Since Nov. 5, no team in the NHL has a better success rate on the penalty-kill than the Penguins, who are clicking at 93.8% in 11 games during that time.
That's a major turnaround for a penalty-kill unit that ranked toward the bottom of the league and was hemorrhaging high-danger attempts against through the first 11 games of the season.
The return of Teddy Blueger has obviously had a major impact, but as he said following the Penguins' optional morning skate before taking on the Hurricanes here at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday, things are just coming together at the right time for the penalty-kill.
"I think the coincidence has worked out nicely," Blueger said of his return from injury lining up with the penalty-kill's turnaround. "We’ve been kind of on the same page pressuring together, making good reads off each other, the goalies have been great. It all kind of came together at the right time. The communication’s been good. I think we’re finally in the rhythm where guys have some more chemistry playing with each other and some more reps."
Blueger also mentioned personnel consistency as something that has helped the unit be so effective of late.
"Now that we have those consistent pairings, you’re always going out with the same guys, so it does make it easier to make the reads for the guys that are out there," Blueger said.
Sullivan agreed that Blueger's return has been invaluable for the penalty-kill, but also credited the rest of the unit for taking care of business.
"I think Teddy’s had a huge influence on it, without a doubt, but I think the other guys deserve a lot of credit, as well," Sullivan said. "It’s a collective effort out there. I just think they’re doing a great job. They’re executing, they’re getting clears when the opportunities are there, they’re pressuring pucks collectively when the opportunities present themselves, and when they’re not, I think they’ve just had good detail to their structure and their stick detail and things of that nature.
"And then they’re doing the little things. They’re blocking shots when they have to, they’re competing on rebounds, they’re defending our net-front. And for me, when those types of details are all in place, you set yourself up for success. I don’t think it’s any one thing, I think it’s a collection of things that have allowed the penalty-kill to be successful."
With Brock McGinn rekindling some chemistry with Blueger on the kill, Ryan Poehling and Josh Archibald have really stepped up on the second unit to turn an early-season weakness into one of the team's greatest strengths at the moment.
MORE FROM THE SKATE
• Tristan Jarry will start in goal for the Penguins against the Hurricanes on Tuesday night, Sullivan confirmed. He is 8-3-2 this season with a .914 save percentage, 2.90 goals against average. He has allowed 0.54 more goals than expected than expected based on the quality of chances he has faced, per Evolving-Hockey.
• Here are the players who took the option to participate in the morning skate: Evgeni Malkin, Danton Heinen, Blueger, P.O Joseph, Marcus Pettersson, Chad Ruhwedel, Casey DeSmith
• Based on line rushes at practice on Monday -- and the fact that Kasperi Kapanen did not take the option to skate Tuesday morning -- Heinen will be a healthy scratch for the first time this season. Heinen had a great start to the season and is an absolute bargain at a $1 million cap hit, but he hasn't been anywhere close to good enough for the better part of a month, and his poor performance of late can't solely be chalked up to his linemates. Heinen has gone 17 consecutive games without a goal, and in seven of those games he attempted one or zero shots.
• At one point last season, Pettersson found himself out of the lineup as a healthy scratch. During the offseason, his name was at the forefront of trade rumors. Now, he's playing on the Penguins' top pairing. I asked him what that's done for his confidence.
"It does a lot," he told me. "I think confidence is a thing that comes and goes, so all you can do is just know what you put out there every day and the reliability that you bring. I think that’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time — consistent and reliable out there and knowing what my teammates get out of me every night."
• "I expect a good game," Pettersson also said of the Penguins' first matchup with the Hurricanes this season. "They’re fast, they like to forecheck. I think it’s one of the teams in the league that pressure the most, just all five guys, so I think we got to take care of the puck and play behind those guys and we’ll get some looks. It’s gonna be really fun game against a good division rival."
• The Hurricanes have been one of the best teams in the NHL at creating quality offense at 5-on-5 this season, as their 3.06 expected goals for per hour ranks fourth in the league, but they have had some serious problems actually putting the puck in the net, as their 2.3 goals per hour ranks 23rd in the league.
• Both the Penguins and Hurricanes have played 22 games so far this season. The Hurricanes currently hold a two-point edge over the Penguins in the standings.
• 23-year-old Pyotr Kochetkov will start in goal for the Hurricanes. It will be his ninth NHL start. He is 2-1-3 this season with a .912 save percentage and 2.33 goals against average. He has saved 4.73 more goals than expected.
• Puck drops at 7:08 p.m. tonight at the Paint Can. Taylor Haase and I will have your coverage.