A funny (or not-so-funny) thing happened during the first period of last night’s Penguins-Avalanche tilt at PPG Paints Arena. With the score knotted at 1-apiece, I decided to check on my boss’s super sweet German Shorthaired Pointer, Zelig, who was relaxing in the gym office, or so I thought.
As soon as I opened the door, it was obvious Zelig had to GO, so I hurriedly hustled him outside to do his business. We couldn’t have been gone for more than five minutes.
Upon our return to the gym, I casually glanced at the score of the game on my phone.
Four-one, Avs? What the…???
Much to my dismay, I learned the visitors had pumped three goals past Pens netminder Arturs Šilovs in a span of less than two minutes.
Ugh.
The outcome from that point on was sadly academic. Oh, the Pens did what they could, unleashing 68 shot attempts and 32 shots on goal before all was said and done. A whopping 13 shots on goal by our top line, including a game-high six by Sidney Crosby. However, unlike Šilovs, Avs goalie Scott Wedgewood was a brick wall at the far end of the rink.
It didn’t help our cause that we got jobbed on yet another goalie interference call. Roughly seven minutes into the second period, Justin Brazeau bulled his way between Wedgewood and Avs defender Devon Toews at the edge of the crease before diving to the ice to sweep home a rebound.
He made slight contact with Wedgewood at the start of the sequence while squeezing his big frame between said goalie and Toews, but at no time did he enter the blue paint. In fact, his momentum carried him away from it.
Didn’t matter. The War Room [expletives] in Toronto overturned the goal, robbing the Pens of a potential momentum shifter at a crucial juncture.
We didn’t help our cause by whiffing on a four-minute power-play shortly thereafter.
Final count, 6-2, Avs.
Puckpourri
The Pens have now yielded a staggering 48 non-shootout goals in their last 11 games. All things considered, we’re extremely fortunate to be 4-4-3 during that stretch. But it’s no way to do business, especially with a playoff berth on the line.
While my colleague, Other Rick, has been openly critical of our goaltenders for quite some time (and has provided compelling stats to support his argument) I’ve staunchly defended them…until now.
It was the second-straight shaky outing for Šilovs. And it’s not as if he was tending goal in a shooting gallery. Yes, the Avs placed 30 shots on net. But they managed only 16 scoring chances (to our 28) and only five high-danger chances.
As Other Rick so aptly pointed out, it’s been ages since our netminders actually stole a game for us.
I’m not sure what the answer is. Do we call up wunderkind Sergei Murashov and throw him into the breach in hopes of an Alex Lyon-type run? Or do we continue to ride Šilovs and tandem-mate Stuart Skinner?
I don’t know. I do know we can’t keep hemorrhaging goals like water spouting from a crumbling dam and expect to make the playoffs.
Egor Chinakhov and Rickard Rakell were our goal-getters. The former on a long-range bomb at 8:09 of the first period to briefly draw us even at 1-apiece, the latter courtesy of a slick, net-front feed from Sid at 11:47 of the third.
Win, lose or draw, Chinakhov is a heck of a player. Maybe our best along with Erik Karlsson right now.
Almost quietly, Rakell has a dozen points (5+7) in his past 13 games. Bryan Rust, 18 points (7+11) in his past 14 contests!
Ryan Shea returned following a one-game absence, bumping Ryan Graves to the press box. On the takeaway side, Evgeni Malkin sat out. Geno’s listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury. Ville Koivunen was recalled from the Baby Pens to take his place. Personally, I’d choose Rutger McGroarty, who IMHO plays a more mature, all-around game.
Kris Letang and Sam Girard each recorded assists on Chinakhov’s goal and each reached a milestone to boot. For Letang, it was his 800th career point, for Girard, his 200th career assist.
The duo received a considerably lighter workload than usual. Letang 17:16 TOI, Girard 18:11.
Perhaps not by coincidence, Tanger snapped a prolonged, 11-game points drought. It also marked the first time he finished a plus since March 1.
Girard’s been a plus in three of his past four games. On the flip side of the trade, the Avs have paired Brett Kulak with Cale Makar.
Standings-wise, the news ain’t good. The Pens (35-20-16, 86 points) slip to third place in the Metro, one point behind the piping-hot CBJ and one ahead of the Isles, who are now on the outside of the playoff chase. They were passed by the streaking Senators, who happen to be our next foe.
Good luck with that.
I’m going to make a prediction, in the forlorn hope that it will invoke the reverse PenguinPoop Curse and actually stimulate some hidden vigorish on our behalf.
The Pens will miss the playoffs.
I’m throwing the Red Wings under the bus as well.
In all honestly, it just feels like the magic dust has worn off our Pens. Or to borrow from Cinderella, the clock has struck midnight on our season and we’re about to turn into a pumpkin.