by The Pittsburgh Penguins looked to build on the momentum they gained from their last two wins over Vancouver and Boston when they take on the Calgary Flames on Saturday.
It’s safe to say they got the job done.
The Penguins were the dominant team all night and they beat the Flames decisively, 6-2. The second power play unit scored three times – Michael Bunting, Philip Tomasino and Kris Letang had the goals – and Anthony Beauvillier, Rickard Rakell and Blake Lizotte also added goals for the Penguins.
As was the case in Boston, it was a complete effort from the entire team, especially defensively. They faced a barrage from Calgary for a few minutes late in the third period, but other than that they were the better team all night and also frustrated the Flames by taking penalties.
And it all starts with responsible play from the blue line and advanced units.
“We make better decisions when we are active on the walls,” said head coach Mike Sullivan. “I also think we are more disciplined with our forwards. They recharge their batteries and work to get over the puck when our ‘D’s are active. When we play the game we have played in the last three games , we “We will give ourselves a chance to win. I think we’re a lot tougher to play against, and we’re not compromising the offense to do that. We’re just playing a more honest game.
Here are some thoughts and observations from Saturday’s game:
– I don’t think I have enough good things to say about Beauvillier this season.
Even before opening the score in the first half, he was already getting noticed. He’s so smart in the defensive zone. He made some good plays early to facilitate the transition and breakout game. He made an excellent offensive zone move at the end of the first period, a few minutes before scoring his goal.
The Penguins are getting the best version of Beauvillier. This is some of the best hockey he has played throughout his career. Whatever the Penguins decide to do to keep him rather than trade him, him playing at such a high level is no small deal for them.
– Building on Beauvillier, I really, really like Lizotte in a third-line center role. With his total tonight, he now has four goals in 10 games this season.
“I think he plays a tough game,” Sullivan said. “He’s a courageous guy, he’s a north-south guy, and I think he plays the game the right way. He’s on the pucks, he’s a good guy chasing the puck, he also has defensive awareness. We give him a lot of D-zone starts, D-zone faceoffs, things of that nature.
He added with a smile: “He’s on a 40-plus goal pace. If he can maintain that pace, that would be great for us.”
The Penguins may have something with this line. Lizotte and Beauvillier certainly seem to have developed some chemistry, and their speed, forechecking ability, and defensive zone awareness are really starting to make this line look like a two-way threat. Bunting’s role cannot be dismissed either. He goes to the dirty areas and does what he does when he’s at his best.
This could be a huge revelation for the Penguins if they continue to click.
– The Penguins’ second power play unit was on fire tonight, and it was hot. But Bunting has been particularly hot.
He now has a team-leading three power play goals this season, and he scored three points in this game. Normally I would advocate for him to head to the first unit. In some ways, I think this should still happen.
But the power play has been a strength recently. And I don’t know who you remove the first unit to insert Bunting into. My choice would probably be Rust, but the first unit also clicked for the most part.
Honestly? Don’t fix what isn’t broken. The Penguins seem to be blocking the second unit for longer periods of time, which is probably the best way to optimize the power play right now as both units have been pretty good.
The Penguins now have a power play success rate of nearly 25 percent, which is good for the top eight in the league. They need this to continue to be a force if they want to start moving up the standings.
– GM and POHO Kyle Dubas did a poor job grabbing Tomasino from Nashville for a mere 2027 fourth-round pick.
This guy is such a smart player. He is rarely out of position, he has great instincts and he anticipates well. He knew exactly where to position himself on his goal, but there was a play right after he scored that caught my attention.
The second line was rushing into the offensive zone. Tomasino stopped and gently made a cross-ice pass from the half-wall to Malkin, who had a good scoring opportunity. His teammate also highlighted another opportunity generated by Tomasino as a good example of what he brings to the table.
“He’s doing well,” Bunting said. “He’s balanced with the puck and he makes a great shot. One of the moves that stood out, and maybe he didn’t score, was that toe drag around the ‘D. ” He sent it to the goalkeeper and he made a good save. He obviously has that in his toolbox, and especially on the power play. He somehow finds that weak spot and uses that shot to his advantage. He’s a good player and we look forward to keeping him.”
Tomasino’s vision is on display. Again, he’s a high IQ player, and I think he could be a really good fit for the Penguins – especially on Malkin’s line.
– Nedeljkovic had a hell of a match. And his best save of the night came on Rasmus Andersson late in the first period.
A juicy rebound off the back wall was sent to Andersson, and Nedeljkovic went post to post in the butterfly and made a high glove save, committing a high street steal on Andersson:
It’s no coincidence that the Penguins’ three-game winning streak happened with better team defense And best goalkeeper. Nedeljkovic followed the precedent set by Tristan Jarry against Boston. He was very, very good in this match.
– Owen Pickering continues to prove that he deserves to stay on this NHL roster.
He only played 13:24 tonight after missing two games due to illness, but he had a huge block early, he spent time on the penalty kill and he was engaged and smart in the offensive zone.
Forward Cody Glass will likely return from injury soon. Don’t be surprised to see Jack St. Ivany — who is also waiver-exempt — sent back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton instead of Pickering.
– Over the last three games, the Penguins have started to look like a hockey team. They conceded a few late chances – as well as two late goals – but there was none of the panic in their play that was evident for much of the season.
And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they’re also healthy.
As of now, Glass is the only player still awaiting a return to the lineup. They were better with Lizotte in the mix. They are better with Hayes in the mix. They are also better with Pickering in the mix.
Since returning to the lineup, Hayes is 16-5 in faceoffs (76.2%).
– Bob Grove (@bobgrove91) November 30, 2024
Fans may complain about young players and call-ups not getting opportunities, which is somewhat valid. But the Penguins appear to have some defensively responsible players on their fourth line in Acciari and Nieto, and, as previously mentioned, Lizotte has provided a two-way spark for that third line.
This is definitely a good move from the Penguins, who will certainly be tested in the coming week. They face the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Tuesday before another back-to-back Friday and Saturday against the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Things aren’t going to get any easier for the Penguins, but they’re up for the challenge.
“I think we feel pretty good about our game,” Beauvillier said. “We think we can play anyone at this stage of the season. It will be a good challenge for us. It doesn’t get easier, and it won’t get easier going forward, so we see it as a good challenge, and we’ll go from there.”
