Charting The Pens' Progress
Mike Adams | Report Cards
Nov 16, 02:52 PM | Hype this story!
Since they’re reached the 20-game mark (can you believe a quarter of the season has gone by already?), it’s time for our first look at how the Pens compare to where they were at the same point last season. We are setting some high standards with this comparison. I started this a few years back, and at that time the baseline was really low. But now, they’re the defending Stanley Cup champs, so the bar has been set really high.
Record
2009-10: 13-7, 26 points, .650
2008-09: 12-5-3, 27 pts, .675
Both starts are tremendous. The big difference right now is the Pens are slumping, whereas last year they were surging. This year: 2-5; last year: 7-1-1. But it was right around now that they started going downhill last year. With all the injuries, it’s a good thing they got off to such a hot start.
Even-Strength Goals For
2009-10: 44, 2.20 per game
2008-09: 41, 2.05 per game
Difference: +3
Pretty close here. In both years, they had four games without an even-strength goal.
Even-Strength Goals Against
2009-10: 40, 2.00 per game
2008-09: 35, 1.75 per game
Difference: -5
Again, not a huge difference here. It’s not surprising, though, given Coach B.’s more aggressive style and all the blue line injuries, that the defense is a bit worse.
Power Play
2009-10: 11/83, 13.3%
2008-09: 17/93, 17.5%
Difference: -4.2%
And you thought the Yeo Play couldn’t get any worse? Hah! This year, it’s been nothing short of a disgrace. As a point of reference, during the disastrous 2003-04 season, the power play clicked at an 18.1% rate, eighth in the league. They finished seventh the previous year with the same percentage. The last two years, it is at 17.3%. That 2003-04 team had zero talent. This power play has guys like Crosby, Gonchar, Malkin, and Guerin, who are all potential hall of famers. Yet Yeo can’t coax anything out of them. Someone please tell me again what qualifies this moron to be an NHL power play coach. Then again, maybe they just need to bring back The Great Dick Tarnstrom. Or Joey Mullen (wasn’t he the power play coach through those ugly years?).
Penalty Kill
2009-10: 66/81, 81.5%
2008-09: 70/83: 84.3%
Difference: -2.8%
One kind of expected that the penalty kill would take a bit of a hit with Gill and Scuderi gone, and it has. Oh, and then they lose three primary penalty killers in Gonchar, Orpik, and Letang. Before the run of injuries to the defensemen started, they were even with last year’s pace, which is a good sign.
Shorthanded Goals For/Against
2009-10: 2/1, +1
2008-09: 2/5, -3
Difference: 0/+4, +4
Well, at least the Yeo play isn’t giving up shorties. Uh-oh, I just jinxed them.
Special Teams Action Rating (STAR)
Recall that this takes into account all special teams goals for and against. It is the percentage of successes divided by the total opportunities. Fifty percent is average.
2009-10: 47.6%
2008-09: 47.7%
Even with last year, despite the Yeo Play struggles.
All in all, the Pens remain on pace with last year. Let’s just hope they don’t go through the midseason doldrums they did last season. If they do, Mike Yeo could end up the scapegoat, which, come to think of it, might not be such a bad thing.
Comments
Ray aka WildcatRay
Nov 16, 04:12 PM
Don’t you mean “Charting”?
Ben Schmidt
Nov 16, 04:13 PM
I’m not saying the Pens should keep Yeo, but it is worth noting that the Power Play has been missing some key players for a while now, and with all of the team’s offensive defensemen on the shelf now, it isn’t likely to get any better for a while.
The PP was pretty bad last year until Gonchar got back, and this year, the team has been down Gonchar, Malkin and Letang, and while Malkin’s back, they’ll have to make do without Goligoski, either, now.
That said, most teams don’t have a blueliner as good as Gonchar, and definitely don’t have talent the like of Crosby up front, and still manage to do better than 0 for 28. Yeo’s power play only works at all when Gonchar, Malkin and Crosby are all in the lineup because those three are so good they can make it work sometimes. The lack of movement is just insane.
DaBich
Nov 16, 04:20 PM
The PP has been so bad for so long something has got to give. I am sure when we do get our guys back in the line-up, and give it time, it won’t be much better, at least not substantially. Heck, it can only go up from where it’s at now.
I remember griping out the PP last season, and saying if anything was going to be our weak point in the playoffs and SC finals, it would be the PP. We were fortunate to overcome that. At some point, something will have to give. Either the PP will have to improve or the PP coach will have to step down and let someone else take over.
All in all these guys are trying most of the time. As I’ve said before, the injured will come back, one by one and things WILL get better, I know it! This is our Pens we are talking about.
Mike Adams
Nov 16, 05:19 PM
@Ray,
Hay, eye no howe two speal.
Ray aka WildcatRay
Nov 16, 09:04 PM
ROFLAO!
Very good! :-D
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