Pittsburgh Penguins: Process is shining despite results

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been one of the best teams in the NHL during the 2019-20 season, even though their record might not reflect that.

While Alex Galchenyuk’s struggles and the revolving door of injuries have been frustrating, things are looking very good as the Pittsburgh Penguins approach the quarter point of the regular season.

Despite missing Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Sidney Crosby for extended periods of time, the Penguins have been consistently outplaying their opponents through their first 20 games. They appear to be getting back to a process-oriented on-ice approach. This has been the longest period of time that the Penguins have played this well since the 2016 playoff run.

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That 2016 Penguins team consistently outshot, outchanced, and outscored their opponents. They were a force to be reckoned with night after night. While the playoffs are months away, the early signs are very encouraging for this group.

For every 60 minutes of even-strength play, here is a look at what the Penguins are generating. All data is courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.

• 58.29 shot attempts for (9th)
• 34.02 shots for (1st)
• 27.04 scoring chances for (10th)
• 3.11 goals for (6th)

For every 60 minutes of even-strength play, the Penguins opponents are not generating much. Here is where the Penguins rank league-wide in four defensive metrics.

• 50.56 shot attempts against (1st)
• 28.77 shots against (3rd)
• 22.66 scoring chances against (2nd)
• 2.42 goals against (5th)

When you hear head coach Mike Sullivan talk about controlling territory, this is what he is referring too. The 2019-20 Penguins have consistently outshot and out-chanced their opponents. If this continues, I expect the outscoring aspect of this to increase soon as well. All of this is very encouraging.

Through 20 games, the Penguins are tied with the Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins for the best goal differential (plus 17) in the NHL. Based on points, Washington and Boston are top three teams in the league. Pittsburgh is 12th. The Penguins process has been every bit as good (if not better) than theirs, their results just haven’t been that consistent yet. It’s a matter of getting everyone healthy and continuing to trust the process.

I am not the least bit surprised to see these three teams atop of MoneyPuck’s power rankings.

The Penguins have allowed the third-fewest goals (50) in the league. Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin remain an elite top pair. Marcus Pettersson and Justin Schultz are consistently tilting the ice in the Penguins’ favor. Trading Olli Maatta and Erik Gudbranson have been addition by subtraction on the blueline.

John Marino has been tremendous as a rookie on the back-end. Whether it be alongside Brian Dumoulin or Jack Johnson, Marino is passing both the eye and data test. Per Natural Stat Trick, Marino’s four primary assists at even-strength are tied for first amongst rookie skaters. That is the same amount as high-end prospects such as Martin Necas, Cale Makar, and Jack Hughes. I am not comparing Marino to any of them, but he has been one helluva find by the Penguins scouts.

Pittsburgh is suppressing shots at an elite rate. Take last Saturday night as an example. The Penguins held a highly skilled Toronto team to the perimeter of the offensive zone. They did this without Crosby, Letang, and Patric Hornqvist. As you will see below, this is not a one-game trend.

Not everything is firing on all cylinders. Their powerplay is in a major funk. Both the Penguins top power-play unit and Phil Kessel have seen their production decrease since parting ways last summer. However, the Penguins have enough elite talent and Mike Sullivan to sort this out.

I still believe that the Penguins need another top-six winger. As a team, Pittsburgh’s even-strength shooting percentage (9.15%) is in the middle of the pack. They traded away a high-end individual shooting talent in Phil Kessel. As I wrote last week, Jared McCann has made up for some of that. If Dominik Kahun keeps his current performance up, he needs to get an extended look alongside Crosby or Evgeni Malkin.

Pittsburgh has three games this week against the Islanders (twice) and Devils. They are two of the worst possession teams in the league. They need to continue their strong play and bank some points. Thanks for reading!