It's hard not to feel for Mike Sullivan and his seemingly impossible situation in Pittsburgh right now. Two games into the new coaching era for the Penguins, and not much has changed. Their defense feels made up of more minor league talent than NHL players, Sidney Crosby and company are still struggling on the scoreboard, and to top it all off, key injuries to Marc-Andre Fleury and Beau Bennett have taken away two of the only bright spots this team has going for it right now.
NHL scores 2015: 3 things we learned in the Penguins’ 3-0 shutout loss to the Bruins
Mike Sullivan will have to wait a bit longer for his first win as Pittsburgh’s new head coach.
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Clearly, the problem wasn’t just former head coach Mike Johnston. While his systems did not match up with the superstar talents he possessed on his team, it’s hard to do anything with the talent pool the Penguins have in places outside of their offense. Even their offense, while talented, has it’s problems connecting with one another. It’s an effect of the team’s furious hope of placing puzzle pieces where they don’t fit in an attempt to win right now.
Whenever the Penguins start scoring, it's sure to come fast and furious, but for now, Pittsburgh's offense remains stagnant as their stars continue to grip their sticks in frustration. Their latest loss came at the hands of the Bruins in a 3-0 shutout in the first stage of a mid-week home-and-home. This loss lands more on the side of frustrating rather than uninspired, with Pittsburgh winning the shot count 34-29, including a staggering 14 shot differential in the second period alone.
The Penguins were outdone Wednesday evening by the slick wrist shot of former Pittsburgh favorite Max Talbot and the accidental deflection of defenseman Ian Cole into his own net. The opening goal by Boston was Talbot's first in a Bruins sweater and his first in 10 months since his time with the Colorado Avalanche. Where Pittsburgh came undone was on Jimmy Hayes' goal early in the second period, summing up the Penguin's season to date quite nicely with bad defense done in on bad puck luck.
There’s no way the Penguins will stay off the scoresheet forever, but until they finally break through, frustration will certainly run the room.
Scores
3 things we learned
1. Jeff Zatkoff is no Fleury
That statement is certainly true most days of the week, but Pittsburgh is missing its star netminder big time. Zatkoff is a fine backup, but Fleury is this team's MVP so far this season and any game without him due to his concussion is one that sets Pittsburgh back just a tad. Talbot's opening goal, for example, is one that should have been stopped by the netminder. What looks like quite an easy open ice wrist shot from the circle slipped through Zatkoff's arm as the game's ultimate winner of the evening.
2. Rask shut the door at the other end for a career night
Tuukka Rask's 34-save shutout for the Bruins marks the 30th of his career and ties him for first in the NHL this season with four blank slates so far in the 2015-16 year. After a slow start for the Bruins this season, the netminder has been one of the biggest reasons for Boston's resurgence over the last few months.
4th shutout of the season for Tuukka Rask, turned away all 34 shots he faced. Now 7-0-2 over his last 9 games with a .954 save percentage.
— Jeff Pini (@JeffPini) December 17, 2015 3. Brad Marchand tried to be Evgeni Malkin ... but failed
On a mostly uninteresting night of Wednesday Night Rivalry hockey, we did get Brad Marchand working his best Evgeni Malkin impression on a gorgeous spin move on the forward himself. Sadly, it did not pan out but what a wonderful GIF this makes regardless.
Marchand spins around Malkin but loses the puck before he can dish it pic.twitter.com/UOyscM5s9o
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) December 17, 2015 See More:
