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Penguins' decision to pick Joel Blomqvist overshadows loss: 10 observations

Posted on by Kennedy
Penguins' decision to pick Joel Blomqvist overshadows loss: 10 observations

TORONTO — It was a scene that repeated itself for nearly two decades. Crowds of Toronto reporters surrounded Sidney Crosby in the Penguins locker room after Saturday morning's skate, as the Penguins captain prepared for his 27th career NHL game in the hockey capital.

Then for a moment everyone's attention was diverted from Crosby.

All because of a rookie with one game of NHL experience.

Joel Blomqvist was the first goaltender to leave the ice and stroll into the locker room, which was pretty relevant since Tristan Jarry was still on the ice. Mike Sullivan made it official about 15 minutes later that Blomqvist would start against the Maple Leafs.

The rookie played fairly well, stopping 29 of 32 shots, but the Penguins fell 4-2 on Saturday.

It's just one game out of 82, and it's not like Sullivan is afraid of going in with a hot hand. But there was something quite unsettling about this decision.

Let's look at the facts:

• After losing his job in the final 13 games of last season while Alex Nedeljkovic nearly led the Penguins to the postseason, Jarry was repeatedly praised by the coaching staff over the past month for coming into training camp in the best shape of his life .

• Jarry allowed six goals in a 6-0 loss to the Rangers on opening night.

• Blomqvist, admittedly a good prospect but also the third-best player in the rankings, played very well in Thursday's 6-3 win over Detroit.

• Two nights later, against Toronto, a fresh-faced Jarry was on the bench.

• Sullivan believed the 22-year-old rookie with one game on his NHL resume gave the Penguins a better chance to win against one of the NHL's best teams in the Maple Leafs' home opener on Hockey Night Canada.

The Penguins usually plan before the trip which goalie will be in the starting lineup on road trips. Sullivan was asked if Blomqvist's performance in Detroit changed the goaltending plan for this trip.

“It had an impact,” Sullivan said.

At this point, it's fair to wonder how much confidence Jarry has, how much confidence the Penguins have in him, and what happens next. Driving the hot hand is one thing and not at all unusual for a coach. But this is different. Blomqvist is a good candidate and there is no denying how good he was in Detroit. However, Jarry began this season under the microscope and was in the doghouse at the end of last season.

It only took one start for him to sit out consecutive games.

In June at the NHL Draft in Las Vegas, I asked Sullivan if he viewed Jarry as the Penguins' No. 1 goaltender heading into the season. His answer?

“We believe Tristan is a No. 1 NHL goaltender.”

Sullivan didn't say anything wrong, but he didn't exactly answer the question.

A few months later, uncertainty appears to remain.

Since both goalkeepers were fresh and faced a very tough test, he chose the boy over Jarry after just three games of the season. Jarry's place in net is far from set in stone and it's fair to wonder what his future with the Penguins looks like at this point.

After this season he is under contract for three more seasons. His contract may not be rescheduled. Things are getting worse with Jarry and the penguins. Whether it's an October game or not, the marriage between the Jarry and the Penguins is a rocky one and the Penguins are interested in looking at other goaltenders.

There is one more fact to mention:

• Nedeljkovic skated Saturday morning and appears close to returning to the lineup. He will need some playing time soon and there are only a few months left until he temporarily replaces Jarry as the No. 1 goalkeeper.

This is a very interesting situation, and Sullivan's selection made it even more clear that the organization's trust in Jarry is no longer what it once was.

Ten observations after the game

• The Penguins played a pretty good game, but had some bad luck, a few bad mistakes and couldn't score more than two goals.

Both Sullivan and Toronto coach Craig Berube agreed the Penguins were the better team in the first period, and they were. However, the Maple Leafs were in control of the game for most of the final 40 minutes.

The fact is that the Penguins aren't good enough to beat really good teams unless they control the game for 60 minutes. They simply no longer have any room for error because they can no longer generate attacks at will like they once did.

Still, the Penguins' performance wasn't bad at all. There were many good signs.

• Stick with Evgeni Malkin, who has reached a very impressive milestone. Malkin was once again one of the best players on the ice, recording two assists, the second of which gave him 1,300 career points.

Malkin downplayed the success after the game because he was upset that the Penguins lost. I bring this up because his competitiveness is one of the things that makes him so special.

He was the Penguins' best player in three games.

• Back to Blomqvist.

He was very good for the second game in a row. He conceded a goal on a half-break against Mitch Marner and another on a two-on-nothing with William Nylander taking care of business. No goalkeeper could stop it.

Toronto's other goal, scored by Matthew Knies, wasn't bad either. It was perhaps an example of the goaltender's inexperience – “I didn't expect him to bounce off the boards” – and the fact that he isn't particularly good with the puck. An experienced puck handler might have been able to prevent the puck from traveling toward the slot after being knocked off the boards. But that's selective.

The youngster has been outstanding, outlasting Auston Matthews in four different top-notch looks.

“He’s good,” Malkin said with a shrug when asked about the rookie.

Nobody rejects that.

“He was really good,” Marcus Pettersson said. “Again.”

• The Penguins simply made some terrible mistakes, and against a team as talented as Toronto, those mistakes are deadly.

Sidney Crosby and Pettersson miscommunicated on a play when Crosby ran the puck to the point, which Pettersson hadn't expected. Marner quickly scored a goal after that.

Bryan Rust, in his first game back in the lineup, took a really bad penalty in the offensive zone in the final seconds of the third period.

Something like that could fly against the Red Wings, but not against the Maple Leafs.

• Having Rust back in the squad is no small feat, however.

He was persistent in the first half and caused chaos on the forecheck. He looked a little out of breath in the last two periods of the game, but he hasn't been on his skates much in the last two weeks. So that's understandable.

“He does so much for us,” Pettersson said. “Having him back is huge.”

• Several bizarre events led to Nylander's goal in the second period.

A linesman was briefly tied to the boards with the Penguins. Moments later, Malkin's stick was slashed. And then Michael Bunting's pass to Matt Grzelcyk hit a piece of ice – and the ice in Toronto was terrible, according to many on the Penguins – which rattled the Penguins to the point where the Leafs had a two-on-nothing rush.

Toronto was the better team in the last two periods of the game, but such losing streaks were no friend to the Penguins.

• Time to give Ryan Graves some credit.

He had a puncture in the first period of the game in Penguins territory, but he was very solid after that. Graves was also decent in Detroit.

I have criticized him often and, in my opinion, quite critically. But these are two games in a row where I think he's done a solid job and that deserves to be mentioned.

• Kris Letang was out of form in the first two games of the season and had some difficult early transitions in this game.

He then scored on a power play rocket to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead.

After that, he looked more like the Letang that would help the Penguins.

• The Leafs weren't at their best, but great teams don't have to be at their best to win. They may not be built to win in the playoffs, but the Leafs are a great regular season team.

• The Penguins return to Montreal on Monday night for a Thanksgiving (Canadian) Night game against the Canadiens. If they can win this game they will go home 2-2, which would be quite a win after the season opener.

I suspect Jarry will be between the pipes again in this game. The pressure on him is increasing. It will be a big night for him if he plays.

(Photo of Auston Matthews trying to shoot Joel Blomqvist: Nick Turchiaro / Imagn Images)

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