Tim Benz: Penguins are facing a different kind of challenge in Boston
Share this post:
For the Pittsburgh Penguins, this will be a different challenge.
Different. Certainly not less daunting. But, different.
Since Christmas, Pittsburgh’s perpetually up-and-down hockey team has played four games. Three of them came against opponents they are chasing in the Metropolitan Division standings as they flail away in an attempt to get back in the playoff picture.
For the most part, the seventh-place Pens (40 points) did well in that task. They shredded the third-place New York Islanders (44 points) 7-0 on Dec. 27, then beat them 3-1 on New Year’s Eve at PPG Paints Arena.
Then they lost 4-3 on Tuesday night to the fifth-place Washington Capitals (42 points) in a game they controlled for the final 40 minutes. But falling behind 4-0 in the first 19 minutes doomed the mission.
With a victory over the Western Conference St. Louis Blues mixed in as well on Saturday, the Penguins have done more good than harm to their hopes of scrambling back into the Eastern Conference top eight, gathering six of a possible eight points since the stockings were taken down from the chimney with care.
Or just stuffed into a box in the garage until next year.
Now, though, whatever New Year’s hangover they skated out of their system over the last two periods against the Caps better be stuffed away as well because Mike Sullivan’s team is facing the best team in hockey Thursday night.
And on their turf too.
More sports
• First Call: Cam Heyward leaves future open; Travis Kelce rips Tomlin critics; Jags-Titans injury update
• U mad, bro?: Steelers fans are riled up about Kenny Pickett and the media coverage of him
• Steelers’ rookie class making impact, looks like major part of future
The Pens are in Boston for a 7 p.m. start against the Bruins. Many thought the Bruins would slip this year after they were bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Florida Panthers following a record-setting 2022-23 regular season.
But that hasn’t happened. They have 52 points, the most in the NHL so far.
Not only are the Bruins good, but they are hot right now, and they have been particularly sharp at home. Boston has won four in a row overall and has a record of 11-2-3 at TD Garden. The Panthers and the New York Rangers, with 12 home wins each, are the only teams in the East with more home victories.
David Pastrňák was tied for third in the league in scoring last year with 113 points. His 61 goals were second in the league behind only Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (64). He’s among the league leaders again this year, ranking sixth in goals (22) and points (50). Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is right behing him with 21.
Only three teams — the Kings (2.35), Jets (2.47) and Panthers (2.51) — have a better goals against average than Boston’s 2.56. The Penguins are sixth in that category at 2.67.
Jeremy Swayman has a 2.22 goals against average for the Bruins over 18 games. That places him third in the NHL behind Vegas’ Adin Hill (1.93) and Los Angeles’ Cam Talbot (2.10). Pittsburgh’s Alex Nedeljkovic is eighth at 2.42. The Bruins’ other goalie, Linus Ullmark, who has played in 19 games, is also in the top 20 at 2.72 (18th in the NHL). That’s just a few spots behind the Pens’ Tristan Jarry, who is 14th at 2.58.
Swayman is second in terms of save percentage at 92.8%, trailing only Hill at 93.3%. Ullmark is eighth (91.8%). Nedeljkovic is fifth at 92.4%.
Special teams appear to be a distinct advantage for the Bruins. The Pens PK is good at 82.3%, 10th in the league. Boston’s, though, is at 85.9%. That’s second behind only Los Angeles (87%).
On the power play, the Bruins rank fourth in the NHL at 27.5%. The Penguins are still limping along at 13.9% in that category, 26th in hockey.
In this week’s “Breakfast With Benz” hockey podcast, Brian Metzer of the Penguins Radio Network joins Tim Benz to preview the game in Boston. They also look back at what went wrong in that fateful first period against the Capitals. And they discuss the Penguins’ goaltending and the uncomfortable notion of potentially trading Jake Guentzel.