After losing three games in a row, the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Colorado Avalanche 4-0 on Thursday, Oct. 26. The Avalanche came into the game undefeated and were favored to win. Despite all the changes the Penguins made over the summer, they have been struggling so far this season to find their footing. With the league constantly changing, it is vital that teams tweak their system to stay competitive which is something Pittsburgh has not done. However, they switched up their strategy against Colorado and it paid off. That is why this game needs to be the blueprint for the rest of the season.
Penguins Tried Something New
In 2016 and 2017 when the Penguins won back-to-back championships, they were much faster and a lot more aggressive. However, the roster has changed considerably since then and the team has an average age of 30.8 making them the oldest team in the league. Head coach Mike Sullivan has not really done much to adjust his system since 2017, and within the last few seasons, it has started to catch up to him. The reality is that Pittsburgh is not as big or as fast as they once were and they have to start using the talent that is available to them.
The Penguins need to stop being overly aggressive at the point of attack and start letting the game come to them. The easiest way to do this is to turn down the aggressive style of play ever so slightly, stay in the right positions and wait for the other team to mess up. This was exactly what they did in the game against Colorado. They played with patience and stayed in a good rhythm through the full 60 minutes. They were also forcing turnovers and defending the blue line extremely well. They read the plays correctly, stayed aware through the entire game and reaped the benefits.
For a long time, Pittsburgh’s identity has been defined by a high-tempo and fast-paced game but it may be time to change that. Simply being fast is not good enough anymore because the league is full of fast-paced teams. The Penguins beat the Avalanche because they committed to defense. They broke up plays in the defensive zone while also disrupting the neutral zone. They countered Colorado’s system and capitalized on their mistakes. If they make a point to commit to the defensive game moving forward, it will drastically improve the team as a whole.
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Another key ingredient in the Penguins victory over the Avalanche was the third line. Lars Eller scored a goal in the second period, Radim Zohorna was forcing turnovers all night and Drew O’Connor was a menace on the forecheck. While they were on the ice, the Penguins had 62.5% of the shot attempts and 60% of the scoring chances. They provided that spark that the team desperately needed. If it was not already clear before this game, it should be abundantly clear now that Zohorna needs to remain a permanent fixture on this line.
Will the Penguins Make a Permanent Change?
Pittsburgh has now proven that they have the ability to play at a high level and be successful. The only question now is will they make these changes to their system a permanent part of their game plan? On Oct. 28, the Penguins were defeated by the Ottawa Senators 5-2. In this game, they reverted back to an overly aggressive style of play. They looked pretty good through the first period, but in the second and third periods, they looked disorganized and tired. Sullivan needs to realize he has a much different team today than he did back in 2016 and 2017 and start playing to their strengths if he plans to stay out of the hot seat.