Pittsburgh Offense Firing Blanks

Pittsburgh Offense Firing Blanks
By Michael Dell, editor-in-chief

When the 1996-97 NHL schedule was announced, most Pittsburgh Penguin fans were licking their chops. The 'Guins opened up the campaign at home against Tampa Bay, then it was off to Hartford before playing a home-and-home series with the always dangerous Ottawa Senators. Was Mr. Schedule-maker kidding? After all, these four games were hardly worthy of the Little Sisters of the Poor intermural floor hockey team, let alone Mario Lemieux and crew.
Well, a funny thing happened on way to the 4-0-0 start. Apparently, someone forgot to tell the Penguins that the preseason was over. The men in black and gold looked every bit the flightless Arctic bird as they waddled to an embarrassing 1- 3-0 start to the season.
Things got off on the wrong foot when Johnny Cullen and the Lightning Bolts rose from the dead to overcome a third-period deficit and a last-second tieing effort by Lemieux, to shock the Penguins in overtime on a goal by Shawn Burr. This was the kind of loss that just knocks the wind out of a club. As bad as things were, they got even worse upon arrival in the insurance capital of the world. Even with all of Hartford distracted by the impending trade of Brendan Shanahan, the mighty Whale squashed the Pens 7-3 in what had to be one of the club's worst performances in recent memory. While it appeared to be rock bottom, the Pens sank even lower during their next outing in Ottawa. Another two-goal lead was squandered, as the Senators got third-period goals from Alexandre Daigle and Alexei Yashin to pull off the stunning 3-2 upset.
It was the first time since 1984-85 that the club had opened up a season with three consecutive losses. And it was probably the first time in NHL history that a team kicked things off with three such uninspired performances. It's hard to put into words exactly how bad the Penguins played during these showings... let's just say if they were horses, they'd be taking up residence on the back of stamps right about now.
The Penguins were able to avoid losing four straight games by defeating the Senators on Saturday, October 12, at the Civic Arena, 3-2. Even then the birds needed a fluky third-period goal by Lemieux, that was actually shot from behind the Senator net, to escape with the win.
So what's the deal? How come the Penguins aren't living up to their potential? Well, one look at the boxscores for the first four games will provide all the evidence needed in constructing a plausible theory. Although, it may not be the one that is expected.
Over their first four contests, the Penguins have been outshot by a total of 156 to 119. In three of the four games the Pens have allowed 40 or more shots, and have limited their opponents to under ten shots in only three of the first twelve periods of hockey. So automatically the calls go out for the heads of the Penguin defensemen. But before those swords fall, LCS recommends mercy for Pittsburgh's much-maligned group of blueliners. This year's batch is far superior to last year's, with Kevin Hatcher replacing the rather meek Sergei Zubov, Craig Muni providing experience, and young Stefan Bergkvist adding plenty of size and strength. In fact believe it or not, the defensemen haven't played that bad, despite what the shot totals say.
The real problems rest with the offense. The same squad that rang up a league-leading 362 goals in 1995-96 has found the net only 11 times to this point. That's an average of 2.75 goals per game, down from last year's 4.42 average.
Even more disturbing than the lack of production on the scoreboard is the lack of emotion displayed by the forwards. The Penguin skaters seem satisfied with just roaming around trying to make pretty designs on the ice. The idea of actually getting the puck deep and working for turnovers has been completely lost on this bunch. And outside of the gritty, gutty Tyler Wright, not one forward as shown any intensity or even signs of life for that matter.
There are some explanations for this apparent indifference. First, is the fact that the group really didn't have a chance to play with each other during the exhibition season. With Lemieux arriving late to camp, Petr Nedved and Bryan Smolinski holding out, Kevin Todd waived just before the regular season, and injuries to guys like Dave Roche and Joe Dziedzic, the offense hasn't been a picture of consistency. It will likely take a few weeks before they get comfortable with one another and find their collective stride.
Then there's also been the constant line-juggling by coach Eddie Johnston. With Nedved not yet in game shape, Smolinski continuing his hold out, the roster still lacking a proven left winger to play with Lemieux, and a recent groin injury to Tomas Sandstrom, EJ has been changing line combinations on nearly every shift.
The uncertainty of linemates has led to a complete breakdown of Pittsburgh's usual high-flying attack. Unlike most clubs, the Penguins have never relied on a specific system to generate offense. Instead they depend on talent and improvisation to create their scoring chances. It's not rare to see four or five stick-to-stick passes connect on any given rush. When they're on their game, the Penguins can score some of the most beautiful goals you'll ever see... and lots of them. Unfortunately, when things go bad, they go real bad. The result is the general confusion that has been witnessed recently. Not accustomed to just dumping the puck deep and chasing, out of habit the Pittsburgh forwards will still try to force a play in the neutral zone or just inside the line even when it isn't there. This can lead to plenty of chances for the opposition on the counterattack, as well as few shots for the Pens themselves. And that is the reason why Pittsburgh has been looking so terrible. They've been trying to make the perfect play even though at this stage of the season they simply aren't comfortable enough with one another to pull it off.
The solution to the problem is nothing complex. It's really quite ordinary, which is why Pittsburgh's group of extraordinary forwards are having so much trouble. The Pens just have to keep the offense simple. If nothing's there, dump and chase. If there is room, gain the line and get the puck to the net. Forget about trying to make the extra pass. The more shots taken, the more the ice will open up. Defensemen will no longer sit back taking away the passing lanes. They'll instead have to respect the shooter, making them more eager to challenge and attempt to block shots. Even if the puck is just dumped in on a regular basis that too will open up room, with defensemen hanging back to get an early jump to the corners. The minute a defenseman makes the first move, no matter what it is, the forwards have the advantage. Taking more shots is what gets the whole thing started.
The Penguins seem to have discovered that firing more shots is indeed the recipe for success. Showing the way are the guys at the top. Lemieux has been the lone consistent shooting threat in each of the four games, leading the club with 25 shots. The rest of the flock are just now starting to follow his guidance. Jaromir Jagr, who led the league last season with 403 shots, had just six while going pointless in the first two games. The last two outings have been a different story, with Jaromir scoring a goal in each game while registering a total of 12 shots on net. Ron Francis has also dropped the hammer more often the past two games, firing 10 shots after collecting only one against the Bolts and Whale. Nedved is still trying to play himself into shape, but has managed to increase his season shot output to 10, with seven coming in the past two contests. In the win against Ottawa, which happens to be the only game the Pens have outshot their opponents, the foursome combined for 22 shots. That's the kind of production they have to put forth every night if the club is going to enjoy success.
The win against Ottawa may not have been awe-inspiring, but it was a definite sign that the offense may finally be starting to turn the corner. When talented players shoot the puck, the results will eventually show on the scoreboard. As long as the Penguins continue to keep things simple on offense, it's only a matter of time before they bust out of their slump.
Pittsburgh's big guns have plenty of ammunition. Now they just have to make sure they don't end a game with any bullets left in the chambers.