When the Pittsburgh Penguins lost 10 of their first 19 games, there were grumblings that Ray Shero overpaid Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek. Those same people are the ones who cry every offseason that this team can't win without a scoring winger on Sidney Crosby's line.
Well, those critics are in hiding now as the Pens have won 10 games in a row and have the most points in the NHL with 40. None of this is possible without the play of Martin, Michalek and the rest of the Pens defense. This group is third in the NHL with 2.31 goals-against per game. They were 20th at the end of last season with a 2.87 goals against average. The penalty kill is second in the league at 88.8 percent. They were ninth in that category last year with a 84.1 percent kill rate.
If you look beyond the stats, you'll see two players who are getting better with every game. There is no denying they took some time to get acclimated to the Pens' style of play. I'm pretty sure Martin, who played in the New Jersey Devils' boring system his whole career, was not initially aware that defensemen are allowed to join the rush, or even cross the blue line at even strength. Now he's skating through entire teams (see Monday's Columbus game) and making plays at both ends of the ice.
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| Sergei who? |
Then there is the Kris Letang contract Shero put together last year. Letang received a $14 million deal over fours years ($3.5 million per season) last season and it was greeted with mixed reactions. Many fans thought it was too much for someone who hadn't proven himself, basically meant they weren't resigning Sergei Gonchar and used up money that could have been spent on a winger. But Letang is currently on pace for 73 points. The last Pens defenseman to put up those kind of numbers was Paul Coffey. Even if Letang doesn't get 73 points, he is proving to be a bargain at his current deal.
Letang's game isn't limited to just offense, though. He leads the team in plus/minus with 15 and is showing more physicality every season. There have been a few times his mind has wondered and a goal was the result, but he's only 23. He's just going to get better.
The rest of the crew has been solid as well. Orpik has been his usual self. And by usual self I mean he is crushing any opponents that come within three feet of him and scaring the crap out of them with his stare. Goligoski has been inconsistent in the defensive zone, but like Letang, he's young and still growing. And then there is Deryk Engelland. The man just beats people indiscriminately with his fists. He isn't bad on defense and his fighting prowess allows the team to scratch Eric Godard against more physical teams, which is a major plus.
So the Devils are free to have Ilya Kovalcuk, and the New York Rangers can enjoy Alexander Frolov. I'm perfectly content with Shero's moves to ignore the wing this off-season and stock up on solid defensemen.
The Talking Heads - Road to Nowhere
Great post Jeff. When you look back on the Montreal series, many people were pointing to the lack of production from our wingers. While they didn't have a good series by any means, I think the defense was the real reason we failed to return to the SCF last year. Aside from the Ponikajokesky move (we basically gave up nothing for him), Shero has been amazing. People always talk about how you shouldn't take Sid and Geno for granted, but I think the same can be said for Shero.
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of Martin and Michalek adjusting, I heard on the radio a few weeks ago that it usually takes about 20 games for players that have been on the team for at few years (like Letang and Adams) to get readjusted to the system at the beginning of the season. They said for new players it usually takes about 40 games to be adjusted to the system. By adjusted, they meant that everybody is on the exact same page. There is very little confusion and it purely comes down to execution. Going by this logic, I would say Martin and Michalek are fast learners.
Go Pens.
Greg, your kind words are always appreciated.
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