Équipe: 2019-20 Penguins de Pittsburgh

Date de création initiale: 2 août 2020

Publié: 2 août 2020

Mode - plafond salarial: Basique

So, yesterday's game did not go as hoped. The Penguins came out flying to start the game, firing shot after shot on Carey Price. After giving up the first goal, they seemed to lose a lot of jump & the urgency was no longer there. They still controlled 62% of the game's scoring chances as well as 62% of the high danger chances. It just seemed sloppy, too many shots missed the net & didn't get good shots on Price.

The biggest issue currently seems to be the third line. They couldn't generate anything yesterday and kept killing momentum by being easily forced out of the offensive zone.

I've seen a lot of people complaining about McCann, saying that he needs to be benched & traded. I agree that he's played poorly last game & deserves criticism. He's been lacklustre offensively for a while. However, have you ever considered how the coaching staff uses him? They always give Sid the wingers he prefers, Geno the next best options available & keep the Blueger line together. McCann just gets whoever is left regardless if they fit with him or not. To me, he's not in a very advantageous situation. Currently, he's playing alongside two wingers who don't have the speed to keep up with his movement. He always has to slow down & wait for them to join the play, but at that point the opposition has already figured them out. Just seems that McCann is really uncomfortable playing this slow style of hockey, he was so much more energetic and sharp when he played on a line with Kahun at the start of the year. I'd be willing to bet that if they put him with Rodrigues & Lafferty, he's going to find a new light in his game cuz they actually have to ability to keep up with his fast paced style.

At this point, I would scratch Marleau. The guy is washed, even last playoffs he could no longer handle the intensity anymore. I would move Hornqvist to the top line so he can cause havoc at the front of the net.

For the powerplay, I'd play Rust on the left wall. He's done some good work on the PP this season & is their best option until they can find a legitimate option.

On a positive note, the Johnson-Schultz pairing had a very solid game. Hopefully they can keep it up. In a best of 5 series the coach needs to be aggressive & make adjustments when things aren't working.