The Pittsburgh Penguins are finding out the hard way when you inexplicably throw away three games where winning was almost guaranteed the scales don’t have to balance themselves. In fact, things can get worse. You can start losing games you deserve to lose and it snowballs.
Disappointingly, the chances are way greater than zero that the past week of games has permanently derailed their previously overachieving and fun season.
Last night, was an example of a better team outplaying the Penguins with the Penguins losing. The Edmonton Oilers speedraced the Penguins by a final score of 6-4. The score was closer than how the game played out. The game was 5-2 with three minutes left. The biggest problem for the Penguins is that they can’t play the Penguins, who could very much blow a 5-2 lead with three minutes left. The Oilers did not.
New beginning against old friends
The Penguins and Oilers struck a trade on Friday which saw Tristan Jarry and Stuart Skinner moving on to new teams. The unique part of the trade was that both teams were playing against one another almost immediately after the trade.
This was the first game Stuart Skinner was available to the Penguins. For Skinner, this provides a fresh start. No goalie in the league has been under the microscope quite like Skinner. He was the Oilers netminder for both of their playoff runs which ultimately ended in defeat in the Stanley Cup Final. His play came under fire as one of the contributing factors to the Oilers losing, thus his trade away from Edmonton.
Skinner is welcoming the change of scenery and had some positive things to say about his arrival in Pittsburgh
So while he is taking the trade in stride, you can’t ignore that it is a little bit weird to face your old team in your first start with the new team. Furthermore, you are starting against the goaltender you were traded for. This has never happened before.
The biggest problem as an Oilers goalie getting traded and then facing the Oilers is Connor McDavid is no longer your favorite player. He is your worst enemy.
I have to imagine it isn’t fun to have that script flipped so harshly. Here is Skinner addressing it.
“It was definitely different. Super weird, like, taking a nap and thinking that I’m playing the old team. So, the first period, I feel like for the first five minutes I kind of had to settle my game in and calm my mind down. And as the game went on, I think I did a better and better job at that. Obviously not the way that I wanted to start. I think I definitely could have helped these guys out on a few goals.”
With Skinner’s start it was another first time ever event. The Penguins had never started four different goalies in four consecutive games before
Tristan Jarry victorious in return
Tristan Jarry won his first start back in Pittsburgh in the Oilers 6-4 victory on Tuesday night. It wasn’t a stellar night for Jarry as he stopped 26 out of the 30 shots he faced for an .867 save percentage. The game however was never in doubt because he has Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl still somewhat close to the height of their powers. He won’t always need to be good. He just can’t be disastrous.
The Penguins welcomed him back during the first stoppage of play. There was not a video, but they did acknowledge him on the big screen.
I thought this was an appropriate acknowledgement for Jarry. The organization’s policy is to have video tributes for players who previously won a Stanley Cup for the organization. I’m sure as we move further and further away from the Penguins winning it all there might be some isolated exceptions to this policy, but I think overall it is a good rule of thumb. We don’t need video tributes for every player who comes through the Penguins.
The Penguins did right by Jarry, and ultimately Jarry did right by the Penguins by playing better this year. Jarry saw the writing on the wall that he was not in the long term plans. He played himself out of negative trade value. The Penguins in turn traded him to a location that he desired. Both team and player get what they want and can move on from it.
Jarry’s tenure didn’t play out like it could have in Pittsburgh. There were flashes of promise, but it never gained traction and had some real low lows.
The Penguins can turn the page and focus on their younger goaltenders now. Jarry can try to win a Stanley Cup, c’est la vie.
Big milestone for Leon Draisaitl
Last night, one of the best players of his generation hit an impressive milestone. Leon Draisaitl recorded his 1,000th point in his NHL career. And what a career it has been. Connor McDavid gets justifiable attention in Edmonton, but Draisaitl has always been doing special things right alongside him.
Draisaitl has been one of my favorite players of this era and a lot of that is just watching him play hockey. There’s also a pretty close comparison you can draw between him and Evgeni Malkin. The other guy on a team with a legendary megastar who is also putting up one of the best careers in the league history.
Malkin and Draisaitl have both won a Hart, Art Ross, and Ted Lindsay. Draisaitl has a Rocket Richard, while Malkin has a Conn Smythe Trophy. They are both European stars in the shadow of Canadian icons. Both deserve their accolades and I’ve loved watching them both play.\
Congratulations to Leon Draisaitl. There will be many many more points to come. Perhaps a Stanley Cup?
The week ahead
The Penguins have no choice but to start winning games again if they have any chance of keeping their decreasing playoff chances alive. Here is the stretch of games they have ahead
It is time to put up or shut up. This homestand was a complete embarrassment. The season is now in the balance.
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