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Yohe's 10 observations: Erik Karlsson, Penguins endure brutal second period in 4-3 loss

27 October 2024Last Update :
Yohe's 10 observations: Erik Karlsson, Penguins endure brutal second period in 4-3 loss

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Canucks erupted for three goals in 65 seconds in the second period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Rogers Arena on Saturday.

Then the No. 65 popped up again on the Cancuks’ game winner.

The Penguins blew a two-goal lead, No. 1 defenseman Erik Karlsson endured a nightmarish game and the Penguins’ season suddenly feels on the brink even though it’s October after a 4-3 loss.

“It got away from us,” Mike Sullivan said. “We lost details. We were losing assignments on faceoffs. What’s going to get us out of this is collective effort.”

The Penguins had better get out of whatever “this” is quickly.

This concludes an 0-3-1 road trip through western Canada for Sullivan’s team. They’ve now lost five straight games.

They blew 2-0 leads in Vancouver and in Winnipeg during this trip, and also failed to preserve a 3-2 advantage in the final minute in Calgary.

Karlsson was on the ice for three of the four goals against, looking foolish on one Daniel Sprong rush that led to a goal while also struggling on several other sequences.

Sullivan was asked if Karlsson needs to play better.

“Yeah, I think he does,” Sullivan said. “I think we need a higher level of play from a lot of guys. We’re a team in the true sense of the word. This isn’t on one guy. It’s on all of us.”

Anthony Beauvillier and Bryan Rust scored to give the Penguins a 2-0 advantage.

Up until that point, the Penguins were playing some of their finest hockey of the season.

Then came the 65 seconds that changed everything and turned the trip from disappointing into disastrous.

First came a blown assignment that led to Elias Pettersson’s goal.

Moments later, Rust turned the puck over at the blue line, Marcus Pettersson fell, and Kris Letang failed to take away the pass as the Canucks tied the game on Kiefer Sherwood’s goal.

Then, 22 seconds later, J.T. Miller got behind the defense. His initial shot was stopped, but Karlsson failed to tie him up and Miller made it 3-2.

Later in the second period, Karlsson went after Sprong, the puck carrier, instead of retreating into a defensive posture.

He was badly burned on the play, which ultimately led to Arshdeep Baines’ first NHL goal.

“We don’t like what our record is,” Letang said. “We did some good things but that span in the second period, you can’t give up four goals like that. They just grabbed the momentum. We need to be able to slow the pace down and settle down when things aren’t going your way.”

Letang has struggled in the early going, but Karlsson’s struggles have been particularly profound.

“We’re not playing with the most confidence as a group and individually I don’t think anyone is pleased or happy with how we’re performing right now,” Karlsson said.

Ten postgame observations

• Karlsson is one of the great players of his generation, a no-doubt Hall of Famer whose talent is positively dazzling. He’s also a very likable guy who seems to be popular in the Penguins’ locker room.

That said, his play lately has been unacceptable. Had I been Sullivan, I’d have considered benching him after the fourth goal. There appears to be zero accountability with Karlsson’s game. He’s playing a different game than everyone else, and not in a good way.

He still has the wheels and the talent to be a great player in this league but currently, he’s making the Penguins’ already bad habits even worse. You can’t have one of your best players performing at this level. He doesn’t seem to think there’s anything wrong with how he’s playing, and I can’t disagree more with his assessment. He’s capable of being so much better than this.

• It was another quiet night for Sidney Crosby. He has seven points in 10 games and managed just one point on the Penguins’ four-game road trip. I don’t think it’s time to panic about Crosby. If he’s still playing like this a month from now, then you can panic about his age.

That said, he’s not playing well right now. There’s no explosiveness in his game. That needs to change in a hurry or what appears to be a lost season for the Penguins will become that much more likely.

• Evgeni Malkin had three points including a breakaway goal to pull the Penguins within a point.

He was also injured on that play, his left shoulder crashing into the post.

While he was in some pain on the bench, Malkin was able to return without missing a shift. It was a disappointing trip for him, but he concluded it nicely.

• Rust was injured in the third period after getting tied up with Nils Hoglander. Rust stayed on the ice for about 10 seconds before hobbling to the bench.

He yelled a couple of expletives in Hoglander’s direction before departing and did not return.

Sullivan said he has a lower-body injury but there was no other update.

• Michael Bunting has become a problem. He’s already been a healthy scratch this season and did nothing to endear himself to the coaching staff by taking six minutes worth of penalties in the first period against the Canucks.

He’s not winning any puck battles. That’s my single biggest issue with his game right now. If he’s not winning battles, he’s not helping you because he isn’t blessed with an overwhelming amount of skill.

• None of the goals were particularly bad ones for Alex Nedeljkovic to allow.

That said, he could have come through with a big save at least once in the second period, and he did not.

I think his form has been fine, but given how bad the Penguins are defensively, I would expect him to give up four goals on many nights this season if things don’t change.

• The Canucks are some kind of a hockey team.

I can’t say enough about the job Rick Tocchet, Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin have done in Vancouver. There isn’t much in the way of any weakness when you look at their roster. They play in the brutal Western Conference and will have to get through Connor McDavid to claim the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history, but if they stay healthy, I give them a chance.

The Canucks haven’t been sharp yet this season and they’re still 4-1-2. They have a couple more gears than the Penguins, as they displayed in the second period. Impressive team.

• This always had the potential to be a horrific road trip given that the Penguins were playing four very good teams. Winnipeg is 8-0. The Canucks and the Oilers are Stanley Cup contenders. The Flames are off to quite a start.

Still, this was horrendous. There’s no other way to put it. Against the Oilers, the Penguins were simply overmatched.

In every other loss on this trip, the committed self-inflicted wounds made the Penguins look like an unprepared, disinterested, bad hockey team. There was little fight. Little execution. Little fire. Little in the way of intelligent hockey.

This was the worst hockey I’ve seen the Penguins play in 20 years since Crosby was a rookie and Eddie Olczyk was the head coach. I’m not being hyperbolic.

• Earlier on Saturday, the Penguins announced that Tristan Jarry is beginning a conditioning stint in Wilkes-Barre.

He stopped 32 of 34 shots and earned a 3-2 victory on Saturday night.

“Any time you can get a win it helps your confidence,” Jarry said. “I think getting that first win helps. Hopefully, I’ll be able to transition and it’ll help throughout the week.”

Kyle Dubas responded to reporter inquiries about the Penguins’ goaltending situation moving forward.

“We have seven games over the next 14 nights with Pittsburgh and five over 14 nights with Wilkes-Barre,” Dubas said. “This affords all of our goaltenders tremendous opportunity. We will evaluate where they all stand after this stretch and make the best decision for the Penguins.”

• If things keep going at this rate, the only thing Penguins fans will have to look forward to is the nostalgia tour taking place this season.

It will hit a peak in less than 72 hours.

The Penguins next play on Tuesday back at home, and Marc-Andre Fleury and the Minnesota Wild will be the competition. I would suggest that, for a night, maybe ignore what’s happening on the ice and enjoy saying goodbye to an old friend. It’s better than the alternative right now.

(Photo of Vancouver’s J.T. Miller scoring on Pittsburgh goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic: Derek Cain / Getty Images)

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