Penguins Grades: Keeping It Simple; Some Very Big Smiles

LOS ANGELES — The Pittsburgh Penguins had only 19 shots on goal and three five-on-five goals, but they had a few more goals than the LA Kings. In a sometimes choppy, sometimes sloppy, but overall a significantly better performance than they’ve submitted in several games, the Penguins beat the LA Kings 5-2 at Crypto.com Arena. Sidney Crosby had a goal he didn’t want to take credit for, then an extra-effort empty-netter, as he dove to swat the rolling puck into the net. Tommy Novak shed the constraints of playing a support role and led the Penguins’ second line, which carried the team in the first half of the game. “To get two on the first two shifts, or first couple shifts, I mean, I thought the line was good,” Muse said, his smile giving away far more than his words. “You know, I thought whether it was skating, I thought they had some other good looks there in the offensive zone. We got contributions throughout.” Read Next Penguins End the Losing; Not Pretty but Good Enough in LA The Penguins coach was noticeably relaxed after the game. Victories do that. For the first time this month, Muse could smile without forcing it like so many of the breakout passes that led to ugly defeats. Crosby was also beaming after the game. The game was also an important step forward for rookie goalie Sergei Murashov , whose quiet play countered the scrambly nature of recent outings. Murashov stopped 26 of 28 shots, but while he didn’t face the stream of breakaways and odd-man rushes that the Penguins are prone to give up, the Penguins’ defenders left the larger LA forwards control of the net front. Murashov was exceptional at holding his form and technique to absorb numerous deflections, including a couple of dandies by 41-year-old Corey Perry , who may not have received a push or net-front cross-check in 60 minutes, but spent a copious amount of time with his toes near the blue paint. “Obviously nice, but as I’ve said, it’s like it’s not about results. It’s not about outcome. It’s about process,” said Murashov. “And yeah, I truly enjoyed the game today. Truly appreciate all the efforts from the guys. There were a lot of blocked shots, and the penalty kill was great. Yeah, for the third period, I think we just logged in, and it’s definitely a team win.” Xs and Os Well, the Penguins kept the extreme mistakes to a minimum. The Penguins provided an uneven game, but had enough high points. Structurally, it wasn’t a crisp, clean game, but with a four-game winless streak on the heels of some of the organization’s most inept performances, a win is a win. Muse offered a poignant observation as to why his team, which has yielded a 1980s level of breakaways, was able to keep the big chances to a minimum. “You saw even when some breakdowns happened, guys were really working to get back. We had some. Breakdowns are going to be there, but I thought we outworked some of those mistakes by committee, and so that’s a good step in the right direction,” said Muse. “You know, we’ve got to build on it. There are still areas there that we’ll continue to look at. You know, continue to clean up, but the groups should feel good about this.” However, while the Penguins’ structure was acceptably OK but no better, and they hustled to overcome more mistakes, their net-front battle was shockingly soft. They ceded the net-front to the larger LA forwards and too often allowed LA easy access to Murashov. Perry was a constant presence, and the only player closer to Murashov’s mask was … Murashov. Corey Perry had a goal and three shots. The sum of the distances of his shots probably did not equal 10 feet. In fact, LA appeared to tie the game 3-3 in the second period. The Penguins had three defenders near the net, and none took a body. Andre Lee had an easy whack in traffic. If not for a very close offside overturn, the game could have gone much differently. But a couple of minutes later, the Penguins responded. Erik Karlsson . Evgeni Malkin. Sidney Crosby. The Xs and Os of their play wouldn’t make sense, but great players do different things, and they scored the backbreaker. And LA went meekly in the third. After two periods, the Penguins had just 13 shots and finished with 19. In the offensive zone, the Penguins were looking for quick-strike goals and got some, but did not hold onto pucks, create lasting pressure, cycle, or attack with teeth. From that standpoint, it was also a subpar effort. One strong positive was the overall third-period performance. The Penguins limited the trailing LA to only eight shots and few scoring chances. That was something the LA media directed to the LA locker room. There remains a lot for the Penguins to clean up. But for a moment, the chalkboard and the scoreboard gave some encouragement. Report Card Team: B They beat a bad team, but they won. They did what they needed to do when they needed it. There wasn’t a standout facet of the game. They weren’t especially good in any phase, but their performance was better than good. It was good enough. Tommy Novak: A+ It was his best game of the season, and PHN will stake that he’s more valuable to this team as a winger, and probably a better player on the wing than in the middle. Rather than being a playmaker, he became the goal scorer Saturday, following pucks to the net and finding uncovered spots (OK, maybe LA failed to cover him on the first goal). On Novak’s second goal, he made a good defensive stop and fast transition for an odd-man break. It was a four-star play. Evgeni Malkin: Glimpses of Magic Playing on a line with Crosby, Malkin must have thought it was 2008. In the first period, he got on his toes and carried the puck through center ice with vicious intent. It was vintage Malkin. He had a couple of good scoring chances, and that one-timer that was later credited to Crosby was an absolute rocket. Sergei Murashov: A The kid held his ground. He didn’t get rattled by LA living in his kitchen, and he controlled rebounds very well. He also remains the master of the unexpected postgame quotes. When PHN asked what part of his game he might have been happier with, he cocked his head, sighed, paused for a couple of seconds, and expounded on his game, but also Calgary Flames goalie Devin Cooley, who recently spoke of fighting anxiety and depression as a goalie. “My mind was a little bit more quiet, so that gave me that sense of game. I, you know, kind of like a little bit story behind. Obviously, a lot of people helped me go through, and a lot of people behind the scenes worked hard to bring me success,” Murashov said. “But one thing I want to pass a message to Devin Cooley. I saw he was really popular (on social media) recently, and I think, like most of the time, the goalies are going through something like he’s talking about, but not a lot of people actually speak aloud. So I just say thank you to him for what he’s saying, and it helps. It genuinely just helped me a little bit too.” The win clearly lifted a boulder off Murashov’s back. Kris Letang: D Letang had a tough time Saturday, regardless of the analytics, which showed him having a great game. He was credited with four turnovers, but he could have been tagged a few more. He was fighting upstream, especially in the second period. Sam Girard: D Girard was out of sorts Saturday. There isn’t another way to describe it. He didn’t aggressively cover his men around the net, had more than a couple of misfires on the breakouts, and it looked ugly at times. Related Headlines Penguins End the Losing; Not Pretty but Good Enough in LA Realistic Penguins Trade Values; Comparables and Possible Landing Spots Penguins Game 17, Malkin-Crosby Pair: Lines, Notes, How to Watch vs. Kings (UPDATED) Read more at Pittsburgh Hockey Now