Struggling Power Play Costing Penguins Games
Heading into the 2023-24 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins looked like they could have one of the most feared power plays in the entire NHL.
The Penguins added Erik Karlsson to a power play group that already featured multiple future Hall of Famers in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang.
Tack on the goal scoring prowess of Jake Guentzel and there is unlimited potential.
One big problem through 18 games, however, has been the power play’s almost complete inability to score.
The Penguins have only scored with the man advantage seven times all season on 51 opportunities; with a 13.7% success rate, their power play sits 26th in the NHL.
Not only is the Penguins power play struggling to score, it’s beginning to cost them games.
In their 1-0 loss to the New York Rangers, the Penguins had five opportunities with an extra man and were only able to rifle five shots on goal.
One of those chances was cut short by Karlsson taking a penalty of his own, but this kind of failure is unacceptable.
If the Penguins squeeze just one past Quick on the power play, it’s a completely different game, and maybe even a different outcome.
The players that fly over the boards with every man advantage still carry optimism, but something has to give eventually.
“We’re going to keep pounding at it,” Karlsson said. “We got everything that we need. Now, we just need to find a way to make it all work and execute a lot better.”
This game against the Rangers in particular was just a bad performance from the Penguins, and head coach Mike Sullivan said as much.
“I think it was a struggle on the power play tonight,” Sullivan said. “These guys care an awful lot. They’ve got a lot of pride. When it doesn’t go their way, they put a lot of pressure on themselves to make it work.”
Sullivan believes that has been a huge issue for the Penguins, that forcing of plays and adding more pressure to the situation, especially considering the cold streak they’ve been on.
The Penguins haven’t scored on the man advantage in five games; in those contests the Penguins are 2-3 and falling far behind in the standings.
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This isn’t a new issue for the Penguins, either; the power play was a huge problem last year and they’ve been using a similar attack or nearly a decade.
There is absolutely not doubt the Penguins can have a threatening power play; just by looking at the names, they should be rolling night in and night out.
Of the seven goals scored by the power play, three players have a pair; Crosby, Karlsson, and Malkin.
If the Penguins can snap out of whatever has been holding their power play back, they can truly become a dominating team.
The 5-on-5 numbers are already there and the penalty kill remains outstanding, now, it’s a matter of finding that offense.
Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more.
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