Offensive stagnation will accompany the Pittsburgh Penguins into Wednesday’s pivotal Game 3 first-round clash on the road vs. the Philadelphia Flyers, leaving coach Dan Muse is at a crossroads.
Following a shutout loss at home in Game 2 on Monday that gave Philadelphia a 2-0 series lead, will Muse tinker with the Penguins’ line combinations in an attempt to spark some renewed production or trust his players to work things out?
Discussions and evaluations on that front are ongoing.
“I think it can be different every time game to game,” Muse said. “You have to be ready there for adjustments if you feel like maybe things aren’t working or just to change the feel there of the lines we’re using or the (defensive) pairs that we’re using.
“I agree there’s times where you want to be patient and there’s other times too where you just need to mix it up there to try to give it a different feel. … That’s something, we’ll look at film, we’ll speak as a staff and make those decisions later.”
The major tweak Muse may make was teased in Monday’s 3-0 loss to the Flyers, when, late in the second period, he flipped wingers Egor Chinakhov and Rickard Rakell.
Chinakhov began the game skating as a winger with Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust on the first line, while Rakell centered the Penguins’ second line, flanked by Evgeni Malkin and Tommy Novak.
For roughly the final 26 minutes of regulation, Muse largely stuck with those switches, which entailed Novak sliding from wing to center on the second line in Rakell’s absence.
Ultimately, nothing bore fruit for the Penguins, who posted nine more shots (27 in Game 2 vs. 18 in Game 1) but failed to find the back of the net.
Through two games, Rakell has an assist and three shots, Crosby has zero points with seven shots, and Rust has scored once with four total shots.
Malkin scored the Penguins’ opening goal of the postseason Saturday and has an assist with three shots. Neither Chinakhov nor Novak recorded any shots in Game 1.
Additional changes Muse might consider will be whether to reinsert winger Justin Brazeau, a healthy scratch through the first two games vs. Philadelphia, back into the lineup.
Regardless of what Muse decides, the Penguins will enter play Wednesday knowing their backs are increasingly up against the wall.
“Obviously, we’re not happy with how these first two games have gone for us, and we definitely have a lot of things we can improve,” Rakell said. “At the same time, we’ve got to go into Philly and change this series around. That’s all that matters for us right now is to turn this around and do whatever it takes to tie this series up.”
Second chances
The Penguins significantly increased their offensive zone time in Game 2 compared to Game 1, but were still shut out.
To start, the Penguins were firing off shots in volume, but few were finding the net or presenting a serious challenge to Flyers goalie Dan Vladar.
While that changed as Game 2 progressed, second-chance opportunities for the Penguins — rebounds at the crease, tip-ins, deflections, etc. — continued to be hard to come by.
Through six periods, Philadelphia’s defensive structure has been formidable.
“They allow you to play on the outside but they do a really good job at wherever the grade-A chances are created, they really clog that area of the ice,” defenseman Kris Letang said. “We have to get there. We have to find a way to get there by shots, volume or by physicality. I think that’s the key.”
Rakell added that if the Penguins are firing long-range wristers from the point, they need to avoid being blocked and reach the net more often, setting up chances to clean up closer to the net.
Getting high-danger looks down low or from the slot would be a welcomed change of pace.
“We definitely feel like we’re being kept on the perimeter a little bit too much so we definitely want to attack the middle a bit more,” Rakell said.
Power play changes?
Through two games, the Penguins’ power play, which finished the regular season ranked seventh in the NHL (24.1%), is 0 for 7 with just three shots.
In Game 1 on Saturday, the Penguins’ second and final power play registered zero shots but was whistled for three offsides violations.
Then, in Game 2, Philadelphia’s Garnet Hathaway added an extra dose of special teams frustration to the Penguins by scoring a shorthanded goal in the second period.
In total, the Penguins’ five man-advantages produced one goal for the opposing team and two shots on goal.
Through the first two games of their series with the Flyers, the Penguins have deployed Crosby, Rust, Rakell, Malkin and Erik Karlsson on the top power-play unit, with Ben Kindel, Anthony Mantha, Chinakhov, Novak and Letang rounding out the second group.
Those groupings, like some of the Penguins’ lines of forwards, could be subject to alterations moving forward.
“I think it goes along with other parts of our game,” Muse said. “You consider everything. You’re going to take an (off-day like Tuesday) and evaluate. We’ll have conversations as a staff. A lot of times special teams will kind of mirror your five-on-five game and both have been off there these last couple of games. We’ll evaluate today. We’ll have those conversations.
“The power play, that group of five — it’s not a situation where there’s been struggles throughout the entire year. This group has done a lot of really good things for this team over the course of the entire season. I think it’s also looking at some areas where we can get it back to the way things are clicking in the past.”
Note: The Penguins canceled a scheduled practice for Tuesday.