Penguins strength in depth being tested with defensive injuries

Earlier in the year during the opening of free agency the Penguins signed a number of defencemen. In total the Penguins acquired five with them all starting in Wilkes-Barre. So far this season two of them, Ruhwedel and Warsofsky have spent time on the Penguins alongside Olesky who resigned last season. With the injuries the Penguins have sustained to Daley, Maatta, Letang and Dumolin.

Looking back now those signings have been inspired by Rutherford and have ensured we have capable players to call on. All of them, including Di Pauli who was snagged from the Capitals, have been key to the Wilkes-Barre Penguins and in leading them to the second best defensive record in the league with just 62 goals conceded in 29 games.

Daley returned last night against the Carolina Hurricanes in the 3-2 win but since Letang has been injured the Penguins have gone 4-1-2 showing that they can win without him. However, the transition game has been harder to come by and that was evident in the two overtime losses to the Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Luckily for the Penguins Justin Schultz has stepped up to the mark to cover for Letangs absence and so far he has 17 points in 10 games this month. That puts him third in points this month in the entire league behind only his teammates, Crosby and Malkin. Schultz biggest impact has been in the powerplay which has clicked at a rate of 32% since Letang has been injured, that is higher than the previous rate of 20.2% previously. This is obviously a small sample though so should be taken carefully.

As if the defensive injuries weren't enough for the Penguins emerging goaltender Matt Murray left last nights game against Carolina and was declared to be out with a lower body injury. He is week to week which has meant that Tristan Jarry has been called up. Jarry was called up earlier in the season but didn't play. It is probably he won't play this time either depending on how long Murray is out for. The Penguins don't play until 7th of January after tomorrows game.

Whilst most teams would struggle with these sort of injuries to their cores I think the Penguins are able to cope better mostly thanks to Mike Sullivan. He knows how the minor affiliate works and isn't afraid to work with them and this experience brings out the best in them. Here's hoping the Penguins end the year with a high.

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Is Kunitz's time on the Penguins coming to an end?

The Penguins have a good record this season but that doesn't mean of course that everything is perfect.  Nothing is and if it was then we wouldn't lose to Toronto in overtime. There are some questions that need asking and some players aren't putting in the performances that are expected by them. One of those players in Chris Kunitz.

Kunitz has been a great servant to the club since he was traded to us in 2009 from Anaheim but he is now 37 and in the last year of his contract worth $3.85m. Kunitz used to grace the top line but with other trades and signings he has seemingly dropped down the pecking order. Management under both Sullivan and previously Bylsma has seemingly given him time to redeem himself in the top six though alongside Crosby and Malkin but his play hasn't warranted, in my opinion, returning there.

Watching Kunitz it is clear that something has gone offensively. His production has fallen from his career best 68 points in 79 games in the 2013-14 season he has fallen to a .5 points per game player with 40 points twice in 2014-15 and 2015-16. So far this year he has just 12 points in 26 games and has been kept off the score sheet in the last 6 straight. He's only got 2 goals this year, the last being on November the 12th against Toronto.

His 5-on-5 play has dropped the most with him currently sitting on 1.57 points per 60 minutes which is the lowest in his career alongside his iCorsi at 12.06 per 60 minutes. There are a couple of individual stats that trend this way relating to production and you could put this down to his line mates but the likes of Kuhnhackl, Sheary and Rust have come into the league and have been able to produce fairly consistently within their roles.

There is still a role for Kunitz on the team as he is still a serviceable player but I'd have him on the 4th line. With the number of young forwards the Penguins have waiting in the wings I would be disappointed if they re-signed him. Sprong and Guentzel need spaces and keeping Kunitz next year would prevent this. Going forward Kunitz needs to improve or else  I think we could see the end of him in Pittsburgh.

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Crosby continues to dominate

Last night was just another game for the Penguins this time against the Coyotes. And Crosby found just another way to score with him this time batting the puck out of mid-air and past Louis Domingue who had taken over in relief of Mike Smith in net. Crosby has continued to dominate this season in front of net and has adapted his game to find new ways to score, ways in which we haven't seen him score in a while.

Crosby is playing the best he has since before the first of his concussions which he received from David Steckel way back in 2011 in the Penguins infamous first outside game at Heinz Field. They'll return to play there against the Philadelphia Flyers next year on the 25th February. 

So far this season Crosby has 21 goals through 23 games and despite some people hoping, he doesn't look like slowing down any time soon. At the moment he is on pace to finish with 69 goals in 76 games. That would be the best goal scoring season since Alex Ovechkin in 2008-2009. Of course, he will likely have a slump at some point in time, all players do. But he is still having a superb season.

Crosby is one of the most effective players on the power play and whilst this season he has scored at a rate better than last year he has seen a drop in his assists. This is partly due to the power play struggling lately. It has seen an increase in the last two games so it will hopefully trend up.

This season Crosby has seemingly perfected the art of the deflected shot scoring them from a range of locations with seemingly impossible angles. Usually Crosby would stand to the side of the net and that would be his "office" but this year he has a much heavier net presence which has allowed to deflect more shots.

Crosby in the past used to see a revolving door of wingers through either injuries or just poor performances. I mean, there was even a brief moment when Chuck Kobasew played on his wing. Yes, Kobasew. Of course, injuries had their part to play but the point still sticks. Under Sullivan there has been a much more consistent line-up allowing chemistry to build. We had the HBK line last year and Crosby has also seen a solid relationship develop with Conor Sheary and Patric Hornqvist. This has helped bring the best out in him with both knowing the limits of his ability. Sullivan's game style is offence first and if this continues then it seems a matter of time until Crosby hits that 50 goal mark.

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Guentzel and Pouliot sent down, HMK showing chemistry

Jake Guentzel's short-lived time with the Penguins is over. He was sent down alongside Derrick Pouliot to the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins today.  Pouliot was sent down recently for a conditioning stint and whilst Sullivan has said he wants them to play, being sent down again is hardly great. By now you would expect Pouliot to be pushing the team to look at giving him game time in the  NHL.

I'm disappointed in Guentzel being sent down. He played excellently in his 5 game stint, scoring 3 goal and 1 assist. He showed some strong physical presence when paired with Malkin and his hand to eye co-ordination was superb. He didn't take long to score and has shown glimpses of a potential top six player. There is still a long way to go in his career though and if he continues to light it up in Wilkes-Barre then you could see the Penguins make a trade to fit him in.

In the last few games Sullivan has changed the lines around and one proponent we have seen is a line of Hagelin-Malkin-Kessel. This line has done some damage in the last few games and it is a huge threat due to the ability for the puck to pass between the three with ease creating high possession chances. With someone that possess a dangerous shot like Kessel it is just asking for trouble.

Crosby might be leading the team and be tied at the top of the league in goals but Malkin and Kessel are also pacing themselves well at the top of the points table. Malkin currently heads them both with 28 points through 26 games whilst Crosby and Kessel both sit on 27 points. Obviously, Crosby has played far fewer games, just 20 to be precise.

Looking ahead to the festive season and the Penguins have 9 games before their brief Christmas break and aside from the games against the Leafs and Coyotes they're all against teams that are very strong and will be hard to beat. With a busy schedule and two back-to-backs included we will likely see a lot of rotation in goal. I'm looking forward to seeing Murray play again, the team seems a lot more composed when he does. Hopefully, the Penguins can continue their recent good form.

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