Penguins season going well so far

Heading into the All-Star break the Penguins are currently sitting third in the Eastern Conference behind Columbus and Washington and fourth overall, Minnesota being the lone Western Conference. The Penguins aren't experiencing any of the traditional Stanley Cup hangovers that seem to follow teams that  win the cup in the following the season. There was a wobble early in January but the Penguins have rebounded from that to finish with a stable season so far before the break.

The Penguins have rebuilt themselves under Sullivan as a mostly attacking team that looks not just to score a few but to completely destroy the opposition and with the talent on the team they're a threat on each of the four lines. They lead the league with 172 goals through their 48 games played so far, an average of around 3.6 a game. The nearest is the Rangers on 167 games through 49 games.

In the past the Penguins tended to struggle more on the defence, especially when they had the likes of Orpik sitting in the top four. The defence is better this year than it was in years past with a goal difference of + 31 but it sits in 20th place in the league behind current non playoff teams like the Islanders and Sabres. The Penguins have been blighted by injuries throughout the season to key players but this is something that needs to be worked on.

The goaltending is no doubt the biggest player personnel talking point. Matt Murray has had some problems at time but he is still young and learning. However, Fleury has failed to stand up to the challenge at all this season and he should be traded if possible at the deadline. His play has affected the team and certainly cost them games throughout the season so far due to his lack of concentration and poor rebound control.

If I had to pick a player who has been the best so far that would of course be Crosby. He missed the first seven games of the season but has made up for lost time and is second in the scoring race with 55 points through 42 games, 4 behind Connor McDavid. The Oilers have played three games more than the Penguins however so it is closer than the four point gap.

Overall I think that the Penguins can be pretty happy with their season so far. There are a few tweaks that need to be made and I think the defence needs to be shored up but the issues the Penguins face compared to other teams are minuscule. They're set up perfectly for another run at the cup and that is all that matters.

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Conor Sheary: The roughest of diamonds

Conor Sheary wasn't expected to be an effective NHL player but he has confounded those critics to become a key part of the Penguins top six. Many people have criticised players like him in the past for being too small and not being strong enough claiming they aren't the "typical" hockey player. What Sheary lacks for in size he more than makes up for in skill.

Finding a competent winger for Crosby has been an issue for the  Penguins for the past few seasons. Over the past five years Crosby has spent time with the likes of Chris Kunitz,  Pascal Dupuis, David Perron and James Neal. With those players themselves being the most common.

Two of those, Kunitz and Dupuis have fallen off the cliff offensively and had to retire through health issues respectively. David Perron was started his Pittsburgh career with 21 points in his first 31 games but his production dried up with 17 points in the following 67 games. He showed a lack of compete and was traded after poor games against the Hurricanes and Lightning. James Neal tended to only play on the first line through injuries to other players.

Sheary has been given an opportunity by Sullivan and has taken it with open arms, he struggled offensively a little with 10 points in his first 44 games but this season he has played incredibly strongly, as if a league veteran. Playing with Crosby will no doubt have rubbed of on him and Crosby is the type of person to help mentor and train a younger player. We saw some of that in the play-offs on THAT OT Goal against the Lightning.

Sheary isn't just excelling at the offensive side of things either, he is a smart player who is adept at puck possession, he is listed 8th on the team in CF% with players over 100 minutes TOI with 52.95%. 55% and above is considered elite so to be that close is great to see. Part of his good offensive awareness and play could be down to Sullivan's usage, deploying him in the offensive zone 62.3% of the time. That is high, even for a forward.

Whatever Sheary is doing, is working. He is playing like a veteran in the league with the understanding to go with it. Having someone like him gives the team great attacking options and depth as he can be utilised in the future on any line needed. Watching Sheary going forward will be fun and there are two players, Guentzel and Sprong who are looking to follow him.

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Detroit loss exposes continuing frailties on defence

After a loss against the Detroit Red Wings on their last trip to the Joe last night the Penguins are on their first three game regulation loss streak under Mike Sullivan since he took over from Mike Johnston in December 2015. The Penguins have conceded 15 goals in three games and with Letang receiving an injury in the Detroit game it isn't looking like it will be getting easier.

Letang has again had a rough season with injuries and left the game late in the first period after colliding near the net and falling into the boards. He tried to return but could last more than one very quick shift before he disappeared down the runway. You could tell it wasn't good from his reaction when he went down.

Without Letang in the Penguins were down a defenceman and in some respects that showed through tiredness and the Red Wings just completely overworking the Penguins.  Letang really helps control the transition from the defence to offence so with him out expect to see some changes to the game plan. We can also expect the likes of Warsofsky to be given increased ice time in his absence.

Up front Crosby is currently experiencing a dry spell in front of goal. He is still assisting and getting points but he is missing that scoring touch that he excelled so well with before 2017 began. Hopefully this is just a system of the current poor spell the  Penguins are having but he could do with some help upfront with his linemates contributing more.

The Penguins powerplay has been a point of consternation for a while with very poor consistency and a lack of possession at times kills the ability to strike. The powerplay seems to be performing better under Schultz lately but there is still an issue about shot selection. Often the pass will be taken over a good shot and that needs to stop.

With Murray back the Pens might be able to get back to something more normal under Sullivan but with Letang and Dumoulin now both missing it will be hard. The Capitals next. Fun.

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Should the Pens get Landeskog?

According to Adrian Dater the Penguins are interested in Gabriel Landeskog and General Manager Jim Rutherford has contacted Joe Sakic regarding a possible trade. A number of teams have been mentioned and it isn't surprising that the Penguins are one of those name dropped.  The Penguins are always looking to improve their team and Landeskog would absolutely do that on their forward corps but can the Penguins get him?

So far this season the Avalanche are dead last in the NHL with 27 points through 39 games. They've struggled for a few years since their last playoff appearance in the 2013-14 season and they're not going to make it this year. The team is bare on depth and is ripe for a rebuild programme. How they do that remains to be seen but personally, I wouldn't trade guys like Landeskog. He is young and they'll need players like him going forward. But, say they decide to pull the trigger, the asking price will be steep.

Looking at the Avalance you would think that a top six forward and a top four defenseman would be the priorities. The Avalanche have the fewest goals this season with just 79 through 39 games, an average of 2.02 a game. They also have the worst defence with them conceding 130 goals in those 39 games and that includes 10 in a 10-1 loss to the Canadiens.

Landeskog and Duchene could be considered to be having slumps this year. Landeskog has just 13 points in 29 games. That would be Landeskog's worst through a full season at his current pace. Duchene is currently on 24 points through 35 games which, through an 82 game season, would see him finish with around 56 points. Far from his high of 70 points in 71 games back in 2013-14 under Patrick Roy.

Looking at Colorado's back end you can see why they're struggling. They're devoid of any top four quality outside of Tyson Barrie. The only plus aside from Barrie is that Zadorov is young and improving. Those two players should be the key to the Avalanche defence going forward. Someone like Dumoulin or Maatta would be a key to add, or, with lower value, Pouliot.

The forwards corps has been a troublesome thing in previous years before Sullivan joined and I would be reluctant to trade them. I could see someone like Hagelin being expendable but I would be more hopeful of Colorado also taking Kunitz. But they won't want him. With a couple of young prospects knocking on the door in Guentzel and Sprong there will be some change going forward up front but I would not be comfortable giving up one of those in a deal. I want to see them develop in Pittsburgh.

Overall, I'm not sure that there is a deal for Pittsburgh to make without overpaying and if there is heavy interest then I think the Penguins should step aside and let other teams bump up the asking price. The offence is clicking and I think only minor changes are needed, not a major one like this.

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Pens win streak record could have company tonight

The Penguins longstanding 17 game win streak could be met tonight with the Columbus Blue Jackets hoping to match it and have the possibility of breaking it against the Rangers at home on Saturday night. The Penguins set their win record way back in the 1992-93 season and only Jaromir Jagr is still playing from that team.

The streak is a massive surprise, it would be a massive surprise no matter who was on it as the parity between a lot of teams is so close that you just wouldn't be able to predict. Sometimes you get a powerhouse team that just dominates a season and you can see them going on a long winning run based on their schedule but Columbus don't fit that mould.

Their schedule started off with some fairly lower level opponents but it has included some tough challenges against the likes of Pittsburgh and Boston not forgetting Minnesota who were on their own winning streak at the time.

The Blue Jackets streak has included a thumping win over the Penguins and doesn't show any sign of slowing at the moment. It will be interesting to see if they can continue this and use it to build their season and make it so this isn't just a highlight seen in April when they're on the golf course. I don't see them missing the playoffs but stranger things have happened. Like Columbus winning 16 straight games.

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