A Little Perspective Is Needed
Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins
Feb 8, 10:51 AM | Hype this story!
If someone would have told me before Sunday’s game the Penguins would leave Washington with one point, I wouldn’t have believed it.
And why should I have?
They were coming off a poor showing in Montreal Saturday and had what was, at the very least, a long trip ahead of them before arriving to the game.
As details unraveled, we learned that the Penguins were forced to fly into Newark, NJ before boarding a bus to make the trek to Washington.
They arrived at 2:30 a.m. and were expected to play at noon.
Oh, and their opponent happened to be the hottest team in the NHL just a few games shy of setting a record for consecutive wins.
The most predictable result was a blowout.
After all, how could the Penguins possibly have enough in the tank to put up a serious fight?
Well, they proved me — and probably most everyone — wrong by coming out strong and taking a 4-1 lead before unraveling in the third and eventually losing 5-4 in overtime.
Without context, that’s a tough loss; one that might define a team as being unable to put away games. Heck, embarrassing might even describe it.
But with context, I see a victory. The Penguins got one point. That’s exactly one point more than I — and probably most everyone — expected them to get.
It’s kind of difficult to get concerned about exceeding expectations, right?
Now, let’s be clear. I’m not making excuses for the Penguins. They had enough in the tank (at least early in the game) to not only put up a fight, but to control the tempo.
Who knows what happened in the third. Maybe the tank went dry. Maybe they let up a bit. Maybe it was a combination of the two.
The end result was a loss, and that’s never the goal.
The reality, though, is that the Penguins took home a point in a game most predicted would be over before it started.
While we all are frustrated the team didn’t have enough to put the game away, let’s not forget what we were thinking beforehand.
And let’s also not forget who the opponent was. The Capitals have…
- ...14 consecutive wins
- ...a 17-2 record since January 1
- ...surrendered just six points to opponents in the last 19 games
- ...scored fewer than four goals just three times since January 1
- ...scored five or more goals 11 times since January 1
- ...given up four or more goals four times since January 1
- ...limited opponents to two or fewer goals 13 times since January 1
The Capitals are a tough team to beat when 100 percent rested and playing the system to perfection. They’re even more difficult to beat under yesterday’s circumstances.
Comments
Pens1967
Feb 8, 10:51 AM
Well, the Pens had them beat, so…
On the bright side, it was great to see Kunitz back and with the usual edge to his game. I know there’s been lots of angst over his scoring, but what he brings to the team is a lot more than that and it is so apparent how much the team missed him. Kunitz, TK, Talbot – all have missed significant time and I don’t think it’s a coincidence the team hasn’t quite lived up to expectations yet.
Matt Bodenschatz
Feb 8, 10:57 AM
@Pens, they did have them beat. I realize this, and that’s what makes it frustrating and difficult to keep in perspective. What I am saying is that the Penguins weren’t expected to even show up, let alone get a point. They did just that. It’s time to move on to the next game, which hopefully will fall under much more ordinary circumstances.
Pens fan in PA
Feb 8, 11:12 AM
The Pens made me very proud yesterday, the way they came out fighting and with seemingly boundless energy. The fact that we lost such a nice lead has me worried, and I cannot blame the D totally—let’s look at what’s up with Fleury this season, please!!
DaBich
Feb 8, 11:29 AM
Matt, that’s all true…but still…we had the game in hand with a 3 GOAL LEAD. This game just showed where our problems lie…defense. I’m sure Shero has some ideas on what to do to make that better. And I’m sorry, you can say what you want, but Fleury’s mind has not been in the game. I don’t know if it’s the upcoming Olympics, or what, but he’s definitely not there.
I am still pleased to come away with one point, but they should have had two.
Of course, it didn’t help that Washington’s first goal was a total freebie. It should have been waved off and we should have had a power play. Too many BS calls again, but like I said, we had the game by 3 goals, it’s inexcusable to lose it.
Natty Lite
Feb 8, 11:38 AM
Blah. That’s all.
Ben Schmidt
Feb 8, 12:27 PM
Matt – I agree with you completely. Really, watching the game, it just looked like the Pens ran out of gas. They’d been doing everything right at the beginning of the game, but they wore down as the adrenaline wore off.
9.5 hours from arrival in DC to puck drop, and that time was supposed to include sleeping? After they’d already played a game the day before? Yeah, no way that’s going to have any effect…
Bylsma and the Pens may not have wanted to lean on that “excuse”, but really, how could they have kept up the same energy level for the whole game?
That said, I’d like to point out the difference between the Penguins organization and the Capitals’. Imagine the situations were reversed: The Pens were waiting at home for the Capitals who had to travel through the snowstorm, and only got in around 2:30am, after having to travel by bus. Imagine if the Capitals had then lost that game. Boudreau would have been complaining left and right to the media about how unfair it was that his team had to operate on so little sleep, and Leonsis would have been blogging about how the game should have been postponed, etc. After all, look how out of sorts they got over a Yanni concert!
I’m glad the Pens aren’t willing to take the easy explanation, even if it is most likely accurate.
DaBich
Feb 8, 12:47 PM
Ben, just goes to show you how classy the Pens are…compared to the Crapitals…
Matt Bodenschatz
Feb 8, 01:03 PM
@Ben, Boudreau actually had the gull to say the storm was worse on his players, who were stuck at home shoveling snow, worrying about family members, and driving to the arena.
It must have been difficult getting all that sleep Saturday night, huh?
I’ve never seen a coach complain as much as he does. I recall someone breaking a stick across Crosby’s back, then getting a cross-checking penalty, only to see Boudreau on the bench crying to the refs. Seriously?
I know certain Penguins have a similar reputation, but I’ve never seen a coach whine as much as Boudreau does — and the announcers even mentioned it in a politically correct way, comparing Bylsma’s composure to Bourdreau’s hyperactivity.
DaBich
Feb 8, 01:17 PM
Boudreau is the biggest pansy in the league..he makes Tortella look good…in some ways!
Pens1967
Feb 8, 01:28 PM
Matt, I’m glad the Pens got a point out of the game. They way they played in Montreal, I figured they’d be blown out by the end of the first period. Still, they had a 3 goal lead and you just can’t blow games like that.
As for fatigue, yes, the Pens had a long ride on the bus, but Wash also played 4 games in six days, too. Just saying…
Moq
Feb 8, 01:42 PM
There’s no reason to panic. Washington is still weak on defence and in goal requiring Ovechkin to bail them out in an otherwise losing effort. Much like the recent playoffs. I like Ovechkin and he had a tremendous game yesterday, surpassing Crosby, but I don’t think he can keep it up for an entire playoff stretch.
In essence, I’m not more worried about Washington than I was before the game. Obviously, the Penguins have improvements to make in consistancy and defensive effort as well as fixing some individual execution issues. Despite the recent results, we’re not that far away in my opinion.
bag o' pucks
Feb 8, 02:10 PM
What Moq said.
Pens1967
Feb 8, 02:22 PM
Well, here in Pittsburgh, we heard that same refrain for most of the recently passed Steeler football season. They did their “execution” issues straightened out.
Just sayin’...
DaBich
Feb 8, 03:07 PM
Good points, Moq. But it still is apparent our D needs a good bit of help. I’m not saying it will keep us out of the playoffs, but as it is, any playoff run will be short. We can’t keep up with the top teams in the league.
Pens1967
Feb 8, 03:23 PM
Oops, meant to say “they NEVER did get their execution issues straightened out”.
Matt Bodenschatz
Feb 8, 04:08 PM
Something many people aren’t taking into consideration is that the type of play utilized by the Capitals right now won’t fly in the playoffs, when defense comes first.
Now, I understand the Penguins’ defense has been bad, but they’ve proven they can adjust when it matters, and I’m confident they will do just that as we move forward.
The Penguins are a playoff team, and the previous two years have proven this.
Brad
Feb 8, 07:06 PM
What really matters is peaking just before and maintaining into the playoffs. That way good habits are established. One thing the Pens did after Bylsmas arrival last year was play a more in your face hard checking game. They did that yesterday too….through the first 2 periods with good results. They were doing that at the beginning of this season as well. Bylsma said earlier this year that he thought the guys were a little too serious and that it was a long season. ...if I remember right he compared the 82 game regular season to a marathon.
Look for a more physical game out of the Penguins after the Olympics.
DaBich
Feb 9, 07:37 AM
Don’t get me wrong, guys, I’m not saying we won’t make the playoffs, I’m saying with the D we have now and the way it’s playing, we won’t go very far. We seriously need to get some muscle and grit and get the guys we have in a rhythm. We need to fix the kinks in our armor.
Matt Bodenschatz
Feb 9, 10:37 AM
@Dabich, I don’t think anyone is disagreeing with you. Defense, without a doubt, has been this team’s biggest problem. My general opinion, though, is that you can’t look at a regular season game against the Capitals — one that was the second of back-to-backs for the Pens, and one that followed a sleepless night on a charter bus — as a meaningful game.
Had the Pens been rested, they likely would have put it away in the third, rather than watch their lead diminish.
Overall, though, the defense needs an upgrade. They need a shutdown defender capable of shadowing the opponents’ top players. Shero’s aware of this too, and I’m extremely confident he’ll make adjustments to improve his team’s weakness.
DaBich
Feb 9, 12:20 PM
In Shero we trust…
Matt Bodenschatz
Feb 9, 12:43 PM
He hasn’t failed us yet, so why start now, right?
DaBich
Feb 9, 02:48 PM
Zactly!!!!
Leave a Comment