3 takeaways: Penguins' penalty kill showing improvement

Three takeaways from the Penguins’ 5-4 overtime loss to Montreal on Saturday:

Improved penalty-kill

The Penguins’ penalty-kill remains a work in progress. Heading into Saturday’s game at Montreal, it ranked 24th in the league — a bit of a climb up the ladder from where it’s lingered so far this year in comparison to the rest of the NHL — at 75%.

Struggling to neutralize opposing teams’ man-advantages has doubtless been a frustrating component within the Penguins’ rough overall start to the season.

But their play the last two weeks offers some hope, even as the Penguins continue to trek onward without that unit’s top player in Teddy Blueger, who remains sidelined due to injury.

Before Saturday’s game against the Canadiens, dating back to Oct. 29, the Penguins had killed off 16 of 19 (84.2%) of penalties, a marked improvement from earlier in the season.

Montreal ultimately came out on top in overtime, 5-4, but down the stretch of the third period, the Penguins were holding strong on the penalty-kill, having emerged unscathed from four Canadiens power-plays.

But with just under eight minutes left in regulation, a penalty-palooza of sorts transpired, with four total infractions (two per team) whistled in the span of 1 minute, 35 seconds.

It was on the final penalty, an interference call that sent Kris Letang to the box, that the Canadiens finally managed to convert on the power-play, with Sean Monahan burying a rebound in front of the crease following a shot by Jonathan Drouin.

Make it rain ????#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/eupgFMnDE2

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) November 13, 2022

The last time the Penguins (6-6-3) and Canadiens met, on Oct. 17 also at the Bell Centre, Montreal also came away with an overtime win.

Second line solid

Despite failing to leave Montreal with two points, the Penguins completed their three-game road trip in a respectable manner, going 2-0-1 against Washington, Toronto and the Canadiens.

One group of Penguins in particular displayed impressive consistency and carried a considerable portion of the offensive load over the past four days: the second line of Jason Zucker, Evgeni Malkin and Rickard Rakell.

Zucker had himself a three-assist night in Montreal and scored goals in back-to-back games on the road trip against the Capitals and Maple Leafs.

Malkin scored Friday and Saturday to go along with two assists while Rakell managed a goal against the Canadiens and got one of the apples on Zucker’s goal in Washington back on Wednesday.

The trio combined to go plus-14 on the now-completed road trip.

Red-hot Brock McGinn

While kudos are necessary for a steadily-improving Penguins penalty-kill in addition to the aforementioned play of Zucker, Malkin and Rakell, it would be totally remiss not to single out the efforts of Brock McGinn of late.

McGinn has scored in three straight games, with his goals against Washington and Toronto being game-winners for the Penguins.

Saturday, when he scored with 6:02 left in the third period, putting the Penguins up on Montreal, 4-3, it appeared as if yet another game-winning goal for McGinn was in the making.

That score came on a 2-on-1 rush off a defensive faceoff in the Penguins’ zone, with Jeff Carter finding McGinn despite the efforts of Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle, who laid down a solid slide to try to block the pass.

The Penguins have won the last 13 games that Brock McGinn has scored a goal. Fingers crossed that streak continues tonight! ???? pic.twitter.com/yu0Kq94Jq3

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 13, 2022

Unfortunately for the Penguins and McGinn, the celebration was short-lived, as Letang’s penalty led to Monahan’s game-tying goal only 40 seconds later.

Rediscovered rapport between McGinn and Carter, now that the latter is healthy again, bodes well for the Penguins. Carter also notched an assist Wednesday on McGinn’s goal against the Capitals.