The Pittsburgh Penguins had a tale of two stories in the first half of their season. Limping into December, Coach Mike Johnston was eventually relieved of his duty with Mike Sullivan stepping in his shoes. However, headed into the All-Star break, Pittsburgh found themselves on a three-game win streak and are threatening to move up even further in the Metropolitan Division.
Before Sullivan’s arrival the Penguins struggled in just about every faucet of the game. The defense struggled to support Marc-Andre Fleury around the net and looked lazy on many defensive shifts. Pittsburgh struggled so much on defense that on December 14 the team decided to make some changes and dump Rob Scuderi for Chicago’s Trevor Daley.
The offense also had a share of injuries that made the team hard to watch at some points. Evgeni Malkin, one of the few bright spots on the offense, led the team in points for most of the season and is currently at 47. Discouraged fans witnessed a stagnant Sidney Crosby who at times looked like an average player.
With the second half of the season to begin tonight, it is time to dive into some factors that will make or break the Penguins and determine if they can make the playoffs for the 10th straight season.
Offensive Resurgence
Since Dec. 18, Crosby has been on a tear, scoring 22 points in 17 games. Kris Letang, who was injured for a good portion of December, has quickly adapted to the new styled offense and has benefited greatly. Since Letang came back from injury on December 26, the defenseman has scored 19 points.
Now, with the supporting cast of Phil Kessel and Patric Hornqvist beginning to find themselves in the new offense, Pittsburgh is on the cusp of shaking up their division. Shooting more has brought this offense back to life, especially on the power-play.
At the time of when Johnston was replaced, the Penguins power-play was at 15.6 percent, now that number has improved to 19.9 percent, good enough to place 10th in the league. In the last 17 power-play chances the man advantage is clicking on all cylinders scoring on 30.9 percent of their chances.
Pittsburgh must continue their high intensity offensive push, the very thing that has given the Penguins life. The players surrounding Malkin and Crosby cannot regress, or the offense could begin to fall again.
Defensive Discipline
For the last handful of season it has always seemed as though the offense has underwhelmed. Many times goals were allowed because Fleury had no one to bat the puck away, or support around the net. This translated to more opportunities for the opponents, and took the wind out of the team.
In the 21 games Sullivan has coached, in nine of them Pittsburgh allowed two or less goals. In the last 21 games with Johnston behind the bench, the team only had six. Remember, too, that Fleury was injured for eight games under Sullivan.
Pittsburgh has also played a more fast, disciplined, and physical defense. This is not to say everything is perfect on this side of the ice. In fact games against Tampa Bay, and Carolina that ended in overtime losses the defense looked tired and winded towards the later half of the game.
Fleury, however, has played outstandingly, especially in the first half finale against the Devils where the netminder had 25 saves. The biggest change in the play of the Penguins as a whole team came from when the Flower anchored down the net, and it will be critical for him to stay healthy if the Pittsburgh has any shot at a playoff spot.
Prediction
Pittsburgh’s March schedule will be the deciding factor. 15 total games will be played, with 11 of them being divisional games. The Penguins season hinges on this month and their ability to come out on the winning side.
If Pittsburgh stays healthy and they are able to win in the month of March, the Penguins will finish as a wild card team. However, if the offense is limping and injured for this important month, Pittsburgh will fall in a hole that they will not be able to climb out of.
Regardless of the outcome, Coach Sullivan has brought the Penguins back to the light, and now has the chance to shake up the Metropolitan Division.
