PITTSBURGH — Give the captain credit. The day before the puck dropped against a hungry Boston Bruins team fighting to stay in playoff position, Sidney Crosby was asked what he anticipated.
“It’s going to be a playoff-type atmosphere,” Crosby said. “A tight-checking game. We’re going to have to be ready to compete.”
Well, Sid, you called it.
During the Penguins’ 1-0 victory at PPG Paints Arena, the two East Division contenders engaged in a matchup that was part staring contest, part rock fight. It was a composed, methodical version of the game, as both teams took a defense-first approach that led to no goals through two periods and not even a single penalty until the waning minutes of the game.
Jake Guentzel finally broke the ice less than four minutes into the third period. Bryan Rust hustled to hold the puck in the offensive zone at the blue line. Crosby found Guentzel in the left circle, where he ripped his 21st goal of the season over Boston backup goalie Jeremy Swayman’s glove hand.
Meanwhile, Tristan Jarry locked down the crease. He stopped all 30 of the shots he faced to record his first shutout of the season.
The tight-checking nature of the game probably should have been expected. The Bruins have been one of the NHL’s best defensive teams all season thanks to their structured system, an elite top line known for its two-way hockey and a commitment to the style that trickles down from the top. They entered Sunday’s matinee giving up just 2.50 goals per game, sixth-best mark in the league.
While the Bruins were true to form, the Penguins seemingly beat them at their own game.
While the game was scoreless through two periods and about even in terms of shots, the Penguins had the better of the opportunities. Through two periods, the Penguins tallied seven high-danger scoring chances while giving up just one, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Per Sportlogiq, the Penguins also had eight scoring chances off the rush to Boston’s 1 and eight shots from the slot to Boston’s five.
In this way, the Penguins navigated a tricky dynamic. They found a way to create chances without selling out and opening up the game to get them.
The ability to play this type of game and succeed in it will only be magnified in the coming weeks. Playoff hockey on its own typically takes on this look and feel. But this year especially, it’s even more so.
To emerge as the East Division’s representative in the playoff semifinal, Pittsburgh goals will be hard to come by against the Bruins or the New York Islander, who are even better as the NHL’s second-best defense. In a different way, defense will also be under the microscope should they play Washington, the NHL’s second-highest scoring team.
Finding the back of the net hasn’t been an issue at all this season for the Penguins, who rank third-best is goals per game. However, Pittsburgh’s defense has been like a pendulum this season.
Through mid-February, they were the NHL’s 10th worst defensive team and there was speculation the new front office decision makers might bring in a veteran goaltender to provide an insurance policy behind first-year No. 1 Jarry. But beginning on Valentine’s Day when Jarry rediscovered his game, the stats shifted in a major way. With an emphasis on protecting the net front, the Penguins transformed into the NHL’s best defensive team in March. Jarry also
Then, quite literally overnight, the Penguins lost sight of that and fell back into bad habits against these same Bruins on April 3 in a 7-5 shootout loss. It was fair at that point to wonder if the stingy March was sustainable.
But Sunday, the first matchup with the Bruins since, provided an important measuring stick. The Penguins were up to the task.
Now, we’ll see if they can do it again on Tuesday … and possibly 16 more times when it really matters.
