Whether you're using your eyes or diving into the numbers, the problem with the Penguins' power play, ranked No. 23 in the league with a 13.9 percent conversion rate, is pretty clear.
Let's look at a couple of stats anyway, though, to really illustrate the issue with the man advantage and how the Penguins stack up against the rest of the league.
Shot attempts: 71.94 per 60 minutes, 31st in the NHL
Unblocked shot attempts: 54.44 per 60 minutes, 31st in the NHL
Shots on goal: 37.92 per 60 minutes, 30th in the NHL
They're not shooting the puck. They're not even attempting to shoot the puck.
Monday night, for instance, the Penguins' had six power play opportunities. That's 12 full minutes. They didn't have any goals to show for it, and the number of shots? Just seven. Sevens shots over six power plays.
I asked Sidney Crosby about the power play's issues following Tuesday's practice held at Madison Square Garden.
"I think it's just making sure we take what's given," he said. "I think we can be a little more aggressive, whether that's taking shots that are there, moving around a little bit more to support the puck, different things, it's not always the same thing. And when it's not going well, that's usually the case, it's not one thing."
That's in line with what Mike Sullivan said of the power play following Monday's loss in New York. They're not shooting the puck when they're given the chance.
"We've talked about simplifying the game, trying to shoot the puck more and creating our offense off of that shot," Sullivan said. "It looks like we're looking for a better play that's not there. We've got to do a better job of just putting pucks at the net, and then creating our offense that way."
Sullivan added Tuesday that one of the keys will be to "free up the mindsets" of the players by simplifying things on the power play so they start relying on their instincts more, which should get them to shoot more, and just make the unit dynamic again.
"If we shoot the puck, we're going to force movement," he said. "We're going to force motion. Right now, in the coaches eyes, we're just a little bit stagnant. A little bit robotic. we're predictable as a result. And when you look at the personnel group that we have, they're at their bests when they're instinctive. And nothing breaks coverage down better than a shot on goal. ... If we can just try to shoot the puck a little bit more, it's going to put pucks in play that are going to give us an opportunity to act on our instincts, because things happen fast off of that."
The Penguins don't play again until Saturday on Long Island after the two scheduled home games against the Devils were postponed due to COVID issues on the Devils. The power play will be a focus this week, but practice alone won't solve the power play's issues.
"To get some practice will be good," Crosby said. "It's more about just going out there and executing and gaining some momentum in-game. We weren't able to do that last night, and it's a difference-maker. We've got to find a way to correct that."
The penalty kill hasn't been great either, ranking No. 25 in the league with a 74.3 percent success rate.
"It's tough to point to one thing," Blueger said. "Like yesterday, I've got to block that shot that went in," referring to Chris Kreider's game-winning power play goal. "I thought up to that point we did a pretty good job adjusting to what they did the night before, slowing them down and keeping them to the outside."
With the penalty kill, it seems, players are still adjusting to the new system put in place by assistant coach Mike Vellucci, and that it's just a matter of time before they become comfortable with it. In this case, the extra few days of practice time could prove more helpful.
"I think, obviously playing under a certain structure for quite some time with Jacques (Martin), it's tough to adjust, I guess, from what you're used to, out of your comfort zone," Blueger said. "It takes time to develop some trust with the system. Shorthanded you really have to trust your teammates and know what they're about to do so you can make good reads off of it. I think that's kind of been a bit of an issue.
"The good thing is that there's still a lot of the season left for us to improve and that we've got a lot of room to grow in that aspect. I think that's what we're going to do, we're going to adjust, work on it, and get better."
MORE FROM PRACTICE
• The practice was in New York, and due to Madison Square Garden COVID regulations, no reporters were allowed to attend, so I can't tell you what happened on the ice.
• Sullivan said afterward that Kris Letang did not practice, and remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury and is still being evaluated. Zach Aston-Reese and Mike Matheson were full participants, though.
"Their progress is real encouraging," Sullivan said. "They're getting more involved with full participation in practice, so that's real encouraging from our standpoint."
• The Penguins sent Kevin Czuczman and Drew O'Connor to the taxi squad prior to practice, and re-assigned Will Reilly to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Czuczman's two games in the NHL, his first since the 2013-14 season, weren't great. But he was still smiling on Tuesday talking about this experience being back in the NHL.
"It feels like a long development, seven years of it," he said. "It's just an unbelievable opportunity. It's such a good culture here, it's such a good dressing room of guys. It's definitely something I've been working toward for a lot of years. It's one of those things where you have to keep building, keep getting confidence in practices and keep learning. The game keeps changing and you've got to adapt to it. It's a lot of fun and I'm enjoying every moment.
During that time in the AHL last year, Czuczman was one of Wilkes-Barre's veteran leaders on the blue line. After seeing the way P.O Joseph performed as a rookie, I asked if he was surprised to see how quick his rise has been in Pittsburgh.
"No, not at all," he said. "Last year he was unbelievable for us. You could see how quickly he was developing, it was pretty cool to watch. He's an unbelievable kid. He's hungry to learn, he loves the game. It's definitely so cool being here and seeing him blossom into one of the good defensemen on the team. I'm happy for him, it's a really good opportunity."
• Crosby was asked if this season makes things more difficult for "older players" to get into game-shape and find their rhythm, and he laughed a little before answering.
"I don't know, I think it's not easy for anybody, short camp and things like that," he said. "I don't know how to answer that. ... I love that we're able to jump into games and play every second day. I've welcomed that. I don't know if I fit in the 'older player' category or not, but I like that."
• Crosby said that he hasn't decided on his Super Bowl pick yet, but noted that it's hard to bet against Tom Brady.
