Penguins Still Have Struggles to Address – The Hockey Writers – Pittsburgh Penguins

Against the odds, the Pittsburgh Penguins have qualified for the playoffs, their first postseason appearance since 2022. The Penguins have surpassed expectations this season and, at times, have looked like a team that could go on a run. Even though the rebuild is ahead of schedule, it is by no means finished. 

Penguins Still Struggle to Beat Good Teams

On April 2, the Penguins lost 6-3 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning play a fast, two-way game; they have an elite goaltender in Andrei Vasilevskiy and are fighting for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. They were also the Penguins’ only recent playoff-bound opponent, aside from the Washington Capitals, who are just outside but still alive; they lost both games to the Capitals over the weekend.

The Penguins have held their own against teams like the Lightning at times this season, but they have struggled to find any lasting success against legitimately good teams. They’ve struggled defensively, and it has grown progressively worse. Against Tampa Bay, they did not defend well in their own zone, and they played little to no defense in front of the net. 

The Penguins also struggled to make in-game adjustments. Throughout the game, they tried to break out of the defensive zone with long passes to stretch out Tampa Bay’s defense, in hopes of initiating fast breaks. The strategy has worked for them in the past, but in this game, the Lightning’s blue line was not falling for it, and instead of switching their game plan, they continued to play with a losing strategy. 

Goaltending has also been inconsistent. Stuart Skinner was the starting goalie against the Bolts, and he allowed five goals on 32 shots for an .844 save percentage (SV%). Skinner can’t be faulted for all the goals – some were the result of bad net-front coverage – but he will have to be sharper in the postseason. The Penguins got by in the regular season with decent goaltending, but that will not be good enough against the NHL’s top 16 teams. 

When captain Sidney Crosby was injured during the Winter Olympics on Feb. 18, all of Pittsburgh held their breath. Since returning to the lineup on March 18, he has not looked like he is playing at full health. Against the Lightning, he struggled along the boards, and he was hemmed in the defensive zone for most of the contest.

He was mostly ineffective, which is not a recipe for success for the Penguins, especially during a physical playoff series. It might be a good idea for him to sit out the last game of the season against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.

How Much Steam Do the Penguins Have Left?

Heading into this season, most did not expect the Penguins to make the playoffs. They have now proven they can not be taken lightly, but the Eastern Conference has also been very competitive this year. Tampa Bay is a very disciplined team, and they know how to wear down their opponents. They caught Pittsburgh out of position many times and never allowed them to set up in front of Vasilevskiy. They also never allowed the Penguins to get their forecheck going. 

Related: 3 Penguins Who Have Aided the Playoff Push

This is the kind of opposition Pittsburgh will face in the postseason. The small mistakes they were able to get away with against mediocre teams during the regular season will cost them in the playoffs. They must make those adjustments now. If not, they will be looking at a quick exit.