The Pittsburgh Penguins dropped their second consecutive game last night, as well as their third in four games overall, after blowing another lead, this time to the Detroit Red Wings. After leading 3-1 after the conclusion of the second period, the Penguins allowed three unanswered goals – including the overtime winner by Justin Abdelkader.
Thomas Greiss made his first start in a Penguins jersey and stopped 20-of-21 shots in the first two periods but stood very little chance on the last three goals allowed ,as the Red Wings were allowed to take three open shots from the slot uncontested.
In a scenario that is nothing new for the Penguins early on this season, Pittsburgh tried desperately to hang on to a lead in the final seconds only to allow a goal with the opponent’s goalie pulled.
Against the Dallas Stars, Pittsburgh allowed two goals in the last three minutes – the eventual losing goal was scored by Tyler Seguin with three seconds remaining.
This time around, Niklas Kronwall scored his second of the night with under a minute left, with Abdelkader scoring his third of the season to earn the extra point in the standings for his team in overtime.
New assistant coach Rick Tocchet said of the team’s loss against the Red Wings, which could be attributed to the rest of the season as well,
“You have to learn how to win these games. You’re up 3-1 and let your foot of a wounded snake and it bites you. You have to be able to win those games… I thought we lost our composure.“
One game on the road against a tough Red Wings team and there is nothing to worry about, but the season-long trend the Penguins currently are enduring is something that certainly sets off some alarms.
Starting quickly, the Penguins have scored half of their 22-goals this season in the opening period and are a plus-six in that period’s goal differential as well as a plus-25 shots wise.
The second period sees a drop in the shot differential, down to a plus-four. The shot differential takes a steep drop as well, all the way to a plus-seven.
Even in the team’s three wins, they have been outshot by seven in the third period and are barely a positive (plus-one).
As seen against the Red Wings, the wheels have fallen off in the third as the Penguins have been outscored 10-4 and have been outshot by 15. So far this year Pittsburgh has allowed 19-goals, so 52% of goals they have allowed have come when good teams put away other teams – in the third period/overtime.
Only six games into the season, there is plenty of time to try and correct the problem but at the end of the year, when the points become even more valuable, they can only look back and remember the points they left on the table by not being able to close early on in the season.
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