The Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins have both been considered two of the premier teams in the NHL for a few years now. They each possess a pair of elite forwards, solid depth and have seen some playoff success recently. Whenever they get together, many eyes around the hockey community flock to watch their games for many reasons, including the Sidney Crosby vs. Jonathan Toews dynamic. As the two teams are set to embark on a back-to-back, home-and-home series tonight and tomorrow, I asked PensBurgh writer Mike Darnay some questions about the Penguins’ season thus far. Here is what he had to say:
Me: The Penguins currently find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture. What hasn’t clicked for them so far this year?
Mike Darnay: It’s hard to pinpoint it on one specific thing. The Penguins added so much offense and depth in the offseason and put a lot of gambles out there on the defensive side that didn’t pan out. They expected Derrick Pouliot to be ready to make the team out of training camp and he wasn’t. They expected Olli Maatta to be in his rookie-season form and he wasn’t coming off of shoulder surgery, the mumps and thyroid cancer. They expected Ian Cole to be the Ian Cole we saw in the playoffs last season while the team was playing with five defensemen. The defensive picture, coupled with a bad power play, Crosby with a slow start scoring-wise and Mike Johnston trying to get them to play Devils-esque, low-event hockey, it just wasn’t working. It put them behind the eight-ball, but Mike Sullivan’s takeover has really transformed the way the Penguins are playing.
Me: How has the team’s performance changed under new head coach Mike Sullivan?
MD: They’re playing fun again. They’ve gotten 35 or more shots on goal in five out of the 10 games they’ve played under him. And they look like they’re having fun again. They looked miserable for a while under Johnston and it was lulling me to sleep some nights watching them play. Sullivan hasn’t been afraid to change lines and pairings and try new things and I think that has injected some life into the team, along with his positive approach.
Me: The Trevor Daley for Rob Scuderi trade seems to have worked heavily in the Penguins’ favor. Have you been happy with the performance of Daley in Pittsburgh so far?
MD: Let’s just get this out there first — Rob Scuderi fucking sucks. But for real, Trevor Daley has been more than serviceable for Pittsburgh. Anyone who could skate well and move the puck decently would’ve been an upgrade and the Penguins have all that and more in Daley. Yes, they’re eating up some salary in the deal, and yes, he’s not as good as he used to be, but he’s recently been paired with Ian Cole and they’re working out pretty well as 2A/2B pairing with Brian Dumoulin and Ben Lovejoy as the other.
Me: Sidney Crosby’s scoring struggles were pretty widely talked about earlier this season. What was going wrong for him, and how has he gotten back on track?
MD: I don’t know. It’s insane. Everyone wants to be able to quantify it, but it’s hard to pin anything down as to why. His individual scoring chances were the same as last season, if not better. His advanced statistics in terms of Corsi and shot attempts were down in comparison to his past, but I don’t recall them being anything embarrassingly bad. He has really brought it on the past six or so games, and slow start be damned, if he’s heating up now, no one in Pittsburgh will care about how he started.
Me: If the Penguins make the playoffs with their roster as it is now, do you believe they can contend for the Stanley Cup?
MD: Maybe. If the power play continues to click as it has under Sullivan, and Kris Letang and Marc-Andre Fleury stay healthy, maybe. I wouldn’t pick them as a team to win the Cup when the playoffs start, but I could see them piecing together a run of 8-10 games where they play very well. We’ve seen those flashes from them, and I think with Crosby and Malkin, you always will.
BONUS QUESTION: Why did I pick your Penguins to beat my Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup?
MD: Because we obtained the good American boy, Phil Kessel, plain and simple. I unequivocally love Phil Kessel and will fight anyone over him, no questions asked.
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Thanks to Mike for answering my questions. I answered questions for him as well, so you can see his questions and my answers over at Pensburgh. You can (and should) follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeDarnay.
Adam Hess is a staff writer at Second City Hockey. You can follow him on Twitter at @FeathersInDaHat.