Drive to the Net: First line makes costly mistakes

The top line isn't the reason for the Penguins' 5-1 loss to the Blues. The Penguins as a whole just didn't match the Blues' approach.

But, man, it's rare to see that top line have an outing as rough defensively as this one, and Sidney Crosby, Jared McCann and Jake Guentzel were on the ice for the first three goals against.

"Two of (the first three goals) I thought were avoidable, one of them I think they got a little bit of puck luck," Mike Sullivan said in his postgame press conference. "That line has been great for us. They're three guys that have played so well for us, and I think we've got to do a better job on two of them on making sure that we come back, and we don't get beat back up the ice and we stop and defend the scoring area."

Which goals are Sullivan talking about? Let's break it down.

Oskar Sundqvist got the Blues on the board first. Guentzel lost his footing and got burned, he's also the only forward anywhere near the play. McCann, not even in frame for most of this clip, looked like he was coasting at the back of the pack, behind any of the Blues. He didn't start to really move his feet until Jaden Schwartz was about to feed Sundqvist for the goal:

If Guentzel wasn't all alone, or if he doesn't trip himself up, that's an avoidable goal. That's the "getting beat back up ice" that Sullivan was talking about.

"It's tough when you don't feel like you're giving them much then you give them a couple really good quality ones like that," Crosby said of the Penguins' start. "I'm late to get to a guy a couple of times, and it's in the back of the net. It's tough."

Vince Dunn extended the Blues' lead in the first period. David Perron dumped the puck in, Guentzel got to the loose puck first, but he couldn't take possession. The loose puck floated right into Ryan O'Reilly's lap, and he fed it to an open Dunn in the slot for the goal:

Guentzel didn't get beat to the puck this time, but he turned it over. That's avoidable. Dunn didn't exactly face a lot of opposition in the slot for his shot. That's the failure to "defend the scoring area" that Sullivan was talking about.

The third goal is absolutely the one that Sullivan thought was "a little bit of puck luck," and that you can't pin on the first line. Robert Thomas did beat McCann up ice, but the Penguins were defending the scoring area. Pat Maroon had his stick in position over Justin Schultz's in the crease and was able to tip the puck into the open net:

Guentzel was the only member of the top line to finish with a Corsi For percentage over 50 percent at five-on-five, at 55.17. Crosby posted a 44.44, McCann 41.67. The line allowed more chances than they took. Guentzel attempted five shots, second-most on the team, but Crosby and McCann each had only two. Even if their defensive play had been stronger, they weren't clicking offensively, either.

Still, Sullivan did not sound discouraged. It's one game, a rare bad game from these three.

"I'm certainly not going to overthink that because I know that line will respond the right way," he said.

With another game here Sunday night against the Flyers, the line will have the chance to respond in no time. No time to dwell on this one.

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY