Nearly a month ago, the Penguins flew across the border to Canada in a fragile state.
The club was mired in a miserable stretch in which they lost eight of 10 games, sending the Penguins tumbling into the Metro division basement. Their captain, Sidney Crosby, was just days removed from a bout with COVID-19 and had appeared in less than a handful of games all season. The goalie, Tristan Jarry, turned in his worst outing of the season less than a week earlier. And, due to Canadian COVID guidelines, coach Mike Sullivan had to watch the first game of a three-game road trip from a hotel in Buffalo.
That night, on Nov. 18, the Penguins thumped the Montreal Canadiens, 6-0. It was not only a much-needed slump buster, it might have also represented a turning point.
Since that blowout win over the Canadiens, the Penguins have gone 9-2-1, collecting a league-leading 19 points over that span. Over the same period, only the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning and Minnesota Wild have matched the same point total.
All that is a long-winded way of saying this: The Penguins just might be the hottest team in hockey right now.
Now, as they prepare for another matchup with none other than those Montreal Canadiens, they’ll do so in a much different place. Let’s look back at the most-significant forces behind the most successful stretch of the season.
Goaltending: Just days before this streak began, Jarry allowed six goals in a blowout loss in Washington on Nov. 14. The No. 1 netminder said he took that result “personally” and wanted to prove it was an anomaly. Beginning Nov. 18 with a shutout win over the Canadiens, Jarry has posted a stellar .960 save percentage and 1.11 goals-against average in nine outings. He also has three shutouts in that span, including one over the same New York Islanders team that he faltered against in the postseason.
Meanwhile, backup Casey DeSmith has stabilized after a subpar start to the season. He went winless in his first three outings, recording a poor .856 save percentage. In his three outings over this recent surge, he’s posted an eye-popping .957 save percentage and 1.35 goals-against average. His last two starts are clearly his two best. He allowed just one goal in Seattle last Monday and shut out Anaheim on Saturday.
Defense: While the goalies have been dependable, they aren’t the only reason behind the recent run of goal-prevention. The Penguins have allowed just 19 goals and just 1.50 goals per game in that stretch, making them the NHL’s stingiest defensive team during that span. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Penguins have allowed just 93 high-danger chances during this run. That’s the 10th fewest. Overall, the Penguins have allowed just 2.44 goals per game, the third-fewest in the entire league.
Jake Guentzel: The former 40-goal scorer was playing, arguably, the best hockey of his career before absorbing a puck to the right hand in Seattle last Monday. He was riding a 13-game point streak in which he netted 12 goals. On a team that’s sometimes been hurting for secondary scoring, Guentzel carried the load offensively.
Health: At one point this season, the Penguins were playing without their coach (Sullivan), captain (Crosby) and half their blue line, including critical top-pairing defenseman Brian Dumoulin. Add Zach Aston-Reese, Guentzel, Jeff Carter, Kris Letang, Marcus Pettersson and Chad Ruhwedel to the list of players who missed time due to the virus.
And then there’s injuries, which forced the Penguins to start the season without both star centers. Even now, the Penguins are still missing Evgeni Malkin (offseason knee surgery), Bryan Rust (lower-body injury) and Guentzel (hand). However, this stretch of success is the healthiest the Penguins have been all season. Apparently, having your best players on the ice is a good thing.
Special teams: The Penguins’ penalty kill has been a consistent force this season, rising to the top of the league by snuffing out 92.4% of opposing opportunities. But during this stretch in particular, the Penguins are clicking. This 13-game stretch that we’re breaking down coincides directly with a 13-game streak in which the Penguins’ PK has been perfect.
At the same time, the Penguins power play endured inconsistencies this year. During the recent stretch, however, they’ve finally begun to generate some tractions. They rank ninth since Nov. 18, converting on 25% of their power play chances.
Offseason additions rounding into form: In free agency, the cap-constrained Penguins spent their limited money mostly on role-playing, middle-six players like Brock McGinn, Danton Heinen and Evan Rodrigues. While Rodrigues has out-performed his one-year, $1 million deal virtually from Day 1, Heinen and McGinn and really starting to heat up.
Heinen, signed to a one-year, $1.1 million deal this offseason, has tallied four goals during this recent stretch, earning himself a promotion onto the Carter line. After scoring seven goals in 43 games last year, he has eight goals through the first 27 games as a Penguin. Meanwhile, McGinn is mostly utilized in a defense-first role on the Teddy Blueger line. However, he’s starting to flash some offensive upside, netting four goals of his own since Nov. 18. He’s now just one goal and two points from matching the offensive totals he posted in 37 games with Carolina last year.
Sid being Sid: Offseason surgery delayed Crosby’s season debut and then, after just one game back, he was on the shelf again due to COVID-19. Finally back, he’s beginning to round into form. Over the last 13 games, he’s tallied 14 points (four goals, 10 assists). Seven of those helpers are primary assists, as Crosby is once again proving himself to be a playmaking force whose presence on the ice makes all his linemates better.
