Ivan Demidov and Kris Letang on Friday at PPG Paints Arena
What ailed the Penguins in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Canadiens at PPG Paints Arena went well beyond any one player, line or pairing.
The Penguins were disjointed mess to start, and any serious pressure put on the rookie goaltender Jacob Fowler down at the other end came far too late to make up for their earlier struggles.
Even benefitting from an overturned Canadiens goal late in the second off of an offside call, as well as being gifted a season-high six power play opportunities did little to tilt momentum in the Penguins' favor. Bryan Rust's second-period goal and Erik Karlsson's late goal on the man advantage were the Penguins' only goals against a team that came into this game averaging the fourth-most goals against in the entire league.
It'd be possible to single out a number of moments or individual players as "lowlights" in the loss, but Kris Letang's performance might be at the top of any lowlight package from this game.
It took just 2:54 for the Canadiens to open the scoring, with Alexandre Texier beating Tristan Jarry on the Canadiens' second goal of the game ... straight off a Letang assist:
TSN
"The puck bobbled," Letang told me of the play. "I tried to pass it, and it popped in there."
Letang was at the center of the fourth goal from Oliver Kapanen, 59 seconds into the third period. Ryan Shea pinched and left Letang all alone as the man back defending an odd-man rush, but that doesn't mean he couldn't have played this one better:
RDS
Letang's 14:12 at five-on-five ranked second behind Parker Wotherspoon in five-on-five ice time in the loss. And in that span the Penguins were outmatched in shot attempts (5-19), unblocked attempts (3-15), shots (2-11), high-danger attempts (0-6) expected goals share (8.8%) and actual goals (0-2). Letang or Shea ranked dead last on the team in every one of those categories.
It's not an issue that's unique to this game. Of the six defensemen who played in this game, here's where Letang ranks in various on-ice five-on-five rate categories over the course of the whole season:
In every case, the bad is outweighing the good. That's despite Letang averaging the most offensive zone starts (9.37/60) and fewest defensive zone starts (4.51/60) on the Penguins' defense.
Individually, Letang and Connor Clifton are the only two of those six defensemen without a five-on-five goal this season. Letang averages the fourth-most assists relative to his ice time, trailed by only Clifton and Ryan Graves, who have none. Erik Karlsson and Graves both average more shots and shot attempts than Letang this season.
Letang's 2.73 giveaways per 60 minutes is the second-best among Penguins defensemen behind Graves. That's still a rate that's on pace to be the fourth-worst of Letang's career.
I asked Dan Muse after the game if in this game and in the bigger picture this season, if he's satisfied with what he's getting out of Letang.
"Kris Letang has been doing this for a long time at a high level," Muse said. "Every day he comes in, he works. He's a guy that is prepared. He sets an example for other players on this team. I know every day he's going to empty the tank there for this hockey team and for this city. Are there going to be some days where games players walk off the ice and maybe they wanted to do a little bit more? It's not going to be perfect, or puck bounces the wrong way, whatever it might be, that's going to happen to everybody. But Kris Letang brings it every single day to make a difference."
Letang's career speaks for itself. He's a future Hall of Famer, and his No. 58 will likely be hanging from the rafters one day at PPG Paints Arena. Regardless of how the back end of his career goes, he's had the greatest career with the Penguins of any defenseman in franchise history.
There's no doubting that effort or passion Muse spoke of, either. Letang works and works out harder than guys who were kids back when he was breaking into the league. After a game like this one, it's also easy to see that he's bothered by it. And to his credit, though a number of his teammates were already on their way out of the locker room by the time the doors opened postgame, he was sitting in his stall with most of his gear still on, staring at his feet as he waited for the inevitable questions regarding his performance.
The Penguins' left side of the defense is weak, one of their weakest positions on the team. No shade to Shea -- he's been a pleasant surprise, turning into a full-time NHL defenseman in Pittsburgh after years in the minors in Dallas' system. In a perfect world, is he the partner playing big minutes with Letang? Maybe not. And maybe if the Penguins do add on defense through trades this season, that could end up benefitting Letang.
As tight as the Eastern Conference standings are, and as up-and-down as these Penguins can be, it feels like it simultaneously wouldn't be surprising to see them win the division, finish dead last in the division, or anywhere in between.
But if the Penguins want to be toward the top of those standings, make the playoffs and actually go somewhere with that, they'll need more out of Letang. He's capable of doing more offensively, and he's capable of being more reliable than he has been this season. They just need to see it from him.
THE ASYLUM
Penguins need more from Letang
JUSTIN BERL / GETTY
Ivan Demidov and Kris Letang on Friday at PPG Paints Arena
What ailed the Penguins in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Canadiens at PPG Paints Arena went well beyond any one player, line or pairing.
The Penguins were disjointed mess to start, and any serious pressure put on the rookie goaltender Jacob Fowler down at the other end came far too late to make up for their earlier struggles.
Even benefitting from an overturned Canadiens goal late in the second off of an offside call, as well as being gifted a season-high six power play opportunities did little to tilt momentum in the Penguins' favor. Bryan Rust's second-period goal and Erik Karlsson's late goal on the man advantage were the Penguins' only goals against a team that came into this game averaging the fourth-most goals against in the entire league.
It'd be possible to single out a number of moments or individual players as "lowlights" in the loss, but Kris Letang's performance might be at the top of any lowlight package from this game.
It took just 2:54 for the Canadiens to open the scoring, with Alexandre Texier beating Tristan Jarry on the Canadiens' second goal of the game ... straight off a Letang assist:
TSN
"The puck bobbled," Letang told me of the play. "I tried to pass it, and it popped in there."
Letang was at the center of the fourth goal from Oliver Kapanen, 59 seconds into the third period. Ryan Shea pinched and left Letang all alone as the man back defending an odd-man rush, but that doesn't mean he couldn't have played this one better:
RDS
Letang's 14:12 at five-on-five ranked second behind Parker Wotherspoon in five-on-five ice time in the loss. And in that span the Penguins were outmatched in shot attempts (5-19), unblocked attempts (3-15), shots (2-11), high-danger attempts (0-6) expected goals share (8.8%) and actual goals (0-2). Letang or Shea ranked dead last on the team in every one of those categories.
It's not an issue that's unique to this game. Of the six defensemen who played in this game, here's where Letang ranks in various on-ice five-on-five rate categories over the course of the whole season:
• Shot attempts against: 62.03/60, second-worst behind Shea
• Unblocked shot attempts against: 44.48/60, second-worst behind Shea
• Shots against: 30.84/60, worst
• Goals: 2.85/60, worst
Of course, there's some good to go with that too:
• Shot attempts for: 60.6/60, best
• Unblocked shot attempts for: 44.24/60, best
• Shots for: 27.63/60, best
• Goals: 2.49/60, second-best behind Shea
In every case, the bad is outweighing the good. That's despite Letang averaging the most offensive zone starts (9.37/60) and fewest defensive zone starts (4.51/60) on the Penguins' defense.
Individually, Letang and Connor Clifton are the only two of those six defensemen without a five-on-five goal this season. Letang averages the fourth-most assists relative to his ice time, trailed by only Clifton and Ryan Graves, who have none. Erik Karlsson and Graves both average more shots and shot attempts than Letang this season.
Letang's 2.73 giveaways per 60 minutes is the second-best among Penguins defensemen behind Graves. That's still a rate that's on pace to be the fourth-worst of Letang's career.
I asked Dan Muse after the game if in this game and in the bigger picture this season, if he's satisfied with what he's getting out of Letang.
"Kris Letang has been doing this for a long time at a high level," Muse said. "Every day he comes in, he works. He's a guy that is prepared. He sets an example for other players on this team. I know every day he's going to empty the tank there for this hockey team and for this city. Are there going to be some days where games players walk off the ice and maybe they wanted to do a little bit more? It's not going to be perfect, or puck bounces the wrong way, whatever it might be, that's going to happen to everybody. But Kris Letang brings it every single day to make a difference."
Letang's career speaks for itself. He's a future Hall of Famer, and his No. 58 will likely be hanging from the rafters one day at PPG Paints Arena. Regardless of how the back end of his career goes, he's had the greatest career with the Penguins of any defenseman in franchise history.
There's no doubting that effort or passion Muse spoke of, either. Letang works and works out harder than guys who were kids back when he was breaking into the league. After a game like this one, it's also easy to see that he's bothered by it. And to his credit, though a number of his teammates were already on their way out of the locker room by the time the doors opened postgame, he was sitting in his stall with most of his gear still on, staring at his feet as he waited for the inevitable questions regarding his performance.
The Penguins' left side of the defense is weak, one of their weakest positions on the team. No shade to Shea -- he's been a pleasant surprise, turning into a full-time NHL defenseman in Pittsburgh after years in the minors in Dallas' system. In a perfect world, is he the partner playing big minutes with Letang? Maybe not. And maybe if the Penguins do add on defense through trades this season, that could end up benefitting Letang.
As tight as the Eastern Conference standings are, and as up-and-down as these Penguins can be, it feels like it simultaneously wouldn't be surprising to see them win the division, finish dead last in the division, or anywhere in between.
But if the Penguins want to be toward the top of those standings, make the playoffs and actually go somewhere with that, they'll need more out of Letang. He's capable of doing more offensively, and he's capable of being more reliable than he has been this season. They just need to see it from him.
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