Riley Sheahan guessed it had to be in the high-20s. Bryan Rust took the over. He figured it had to be at least 50.
The correct answer, however, is somewhere in the middle. (Both of the Penguins' penalty-killers had the right era, though).
The 1983-84 Oilers hold the NHL record for the most shorthanded goals in a season by a team with 36. Wayne Gretzky scored a dozen of those.
To be sure, no one is about to confuse the 2018-19 Coyotes with that dynasty. No offense to Michael Grabner and Brad Richardson, but they are not Gretzky and Mark Messier.
Still, these current Coyotes are on pace to shatter the Oilers' 34-year-old mark. Arizona's top-ranked penalty kill unit (91.1 percent) has already scored nine shorthanded goals in just 14 games and are on track to score 52. Grabner and Richardson lead the way with three shorties each.
Can they keep that pace up? Highly doubtful. But the Penguins don't want to find out tonight when they host the Coyotes at PPG Paints Arena.
Despite their 2-1 loss in Washington — their fifth straight — the Penguins are coming off a strong performance by their own 10th-ranked penalty killing unit, which held the Capitals to one goal on six chances, including a five-minute major.
As good as they feel about their own PK, even the Penguins are impressed by what tonight's opponent has been able to do.
"Impressive. Just shows we have to be ready for them to attack even when we're on the power play," Rust said. "Just got to make sure we're on our toes."
"We have a great power play, so it should be a great matchup," Sheahan said.
Indeed, on paper, the Penguins' power play boasts a lethal arsenal. But it's been sputtering of late and Mike Sullivan has done the once-unthinkable by tinkering with splitting Sidney Crosby from Evgeni Malkin. Whether that's the case tonight remains to be seen.
But no matter which unit is on the ice, the Penguins say they have to do a good job of managing the puck and play with awareness.
That's been an issue so far for the Penguins' power play, also ranked 10th. They have already allowed three shorthanded goals, second-most in the NHL, after surrendering just three all of last season. The 1984-85 Penguins are tied for the all-time record for shorthanded goals against with 22.
"When there's pressure in vulnerable areas in the rink, most specifically, on the half walls and the high ice in the offensive zone where potential breakaways and odd-man rushes could result, if we're hoping to win pucks, hope can't be a strategy for our power play tonight," Sullivan said. "We have to make sure we play on the right side of the puck and have a defensive conscience even if we're out there with a man advantage."
The Penguins are one of seven teams yet to score while short-handed though they have gotten a few chances in recent games. For any penalty killer, they have to strike a balance between defending — most importantly — and taking a chance.
"Had a few opportunities, one or two of them, but can't seem to cash in on them," Rust, who has scored one goal this season, lamented. "You want to take advantage of opportunities when you get them, but definitely can't take shortcuts."
At this point, after scoring seven goals during their five-game slide, the Penguins will be happy to get any goals, any way they can. After putting up 42 shots against the Capitals, Rust is confident it will happen.
"If we keep getting that amount of chances, that much offense, pucks are bound to go in," he said.
THE ESSENTIALS
THE INJURIES
• Penguins: Derick Brassard, forward, will miss his seventh straight game with a lower-body injury. He resumed skating on Friday and is expected to take the ice later Saturday. Justin Schultz, defenseman, is expected to miss four months after fracturing his leg Oct. 13 in Montreal.
• Coyotes: Jakob Chychryn, defenseman, is week-to-week with a lower body injury. Christian Dvorak, forward, is out with an upper body injury. Antti Raanta, goalie, is day-to-day with a lower body injury.
THE SKATE
• Casey DeSmith will make consecutive starts for the first time since Oct. 13-16. That says something about DeSmith's performance and Sullivan's confidence in him. But that also says something about Matt Murray and where his game is. Sullivan said the Penguins are playing to win now, while trying to keep things in a broader perspective. Murray is continuing to get extended work in with goalie's coach Mike Buckley.
"By no means do we discount Matt's contributions here," the coach said. "We know Matt's going to be a huge part of this team moving forward. We've got two capable goalies at this point. We are tying to manage the decisions in the short term, but we're also trying to keep the big picture in mind."
• Jamie Oleksiak and Daniel Sprong are the likely healthy scratches. Oleksiak, a minus-4 in his last three games, has been scratched just once in his Pittsburgh career and that came Oct. 13 at Montreal. Sprong, a potential trade piece, will miss his second straight game after giving way to Zach Aston-Reese and Garrett Wilson.
• Between Sullivan's line changes and Jim Rutherford's barely veiled ultimatum, the Penguins are playing for jobs. That comes with the territory when you've lost five straight, according to the coach.
"When you look at our team, there's a high expectation," he said. "We all live up to certain expectations or standards that we've built over time. When you don't meet that expectation, change is inevitable. That's the nature of our business. We're all aware of that, we understand it. I think what's important is that we react the right way."
Sullivan reiterated that he still believes in his team and thinks they can turn it around. He said the Penguins can't control a lot of things but they can control their effort and their compete level, which he says hasn't been consistent enough.
• As the city's Veteran's Day parade was going on downtown, the Penguins were hosting veterans in their locker room following their skate. The team presented about two dozen veterans with a personalized jersey. The team will honor veterans throughout the day, including during tonight's game.
Penguins’ American contingent, including Sullivan, presenting veterans with jerseys outside locker room. #dkps #penguins pic.twitter.com/vhqaajXVul
— Chris Bradford (@PghBradford) November 10, 2018
"We just have so much respect for the sacrifices they make and their families as well," Sullivan said. "To take a moment like we did this morning to give them an opportunity to interact with 0ur team and give then an opportunity to experience what it's like to be in our dressing room, I know it's a big thrill for them, but I know it 's a really big thrill for us as well."
• As he did in Washington on Wednesday, Crosby again took part in the morning skate.
THE OTHER SIDE
• The Coyotes held an optional skate after practicing in Pittsburgh on Friday. About a dozen players took to the ice.
• Rick Tocchet confirmed that Josh Archibald will be back in the lineup after missing two weeks with an upper body injury. Archibald was a member of the Penguins' 2017 Cup team, appearing in four postseason games, including Game 4 of the Cup Final against Nashville.
• With Archibald back, Richard Panik is out as a healthy scratch.
• Tocchet, an assistant on Sullivan's staff on the 2016 and '17 championship teams, joked that he wished his team was facing the Penguins after it had won three straight. He expects to see Pittsburgh's best performance after a strong showing against the Capitals.
"These guys don't lose very often," he said. "They're going through a tough stretch. It's going to be a tough game for us. We have to realize that there are great players here that won Stanley Cups. They have a lot of pride. A lot of pride."
• Darcy Kuemper will make his second straight start with Raanta on the shelf. Hunter Miska, recalled earlier in the week, will serve as the backup.
• With its OT loss at Philadelphia on Thursday, Arizona has earned a point in six of its past seven games (5-1-1). The Coyotes are playing in its first back-to-back set this season. They will face the defending champion Capitals tomorrow.
THE COMBINATIONS
• Here's an educated guess on the lines and combinations, based on Friday's practice and who is likely scratched:
Simon—Crosby—Rust
Hagelin—Malkin—Hornqvist
Guentzel—Sheahan—Kessel
Aston-Reese—Cullen—Wilson
Johnson—Letang
Maatta—Ruhwedel
Dumoulin—Riikola
• The Coyotes are expected use the following lines:
Crouse--Galchenyuk--Keller
Cousins--Stepan--Fischer
Grabner--Richardson--Hinostroza
Archibald--Strome--Perlini
Ekman-Larsson--Demers
Hjalmarsson--Lybushkin
Connauton--Oesterle
THE SCHEDULE
Faceoff tonight is at 7:08 p.m. at PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins have a scheduled off day on Sunday and return to practice at 11 a.m. on Monday at the Lemieux Complex. They will face the Devils in Newark on Tuesday. DK and Matt Sunday will have your coverage in North Jersey.
THE COVERAGE
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