In perhaps the most fiery Pittsburgh Penguins postgame press conference in more than a decade, coach Dan Muse left little doubt that there would be no consolations and no positives to discuss.
The Penguins lost to the Seattle Kraken 3-2 in overtime Saturday at PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins led 2-1 in the third period and seemingly had a half dozen open nets and a half dozen more glorious scoring chances that produced absolutely nothing.
Bryan Rust said in disgust, “We did everything but win.”
In the surest sign yet that the playoffs are now the unquestioned goal, Muse was not going to hand out participation trophies or insult anyone’s intelligence by simply lauding the superior game. There are wins and there are losses, and Muse didn’t care how another loss came to be or even if it yielded a point.
Yet another game the Penguins could have, and absolutely should have won. Kris Letang hit the post in overtime. There were several scrambles in the Seattle crease throughout the third period. The net was open. The puck was there.
The Penguins have become plexiglass punishers.
In fact, for much of the second and third periods, the Penguins set up encampment in the Seattle zone. Regardless of whether Rickard Rakell and Justin Brazeau are injured, someone had to do more than whistle a shot off the glass or succumb to defensemen in the crease.
Still, it was a loss.
The Penguins got just one point of a possible four this weekend. The Penguins have dominated most opponents through November, but have just two wins in nine games and three losses in a shootout or overtime.
“It’s not good enough,” Muse repeated as part of his postgame takedown of anyone who might have thought there was a moral victory or encouragement to be had from the performance.
Muse took the first question of the postgame press conference, grimaced, shifted in his seat, paused, then proceeded to let loose the most raw and honest comments expressed in the Penguins media room in a long, long time.
“The game–our game was better, but we just came out of this weekend here with one out of four points. And that’s not good enough,” Muse said in a raised voice with a clear edge. “Was our process better? It was. But we need to get points. We had an opportunity too, and so it’s a fine line. Like those little details, the little things that can make a difference here. You know, finding a way to get another opportunity. Finding a way to take away one of theirs. And so I’m not gonna sit here and say that’s good enough. It’s not. We’re past that.”
Do not be surprised if we hear the coach let the players have a little taste of that after the game, too. The Penguins did not revert to the long-standing company line, “we did a lot of good things.”
No, the players quickly filed out of the dressing room as the media filed in, anger and loathing immediately obvious on their faces. Players slammed socks and jerseys into the laundry cart on the way out.
There wasn’t a lot of verbal reaction, but the non-verbal communication was seething anger.
“We need points right now. And we have a weekend here where the game was no good yesterday. It was much better today. But if you go through this month, it’s been too many games here where we said there were positives to take from,” Muse continued sternly. “So I liked our game more. I thought we did a lot of things that we need to do on a consistent basis. I think we did a lot of things that are gonna lead to success. But one out of four points on the weekend is not good enough.”
Only Sidney Crosby and Rust stayed to speak with the media before goalie Sergei Murashov fulfilled his starting goalie duties to do the same.
Quotes from Saturday belonged to Muse.
The action might need to belong to general manager Kyle Dubas.
Penguins Analysis
The Penguins’ game was chaotic pressure. The crisp and clean domination they displayed last Sunday in a 4-0 win over the Nashville Predators was replaced with winning battles and keeping offensive zone pressure, slick moves by defensemen at the top of the zone to create lanes and opportunities, but forwards just missing passes, and fairly awful shots from great spots.
The Penguins’ lack of scoring depth is beginning to cost the team. Crosby scored. Malkin scored.
Anyone else?
That question is probably best answered by Dubas. Saturday, Rutger McGroarty scored again for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 1-0 win. Tristan Broz remains a viable option, and Avery Hayes has returned to the WBS lineup.
The Penguins’ top nine now includes a few players who probably wouldn’t be there if not for injuries.
Compounding the lack of secondary offense, Tommy Novak left Matt Berniers wide open for nearly 10 seconds on the tying goal. Berniers was his man, as everyone else was engaged and communicating. Novak left Berniers wide open in the right circle. The photos are in chronological order.
To explain further, Muse’s system is a man-to-man defense from the circles down and a zone defense up high. That’s why Sam Poulin (22) and Ben Kindel (81) are stationed to cover the points. Ryan Graves was battling Jordan Eberle at the net, Matt Dumba (24) and Kindel switched off as Seattle cycled on the left wall, maintaining sealed coverage and keeping Seattle to the perimeter.
The weak link was not covering Berniers, who had an embarrassing amount of time and space to snap the tying goal past Murashov.
Novak and Kindel were fouled up in the defensive zone on Seattle’s first goal, too, ultimately leading to Kindel’s turnover after Novak’s stray pass.
Penguins Report Card
Team: B-
Can there be a healthy B-? The Penguins did not lack energy or intent. They had those positive attributes in abundance, but what they lacked was connectivity. They were almost always missing the last pass or on the wrong side of that heartbeat between scoring and doinking what could be a golden chance.
Ryan Shea: A+
He had a tough go on Friday, being on the ice for all five goals against. He excised his lingering frustrations with a gritty game Saturday. Among the numerous examples of his hard-nosed defense was tying up and outmuscling 6-foot-7, 252-pound defenseman Jamie Oleksiak to save what would have been a go-ahead goal in the second period.
Shea played an honest game with an extra helping of grit.
Kris Letang: A+
Letang also had a rough go Friday. He showed some of the old Letang magic Saturday, dancing around defenders in the offensive zone. He set up Anthony Mantha for a glorious chance in the first period, but the Penguins were firing little more than buckshot for most of the game.
Early in the third period, Letang walked the blue line, then took more space, panicking Seattle before his neat drop pass to Ryan Shea, which set off a wild scramble in the crease with a loose puck and open net, but Joona Koppanen and Blake Lizotte couldn’t get the puck across the line. Letang dazzled to set it up.
Easily his best game of the season.
Ben Kindel: Rookie Bobble
Good first period, but one costly mistake in the second period led to another gaffe that was almost costly.
He was good on the faceoff dot (4-1 after two periods) and showed some spark, but his mistake led to Seattle’s second-period goal and could have been a killer.
Kindel made up for his second period with a dogged overtime in which he fought a Seattle rush, combating multiple rushers, to nullify it by the Penguins’ blue line.
Sergei Murashov: B
It’s hard to grade Murashov because he reads plays so well that he makes some very difficult saves look like crest thumpers. Mason Marchment beat him shortside in the second period, and that’s probably one that taught him a bit about the difference between the AHL and NHL. Otherwise, Murashov made a couple of sparklers, including a toe save on a deflected shot late in the second period.
The overtime goal was stoppable, and the first one of those we’ve seen Murashov allow.
“He battled. That’s what he does,” said Muse.
Top Line: Meh
The line with Connor Dewar, Sidney Crosby, and Bryan Rust had a lot of zone time, but they just don’t have much offensive game. The line scored a goal courtesy of Grubauer’s ghastly turnover, but otherwise spun its wheels.
Muse’s decision to keep the line together despite a painful lack of chemistry and connectivity speaks to his constraints, but Rakell is out for weeks more, and that line is too important to the team’s success. As good as Dewar has been this season, putting him on the top line simply isn’t the answer.
Surely there are other options.
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