Stars Put Up Six-Spot In First Interval, Blow Out Penguins, 7-1

After enjoying considered one of their finest video games of the season against the Washington Capitals on Friday, the Pittsburgh Penguins put forth their very worst effort of the season on Monday.

The Penguins surrendered six goals in the first period – which, in response to Penguins’ historian Bob Grove, is essentially the most ever given up by the Penguins within the opening interval of a house recreation – and dropped a lopsided recreation to the Dallas Stars, 7-1.

Rookie goaltender Joel Blomqvist gave up two objectives he’d positively wish to have again early within the first interval, and he was pulled after a Mason Marchment breakaway purpose on a foul bounce – and a blown defensive task – in favor of Alex Nedeljkovic, who surrendered three extra objectives earlier than the interval was over.

Throughout, it is secure to say that the Penguins’ effort tonight was poor. When requested what went unsuitable, head coach Mike Sullivan was frank.

“I do not know if I’ve a superb reply for you,” Sullivan stated following the sport. “They get a few flukey objectives early within the first interval, and we get down early, that many objectives… I believed the remainder of the interval, we did not play the sport the best means. We had been careless with the puck, we gave them some simple seems, so that they turned it into an insurmountable problem. I do not know if I’ve a legitimate reply at this level.”

Nedeljkovic burdened that the group has to have a brief reminiscence, however that does not imply there aren’t some classes to be realized from this one.

“Tomorrow is a brand new day,” he stated. “You get up, transfer on from it. We’ll watch video. It is not going to be enjoyable for anyone.”

With the group enjoying 4 video games in six days this week, they will don’t have any selection however to get up and transfer on from it. And captain Sidney Crosby advised me that having a busy schedule after a loss like this typically helps the group regroup:

There was subsequent to nothing constructive from this recreation, so buckle up. Listed here are some ideas and observations from this catastrophe of a displaying from the Penguins:

– I am really going to start out with actually the one bright-ish spot of the evening. And that was the Penguins’ second line.

They had been the one beginning line that out-attempted the Stars in pictures (5-3). They had been exhausting on the puck for a lot of the evening, and the trouble from that line was displaying.

For my part? Evgeni Malkin has been the one veteran to offer one hundred pc effort irrespective of the circumstances this season. That is not superb. However he wasn’t practically as dangerous as others had been tonight, and neither had been Michael Bunting or Bryan Rust.

Crosby, Malkin, and Rickard Rakell reunited for temporary stretches all through the sport and out-attempted Dallas, 6-2. It’ll a be a typical theme for the Penguins once they’re failing to generate any offense, however I’d think about that it is not going to be a mainstay anymore.

– Though they struggled early, the fourth line wasn’t dangerous as the sport went on, both. Nonetheless actually liking the vitality that Lizotte is bringing to that line. He made a pleasant play to create a scoring likelihood for himself within the third, doing the ol’ Bryan Rust to energy his method to the online.

That line was good within the third interval. They had been, no less than, nonetheless enjoying with some life.

– Really, yet one more silver lining. Good to see Anthony Beauvillier get on the board once more. He has 4 objectives this season, and he’s presently on tempo for 20 objectives, which might be the second-highest whole of his profession and finest since 2017-18, his sophomore season.

That is a superb factor for Beauvillier and for the Penguins. He is positively a participant they will be hoping to flip for belongings earlier than the commerce deadline.

– Alright. Let’s get to the dangerous stuff.

The primary interval was the worst interval of Penguins hockey I’ve witnessed in an extended, very long time. As in, relationship again to the X-Era days. Perhaps even earlier than that.

It is exhausting to say a lot else about it. They simply seemed utterly disinterested in enjoying a hockey recreation. I’ve by no means seen something fairly prefer it.

That first interval is, merely put, one thing that can not be repeated this season, no matter the place the Penguins sit within the standings. It was a humiliation that was met with a refrain of boos after which with a cheer when the opening body lastly got here to an finish.

Simply ugly, ugly stuff.

– Blomqvist had the primary objectively dangerous begin of his profession. Your complete begin solely lasted 10 minutes and 16 seconds, and two of the three objectives ought to have been simple saves, regardless of the defensive breakdowns previous all of them besides the second.

It is early in his profession, however giving up these sorts of objectives early has been a form of small sample with him. He gave up a softer purpose early in opposition to Washington earlier than hunkering down and handing over a terrific efficiency. He did the identical factor in a win in opposition to Detroit early this season.

I nonetheless suppose Blomqvist is the best goaltender on the roster, and these early objectives are one thing that may very well be chalked as much as inexperience. That being stated, don’t be surprised to see Tristan Jarry get the net on Wednesday against the Red Wings. There’s not likely any motive to keep away from giving Jarry a begin after neither goaltender was significantly good on Monday.

– I’ll have a bit on this tomorrow. However, my goodness, Kris Letang is struggling.

If the attention check is dangerous, the information is even worse. Letang was on the ice for 5 of the primary six Dallas objectives within the first interval, and he was consequential, in various levels, on each single considered one of them except for the ability play purpose.

He and Grzelcyk – who was a minus-3 on the finish of it – had been a catastrophe basically. Actually, Ryan Graves was the one different Penguins’ defenseman who completed as a minus on this recreation, and he was a minus-1.

Letang seems to be seeing some severe regression this season. And it is a significant issue for the Penguins.

– Crosby was noticeably annoyed tonight, as was Malkin. Crosby took a roughing penalty late within the first interval, and Tyler Seguin scored on that energy play for Dallas to make it 6-0. He additionally took a slashing penalty halfway by the third interval earlier than Malkin was despatched to the field a couple of minutes later for holding.

Phil Bourque stated this on the radio facet as properly, however these had been penalties out of pure frustration for the two-headed monster. You realize it is a dangerous evening when that begins occurring, and it is most likely not a terrific signal that issues are going swimmingly basically.

– On that observe: I am unsure something goes to vary with this group except there’s a teaching change.

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An effort like this is not simply on the coach. It is very a lot on the veterans, group management, and everybody basically for failing to play as a unit. A coach can solely accomplish that a lot to get their gamers to decide to enjoying protection and to get their goaltenders to make simple saves.

However these efforts – and this group’s fragility – are a flashing crimson warning signal of locker room dysfunction.

If issues like line modifications are sluggish, why are gamers taking their time getting again to the bench and hopping over the boards? If there are inexcusable, inexplicable defensive zone breakdowns on a nightly foundation, how does that get fastened? If the group repeatedly implodes after each mistake and each blown lead, who’s accountable?

These issues I simply listed are issues that occur to each single group in hockey. However there’s not a group in hockey that does this stuff with recurring frequency, over and over, and with seemingly no classes realized and no accountability – that’s, no group however the Penguins.

In some unspecified time in the future, one thing’s gotta give. Whether or not this group will get itself again in it or tanks utterly, it wants to indicate some form of heartbeat.

Proper now, this group doesn’t have one. That is not one thing that may be modified with participant personnel being swapped out and in of the lineup. It has to start out with the coach.