The Pittsburgh Penguins were up and down through the month of December. However, they do have a reason to be cautiously optimistic for the first time in a while. They are 5-1-1 through their last seven games and have finally snapped their losing streaks against the Carolina Hurricanes and the New York Islanders. They are behind Carolina in the standings by four points with two games in hand and are also trailing the Philadelphia Flyers by four points with no games in hand. The Penguins are still facing an uphill battle, and with only 49 games left in the regular season, they have their work cut out for them.
Penguins Still Riding the Roller Coaster
On December 23, the Penguins lost 5-4 in overtime to the Ottawa Senators. This game summed up what the team has been struggling with all season. Through the first 40 minutes, they only registered 11 shots on goal, and the power play once again looked incredibly bad.
Pittsburgh had six power play opportunities in the game, and the first unit barely took any shots. They had a lot of trouble gaining the zone and were stifled at the blue line. Even with an early 5-on-3 opportunity for a 1:38 the first power play unit did not threaten at all. They were overpassing and not firing pucks to the net.
Kris Letang was able to score on the power play for the second unit, but with all the talent the Penguins have on their first unit, there should be no reason to even deploy the second unit. Ottawa came into the game at 70.7% on the penalty kill, one of the worst in the league.
Finally, in the third period, Pittsburgh came to life and outshot the Senators 24-4. They completely dominated in the third period, and if they had played like that for a full 60 minutes, there is no doubt they would have won the game. It is no secret that Ottawa is not good, and the Penguins should have walked away from this game with two points.
Another issue that the Penguins can no longer afford to ignore is Ryan Graves. Graves was signed to a six-year contract over the summer that has an average annual value of $4.5 million. Pittsburgh was hoping he would be able to step in and fill the hole left by Brian Dumoulin. However, through the first half of the season, that has not been the case. At any given point during a game, he can usually be found out of position, and he hardly ever uses his 6-foot-5, 220-pound frame to defend the net front.
Graves has simply not been good this year, and he is not getting any better. It may be time for the Penguins to sit him in the press box for a couple of games to send him a message. However, scratching him completely may prove difficult because who would come in to replace him? Pierre-Olivier Joseph could be a possible solution, but the Penguins should not wait too much longer to correct this problem.
Can the Penguins Remain Consistent?
The Penguins’ biggest struggle so far this year has been with consistency. Their most recent win over the Islanders is proof that they are capable of playing through a full 60 minutes. In that game, they dominated possession time and zone time. They also did not turn the puck over, and most of their goals were scored at the net front.
Related: Penguins Letting Fast Starts by Crosby, Guentzel Go to Waste
Another positive sign for the Penguins is that Rickard Rakell has decided to start scoring goals again. His first goal of the season came against the Senators, and he also scored the first goal of the game against the Islanders. Valtteri Puustinen has also been a nice surprise to the lineup in the absence of the injured Bryan Rust. When Rust returns to the lineup, Pittsburgh could possibly move Puustinen to the bottom six to give depth scoring the boost it so desperately needs. The playoff race is about to be in full swing, and the Penguins still have some work to do if they want to make a postseason appearance.