With an extra eight points left on the table, the Pittsburgh Penguins continue to sit in the last wild card spot.
The 3-on-3 overtime period has not been friendly to the Pittsburgh Penguins this season, and those losses are starting to pile up.
Not even 50 games into the 2022-23 season and the Penguins have reached overtime 11 times with only three wins to show from them.
One of the wins came from their only appearance in the shootout, so let’s leave that one out and only look at the 2-8 record in games decided during the overtime period.
To be blunt, that’s not good enough; the Penguins have the skill and finesse to be a better team at 3-on-3, but continuous mistakes are costing them.
Head coach Mike Sullivan said following an overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in late December that the overtime performances haven’t been up to their standards.
Sullivan said then that the Penguins are leaving point on the table; since that comment, they have lost three more times in the extra frame.
With eight losses in overtime, the Penguins are missing out on an extra eight points; if the Penguins were able to turn even some of those OTL into wins, they’ve be in a much better spot in the standings.
What’s been the issue with the Penguins in overtime? Following the most recent OTL to the New Jersey Devils, Sullivan stated that part of it is line changes.
“We've got to have tighter line changes,” Sullivan said “We've got to have smarter line changes. Line changing is a big part of overtime. That's one area where I think we've got to do a better job."
Pointing out flaws in line changes is totally fair, after all that is arguably the reason why they lost to the Devils, and defensemen Marcus Pettersson took full responsibility.
Other areas that could be improved upon, though, revolve around not playing with pace or being too passive.
When the NHL introduced 3-on-3 overtime, they did so with the hope teams would up their tempo and take more risks and create fun hockey.
The Penguins don’t do that; they’re one of the few teams that gain possession then immediately sit back and wait for their opponent to make the first mistake.
It’s a solid strategy, and has worked for them in the past, but it’s time for a change in outlook.
The only two wins the Penguins have collected in overtime came against teams that they should have beat in regulation.
Also, it took major mistakes from those opponents to open up the opportunities for the Penguins to win.
The first came when the Buffalo Sabres took a penalty giving the Penguins a 4-on-3 chance and the other when Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras decided to pass the puck on a breakaway.
With a 2-8 record in overtime decisions, any change can be a welcomed one for the Penguins.
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