CHICAGO — There were a few things and sequences that might have cost the Pittsburgh Penguins dearly against a more skilled opponent. But this time, the Penguins were the recipients of opposing breakdowns and soft goals, and this time their mistakes were not immediately goals against.

The Penguins purged themselves of any Dickensian holiday ghosts of the past, kept playing, and eventually drubbed the injury-ravaged Chicago Blackhawks 7-3 at the United Center Sunday.

Make no mistake, Chicago is gutted without star center Connor Bedard and emerging star Frank Nazar, who was Rutger McGoarty’s linemate at the University of Michigan.

The Penguins survived some early mistakes. And a few more. They knew it was an easy game and probably one of the easiest they’ll play this season, but these are also the types of games they’ve fumbled.

“Obviously, it’s been something that was discussed here over the last month, and I thought we kept playing,” said Penguins coach Dan Muse. “Yeah, I think obviously they’re going to make a push in the third period. Sometimes teams will start to try to stretch things out and change the feel of the game a little bit. Overall, I think (there were) more positives tonight.”

See also the four-goal lead lost against San Jose and the three-goal lead that they gagged away against Anaheim.

“I think we played much better in the third period. They had opportunities. That’s what you expect from a team that is trailing,” said goalie Arturs Silovs, who stopped 21 of 24 shots for the win. “But we managed to shut them down on a penalty kill, and then we just chipped away, and we were pushing back.”

The Penguins also got some help from Chicago goalie Spencer Knight, who misplayed a couple of shots that he could have–should have–stopped, including the first goal of the game.

That goal by Anthony Mantha at 1:48, followed by some spirited Chicago chances. How different the game could have been had Knight stopped a couple of those shots. How dramatically different the game could have been if a couple of Chicago’s best chances hadn’t loudly clanged the iron.

But after a thorough excoriation over the last few weeks, the hockey gods let the Penguins breathe for a night.

Chicago had some chances, but they also failed to be too hard to play against or push the Penguins.

Note: Defenseman Erik Karlsson had only one shift in the third period. We expect the Muse to update Karlsson’s status if he is not at practice on Monday.

Penguins Analysis

Note who had the assists and from where the offense commenced. Ryan Shea had three assists. Jack St. Ivany had a pair of helpers. Blake Lizotte had two assists, and Noel Acciari was an assist away from a Gordie Howe hat trick.

Instead, winger Justin Brazeau had a real hat trick, his first in the NHL and his first, he believes, since his first year as a pro (with the Newfoundland Growlers of the ECHL in 2019-20).

“Yeah, obviously pretty cool feeling. A long time since I’ve had one of those, so it feels a little weird, but obviously a good feeling for me,” Brazeau said.

Tactically, the Penguins weren’t necessarily clean, but they did what they needed to do. Shea and Jack St. Ivany continued their improving play, and Shea’s play was a step above what is expected. He showed quite well, especially on his first-period assist to Bryan Rust, in which he danced around a defender on the wall to create a few acres of space in the offensive zone.

“I was happy I didn’t change. I probably should have come off the ice, but (Lizotte) did a great job owning the puck on the half wall. He sent it to me. At first, I wanted to try to hit (Connor Dewar) backdoor, but I didn’t have a step on (the defender),” Shea explained. “After I spun, they had a couple of guys that came at me, but they kind of half came at me. And then after I got to the middle, I saw Rusty–he was calling for the puck when he stepped out of the box–so I knew he had it … and the puck’s better off in his hands than mine.”

The Penguins pushed the puck and got it low. They were able to outmuscle Chicago in the corners and behind the net and get chances down low.

Brazeau clearly made a point from the first shifts of the game to be near the crease. He created enough havoc that Knight wasn’t prepared for Anthony Mantha’s push that slid along the ice and past him. Brazeau first deflected St. Ivany’s shot, forcing Knight to make a tough save, then contacted the defenseman near the crease to take away Knight’s sight of the puck.

At 6-foot-6 and wider than your average player, Brazeau can take away a lot of space.

“You’ve seen it throughout the year with him. I think when he’s coming back from the injury–it always takes a little bit to get back and get going here,” said Muse. “But I think he’s really starting to find himself and get his game back to where he knows it can be.”

The things to ponder and worry about were the number of Chicago trailers that were able to get open. A couple of broken sticks and a couple of posts prevented Chicago from answering the Penguins’ goals.

But the defensive lapses were again egregious. In the opening minutes, both Kris Letang and Karlsson escaped minuses despite big mistakes. Letang put a pass into Brett Kulak’s skates, which became a tight scoring chance at 1:21 of the first period. Not long afterward, Karlsson was a bystander at the blue line as Ryan Greene raced past him for a clean look at point-blank range (he hit the post).

Those are the self-inflicted problems that Toronto force fed them before the break. They cannot continue.

Penguins Report Card

Team: B

They played increasingly well, and they didn’t unravel under any Chicago pressure, but instead pushed back. The pushback has been sorely lacking, and the forwards were largely responsible and structured.

A win is a win, and Muse was correct–there were more positives than negatives.

Arturs Silovs: A

One of the three goals against was a weird carom off the back wall, and another was in the final second of the game. Silovs was on point–both on top of his crease against high-danger chances and–very importantly–controlling rebounds.

A very good performance for the netminder. Often, a post is as good as a save (that’s why it should count as a shot on goal) because the goalie has taken away the good space and angle. It seemed like he faced more shots than 24.

Ryan Shea-Jack St. Ivany: A+

There are no turnovers or blown coverages to report. There are no “woof, that was rough” moments to discuss. Good, honest play with some puck possession and joining the play, too.

A physical and honest defense pairing. It’s coming together nicely. More on these guys on PHN to follow.

Justin Brazeau: A+

Brazeau has continued to progress since returning from injury. Sunday, he used the double-wide frame to create space and to get on pucks. That was the guy who had 12 points and six goals in the first 12 games of the season.

Noel Acciari: Pest

He drew the ire of the Blackhawks by being in front of the net, by digging on the boards, and getting under their skin early. The goal was vintage Acciari–the kind he used to score in droves before coming to the Penguins.

That’s it for the Pollyanna grades. There were some sketchy performances, especially in the first period. Sidney Crosby rarely has his best after a long layoff, and there were plenty of turnovers, but for the holidays and on the curve for a five-day layoff, we’ll hold back any criticisms.

Tags: justin brazeau Penguins Analysis Penguins game Pittsburgh Penguins

Categorized: Penguins Analysis