Penguins Perspectives: What have we learned one month into the season?
Welcome to Penguins Perspectives, a weekly column by KDKA-TV Digital Producer Patrick Damp. Each Friday, Patrick will talk about the week that was, the week to come, what to watch for, and more.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Nothing like a little California sun and a three-game winning streak to cure what ails you, right?
Well, for the Penguins, in the immediate, things are looking good. They went into a California road trip three games under .500 and they returned home 6-6 and two points out of the playoffs.
Right now, the buzz of a fresh start this offseason hasn't quite returned, but cautious optimism is back for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The season began exactly one month to the day, so let's look back on that month and think about what we've learned so far.
The Big Three still have the juice
If you were waiting for Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang to slow down, well, your wait continues.
Crosby and Malkin each find themselves with an equal seven goals and seven assists for 14 points and look every bit as motivated to win another championship than they have since they got into the league. Sure, the legs have slowed a bit, but the tenacity and the smarts have not.
Meanwhile, Kris Letang found himself in a position he hadn't been in since about 2009.
The big offseason acquisition of Erik Karlsson immediately sent Letang down the depth chart. Albeit just one spot, going from the guy to number two has to smart, especially when you're a lock to have your jersey retired by the organization once you call it a career.
Instead of pouting and making a big deal of it, Letang has quietly reinvented himself. He's no longer the quarterback of the top power play, he now finds himself on power play number two, but he is now the main horse on the penalty kill.
Letang has taken his fluid skating abilities and hockey IQ to become a reliable, consistent penalty killer on a unit that is seeing a steady climb up the ranks and now sits 12th best in the NHL.
Erik Karlsson is as advertised
Getting Erik Karlsson this offseason felt almost like a fantasy. As if we all turned on our Xboxs or PlayStations and fired up EA Sports NHL 24 and created our own version of the Penguins that included Karlsson.
Instead, Kyle Dubas actually went out and did it. In fact, he did it without giving up much of anything of value.
Now, just a month into the season, he's exactly what we thought he would be.
His skating is smooth, his vision is elite, and he constantly appears to be one step ahead of everyone else on the ice.
It's a shot in the arm this franchise has needed after about two years of malaise.
As good as Karlsson has been, there is one area that must improve.
Power play has to find its strength
Yes, Erik Karlsson has been incredible and he's been a treat to watch.
However, the Penguins' strength this season was supposed to be the power play - an embarrassment of riches that included at least three future hall of famers, if not four, and through one month, they find themselves sitting in the bottom half of the league at a just a shade over 17 percent.
That's not good enough. Not by a long shot.
While the New Jersey Devils currently lead the pack with an absurd 41 percent, it's not asking too much for this power play to operate at a solid 30 percent.
That would get them into the top five and likely keep them in that range for the remainder of the season.
The fix is easy, too.
It's rare the fan in the nosebleeds yelling "shoot" is correct, but they are in this instance. More shots on goal and giving each player a truly defined role will help this top unit. Right now, there is too much deference and respect.
Karlsson is your quarterback, Malkin's your half-wall trigger man, so is Smith on the other wall, and let Crosby and Guentzel go to work down low.
Hockey's a team game but a little selfishness on the power play could go a long way.
Jarry's Millions
It appears his injury isn't serious and he's just got some swelling around his eye.
That's the good news.
The bad news is that of the three goalies that have played for the Penguins this season so far, Tristan Jarry's .907 save percentage is the worst among them.
Now, to be completely fair, he appeared to have found some form in California before he was hurt in the Anaheim game.
It's now imperative for him to find that consistency. You get rewarded with a 5-year-, $5 million extension, it's now time to repay the general manager who put his faith in you.
For the Penguins to go anywhere, their system is secondary if their goaltender can't make a save.
Sullivan's playbook
Never underestimate the intelligence of a man who can command a room full of elite talent like Mike Sullivan can. He's now coached the likes of Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Phil Kessel, Marc-Andre Fleury, Erik Karlsson, and a myriad of others, all the while being spoken of in glowing terms by the lot of them.
Early this year you could feel the heat being turned up on the coach, and for good reason, a team with this much talent shouldn't be falling under .500 or starting this slow.
It was also apparent they did not have the legs they once did to run the Sullivan system that brought them back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.
Now, it appears Sullivan has fully understood it and embraced it.
The Penguins since leaving for California, and right before that, have begun to play a more defensively accountable game. No, they haven't become defense first, but they've learned that relentless pressure and forecheck just aren't the right style for them anymore.
The pressure has been dialed back, they're committing to the defensive zone, and capitalizing on their opponents' mistakes when they get too aggressive.
We saw this against Colorado and we saw it most of the California road trip as the Penguins came away with three wins and their first streak of the young season.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - Stanley Cups are not won in October, but they can be lost. The Penguins came dangerously close to losing one. While they aren't all the way back, there are signs of life for this team.
