This Penguins workforce will discover methods to lose video games

It at all times appears to be a controversial take amongst hockey followers, however I like the puck over the glass rule. In my opinion, it is without doubt one of the finest guidelines within the sport. There could be very little grey space with it. It is the one penalty the place there may be not often something to argue about. You cannot be mad about it. Everybody is aware of the rule. Everybody is aware of the consequence.

It can also be in place to attempt to pressure gamers to make a play with the puck. It is designed to encourage a participant to do one thing with it different than simply flip it over the glass to get a whistle. Ideally it’s in place to encourage them to not even take the prospect.

Make a play. Find a teammate. Skate it out of hazard. Make a cross. Keep possession. Do one thing.

I like it. I like the mindset. I like the punishment. I like that it exists. It just isn’t that onerous to keep away from it.

That is why when Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Parker Wotherspoon was known as for a delay of sport penalty with simply over a minute to play in regulation on Tuesday night time, I didn’t actually really feel any form of emotion. It was simply … what ought to have occurred.

It was an occasion the place he had time, he had house, and he had a chance to do one thing with the puck. Anything aside from what he did. But as a substitute of attempting to make a play, he simply tried to flip it off the glass and get it out of hazard when there actually wasn’t any hazard to cope with. It was not even a case of the puck rolling on him. He simply airmailed it. It was a deserved punishment.

Then the Ducks scored the game-winning aim on the facility play simply off the following faceoff.

Again. A justified outcome.

I say all of this not simply because Wotherspoon’s penalty jogged my memory of my ideas on that rule. I say it as a result of it additionally was a pleasant reminder that this workforce, irrespective of how a lot expertise stays on the roster, and irrespective of how nicely they play at instances, goes to search out methods to lose hockey video games.

They will in all probability be maddening methods.

Even if Dan Muse implements an excellent construction. Even if the longer term Hall of Famers and remaining All-Star stage gamers produce and carry out. Even if some younger gamers take huge steps ahead and present they belong within the NHL. There are simply nonetheless means too many gamers on this roster that aren’t adequate. That particularly applies to the protection, and extra particularly the left facet of the protection the place there may be not a single participant that ought to actually be enjoying common shifts for an NHL workforce. At least not an NHL workforce with sights on contending this season.

As lengthy as that’s the make-up of your roster, video games like this are going to occur.

And it’s not even that the Penguins performed particularly unhealthy on Tuesday. At least not throughout 5-on-5 play. The penalty kill was clearly a multitude, and has been for 2 video games now. But that they had a 17-6 benefit in high-danger probabilities throughout 5-on-5 play and a 63 % anticipated objectives benefit.

In plenty of methods it was similar to the best way plenty of Penguins video games have executed over the previous few years.

Strong underlying numbers. Loads of good probabilities. Not many probabilities towards. But not sufficient of the Penguins probabilities ending up within the internet, and too lots of the probabilities towards them discovering their means in. It’s what occurs when you may have unhealthy goaltending, defensemen which can be vulnerable to the massive mistake, and never sufficient high-level finishers on the decrease a part of the lineup.

It’s going to occur, and it’s going to maintain taking place. Those are the errors sub-par gamers constantly make.

There is likely to be nights the place the goalies stand on their head for 60 minutes, or the place the Penguins play a robust general sport and get a win like they did within the season-opener, however these will doubtless be few and much between.

This is a rebuilding workforce. This is what rebuilding groups do. This is why I hold saying I’m not apprehensive about them being “too good” and never apprehensive about there nonetheless being good gamers right here. This workforce will organically be unhealthy sufficient with out having to completely intestine it and tank.