TORONTO — The Pittsburgh Penguins’ biggest flaws were exposed in Toronto by the Maple Leafs on Monday night.
They stink in three-on-three overtime, they don’t generate much positivity from their bottom six and their power play has been a problem all season. They still managed a road point against a good team in a 3-2 overtime setback and, make no mistake, what has become their greatest trait was on display, too.
That would be character. And loads of it.
You don’t return from the dead this late in the season and surge into playoff contention without character in droves. They showed it on the ice in the third period of Monday’s game, and they showed it after.
The two men who flank Sidney Crosby on the Penguins’ top line were the leaders in this regard.
First, there was Drew O’Connor, who is growing before our eyes on a nightly basis.
With the Penguins down 2-1 and only 6:22 remaining in regulation, O’Connor barged his way to the net, found a loose puck and slammed it home for his 14th goal of the season.
THIS IS WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF! 👍
Way to go, Drew O’Connor! Let’s keep it going. pic.twitter.com/bWICVHPZiU
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 9, 2024
That goal was good enough to get a point for the Penguins, as their struggle with Detroit, Philadelphia, Washington and the New York Islanders to make the playoffs continues.
“That one,” O’Connor said, “felt good.”
One didn’t feel good for Bryan Rust earlier in the period.
The Penguins’ most versatile forward was on the ice when Auston Matthews ripped a shot past Alex Nedeljkovic on the power play to give the Leafs a 2-1 lead early in the third period. Rust placed his stick on top of his head after the goal, looking like he wanted to snap the twig in half.
SIXTY-FIVE GOALS FOR AUSTON MATTHEWS 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Jf0pmYLtAN
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 9, 2024
Was it because he screened Nedeljkovic in the play? Or was he angry that he may have grazed the puck, throwing it off line?
“No,” Rust said. “But I should have.”
Minutes after the game had concluded, Rust was still cursing himself for not throwing himself in front of Matthews’ shot.
“I’m out there for a reason,” he said. “I’m out there to block that shot. That’s what I was supposed to do. I should have blocked that f—— shot.”
Rust wasn’t letting himself off the hook on the power play.
The Penguins enjoyed some good looks on their power plays but failed to convert any of the five opportunities.
“That was mainly me,” Rust said. “I had a lot of chances and I didn’t bury any of them. I need to bury those.”
Rust wasn’t filled with complete hostility, though. Sure, he was angry at himself, but he could see the big picture.
“We did a lot of good things tonight,” he said. “And we did a get a point.”
The Penguins were fairly dominant in the first period, they had a bit of a lull in the second but then found their form. They were the better team for most of the evening, which makes getting only one point frustrating.
It does not, however, obscure the reality that the Penguins are trending in the right direction. They just hope they don’t run out of time while on this magical run.
The glass, then, could be viewed from a half-full standpoint.
“That’s the only way we can look at it right now,” Rust said. “It is a big point in the big picture of things.”
Ten postgame observations
• What a bizarre night for Crosby, who assisted on O’Connor’s tying goal.
He was hurt during three consecutive shifts in the second period, the third time when he collided with Matthews in a nasty-looking moment.
Matthews and Crosby go down😳 pic.twitter.com/4awF8ToVvT
— Everything Hockey (@EHClothing) April 9, 2024
Crosby earlier had a puck and a stick strike him in the face and got his legs tied up while being interfered with as he drove toward the Toronto net.
Crosby was fine physically after the game, though slightly miffed by the decision to overturn a four-minute high-sticking penalty.
The Matthews collision could have been ugly for Crosby. So, again, the glass is half full. He’s fine.
• One problem emerged, though. And it’s an old one.
Crosby’s skates began to give him trouble after he was interfered with by Jake McCabe, who later scored the overtime game winner.
In fact, Crosby never touched the ice in overtime. Lars Eller handled the opening faceoff. Odd, right?
Coach Mike Sullivan explained following the game that Crosby’s balky skates were again causing him problems and that he wasn’t available at the start of overtime. He also sat on the bench with his skates off for a couple of minutes during the second period.
• The Penguins’ power play looked good for most of the evening.
“It did everything but score,” Sullivan said.
I would agree with that. Erik Karlsson was dynamic on the point all evening. Crosby took a cross-ice feed from Evgeni Malkin and was robbed by an Ilya Samsonov save. And Rust, as he mentioned, enjoyed some wonderful looks that simply didn’t go.
“I guess it’s good that we did have a lot of looks,” Rust said. “I guess that’s better than not having any. We had a lot of chances.”
They did. But it’s the same old story. The Penguins’ power play is rarely effective when they need it.
• Eller, O’Connor and Karlsson never left the ice in overtime. The Leafs bled them dry, completely wearing them out until the Penguins had nothing left to give.
“They were really smart about it,” O’Connor said. “They just got possession of the puck and they never retreated far enough to give us a chance to get off the ice. It was smart. Wore us out. There wasn’t much you could do.”
O’Connor said he thought about heading to the bench on a couple of occasions but never had a reasonable chance to do so.
• Nedeljkovic was solid once again. And once again, took total accountability.
He said he committed too early on the overtime goal and that he would have liked to have played the other goals better.
I can’t fault him for any of the goals. Matthews’ shot was from a significant distance, but the goaltender was screened and Matthews is the greatest goal scorer in the game.
Nedeljkovic gets a much-needed rest since the Penguins don’t play again until Thursday. He has earned the starting job and I fully expect him to get the nod against the Red Wings.
• O’Connor keeps getting better. I have nothing but good things to say about this kid.
He creates so many turnovers every night, he’s learning how to use his size and he has a fearlessness about him. And perhaps his third-period goal might eventually have earned the point that gets the Penguins into the playoffs.
• Malkin skated better in the first period than I’ve seen at any point this season. His jump right now is very real.
I liked just about everything I saw from his game. He could have had two or three points, easily.
• Karlsson took the penalty that led to Matthews’ goal. He wasn’t perfect, but I liked his game against Toronto and I think he’s been outstanding for a couple of weeks now. The puck is following him. He’s doing a much better job of getting shots through from the point.
I think an offensive explosion from him is imminent.
• Toronto is an interesting albeit top-heavy team. I don’t like the Leafs’ blue line. The Penguins hemmed them in their zone for long stretches and the lack of vision and mobility from the Toronto blue line was pretty clear.
I suspect the Leafs will be one-and-done in the playoffs, where they’ll likely play the Florida Panthers.
• Up next for the Penguins is their biggest game against the Red Wings since June 12, 2009.
The Penguins get the Wings at home, which is a big deal since they don’t always play especially well in Detroit. Maybe an even bigger deal is that the Penguins will be rested for that game.
It should be the best game atmosphere of the season at PPG Paints Arena.
What the Penguins are doing right now is impressive and I thought this was another good night for them. Sure, they’re not in a position where they can be giving away points, but they didn’t give one away. They earned a point on the road against a really good team. They came back to get it. They outplayed Toronto. This was a good night.
And it was hard to not appreciate Rust’s words following the game. People like Crosby, Malkin, Kris Letang and Rust have championship DNA in their blood. It was evident in my conversation with Rust. That kind of accountability and passion is rare and it might be enough to push the Penguins into the postseason. We shall see.
(Photo of Drew O’Connor celebrating his tying goal with Bryan Rust: Nick Turchiaro / USA Today)
