Having lost the last two games by a combined 13-6 score, the Pittsburgh Penguins went to eastern Pennsylvania to take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night. It was another brutal beating as they allowed five or more goals for the third-straight game since returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off break with a 6-1 loss.
First-Shot Goals Are Still an Issue
Keeping the puck out of the net on the first shot of the game for their opponents has been a major issue this season. That problem loomed again against the Flyers as they allowed a goal on the first shot. While the team may be “tanking” despite not outright saying they are, allowing a goal on the first shot is unacceptable from everyone on the roster, especially the goaltenders. Though he has not been the one to give up the most first-shot goals this season, Alex Nedeljkovic has had his fair share.
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It was an all-around bad effort from the six guys on the ice. What seems to be a common factor with Erik Karlsson, he was caught trying to swipe a loose puck away in the neutral zone, which backfired on him. Coming back into the zone, he did not cover Rasmus Ristolainen on his side of the ice to take away any chance of the puck finding him. Because of that, he was able to rifle a one-time shot from way out near the boards past Nedeljkovic. However, it cannot be solely on him as there was a lack of communication between all five skaters on the ice of who has who.
No doubt it was a shot Nedeljkovic should make the save on, though. Going from left to right, he got to the shooter on time, despite the heavy traffic in front of him taking away his vision of the pass to the wall. It seemed as though he was caught in two minds of whether he should stay standing up or go down into the butterfly. That hesitation – along with the slight over-push on the T-push to get over – allowed enough time for the puck to squeak through him low and into the net.
Erik Karlsson Looked Lost
I mentioned in a post on X that Karlsson just does not fit head coach Mike Sullivan’s system – and that proved to be true throughout the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament when he was playing for Team Sweden. Karlsson’s tournament play was spectacular, but he has looked like the same defender he has been all season.
As mentioned before, Karlsson failed to cover Ristolainen on the game’s opening goal, allowing him an easy shooting lane to the net. That was not his only mistake on a goal, nor was it the only one he made to not cover a player. With just over two and a half minutes to go in the first period, he was lackluster on a 3-on-2 chance. Garnet Hathaway, who Karlsson was covering well up to a certain point, found himself beating Karlsson and was all alone driving to the net where the puck would find him for a grade-A scoring chance. On the third Flyers’ goal, Karlsson saw Tyson Forester on the back door, but was lazy with the coverage by being late to put his stick in the passing lane. It has not been a pretty season for him in the slightest, and it continues to show the more the season goes on.
Philip Tomasino Made Sure They Were Not Shut Out
If one good thing is going to come from this game – other than the tank looking better and better for the Penguins – it is the fact they were not shut out for the fifth time this season. Philip Tomasino put the Penguins on the board with a beautiful breakaway goal at 6:09 of the second period. It all started with a perfectly executed breakout from Matt Gryzelcyk. A rim around the boards allowed the Penguins a quick break out of their zone that ended with Michael Bunting throwing an aerial pass into the path of Tomasino. It was his first goal and fourth point since the team’s Feb. 7 meeting against the New York Rangers.
Metro Stretch Coming to an End
In a month that has seen the Penguins play six of their last seven games in-division, they have one more before they see other opponents. The Penguins are back home on Feb. 27 to finish off the Battle of Pennsylvania season series – which the Penguins can split.
