.
A dreadful turnover by Connor Dewar led directly to Michael Amadeo's tying goal, and another costly giveaway by Ben Kindel resulted in Claude Giroux's game-winner. Rookie goaltender Sergei Murashov was brilliant for much of the evening, turning aside breakaways and point-blank chances, but the sheer volume of quality opportunities Ottawa generated eventually overwhelmed him. He allowed a soft goal late in the third period that sealed the outcome, yet the loss could hardly be blamed on him—he was outstanding. The blame falls squarely on his teammates.
Sidney Crosby acknowledged that the Penguins have made life difficult for Murashov, noting that this game was another example of the team's inability to protect the young netminder. The statistics paint a grim picture: Pittsburgh was outshot 34-17, outhit 20-17, and lost the faceoff battle 30-29. They were charged with 25 giveaways compared to Ottawa's 16, with Erik Karlsson committing five alone. The Senators, who excel at playoff-style hockey, suffocated the Penguins for most of the night.
"I thought they did a good job of protecting the front of the net," Crosby said. "They did a good job of pretty much everything." The game bore little resemblance to the Penguins' 2-1 road trip through California earlier in the week. "This was a different team that we played," Crosby added. "This was a tighter game. More physical." It was precisely the kind of contest the Penguins are ill-equipped to win, and their postseason hopes grow dimmer by the day.
Key Analysis
The Penguins' power play remains utterly lost, and the lack of net-front presence is glaring. Complaints about the team's reluctance to shoot are valid, but shots are far less effective without traffic in front. Head coach Dan Muse, referencing the four-day break before the next game, said, "We've got four days now to look at some things." One wonders if four days will be enough to fix the myriad issues.
Murashov's performance was a bright spot—his third consecutive strong showing. Though he allowed a soft goal to Tim Stutzle, that mistake is correctable. Given that this season is slipping away, giving Murashov significant ice time is crucial for his development. It was a smart decision, both symbolically and practically, to start him on a night when Fleury was the star of the show; the two share a great fondness, and Murashov rewarded the choice with an excellent outing.
Puck management remains a fatal flaw. Even typically reliable forwards like Kindel and Dewar made critical errors, and when those players are guilty of foolish passes into the center of the ice, the team may be doomed. The inability to handle big, physically imposing teams like the Senators is painful to watch, and the lack of resistance is telling. A few Penguins played well—Chinakhov is the best forward right now, Blake Lizotte played with energy all night, and the defensive pair of Kaeden Korczak and Sam Girard was solid—but that's about it.
Concern is mounting over Crosby, who has been held scoreless in 11 of 20 games and has just 13 points. His 21-season streak of producing at least a point per game is in serious jeopardy. Evgeni Malkin and Rickard Rakell haven't been much better, and putting three players with a combined age of 113 on the same line is questionable. Moving Rakell back to center, where he excelled last season, might help address the team's problems down the middle. Through 20 games, the Penguins are on pace for just 66 points—only four teams have fewer. The numbers don't lie: nostalgia was the only thing worth watching in Pittsburgh on Saturday, and it might be that way for a while.
Originally reported by theathleticuk.