Why The Sudden Surge?

Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins

Jan 11, 04:57 PM | Hype this story!

Something has changed. The team has a newfound desperation that is leading them to win. But why?

  • Ty Conklin has been nothing short of spectacular in his nine starts since Marc-Andre Fleury went down with a severe ankle sprain. With a .945 save percentage and a 1.79 goals-against average, he is viewing the puck as a beach ball. His stick-handling abilities allow him to quickly move the puck out of the zone, and the more the Penguins have the puck, the less time their opponents have to score. It would be unrealistic to expect this to keep up (after all, the league-leader in GAA sits at 1.82, while the league-leader an Sv% is at .930), but the Penguins have hopped on the Conklin train, and he’s doing everything in his power to keep it rolling.
  • Sidney Crosby’s nine-game point streak came to an end last night, but it wasn’t due to a lack of effort. “Sid the Kid” hasn’t had the best year, at least compared to expectations, but his game has risen to a new level as of late. If he keeps up this trend, he’ll reclaim his title as the league’s leading scorer in no time at all.
  • Evgeni Malkin may play second fiddle to Crosby, but he has been fantastic during this winning streak. In the previous eight games, he has seven goals, two assists, and a plus-five rating. He may have been snubbed from the All Star game, but he certainly is playing like one of the best players in the world.
  • Darryl Sydor, yeah, the guy who became a healthy scratch after a slow start. Well, he’s turned his game around and has become one of the more stabilizing presences on the blueline. During the eight-game winning streak he has been a minus just once, and overall, he is a plus-five. He also has contributed a few points during crucial times – something that is an added bonus from him.
  • Kris Letang is everything Penguin fans had hoped for and more. Sure, he’s not racking up the points he is capable of producing, but he is doing everything else at a top-notch level. He skates well, he passes well, he hits anyone that comes near him, and he is defending among the best on the team. Most expected him to be an offensive dynamo, but he’s proving to be a very valuable two-way player. During the winning streak he has not been a minus player once, and has totaled a plus-four rating.
  • Michel Therrien got a lot of grief from a lot of fans back in November, and even as recently as mid-December. If he was at fault for the Penguins’ woes a few months back, he certainly is responsible for the Penguins’ success of late. He’s put together lines that really are working well and he hasn’t changed them. And, when Dany Sabourin faltered in net, he wasn’t hesitant to replace him with Conklin. The team is motivated, is playing the system well, and is winning. Therrien deserves much credit, just as he did last season. If the team can continue to roll, look for “Mike” to be nominated as a Jack Adams finalist for coach of the year for the second consecutive season.

Of course many others have contributed significantly to the team’s success. Ryan Malone has been the ultimate team player; Colby Armstrong has taken care of the dirty work on the top line, while still scoring some points; Rob Scuderi has filled in for Mark Eaton without losing a step; Tyler Kennedy has been a fireball on each and every shift; Jarkko Ruutu has been, well, Jarkko Ruutu; and Georges Laraque has been a puck-control machine.

It takes a team to win, and it’s quite clear the Penguins are a very close team willing to do anything it takes to win. The second half of the season has the makings to be nothing short of spectacular.

Comments

  1. Tim

    Jan 11, 06:57 PM

    I went to the game against the Bruins, and I really wonder if Sid fighting rallied that team to stand up for themselves. I know they coughed up the lead after that event, but they didn’t roll over like everyone expected them to. With a young team I think events like that help a team gain a trust in one another. I have noticed that they all seem to really like playing with each other. It’s really fun to watch.

  2. DaBich

    Jan 12, 10:45 AM

    I think Tim has a good point. It’s not ONE thing that turned this team around, but Sid sticking up for himself sure helped.
    It’s so much more fun to watch the Pens these days, I love it. Of course, I watch when they lose also, but this is definitely an added bonus.
    Matt, great tribute article, this team is deserving of some kudos, and yes, Therrien is too.

  3. Matt Bodenschatz

    Jan 12, 01:34 PM

    Tim, as Dabich said, I’m not sure there is one defining moment that pulled them together. There’s the Crosby fight, which I’m sure helped. The Philadelphia game that saw the team lose mightily, but fight to the end together. There’s the Ottawa game. There’s the fact that reserves have stepped in when key players went down (Conklin for Fleury, Ruutu for Laraque, Christensen for Talbot, and Scuderi for Eaton). Winning breads more winning. This team has the right attitude, and just as we saw last year, don’t expect things to change that much. The Penguins have found their groove, and I expect the remainder of the season to be very entertaining.

  4. Tim

    Jan 12, 01:49 PM

    Yeah you guys are right I should have expanded on my point about the team trying to be more physical. It’s paying off and the 2 Way play from the offensive guys is great. I like that EC is hitting, Malkin is playing more defense. Those guys are going to score so it’s nice to see them pitch in especially with guys down like GR and Eaton. They have some big games coming up and that game against Philly is going to be great.

  5. Chris Wassel

    Jan 12, 02:40 PM

    Hey Matt…Chris here….how would you like to get on Hockey Around The Horn? This month in honor of The NHL Arena Program’s 1 year anniversary…we are doing a special bloggers edition. Send me an email if you’re interested. Thanks again. Great stuff on the site as always!!

  6. Matt Bodenschatz

    Jan 12, 03:55 PM

    Thanks Chris, you have an email.

  7. Eric

    Jan 12, 06:23 PM

    I remember most of their good play starting when they called up Letang. It was after a dry spell, and they were looking for some offense and he had certainly helped.

    Other then that, I think that the coaching style is something that is based on continuity and flow. Something that was hard to achieve earlier in the season, but has come to be better as of late.

    As well as they have just been playing smarter on defense. It makes it easier to win when you’re not making as many mistakes in your own end.

    I don’t think there is 1 turning point, however I would point to the trip to Western Canada as the little snowball that hasn’t stopped rolling down the mountain.

  8. Matt Bodenschatz

    Jan 13, 12:00 PM

    All good points, Eric.

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