Gone Streaking!
After starting the year 3-6-0, the Penguins have rattled off a win streak to climb out of the basement. They swept the California road trip— defeating San Jose 10-2, Anaheim 2-0, and Los Angeles 5-4 in overtime— then returned home to beat Buffalo 4-0. Tonight, the Penguins won 5-3 in Columbus to extend their win streak to five.
So, what went right for Pittsburgh during the past five games? What adversities did they have to overcome? Let’s get into it.
Special Teams Improvement
The Penguins penalty kill has been stellar throughout their win streak. They’ve killed their last 12 penalties, and have killed off 16 of 18 over their last five games. After only killing 18 of 25 in the month of October (72%), they now have the tenth ranked penalty kill at 84.8%. They even scored a short-handed goal against Los Angeles, courtesy of Lars Eller, that tied the game and tilted the ice in Pittsburgh’s favor.
Even the power play, which prior to the win streak was producing at an abysmal rate of 4 of 27 (15%)— including a stretch where the Penguins went 0 for 16— has shown subtle signs of improvement. They’ve gone 3 for 12 in their last five games (Smith, Malkin, and Karlsson), which still doesn’t look great on paper, but they’ve been getting better looks since moving Reilly Smith up to the top power play unit.
Offensive Production and Depth Scoring
Over the last five games, six Penguins have been producing at a point per game or higher: Reilly Smith (2-3-5), Bryan Rust (2-4-6), Evgeni Malkin (3-3-6), Erik Karlsson (2-6-8), Jake Guentzel (4-5-9), and Sidney Crosby (5-4-9). More importantly, the Penguins have been getting the depth scoring they so desperately needed. Lars Eller and Vinnie Hinostroza both have a goal and two assists. Both Matt Nieto and Drew O’Connor finally got their first goal of the season. And Radim Zohorna continues to impress, even when he doesn’t find his way to the scoresheet.
Goaltending
After a rocky start to the year, the Penguins have gotten great goaltending through the last five games. Tristan Jarry, who leads the league in shutouts, currently has a .918 SV% and a 2.31 GAA, but has a .966 SV% and has only allowed five goals through his four starts during the win streak. Magnus Hellberg, who had to come on against Anaheim in relief of Jarry, secured the win and the shutout split. He was then stellar against Los Angeles two days later, allowing three goals on 36 shots.
The Core Stars Shine Bright
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin— aged 36 and 37 respectively— look to be filling their water bottles from the fountain of youth. Crosby, who shows no signs of slowing down, has a nine game point streak (7-7-14). Malkin has 17 points through 14 games and is playing some of the best defense of his career. Kris Letang appears to have taken a step back offensively, ceding his spot on the top power play to Erik Karlsson, but is still 1-7-8 through 14 games and is averaging 24:31 a night. Karlsson is riding a six game point streak (4-7-11) and is above a point per game on the year.
Adversities
This Penguins team isn’t perfect. The power play still needs work, and the 3rd defensive pairing has a tendency to appear on the wrong side of the highlight reel. But my biggest concern is Rickard Rakell. After scoring 28 goals last year, he has not found the back of the net through 14 games. And it’s not for lack of trying— Rakell is among the league leaders of shots taken without a goal (37), and sits at -3.5 goals above expected.
