Empty Thoughts: Penguins 3, Panthers 2

Observations from the Penguins’ 3-2 win against the Panthers.

SUNRISE, Fla. — Mike Sullivan can be blunt, terse and curt to speak with.

At the same time, he will do just about anything to stop short of criticizing a player individually.

Even with players he clearly did not care for at times - Sergei Plotnikov, Ryan Reaves, Ian Cole, Daniel Sprong, etc. - Sullivan nary whispered an ill word on.

He appears content to let his actions speak for how he feels about a player.

Like, let’s say not giving any ice time for more than half a game.

Such was the case on Saturday with the line of Anthony Angello, Alex Galchenyuk and Sam Lafferty.

• Angello logged 4:35 of ice time on six shifts. His last shift came with 5:41 left in the second period.

• Galchenyuk logged 3:02 of ice time, a season-low, on five shifts. His last shift came with 15:01 left in the second period.

• Lafferty paced the group with 5:24 of ice time on seven shifts. His last shift came on 15:05 left in the third period, and that only came because he had to jump on the ice after forward Sidney Crosby appeared to have a skate issue.

On Saturday, the Penguins were essentially a three-line team for the vast majority of a game they barely won.

And it wasn’t as if that trio was munching minutes before Saturday.

During Sunday’s 4-3 road win against the Capitals, they each logged just under six minutes of five-on-five time (Galchenyuk had 9:11 total ice time due to some power-play minutes). And in Thursday’s 4-2 road loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Galchenyuk paced the group with a mere 5:10.

When asked about shortening his bench on Saturday, Sullivan’s initial answer was short and to the point.

“I’m trying to make decisions behind the bench that I think are going to give us the best chance to win.”

When asked about what it means for the remaining three lines, Sullivan expanded a bit.

“Ideally, we’d like to use the bench more than we did. It’s a hard game out there. But given the circumstances the way the game was going, I thought that was the best decision for tonight and that’s why I did it.”

Presumably, potential returns from injury for forwards Dominik Kahun (concussion) and Nick Bjugstad (core muscle) could help boost the depth. (Though, Bjugstad’s recovery appears to be regressing on the surface).

Regardless, playing with three lines is a bad way to operate heading towards the playoffs.

What happened

The Penguins struck first 6:30 into regulation. As a Florida power play expired, Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad failed to keep a bouncing puck in the offensive zone at the left point. The puck bounded to the neutral zone where Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, emerging from the penalty box, claimed it and hustled up ice on a breakaway. Approaching the net, he deked to his backhand and lifted a shot over the right leg of sprawling goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky for his 12th goal and the first unassisted score of his career.

(Video courtesy NHL)

They made it a 2-0 game at 10:44 of the first period. Corralling a rimmed puck on the left half wall, Penguins defenseman Jack Johnson whacked a slapper toward the crease. The puck hit off the stick and legs of Panthers defenseman MacKenzie Weegar then bounced to the right of the crease where forward Teddy Blueger was able to clean up the garbage with a forehand shot for his eighth goal. Johnson and Letang had assists.

(Video courtesy NHL)

The Panthers go on the scoreboard at 17:22 of the first. Pushing play up the right wing, Panthers forward Frank Vatrano puled up on the right half wall of the Penguins’ zone, drew in Letang and fed a pass forward Mike Hoffman, trailing on the left wing. The sequence created a three-on-two against Penguins defenseman Jack Johnson. Johnson took away passes to Panthers defensemen Aaron Ekbland and Keith Yandle, but allowed the shot which Hoffman took, putting a wrister under goaltender Tristan Jarry’s blocker on the far side. Vatrano and forward Dominic Toninato netted assists.

(Video courtesy NHL)

A power-play goal 3:50 into the second gave the Penguins a 3-1 lead. Settling a puck above the right circle, Penguins forward Evgeni fed a pass to forward Jared McCann above the right circle. Surveying the net, McCann spotted forward Sidney Crosby signaling with his stick and chopped a slapper towards the crease. Crosby directed the puck with his backhand past Bobrovsky’s left skate for his 10th goal. Assists went to McCann and Malkin.

(Video courtesy NHL)

Only 69 seconds later, Florida responded. Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck, a native of Upper St. Clair, chased down a loose puck above the right circle to create a two-on-one with forward Brett Connolly against Penguins defenseman Chad Ruhwedel. As Ruhwedel stumbled, Trocheck fed a pass to the left circle for Connolly who ripped a wrister past Jarry’s blocker on the near side for his 17th goal. Trocheck and Hoffman collected assists.

(Video courtesy NHL)

In the third period, the Panthers outshot the Penguins, 11-5. They nearly tied the game late with Bobrovsky pulled for an extra attacker. After the Penguins cleared the zone, Panthers defenseman Yandle snapped a pass from behind his own blue line to forward Evgenii Dadonov streaking up ice. Splitting Letang and Johnson, Dadonov attacked the net. Jarry challenged Dadonov and forced his wrister wide with two seconds left in regulation. The puck hit off the end boards and Dadonov reclaimed it then fired a harmless shot into the crease which Jarry kicked out easily.

(Video courtesy NHL)

Statistically speaking

• The Panthers led in shots, 35-22.

• Hoffman led the game with seven shots.

• Letang led the Penguins with five shots.

• Ekblad led the game with 25:53 of ice time on 32 shifts.

• Letang led the Penguins with 25:41 of ice time on 33 shifts.

• The Panthers controlled faceoffs, 41-26 (61 percent).

• Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov was 20 for 27 (74 percent).

• Blueger was 9 for 20 (45 percent).

• Letang led the game with three blocked shots.

• Ekblad, Trocheck and forward Colton Sceviour each led the Panthers with two blocked shots.

Historically speaking

• Letang’s goal the sixth unassisted goal of his career.

• The Penguins avoided being swept by the Panthers in a regular season series for the first time 2003-04 season (0-4-0). That was the Penguins’ last season before the arrival of Crosby.

Randomly speaking

• The Penguins snapped an 0 for 11 skid on the power play.

• With John Marino sidelined due to a facial injury, defensemen Justin Schultz and Marcus Pettersson were reunited on the second pair while Juuso Riikola and Chad Ruhwedel were teamed again on the third pair.

• Jarry finished with 33 saves. He very much earned this victory, his 18th of the season.

Publicly speaking

• Sullivan on the Panthers’ late push:

“We had opportunities to get clears and we didn’t. That was part of it. We’ve got to be stronger at the lines. Then the last (few) seconds, we can’t give up a breakaway. We do a great job working hard down low, we get that clear. We just can’t allow people to get behind us. We’ve got to have five guys inside the dots. We just have to have more awareness in that circumstance.”

• McCann on the rush by Dadonov:

“It just can’t happen. We kind of had a brain cramp there. It was unfortunate but (Jarry) bailed us out again.”

• Johnson on Dadonov’s shot attempt:

“One pass beat all of us. It was pretty poor execution out there. As one of the (defensemen) out there, we’ve got to protect the middle better than that. Our effort was there but our effort and smarts weren’t quite up to par on the six-on-five (sequence).”

• Jarry didn’t mind the heavy workload:

“It’s fun to be involved in the game. It’s fun to make saves. That’s all part of the game. They could get 20 shots or they could get 40. There’s really no difference for me.”

• Barkov had a pretty introspective observation on the Penguins:

“That’s a team, an organization, Pittsburgh, they’ve been winning a lot lately. You’ve got to learn from those teams how to find a way to win games, even if you’re not playing at your best. I think we outplayed them, outchanced them but they just found a way to win the game.”

Visually speaking

• Game summary.

• Event summary.

• Highlights:

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