Getting a (nearly) full double advantage with two minutes left in the third period usually gives you a good chance of winning. Or, if things go really bad, at least one point for an overtime loss. But the Pittsburgh Penguins found another way to leave the ice with another regular-time loss, their sixth in nine games…
The new president and general manager of the Penguins, Kyle Dubas, must have trembled with rage. In a sadly symbolic game, his great acquisition of the summer, Erik Karlsson, yet two points, including a goal, in this match, chose the worst moment for his brain cramp.
Karlsson attempted a soft and risky pass to Evgeni Malkin, as the first of the two penalties expired, Adam Henrique dove to intercept and young Mason MacTavish, the new spearhead of the Anaheim Ducks, escaped and scored the game-winning goal with just 13 seconds left in the third, stunning Penguins fans at PPG Paints Arena.
“We’re finding ways to lose right now,” said coach Mike Sullivan, disappointed, after the game. He couldn’t have said it better.
The Penguins, however, had a favorable schedule since they faced seven opponents excluded from the playoffs last year in their first nine games. But didn’t they miss them too?
Pittsburgh is obviously not eliminated. There are over 70 games left to play after all. But the Penguins are already digging themselves a hole that will be difficult to dig themselves out of. They sit last in the Eastern Conference with just six points, already five fewer than the last qualifying club, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and seven teams in between, four of which have played a game less.
Six points may seem small at this point in the season, but the eight teams standing between them and a playoff spot will face each other several times over the winter and therefore one or the other opponent will earn points.
Last season, only three clubs excluded from the playoffs at Thanksgiving at the end of November managed to qualify: the Rangers, the Panthers and the Oilers. New York and Edmonton were a single point behind the last qualifier, Florida three, but with one more game to play.
The arrival of Karlsson, through first, second and third round picks, has not had the desired effect so far. This 33-year-old defenseman, recipient of the Norris Trophy last year after a 101-point season, has 6 points in 9 games and plays an average of 25 minutes per game, but the team’s performance on the power play is worse than the previous season with a low success rate of 14%, for the 21e rank in the NHL.
Pittsburgh also ranks 21e for goals scored per game, with an average of 2.89, two ranks behind the Canadian.
The Penguins’ lack of depth is still glaring. Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin were on the ice for sixteen of their twenty tied goals. Only four players have scored more than twice: Rust, Crosby, Malkin and Reilly Smith.
Some are already demanding the firing of coach Mike Sullivan. But he has four years left on his contract and he is very popular with his core leaders, it is said.
A transaction ? Most of the Penguins players are aging, highly paid and have a no-trade clause. There are no real hopes to serve as bait and we still need to prepare some relief.
Goalkeepers Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic are not very reliable, but it would be difficult to look for another one with Jarry’s recent contract extension for five years, for 5.3 million per year.
Blame Kyle Dubas? The former Maple Leafs GM got the job because he embraced the owners’ vision of strengthening the core at all costs to allow Crosby, Malkin and Letang to aspire to one last championship before they retire .
But this team of stars mostly 35 or older hasn’t made it past the first round since 2018 and missed out last year. Hoping for another Stanley Cup with aging players, however glorious their careers may have been, is still a bit of magical thinking.
The Flyers are playing luck!
PHOTO JEROME MIRON, USA TODAY SPORTS ARCHIVES VIA REUTERS CON
Torey Krug
The logic of DG Daniel Brière was defended. 27-year-old defender Travis Sanheim was entering the first year of an eight-year contract, at an average salary of 6.2 million, offered by his predecessor Chuck Fletcher.
It was a lot of money for a defenseman who was rather unproductive offensively, only 23 points in 81 games last year, and unstable defensively, used 20:24 per game, behind Ivan Provorov and Tony DeAngelo.
Brière therefore concluded a trade with the St. Louis Blues this summer. Another defenseman, Torey Krug, would move to the Flyers in return from Sanheim. Krug was older, at 32, but more offensive, with 32 points in 62 games, and also, importantly, his contract expired four years before Sanheim’s at a similar annual salary.
Krug nevertheless invoked his no-trade clause and aborted the transaction to remain in St. Louis. The Flyers can thank him today. Not only does Sanheim, 6 feet 4 inches and 225 pounds, rank second among the Flyers in scoring with eight points in nine games, but he is by far the most used by John Tortorella, with an average of 25:42. Only Drew Doughty with the Los Angeles Kings and John Carlson with Washington play more. Krug is still trying to get a first point in seven games, with a usage time just under 22 minutes.