COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There's no such thing as solving Igor Shesterkin. There's only outplaying the squad in front of him and hoping the frequency and quality of your chances are enough to tickle the twine several times.
The Penguins scored four goals against him Tuesday night in Game 1 of their Stanley Cup playoff series with the Rangers, a 4-3 triple-overtime victory on Evgeni Malkin's goal ... but it took a little over five periods, 142 shot attempts and 72 scoring chances -- yes, really -- to get there.
I believe in the Penguins' top-end talent. I'm not inclined to believe the team's season-long finishing troubles will suddenly vanish against the sport's top goaltender. Those struggles, like nailing the post several times and failing to jam home loose pucks in tight, didn't go away in Game 1. It will be a struggle to find the back of the net throughout the series. But, as we saw in the opener, the Rangers' messy coverage on the forecheck should present the Penguins with frequent opportunities to keep the heat on Shesterkin and, ultimately, light the lamp enough to come out on top.
That's as long as they continue to display the pinpoint passing and poise with the puck that was sorely lacking in the first period of Game 1, when it looked as if the Rangers were going to make quick work of them.
The Rangers are a bit disorganized defensively as a product of the same thing that they pride themselves on -- their physicality. Unlike the Penguins, who aim to take the most pristine routes and angles to funnel the puck into their next layer of coverage when on the forecheck, the Rangers employ a sort of reckless-abandon approach. Skate hard, often directly at the puck-carrier, whack the opposition with their sticks repeatedly, and throw a hit whenever possible to force turnovers and intimidate opponents into coughing the puck up.
Watch what happened when Frank Vatrano aggressively pressured Brian Dumoulin while making sure to get several whacks on his legs and midsection during the first shift of the game:
With Vatrano bearing down on Dumoulin like the gnat you can't seem to swat away, the latter succumbed to the pressure and rimmed a hopeless pass along the boards that resulted in the Rangers establishing their presence and getting a decent look out of it. That's what the Rangers want to do every time. Dumoulin was so concerned with coughing the puck up that he barely picked his head up to scan the ice before sending the puck off to be another skater's problem.
If the Penguins are going to throw pucks away and waste possessions, the Rangers' forecheck will work like a charm.
But once the Penguins settled into the game and started playing with confidence, it was clear the they could have their way getting up ice if they took what the Rangers were giving them:
With the puck getting wheeled behind the Penguins' net, Vatrano made the interesting choice to skate below the goal line rather than above in his pursuit to support the puck. Chris Kreider did everything he could to fend off Mike Matheson along the boards, but the defenseman played him extremely well and forced Kreider into a low-probability pass that went right to the tape of Jake Guentzel, who eventually scored.
Mika Zibanejad, also in pursuit to support, got caught against the grain of the pass as he showed up a moment too late, and suddenly the Penguins had every single one of their skaters above multiple Rangers as they transitioned up ice. The Penguins didn't score off the initial rush, but the chance that came from the rush was what opened up the opportunity for the goal just seconds later.
And that's really the heart of what we're getting to here. The rush chance sent the Rangers' coverage into a five-man rover unit as they chased the puck around and floundered to recover. The Penguins picked them apart for it, and that's how they'll continue to get the high-octane chances they need to get the puck past Shesterkin.
Offensive-zone cycles are the toughest way to score, whereas odd-man rushes and the immediate chances after are the easiest way to score due to the chaotic, broken-nature of those sequences.
The rush looks they generate from being able to cakewalk up the ice pale in comparison to what they can create off the cycle:
Forget the beautiful shot from Guentzel and the surgical maneuvers from Sidney Crosby for a second. How did they end up with so much space to begin with?
Andrew Copp peeled off of Matheson after tracking him behind the Penguins' net. In doing so, he failed to mark any Penguins skater as he drifted back to neutral ice. Ryan Strome didn't do nearly enough to contain Bryan Rust as he received the breakout pass. With Copp disengaged and Strome a non-factor, the Penguins got out of the zone and moved the puck cross-ice with ease. The stars worked their magic from there. And like I've said multiple times now, that's what they'll have to keep doing to find success in this series.
Of course, it's not feasible to solely create on the rush, especially down the lineup. There will be cycle goals as well, and the Penguins' fourth line even got an invite to the Rangers' easy exit party to establish their own forecheck:
The Penguins had them outnumbered on the puck below the goal line while Kaapo Kakko danced around in the slot, effectively doing nothing.
Here's one final example that does a really good job of showing just how sketchy the Rangers' forecheck is, especially for the two forwards that aren't directly pressuring the carrier:
If Strome is going to show such little concern for his positioning away from the puck like he showed there, the Penguins will keep him hemmed in his zone like he was for the majority of Game 1.
Side note, but it would be a huge development for the Penguins to get that John Marino for their run.
Obviously, the Penguins will need to take care of business outside of making the most of their transition game, but doing so will put them in the best situations to beat Shesterkin, and thus, win the series.