Penguins Have Confidence in Improving Power Play
The Pittsburgh Penguins have struggled to get their new power play off the ground, but they know the success will come.
One of the biggest storylines to come out of the back half of Pittsburgh Penguins training camp was the set up and lack of cohesion on the power play.
With elite level players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson, and Kris Letang, the Penguins will enter the season with one of the most feared groups in the NHL.
The only problem being so far is that the group hasn’t found their footing and are really yet to look threatening.
With a new talent like Karlsson, there is sure to be some bumps in the road, and everyone has begged for patience, but it’s got to pay off at some point.
If you ask the guys on that unit, they know it will take time and it’s slowly coming together.
“We’re starting from scratch,” Karlsson said. “We’re going to have to through situational stuff in real games. That’s how we’re going to figure things out.”
Karlsson noted that the group can work at practice all they want, but things won’t really take off until they see how other teams attack against them.
The group remains confident in their abilities, too, they know they have what it takes to really leave a mark on the league.
“Whether you’re a unit that’s played together for a while or a new unit, it usually takes time,” Crosby said. “I think that’s just part of the process.”
Forward Jake Guentzel is expected to miss the start of the regular season, but has started getting reps with the full Penguins team.
Thanks to his goal scoring ability, Guentzel is usually a regular face on the power play and once he returns to health, he should slot right in.
When commented on how ‘useless’ the power play is without him, all Guentzel could do is laugh.
As Guentzel continues to heal, he has stepped in and started taking cuts with the top unit.
Soon enough the guys will pick up the pace and gain momentum with the man advantage; given the amount of talent, they could, and should finish near the top of the league in power play percentage.
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