PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins failed to score in three power-play opportunities against the NHL’s worst penalty-killing unit Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena.
They allowed a couple of fluke goals but also were sloppy defensively against a New York Islanders offense attack that is mediocre at best. Even after roaring back, they failed in overtime. Again.
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And yet, the Penguins seemed pretty pleased with their performance following a 5-4 overtime setback against the Islanders.
Perhaps they’re playing a psychological game with themselves to remain motivated. Or maybe things are simply so bad that scoring four goals, even as they allowed five, was enough to make them feel good about themselves.
The Penguins did roar back from a 4-2 deficit in the third period, receiving goals from Valtteri Puustinen and Drew O’Connor to even the score. But Adam Pelech’s first goal of the season beat Alex Nedeljkovic in overtime.
PELECH WINS IT! pic.twitter.com/c7S4ICtb7f
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 21, 2024
“Our response was great, said Marcus Pettersson, who scored the game’s first goal. “It was a big point for us.”
Kris Letang echoed Pettersson’s sentiments.
“We’ll take the point and move on,” he said. “That’s not much else I can say. We battled back.”
Ryan Graves, who was guilty of a turnover on the Islanders’ fourth goal, also took some positives out of the performance.
“We found a way to claw back and get a point,” he said. “We’re working on it.”
Then there was coach Mike Sullivan, who seemed very happy with his team’s performance.
Coach Sullivan: “A couple of the goals were fluky, and I just thought our guys kept competing. So, from that standpoint, I thought there was a lot to like about our team game tonight. I thought our guys had an inspired effort.”
Post-game analysis: https://t.co/iAoXvA46eU pic.twitter.com/fIHPSoyqKq
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 21, 2024
“A couple of the goals were fluky, and I just thought our guys kept competing,” he said. “So, from that standpoint, I thought there was a lot to like about our team game tonight. I thought our guys had an inspired effort.”
The Penguins did indeed play a strong third period. They outplayed the Islanders most of the night. Thus, I wouldn’t call their respective assessments of the game delusional.
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But a reality check might be needed.
The Penguins are 0-1-1 in a four-game homestand that presented them with some very winnable games.
After blowing two consecutive opportunities — they had a 1-0 lead in the third period Sunday against the Los Angeles Kings and had all the momentum headed into Tuesday’s overtime — the Penguins are in an almost impossible spot in the standings.
Anyone expecting the Penguins to reach the postseason is a hopeless romantic.
The Penguins sit 8 points out of a playoff spot and, perhaps even more damning is the reality that three teams sit between them and the final playoff spot, which is held by the Detroit Red Wings.
The Penguins are trending in a very poor direction. They’re only 4 points clear of the lowly Buffalo Sabres and possess the ninth fewest points total in the NHL.
The Penguins did play hard against the Islanders. It’s admirable.
But the Islanders are not a good team and the Penguins lost to them, at home, when they were desperate. It was another gut punch for a team that couldn’t afford it.
This, quite simply, is not a playoff team.
Ten postgame observations
• Erik Karlsson picked up his 800th career point, which is quite an achievement. I do not doubt that he’ll easily exceed 1,000 career points before he’s finished.
But make no mistake, Karlsson wasn’t good in Tuesday’s game.
He was largely responsible for an embarrassing goal that gave the Islanders a 3-1 edge in the second period.
Just tapppp it in. pic.twitter.com/XXgWYwpI11
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 21, 2024
Karlsson also had a curiously difficult time keeping pucks in the zone. On a couple of seemingly simple plays in the third period, he fumbled the puck away into the neutral zone. He was caught flat-footed on more than one occasion.
I understand the underlying numbers say Karlsson has been really good this season. I’m sorry … I don’t see it. Sure, he’s had his moments. And sure, his offensive IQ is rare and his passing ability can be breathtaking. But you can’t seriously watch him play every night and think he’s playing at a high level. The Karlsson experiment isn’t working. I truly thought it would. So far, I’ve been wrong. His mistakes are constant and glaring. He’s not doing well on the power play, his penchant for looking to hit sticks with every shooting opportunity instead of simply shooting to score or to produce a rebound is maddening at this point. I think he’s an all-time great player, but he’s not clicking with the Penguins.
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• Karlsson deserves high marks for his 800th career point though. That’s an extraordinary achievement for a defenseman who hasn’t played on a good team and who is only 33.
His inability to help the Penguins has been one of the season’s biggest mysteries. This guy, in theory, was born to be a Penguin. But it simply isn’t working.
• Nedeljkovic didn’t play a particularly strong game. He needs to stop the overtime goal, and he knows it.
Give him credit for accountability, however. “We deserved 2 points tonight,” he said. “I s— the bed.”
He also noted that he had a clear look at Pelech’s shot in overtime and simply missed it.
I appreciate that Nedeljkovic made that comment. Last month in Raleigh, the Penguins lost in overtime. I asked Tristan Jarry if he had a good look at the shot. Jarry said he needed to review the film before he could answer that question.
Uh-huh.
Nedeljkovic owned it after this game and there’s something to be said for that.
• I don’t have much to add about the power play. It certainly did generate some good looks, which is better than we can say on most nights.
But still, it’s simply unacceptable. Making matters worse, Mathew Barzal scored moments after a Penguins’ power play expired, corralling a loose puck and scoring on a breakaway.
Wrist. Flick. Goal. pic.twitter.com/9RhwfAINKV
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 21, 2024
The lack of awareness from the Penguins in those situations continues to be baffling. Evgeni Malkin went for a line change, but the timing wasn’t good. Letang either needs to be aware of this, or Malkin needs to stay on the ice in that situation.
• Here’s something I didn’t expect to write: The crowd at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday was great. What a wonderful hockey crowd. The Penguins’ second line enjoyed a fabulous shift in the third period, but it didn’t score. Still, the crowd rose to its feet for a standing ovation. You don’t see that very often.
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The crowd was trying to will the Penguins back into the game, and it did.
Even when the crowd gets impatient with the power play, it doesn’t boo so much as it makes noises of great concern.
It was one of the best crowds of the season. Lots of real hockey fans on hand.
• Malkin was great in the third period and his determined work helped set up O’Connor’s score-tying goal.
THE DOC IS IN! 🩺 pic.twitter.com/LJN8KPoF0P
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 21, 2024
I don’t think Malkin can play like that regularly anymore, but now and then, he surges like he did during that third period. It was fun watching him during those final 20 minutes. He was feeling it for the first time in a while.
• I found it peculiar that Sullivan went with Lars Eller and Reilly Smith to begin overtime. That said, the coach is trying to do anything he can to jump-start this team, from changing defensive pairings to line combinations, and everything in between.
I would still start Sidney Crosby in overtime every time, unless he is exhausted.
• I don’t know what you do with Graves at this point. The struggles are mounting. His overall defending has been poor, but it’s his play with the puck that’s most concerning.
• Jaromir Jagr remained in Pittsburgh two days after his number retirement ceremony. He’s scheduled to depart Pittsburgh on Wednesday.
After the game, he was escorted by two Pittsburgh police officers past the Penguins’ locker room. It’s pretty much like he’s one of The Beatles. What a visit.
• Well, things are about to get interesting.
Kyle Dubas is speaking at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Facility on Wednesday at 2 p.m. He hasn’t spoken with the Pittsburgh media since early December. Since then, his Penguins have floundered and it’s reasonable to assume that Dubas could be a busy seller at the trade deadline.
Dubas is a smart man and isn’t likely to show his hand in such settings. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to hear just how revealing he is about the Penguins’ plight.
(Photo of Adam Pelech moving the puck in against Sidney Crosby: Charles LeClaire / USA Today)
