Penguins forward prospects aren't as bleak as some think

Jake Guentzel has started his Penguins career superbly and has really given Sullivan and the Penguins bench questions to think about when Kunitz and Hornqvist return from injury. Guentzel in my mind has done enough to warrant staying up and that will likely see someone else go down alongside Sestito. Wilson is a likely candidate.

One of the areas where Pittsburgh are criticised is their forward prospects and often people hark on about how we will be a terrible team in a few years. Whilst we haven't got a strong and deep prospect pool like Toronto, or one that drafts deep and well like Tampa, we do have players that can step up and some are showing real promise in the American Hockey League.

Currently the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins are 1st in the NHL through 19 games with a 13-4-2 record alongside a goals for record of 56 with just 37 against. Guentzel was around the top of league in scoring before heading to Pittsburgh with 17 points in 16 games. Since he left Sundqvist has picked up the scoring which is pleasing to see.

During his stint with Pittsburgh last year Sundqvist showed a great defensive game and showed glimpses of an offensive game that needed some work. He currently has 6 goals and 9 assists through 17 games and developing that side of his game could make him an option to replace Nick Bonino when his contract is up.

Carter Rowney signed a new deal in the summer, a two-way deal for two years and has continued his performances from last season which saw him finish with 24 goals and 32 assists. So far he is on pace to have a similarly good year this. With the recent acquisition of Danny Kristo there is a possibility of some increase there due to the familiarity the two have with each other from their College days.

The biggest forward prospects is sadly injured though and Daniel Sprong likely won't be back for another few months. He underwent shoulder surgery in June and isn't expected to be back until January at the earliest. When he does come back he will most likely be sent to the Juniors to finish the year and ease himself back into it.

Next time someone says the Penguins don't have young forwards the above names should mentioned and levied alongside the likes of Rust, Sheary, Wilson and Kuhnhackl who currently play on the Penguins. They just need to give them some time.

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Penguins feast on Rangers ahead of Thanksgiving weekend

Pittsburgh managed to chase Lundqvist again last night after losing to Raanta in a 5-2 loss on home ice on Monday to start the back-to-back with the Rangers. I'm not able to watch full games always due to the time differences but watching the first period there were some clear issues with the Penguins game. A lack of compete from some players, poor passing and a general malaise about the performance.

Malkin's continual poor discipline didn't take long to rear its head with him committing a weak tripping penalty on JT Miller.  The Rangers capitalised quickly and Malkin continued to make poor plays, turning over the puck and not working along the boards. After a poor first period Sullivan must have said something as they came out completely renewed.

There was a bit of puck luck involved but the Penguins continued, four line offense shone through with a constant barrage of shots being directed at Lundqvist and, after he was pulled, Raanta. Scott Wilson scored his first goal in 12 games off a quick reflect shot to the side of Lundqvist before Crosby continued his excellent start to the season with another deflected goal from the right of Lundqvist which completely fooled him.

Phil Kessel hasn't scored as many goal as he or perhaps Penguins fans would hope so far in his time here but he is still such a dangerous player. His shot is out of this world and he needs to have more confidence in shooting. His goal today came on the rush after receiving a pass in the middle before shooting over Lundqvist's shoulder. So far Kessel is a point per game player through 20 games.

Perhaps the best goal of the game came from Conor Sheary who scored after a prolonged shift in the Rangers offensive zone that drained the energy and made them sitting ducks. Crosby's puck luck was evident on his second goal with the puck bouncing off his stick, off of McDonagh and over the goaltender into the net.

The Penguins finished the game off with a deflected goal from Cullen and managed to suppress the Rangers offense for a large part of the game. For over 20 minutes they went without a shot. The Penguins go into the weekend with two games against the Wild and Devils, both on the road.

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Offense questions raised over weekend games

The weekend, from Friday Night to Saturday was a hit and miss one for the Penguins. They did get 3 out of 4 available points but there play at times was below par, especially 5-on-5. Some players looked sluggish and questions about the offensive talent of the defence have been raised.

The Penguins started the two games on Friday night in Brooklyn against the Islanders. Matt Murray returned after a brief scare that he had been badly injured against the Washington Capitals in, that, loss on Wednesday. Murray wasn't troubled much and only surrendered two goals in a 3-2 OT win.

The Barclays Arena in Brooklyn where the Islanders play gets a lot of bad press and you can see why. The ice was questionable at times and there were mentions in the press that it doesn't have the same setup as NHL arenas. The camera angles are also terrible which make watching the game hard.

The Penguins need to address an issue that showed with certain players in the Islanders game and was prominent in the Buffalo game. On 5-on-5 in the two games the Penguins struggled to enjoy the breakouts that they have in the past. Against the two they were pressured heavily meaning that often when dumping the puck it would be immediately picked up by a Sabres or Islanders player.

They did have a large number of chances against both teams with 35 shots against the Islanders and 47 against the Sabres. However, converting appeared to be a problem. It isn't a problem for Crosby, who scored two goals and an assist over the two games. But with the defence struggling more with offence it has seen a bigger reliance on the top six.

With a defence contributing it takes pressure off the forwards and also makes it harder for the opposition by spreading out the scoring. This means they can't just focus on one player. Right now, with 6 defenders having played at least 13 games, only 5 goals have been scored. Letang is top with Daley on 2 with the only other goalscorer being Ian Cole.

So far on the season Olli Maatta has just 1 assist through 18 games and that isn't good enough. Dumoulin also has only 2 assists through 18 whilst Ian Cole and Justin Schultz have 3 and 4 points in total. It could be that they're just struggling to convert and they need to continue shooting but passing needs to be improved, especially on the power play. The 2nd unit is very poor and struggles, improving that will be one way of helping but targeting only the man advantage isn't the best way. It 5-on-5 where improvements are needed.

The Penguins play the Rangers tonight who are one of the best players at 5-on-5 hockey this season. So this will be a test. Guentzel has been called up with Kunitz placed on IR and Hornqvist out with a concussion.

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Kessel enjoying strong start to season

A lot of the attention on the Penguins at the moment in the season is on Sidney Crosby and Matt  Murray as both players are making strong statements at either ends of the ice. Last year the Penguins struggled early on and the change and adjustments meant we didn't get the best out of everyone. Kessel had a decent, but below par season last year. This year is a different question, so far after 13 games he is playing supremely well.

So far the Penguins have been a strong team, currently sitting 2nd in the Metropolitan Division behind the New York Rangers, although they have played two extra games. Crosby leads the Penguins but that is no surprise but Kessel has been a key force which has currently held the Penguins as the 8th most attacking team with 47 games through 15 games.

Kessel has scored in 6 of the teams 15 games this season and is playing like he could break the 60 point plateau as a member of the Penguins. Kessel's chemistry with Malkin continues to show and that is a heavily dangerous duo this season. Sullivan has brought the best out of the two and I would like to see them permanently together on a line more often. The HBK line is great but at times it needs shaking up.

Kessel currently has the fourth most shots on goal behind only Hornqvist, Crosby and Malkin. The only downside is that he is currently only running at a shooting percentage of 8.8% compared to his career average of 10.7%. He is currently on course to finish the season with just 16 goals and that is a worry. Kessel is a wicked shooter and he hasn't been able to find the net lately. Hopefully that changes soon.

So far, Kessel has been impressive. But he needs to shoot more and trust his shot. The powerplay clicking is a big part of that but so far it has been an effective unit this season. If he continues his high possession play then it won't be long before his gets back to scoring. Lets hope he starts against the Capitals.

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Penguins put strong home record up against the Wild

The Penguins enter tonights game on a good streak having won 6 of their last 7 games, losing the other against the Los Angeles Kings in overtime. After an indifferent start to the season the Penguins are now topping the Metropolitan Division and clicking on all fronts.

Pittsburgh's last game, against Edmonton, saw another comeback for a late win. Trailing 3-2 going into the third period the Penguins dug deep and thanks to a late goal from Conor Sheary, his second of the game, the points stayed in Pittsburgh. The game was hyped up as a contest between McDavid and Crosby and whilst McDavid earned three assists Crosby was kept pointless. His play was superb however and he definitely warranted some production.

The Penguins are currently 6-0-1 this season at home going into tonights game and are behind New Jersey and Montreal who remain unbeaten at home. Minnesota head into this game with a 2-3-1 record having lost their last two games away to Colorado and at home to Buffalo.

The Wild are not an easy team to break down and have improved their defence and currently posses a hot goaltender in Devan Dubnyk. Dubynk has let in just 3 goals in his last 5 games. Matt Murray has let in 4 but the Penguins have opted to play Fleury tonight. Following his recent questionable performances and the contrast to Matt Murray's, Fleury really needs to up his game or else his starting spot is going to be lost.

This will be a tough game with the Wild possessing the best PK in the league but the Penguins improved play at even strength recently should see them through for the win. With Crosby's 14 game point streak snapped it would be good to see him start another.

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Pens finish SoCal Trip

Pittsburgh finished their trip to South California with a 5-0 win over the San Jose Sharks yesterday at SAP Center. The  Penguins entered the three game road trip having beaten the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4. Over the three games Pittsburgh picked up 5 out of a possible 6 points. Considering how hard this trip often is, that is an excellent reward.

The first two games of the trip, against Anaheim and Los Angeles, were back to back meaning that Murray made his season debut against the Ducks. Murray lasted played for Pittsburgh in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals and has missed a lot of time due to a broken thumb.

Murray is a hugely different player to Fleury and showed it over the three games. Fleury looks uncomfortable at times and lacks composure and the ability to re-adjust himself and focus on the game at times. When Fleury gives up a soft goal due to either unfortunate circumstances or poor decision making, he struggles to move on from it and it affects his game.

Murray is different. He hasn't, to my memory, given up any big softies like Fleury has. But when he has a poor game or is struggling he is able to compose himself and remained focused. The difference can be huge for the defence in front and it sometimes shows. With Murray there appears to be more confidence from the defence in the goaltender.

At the other end of the ice Crosby continued his lightning start to make up ground on those ahead of him. Over the three games he scored four goals and one assist to bring his season totals to eight goals and two assists through just six games. He is top of the league in goal scored despite playing around six fewer games than those at the top with him.

Crosby has been scoring a range of goals too. Against San Jose he scored two opportunistic goals that give the impression that, right now, anything that can go right for Crosby, will. His goals against the Kings were more "typical" Crosby goals. A goal off a deflection and a quick move with a finish off a rebound.

Through the three games the Penguins defence improved and the fact that it coincides with Letangs return isn't a surprise. He is a great possession player and is also excellent and creating and sustaining a transition game into attack. He does have improvements to make, mostly as a PP QB, but he is a hugely important player.

In all, the trip has been a huge success and hopefully the Penguins can continue their good form into the next few game this week against the Oilers, Wild and Leafs.

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