Faceoff Factor

Cause For Concern Or Reason For Optimism?

Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins

Jan 19, 12:15 PM | Hype this story!

Depending on your outlook, the Penguins’ most recent five-game road trip could serve as a building block or yet another set back for the team that once sat atop the NHL standings this season.

In what has grown into a prolonged slump that has lasted since early December the Penguins have found it mighty difficult to win games both at home and on the road.

But over the last week they won three of five contests on a grueling road trip that started in Toronto and headed westward, ending in Vancouver.

• 4-1 win at Toronto
• 4-3 loss at Minnesota
• 3-1 win at Calgary
• 3-2 win at Edmonton
• 6-2 loss at Vancouver

Their 3-2 record, however, doesn’t tell the whole story.

The loss against Minnesota just as easily could have been a win had the power play converted on any of their six opportunities. Despite peppering 38 shots at Nicklas Backstrom and despite spending much of the game in the offensive zone, the Penguins simply couldn’t finish the game.

Then, several nights later in Edmonton, the Penguins just as easily could have — and maybe should have lost to the Oilers. After going scoreless and getting into penalty trouble in the first two periods, the Penguins, and more specifically the Jordan Staal-centered third line, came to life and notched a three goal comeback for the win.

And, while their wins against Toronto and Calgary showed signs of progress, the Vancouver loss — the last of the road trip — showed signs of regression.

But let’s examine the most disappointing loss of the trip to get a better gauge for how things really went.

Saturday night was destined to be a loss.

With Marc-Andre Fleury ailing from a broken finger suffered during Thursday’s game in Edmonton and Brent Johnson still recovering from an undisclosed injury, the Penguins found themselves between and a goal post and a hard, to borrow from an old adage.

In goal was John Curry, a rookie AHL call-up who had played in just three previous NHL games, and backing him up was 19-year-old rookie Alex Pechurski, who 24 hours earlier was playing a game for his junior team, the Tri-City Americans of the WHL.

At the other end of the ice was Roberto Luongo.

A lopsided matchup if I’ve ever seen one.

To add to the Penguins’ woes were two other injuries: one to top-pairing defender Brooks Orpik and another to first line winger Chris Kunitz.

The odds were against the Penguins and a loss was to be expected.

But was a 6-2 drudging acceptable? Absolutely not.

The team came out to play in the first period, but looked asleep during a pathetic second period. Hockey games are 60 minutes, and the team simply did not put forth a full effort.

Even so, it’s difficult to let one game that had loss written all over it change the views of what was an otherwise successful road trip.

Now, the test lies ahead.

Can the Penguins build off of their 3-2 road trip and begin an upward swing? Or will the red hot New York Islanders put the Penguins back on a losing streak?

Fleury remains sidelined and indications are Curry will, once again, get the start in goal tonight, though Johnson is expected to be his backup. Orpik, too, will return to action.

With a healthier lineup and the support of a home crowd, tonight’s game could be the pivot point.

A win would take them to .500 hockey for the month of January and 5-5-0 in their last 10. Obviously, getting out of the losing category would be huge.

A loss would set them back to sup-.500 hockey for January and 4-6-0 in their last 10. You don’t need me to tell you that when the wins are fewer than the losses, things aren’t good.

So, ironically, the success (or lack thereof) of the Penguins’ recent five-game road trip might just fall in the lap of the dreaded first game back.