Penguins Defense Is Still a Growing Concern – The Hockey Writers – Pittsburgh Penguins

A few weeks ago, it looked like the Pittsburgh Penguins were almost definitely going to qualify for the postseason. However, the race to the playoffs has become extremely tight, and now it looks like the Penguins could be in danger. Lately, they have been having some pretty serious issues on defense, and with nine games left in the regular season, time is not on their side. 

Penguins Have to Work Out Their Issues on Defense

The playoff race in the Eastern Conference has not lacked excitement. The Penguins are 6-6-3 in the month of March, which, considering the obstacles they have had to overcome this month, is not a bad pace. However, the New York Islanders are ahead of them by one point in the standings, and the Columbus Blue Jackets only trail them by one point. 

But on Sunday, March 22, Pittsburgh lost to the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1. That loss further exposed some serious issues the Penguins have been having, including the number of goals against they are giving up. Starting with their March 10 loss to Carolina, they gave up 31 goals in the seven games that followed, which averages out to 4.43 goals-against per game. 

Pittsburgh’s top defensive pairing of Erik Karlsson and Parker Wotherspoon has been good all season. Karlsson has four goals and four assists in his last five games, and Wotherspoon has been the perfect partner for him. Beyond that, the Penguins’ defense has not been great. Ryan Shea has been a constant on the team’s left side all season, but he was injured on March 21 against the Winnipeg Jets. He did not play in the following game against the Hurricanes but returned on March 24 against the Colorado Avalanche. 

Even with Shea in the lineup, the Penguins are still giving up too much. The second pairing of Kris Letang and Sam Girard has an expected goals share of 48.5%, meaning they are hurting the team more than they are helping. Letang has been showing his age this season, and it has not been pretty. He is currently a minus-7, and even though plus/minus is a pretty flawed stat, it is not unreasonable to expect more from a second-pairing defenseman. 

Unfortunately, there is not much head coach Dan Muse can do to solve this problem. He is probably not going to scratch Letang, and he doesn’t have another stay-at-home defenseman besides Wotherspoon. Breaking up him and Karlsson is not worth the risk, mainly because they have been the best thing about the Penguins’ defense this season.

In January, Pittsburgh added Ilya Solovyov from the Avalanche to its defensive depth. Solovyov’s underlying numbers were strong during his time in Colorado, and he’s been okay in the limited time he has been on the ice with the Penguins. In 11 games, he has five assists. He is only 25 years old, and his game is still developing. At this point, giving him an extended look and pairing him with Letang may not be the worst idea. 

Related: 2 Penguins Players Who Have Been Stepping Up Lately

Last summer, Pittsburgh signed Alexander Alexeyev to a one-year contract. This season, with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, he has three goals and five assists in 32 games. At 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, his style of play is very similar to Wotherspoon’s, minus the speed. He could be another option to try next to Letang. 

Playoff Race Continuing to Grow Tighter

The Penguins currently sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division, one point behind the Islanders. They need to come up with a plan for their defensive struggles sooner rather than later. They are giving up too many scoring chances, which will become an even bigger problem if they do make the playoffs.