10 Takeaways From Game 2: Goaltending Isn’t the Penguins Problem

Despite their 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers in Game 2 at Madison Square Garden, the Pittsburgh Penguins are in good shape. They've actually outplayed their opposition for the majority of the eight-plus periods of hockey played in Manhattan. And, most importantly, they head back to Pittsburgh with a 1-1 series tie.

Mission accomplished.

However, there were some significant issues that led to the loss in Game 2. The good news is most of them are fixable. It's not like the Penguins have been vastly outmatched thus far. In Game 2's edition of 10 Takeaways, we'll take a look at some of these issues, how to potentially fix them and some of the positives for a pivotal Game 3 at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday night.

On the surface, the Penguins being down to their third goaltender while facing Vezina-favorite Igor Shesterkin seems like a potential catalyst for yet another first-round exit. To be fair, New York would already have an advantage between the pipes even if Tristan Jarry were healthy. But having Louis Domingue in net is not the problem you think it might be.

Domingue only stopped 35 of 40 shots, which is a less-than-ideal .875 save percentage. But the Penguins simply did not play well enough in front of him in Game 2. There were waves when they looked crisp on the breakout and thwarted the Rangers' forecheck before it began. But once New York got the puck in the zone and established possession, they often overmatched the Penguins' defense.

With Domingue, two goals came on deflections, one was a result of abysmal defense and another came from a puck that bounced off Mike Matheson and ricocheted into the net. All in all, Domingue had far more good moments than bad, including this sensational save to keep it a 1-0 deficit in the first period to prevent the game from getting out of hand early.

Brian Dumoulin did not have a great performance in Game 1. That was highlighted by the turnover that led to the controversial goaltender interference call that could have gone either way.

However, the Penguins' defense was considerably worse as a whole in Game 2 without him.

Dumoulin missed Thursday night's action due to what head coach Mike Sullivan described as a lower-body injury. In turn, Matheson jumped up on the first defensive pairing with Kris Letang and both had rough performances.

Letang was beat cleanly on the friendly-fire goal, despite two healthy hacks on Artemi Panarin before he threw the puck to the middle, only to ricochet off Matheson into the net. It was a devastating goal to allow as it gave New York a 4-2 advantage in the third period. Pittsburgh had dominated play to that point in the period. It halted all momentum going their way.

Matheson wasn't great either, and that was epitomized on New York's fifth and final goal of the night. Rangers forward Frank Vatrano skated up the right wing wall into the Penguins zone and Matheson chased the hit, missed and allowed him to walk in on Domingue (even so, it's probably the one Domingue wanted back of the five goals).

As it has been throughout their long time together, Letang is at his best when paired with Dumoulin. I don't think it's simply a coincidence that Letang's played regressed that much with a different partner. Additionally, having Matheson with Letang seriously inhibits offensive production from the other two defensive pairings.

Dumoulin isn't the same guy he used to be. However, having a lesser version of Dumoulin probably means the Penguins have a greater version of Letang. When Letang is at his best, it's a game-changer. Pittsburgh needs Dumoulin back as soon as possible.

Panarin's goal in the third period might have been the dagger, but a play he set up in the first period was the first blow of the game. What really sucks is it could have been avoided with sound defense.

The Rangers got the puck in the Pittsburgh zone and worked it back to the point. Justin Braun found Panarin on the left wing with nobody around him. At that point, you'd expect someone—anyone—to collapse on him.

Nope.

Panarin was allowed to walk in toward the net and find Andrew Copp in the slot for a one-timer.

There is a lot of blame to go around on this one. Letang and Matheson were both tied up in front—pretty much right on top of Domingue. Rust, who was covering the point, had closest access to Panarin, but chose to stay in between him and Braun to take away the pass back to the point. Finally, Sidney Crosby failed to take the slot away from Copp, leaving him with an uncontested shot.

The good news is these are fixable issues. The bad news is these kind of defensive breakdowns have become far too common for Pittsburgh. It's hard enough to contain the Rangers when their forecheck is going. It's nearly impossible to beat them when you allow a guy like Panarin to walk in toward the net untouched. It doesn't matter who is in net. They won't win that way.

The Penguins have struggled on both the power play (1-for-7) and the penalty kill (3-for-5). Though the power play's lone goal was a Bryan Rust slam dunk on a 5-on-3, the Penguins are closer to fixing that than the penalty kill. 

Pittsburgh has at least generated 14 shots on those seven power plays. They've had a few close calls. They might just need a bounce or two to change their fortune.

On the other hand, the penalty kill has been far from the third-ranked unit it was during the regular season. As Mike Sullivan pointed out in his postgame press conference, they're not winning faceoffs or getting clears. They're giving New York a lot of zone time on the power play. As mentioned before, this team is dangerous enough with possession in the offensive zone when it's 5-on-5. Give them time with a man advantage and it's just asking for goals to be scored.

I feel like this will be one of the 10 takeaways in every game this series. Shesterkin, yet again, was sensational for the Rangers. In fact, don't expect anything less from him. He's pretty much a lock for the Vezina Trophy, and he is maintaining every reason why with his performance in the playoffs thus far.

All six goals the Penguins have scored on him have come in close proximity to the net. Not saying Pittsburgh shouldn't rip the puck from the point or half wall. But if the Penguins are going to beat him, they've got to make him move side to side and, most importantly, crash the crease.

A dirty goal counts the same as the pretty ones. Early returns in this series show the need to win the net-front battles and make Shesterkin uncomfortable in the crease.

Speaking of trophies, Shesterkin could have earned an Oscar nomination for his performance late in the game. 

After Shesterkin played the puck behind the net, Jeff Carter zoomed in to chase the puck carrier and tried a tight turn around the net as the Rangers netminder skated back in front. The two collided and Shesterkin was upended and laid on his back motionless for a good 30 seconds.

Regardless of what Carter did, Shesterkin definitely leaned toward Carter as he skated in, then hit the ice doing his best Superman impression. But the acting didn't stop there:

It was a superb performance, worthy of recognition by the Academy.

These acting jobs have to stop. Shesterkin finished the game showing zero signs of any discomfort. Goalies—including the Penguins' own Tristan Jarry—do this far too often. And this time, it bought the Rangers a double-minor as Carter was called for goaltender interference and roughing (which, again, I implore officials to read Rule 51.1 before calling a player for roughing).

Even at the age of 34, Sidney Crosby is doing amazing things. Yes, he was part of the aforementioned defensive blunder. However, in two games, there is a strong argument that the Penguins captain has been the best player on the ice.

Trailing 3-1 in the second period, Crosby scored a vintage goal. He picked up the puck in his own zone, skated down the heart of the ice through not one, not two, not three, but four Rangers. The puck finally came off his stick in the low slot, but bounced back to a trailing Bryan Rust, who put the puck on net. Shesterkin denied it, but Crosby pounced on the rebound and buried it in the back of the net to bring the Penguins within a goal.

The top line of Crosby, Rust and Jake Guentzel continued their strong performance in Game 2. They weren't quite as dominant as they were in Game 1, but still generated 17 of the Penguins' 41 shots and scored both Penguins goals. The bottom line is the Rangers haven't found a way to shut down this line.

Guentzel scored the Penguins' first goal of the game, and it came just 2:02 after the Rangers broke the scoreless tie. That gives him 29 goals in 53 career postseason games. He's turned into quite a player for Pittsburgh.

The good news is the Guentzel-Crosby-Rust combination has dominated the ice while Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant had the advantage of last change on home ice. 

The bad news is... 

The top line had produced all of Pittsburgh's goals in the series, save for the lone power play goal (also scored by Rust). Somebody—anybody—has to step up.

Jeff Carter has been underwhelming. Kasperi Kapanen has been better, but is still not putting the puck in the net. Evan Rodrigues is not shooting when he can. And Brian Boyle, well, it might be time for him to sit.

When Jason Zucker returns, which could be in Game 3, he could easily slide in on the left wing to provide some scoring depth. Drew O'Connor was fine in Game 2, and nearly sniped one passed Shesterkin, but hit the crossbar.

If you're concerned about the penalty kill, Teddy Blueger, Brock McGinn, Rust and Carter might be able to get the job done. With the way the unit has performed thus far, a change might not hurt.

Even with the flaws from Game 2, the Penguins are in a good spot heading back home. As mentioned at the beginning, earning a split on the road is always a huge victory, especially at the beginning of a series. It's even more impressive considering how impactful the crowd was at Madison Square Garden.

Now, the series shifts to Pittsburgh. Given the recent trend of first-round exits, fans should be looking to make a huge impact knowing their team could snap that painful skid if the Penguins protect home ice.

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