Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Ryan Graves scores his first, Penguins win their third in a row!

Starting point is 00:00:00 Today on Locked-on Penguins, do not adjust your TVs. The Penguins are on a three-game winning streak, and it was powered by exactly the people you thought would power that win streak. Tristan Jari with another big time start, and we'll get you ready for Penguins and Devils this weekend. Stick with us. We're going to talk about all of it right now. You're Locked-on Penguins, your daily podcast on the Pittsburgh Penguins, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome back to another edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I'm one of your host, Patrick Damp.

Starting point is 00:00:43 You can follow me across all social media platforms at Synonym 4Wet. Joined, as always, by my partner in crime, the one and only Hunter Hodes. You can follow him on Twitter at Hunter Hodes. You can give our show's Twitter account a follow at L.O. underscore Penguins. And, of course, you know we appreciate you making us part of your daily routine. Don't forget that we are free and available wherever you get podcasts as well as the Roku channel and YouTube. If you follow us on YouTube, go ahead and hit that notification button. That way you can be among the first to know when we drop our daily Monday through Friday episodes.

Starting point is 00:01:20 Before we dive into everything we've got to get to today, today's episode is brought to you by Fandul. New Fandle customers can get 200 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. Hunter the Penguins have won three games in a row, getting a five to three victory over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night. And like I said in the intro, it was powered by the exact people that you think would power a penguin's winning streak. Goals from Ryan Graves, Connor Timmons, and Connor Dewar, and another unbelievable start for Tristan John. he makes 33 saves, 917 save percentage, and really only one even strength goal against because two of the three Blues goals were on the power play. So once again, for the third straight game, Tristan Jari has an unbelievable outing.

Starting point is 00:02:22 Really seems like he's come back from Wilkes-Fair with a newfound confidence. And it seems like, again, three games, not the biggest sample size, but he really does seem like he has figured some things out early on since returning from the HL. And I got to talk about this from last night's game. We'll get into Tristan Jari in a little bit. But let's start with the negative, even though it's a three game winning streak. The penalty kill is just absolutely atrocious right now.

Starting point is 00:02:56 It's garbage, man. One of the goals that they gave up on the penalty kill, Pat, three of the players, were on one side of the ice, leaving the Blues player wide open 15 feet out. That's awful penalty killing. Like the zone entries they're giving up are also way too easy. They're playing so passive on the penalty kill. We need to start having a conversation about Mike Belichie with this, because this can't keep happening.

Starting point is 00:03:21 This was one of the better units in the league for the first several weeks of the season. Heck, for the first couple months of the season. But ever since then, you've seen us. deep drop off. Like, they're below league average right now. Going into last night's game, 17th in the league and penalty killing, man. Like, this is not good.

Starting point is 00:03:39 And if he had not given up to those goals on the penalty kill, this is a blowout, even though the Penguins did not really play well in this game. I mean, there was a time in the first period. The shots were 10 to 1 in favor of St. Louis. The Blues came out firing everything they had at Tristan Jari. Credit to him for standing on his head throughout this game, not just in the first period.

Starting point is 00:03:58 But the penalty kill has been. woeful, man. I mean, there's too many missed assignments, too many free zone entries. You're giving them out like Halloween candy. You're playing way too passive. You're not getting in the shooting lanes. You're kind of allowing the opposing power plays to do whatever they want. And I'm not sitting here and saying you need to run a power kill like the devil's do because that's easier said that Dunpat. You know, they have better personnel to run that. And saying with the Carolina Hurricanes will get more into the devils in the final segment of today's episode. but it still needs to be way more aggressive than what we're seeing right now.

Starting point is 00:04:33 Like this is, it looks like a five on three out there. You hit on the thing that has stuck with me as of late in the stark difference between the penalty kill earlier this season and where it is now. And that's the aggression of it. I don't, I think you're halfway there with Volucci. I'm, you guys on this show, Hunter, you as well, you know this about me. I'm not a big fan of placing every single woe on the coach because realistically, you can only do so much in a professional level as a head coach or just a coach in general.

Starting point is 00:05:12 But I do look at it this way. When this penalty kill has been at its best, no, it hasn't been a Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, Power Kill, where they hit you at all pressure points and give you absolutely no room. They're not equipped to run that. They don't have the horses. But at the beginning of the year, the players were making better decisions on when to pressure and when not to pressure. And there was enough aggression in it that they were able to disrupt, whether it was zone entries, whether it was when the opposing team sets up in the offensive zone. They were making the right reads and being just aggressive enough that they were putting they were throwing a wrench into

Starting point is 00:05:55 opposing power plays the last couple of months they have become an extremely passive penalty kill yeah and what i'm trying to figure out they're now 19th in the league by the way in penalty kill they were 17th going in the last night's game pat they've now dropped to 19th because they just keep giving up power play goals every game at this rate and the thing that i'm trying to figure out and i haven't figured it out yet sorry to disappoint everybody is I don't know if this is a systems issue or if it's similar in a way to the power play last year where it went from it should have been very good and because things have been so poor lately it's becoming a confidence issue because realistically unlike a power play

Starting point is 00:06:45 penalty killing is extremely simple it's one of two systems it's I either a diamond or a box, depending upon what your opponent is doing on the power play. And it's really just to use the hockey cliches, heart and effort. Realistically, there isn't a whole ton to do on a penalty kill. It's not like there are complex assignments. It's not like there has to be some sort of inherent offensive ability that only certain players have. It's realistically knowing when to be aggressive.

Starting point is 00:07:19 It's knowing when to get to your spot. And it's, excuse my language, just working your ass off. Because that's like, listen, again, I know I played BS Division 2 college club hockey and AA hockey in Western Pennsylvania as a high school student. But part of the reason I was always on penalty kills was because I was just willing to work hard and willing to throw my body in front of shots. That's realistically two of the only things you need to be. a somewhat effective penalty killer in the NHL.

Starting point is 00:07:52 And right now you look at the way the Penguins PK is going. There's not a lot of confidence there. They're very passive. They're kind of sitting back. And when they were good, yeah, they'd sit back sometimes. Yeah, they would give the other team room. But it would be similar to what we saw just recently in Minnesota. They knew that Minnesota was just going to pass it around the perimeter.

Starting point is 00:08:14 And they were like, all right, if you want to kill a clock and just pass it around the perimeter, we'll shut down the line. lanes, we'll let you do that, and you can kill the clock. Last night, they're fixated on the puck carrier. They're not looking at where everybody else is. And it's fine to be fixated on the puck carrier when you're a penalty killing unit, but there has to be some aggression there. It can't just be toes to the puck, let them do what they want to do,

Starting point is 00:08:39 lose the open man, and give up goals. So they have to figure out one way or the other what they want to do here. And I don't know what it'll take because realistically, there aren't many systems you can switch to. They just have to find their confidence again. Yeah, losing the open man, that was the point I really wanted to, you know, ring home for this one. On the first one, especially, Pat,

Starting point is 00:09:00 when it was two nothing in the second period, again, three players were on one side of the ice, Penguins lose the open guy coming down, boom, fires a one-timer in the back of the net. Tristan Jari has no chance there because his penalty killers aren't helping him out. Like, they were leaving him out too dry with that chance. You have to do a better job with stuff. like that. But again, man, I think the confidence is definitely a big thing, but also getting the right

Starting point is 00:09:24 personnel. I think the Penguins coaching staff thinks some of their kind of mad players are like their best penalty killers. They're not. They're not. Like, look at the numbers, people. Like someone like, Noah Charlie Pat. He plays on the PK quite a bit. I get their logic with it, but he's not good on the penalty kill, man. Like he blocks some shots, but he's just too slow of a skater. Like, and with where the league is going, you need to replace players like that on penalty kill that can fully skate. And I just think so am like a chari. Like, Nieto was getting a lot of penalty killing time as well before, you know, he got waived, you got sent down to Wilkesbury.

Starting point is 00:10:01 And when both of them were out there, it was honestly, you can make an argument. It was even worse because like two of your four penalty killers are players who are not good at five on five. You don't need pure PK specialists. Like you just need players that, as you said, they work their butt off. I mean, they're good at five on five. and they're also quick. Like you see great penalty kills again,

Starting point is 00:10:20 like Carolina, like New Jersey. They have speed for days out there with players that can kill penalties. Penguins have to find something like that, I think. They really do. But listen,

Starting point is 00:10:31 it's Friday. And it's definitely a feel good Friday because the penguins are on a three game winning streak. Now that we have gotten the negative out of the way. Our long national nightmare is over, my friends. Ryan Graves has scored a goal. Pat, take it away.

Starting point is 00:10:48 He sure did. Ryan Graves gets his first goal of the season. We will talk about the Ryan Graves goal, Tristan Jari's performance, and like I said, it's Friday. It's a feel good Friday. We got the negative out of the way. Let's get the good vibes back in here. And we will do that when we return to talk more about the Penguins 5 to 3 victory and their

Starting point is 00:11:08 third in a row over the St. Louis Blues. But first, we've got to tell you about a couple of sponsors, starting with trade coffee. If you're like me, your mornings have to start with a good cup of coffee. Here's one right now while I'm recording this show, but I got tired of settling for grocery store brands that just weren't cutting it. That's why I turned to trade and let me tell you this coffee is next level. It's absolutely phenomenal. And trade is the number one coffee marketplace in the United States, bringing you fresh coffee

Starting point is 00:11:39 from over 50 of the country's top roasters. Their experts have taste tested thousands of coffees curating over 450 amazing roasts. And whether you're new to coffee, know exactly what you want, or you're looking to find something new, they'll handpick the perfect match for you. And here's one of the best parts, people, there's no pressure here. If you don't love your first bag, no worries. Trade will replace it for you for free until they get it just right. And right now, trade is exclusively offering our listeners 40% off your first. first order at drinktrade.com slash locked on NHL.

Starting point is 00:12:16 That's drink trade, T-R-A-D-E dot com slash locked on NHL for 40% off your first offer. One more time, that's drinktrade.com slash locked on NHL. And we're not done. We've got one more sponsor to talk about. And that is Fandul. March Madness is here and Fandle is giving you the chance to get in on the action like never before.

Starting point is 00:12:39 Right now new customers can get $200 in. bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. That's 200 extra bucks to use on everything from buzzer beaters to Cinderella stories and even who will be cutting down the nets. My favorite thing is I've got an eye on a couple underdogs. I love this time of year. March Madness, not a big hoops guy, but like Beesda Honeyman, March Madness, I absolutely love it. So Fandle was making it easy to back them with spreads, totals, and game props. So go ahead and visit Fandul.com. And and get in on the college hoops action all tournament long. That's Fandul America's number one sports book.

Starting point is 00:13:21 It's a feel good Friday here on the locked on penguins podcast. I'm Patrick Damp alongside Hunter Hodes. And we got the negative out of the way. We talked about the PK, how it went all of O for two last night in the Penguins victory. So now let's get into the positive Hunter. You said it quickly before we went to break. Ladies and gentlemen,

Starting point is 00:13:43 the long national nightmare has officially come to an end. Ryan Graves, future Norris Trophy winner with his first goal of the season. And I got to be honest, I watched that goal like 10 times to be like, this had to hit something, right? Like this had to hit a stick. There had to be a screen. No, he just decided to go ahead and snipe from like right inside the blue line. So awesome goal for Ryan Graves.

Starting point is 00:14:11 then, along with Ryan Graves, the two Conners get their first goals as Pittsburgh Penguins. Connor Timmons gets his first to make it two nothing penguins after Zach Boduke scores to make it two to one in the second. Not long after Connor Dewar gets both his first goal as a penguin and his first goal of the season to give the penguins a two goal lead. And I mean, I really liked the Penguins effort in this one. I know that the first period wasn't all that great. And the shot story kind of tells you maybe they got dominated.

Starting point is 00:14:47 But it was another game to me. And I know I'm going to get tomatoes thrown at me. And, oh, you're being a home or you're saying your favorite team did good because they won. It was another game where the first period, it was the Carolina Corses again. Now, the difference between what happened against Vegas and what happened against St. Louis is St. Louis found the net on a lot of their shots. Vegas, on the other hand, was just firing from everywhere, missing the net, getting shots blocked, getting a few on the net.

Starting point is 00:15:17 St. Louis last night was actually picking good spots to shoot from. At one point, in the second period, St. Louis had 70 shot attempts, which is just absolutely bonkers. But overall, penguins, like we always say, Hunter, this team may not be very good, but man, they battle. They battle, they don't quit, and they have a lot of heart, at least in most of the games the season. Yeah, we've come on here, we've kind of questioned that they've had heart, or we've questioned

Starting point is 00:15:50 their effort level in at least a few games, because it looks like in those select games, Pat, that they've quit. But in a lot of these other games, especially this week, where they haven't really been close to their A game, they've still shown a lot of guts. They've shown the heart. They've shown that effort. and it's resulted in them going on this three-game winning streak. Again, they may not be very good people.

Starting point is 00:16:13 They're not going to make the playoffs this year, but I will always respect a team that battles its asses off every night like this. And they've beaten three pretty solid teams over the past week. Minnesota are going to be going to the playoffs this year. Vegas. That team is going to win the Pacific Division to be the Blues. They may not make the playoffs, Pat, but they're at least an average team to me, in my opinion.

Starting point is 00:16:36 And despite not playing that, well last night. I will say, Pat, the blues had seven high danger chances at five on five in that first period compared to only one for the penguins. So the penguins, they were completely outclassed in that first period, though I will say it got a bit better in the last two periods. You know, high danger chances at five on five, only five to four in favor of the blues. So yeah, the penguins picked up their play in the final two periods. But again, without Tristan Jari, they would have been trailing pretty badly going into the second period. And speaking of, sorry, man. It amazes me that he looks like prime LeBron James right now. I put a meme out on my

Starting point is 00:17:14 socials last night, both on Twitter and on blue sky, of like literally just him, when the stakes aren't that high, he turns into prime LeBron James. And some of the saves that he's making, again, I'm like, man, where was this at the beginning of the season? Where was this during the midway point of the season? He has saved 4.99 goals above expected over his last three. You want to round that up to five, that's all fine and dandy. So basically, Pat, five goals stayed above expected at five on five in his last three starts. It's crazy how well he's playing right now. He's going to get the start on Saturday, rightfully so.

Starting point is 00:17:51 I mean, if he keeps playing like this, I'm not sure when Nadelcovich is going to get his next start at this rate. But it is at least nice seeing this level come out, even though, again, it would have been really nice to see this at the beginning of the year. as to your point about Connor Dewar and Connor Timens. Dewar's game, he's feisty to me. He had a really, obviously, of that nice play on that goal,

Starting point is 00:18:13 but the big play that led to that goal was the breakout pass from Eric Carlson. Beautiful stuff from his own zone. That stretch pass was nasty. Like Lazot gets it, fires a beautiful cross-size pass to Connor Dewar, makes no mistake with a tap-in. But even outside of getting that goal,

Starting point is 00:18:30 I just like how feisty he is. He plays with an edge. He fore-checks well. again, it's a small sample size, but I want to keep seeing what he can do in the lineup. He's still young enough where I think he has more to grow with his game. And then for Connor Timmons, I texted you last night.

Starting point is 00:18:45 I put this comparison out on my socials. He reminds me so much of Ben Lovejoy. He doesn't block as many shots as Ben Lovejoy did. He doesn't eat shots for breakfast like Lovejoy did. But the word I keep going back to for him is steady. That's what Connor Timmons is. He's so steady. as a player. He makes all the right reads. His gap control is really solid. He doesn't overly

Starting point is 00:19:09 pinch in the offensive zone. He knows when to pull back. He had that really nice release on the goal last night. Everything about his game is really fun. And as we've said on the show, the best thing about being a bottom pairing defenseman is if I don't notice you that much, but I'm sure noticing him quite a bit right now in a very good way. And keep feeding him these minutes, man. He's been a lot of fun to watch. I think that penguins might have something in him, at least to start right now. That's a great comparison because it's very similar. Ben Lovejoy was always steady. Yeah, he was much, like you said, much more of a shot blocker. But I also want to put this point out there. You're right. And I'm glad I have converted you into this church of belief of

Starting point is 00:19:56 the best bottom pairing defensemen are ones that you don't notice. But at the end of the year, you go, you know what? He was pretty solid. The thing. we got to keep in mind is he's got the new guy shine on him. So we're watching for him. But if he's somebody that that sticks around with the organization for a year or two, it does feel like his trajectory is a guy that we're just going to steadily see on the third pairing. He's going to play very responsible minutes. He's not going to make a ton of egregious mistakes. He's not going to blow you away. But you know what you're going to get out of them night in, night out. And that is going to be just solid, responsible defensive play.

Starting point is 00:20:33 and God, do we know that that is something that the Pittsburgh Penguins just have always throughout their history needed. There's always needed to be one defenseman who they're not flashy, they're not physical, overly physical, they're not doing anything crazy, they're just steady. They're just there to provide that level. And it looks like he's on his way to doing that. One last thing I wanted to mention, I was hoping you would bring it up, but you didn't. and I can't let this game's recap pass without this. If you go to Money Pucks,

Starting point is 00:21:08 famous, deserve to win a meter for last night's game, it has the Blues at 87.9% deserve to win. And I did it yesterday. I'm going to do it again today. I'm fighting the numbers, because if you let Ryan Graves, Connor Timmons, and Connor Dewar score, your deserve to winner meter is at,

Starting point is 00:21:32 0%. Hey, that's fair. As a totally fair point, even though the blues played well, if you let Ryan Graves score, you deserve to lose with the way that he has played for basically his entire Penguins tenure at this point. Though, again, really nice seeing him get that goal last night. One last thing I want to bring up, actually, too. Congratulations to Ricard Raquel, another 30 goal season. Awesome stuff from him. What a bounce back. And Sidney Crosby, eight points away from the point per game record. And assuming nothing happens with injuries, God forbid, he is going to get it down the stretch here, I think. As our friend Rob Rossi said, I didn't read the full article. My apologies, Rob, but the headline was perfect. Sidney Crosby is chasing a Wayne Gretzky record as well. But that is going to do it for our second segment. When we come back, we have got the annual St. Patrick's Day weekend game. This year, the Penguins Welcome in the New Jersey Devil.

Starting point is 00:22:32 Hunter and I will get you set for that game when we come back. But before we do that, we've got to tell you about today's last sponsor, and that is Monarch Money. Have you ever checked your bank account and wondered, where did all of my money go? Between dining out, online shopping, and entertainment, it's very easy to lose track, and that is where Monarch Money comes in. It's your personal CFO, giving you full visibility and control over your finances. And Monarch Money isn't just a budgeting app. It's a complete financial command center.

Starting point is 00:23:04 You can track all of your accounts, investments, and spending all in one place. So you stop managing your money and start building wealth. The biggest thing is the all in one convenience instead of juggling multiple banking apps, multiple investment apps, and everything else in between. It's your one-stop shop. Monarch money helps you track your finances, track your spending, and it even helps you plan your long-term goals. So take control of your finances with Monarch money. Use code locked on NHL at Monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. That's monarchmoney.com code locked on NHL for half off your first year.

Starting point is 00:23:43 Welcome back. It's the Friday edition of Locked on Penguins, a three game winning streak edition of Locked on Penguins. I'm Patrick Damp alongside Hunter Hodes. And yes, we're excited over a three game winning streak because it's been a whole lot to really be excited about this year. But you know what? We're going to take the wins that we can get. So let's get into this 3 o'clock on ABC this weekend at PPG Paints Arena.

Starting point is 00:24:14 It's the Penguins and the Devils. It's a metropolitan division matchup. And you got to feel a little bit for the New Jersey Devils because what have we been saying and everybody has been saying about this Devils team? They're young. They're talented. It's not your grandfather's New Jersey Devils. But unfortunately, once again, injuries get in the way of this team taking the next step.

Starting point is 00:24:39 They are without both Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton for the rest of the year. Jack Hughes needs to get surgery. Dougie Hamilton is just out with what they're calling a lower body injury, but he's not going to return this season. Two huge losses for that team. However, they still sit. third in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 36, 25, and 6. And they are actually in the same place as the Penguins right now.

Starting point is 00:25:09 They are in the middle of a three-game win streak, beating the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Edmonton Oilers. So they as well have beaten a couple of solid teams and put together a nice little easy winning streak here. So one of these teams is going to have to see their street come to an end on Sunday. Hunter, I ask you this. We talk about it all the time when it's penguins devils. What do the penguins have to do to get a victory on Saturday? Well, Pat, it's kind of the same key that we've had every time they play the devils these last few years.

Starting point is 00:25:42 And it's about containing their team speed. I felt in that last matchup, that one they lost in the shootout, the penguins honestly should have won that game. By the way, I thought they were the better team in that one. That was the best job I've seen them do in terms of containing their team speed over the last years. And yeah, I know the penguins did be the team. Devils at the end of last season. It was a nice comeback in the third period, but I still don't think

Starting point is 00:26:03 they played all that well in that game. The Penguins have just really been bad against this team over the last several seasons. They were one in seven and two in their last 10 against the Devils. They have lost nine of their last 10 games against this team, mostly because they can't handle their speed. They can't handle how quick they are and how they are able to get to the middle of the ice and get to those high danger areas. Now, granted, they did a really nice job. but preventing a lot of those chances and that last matchup, it's going to have to be the same in this one. No Jack Hughes for the rest of the year.

Starting point is 00:26:36 Very tough blow for the devils. He is a lot of their offense. He's been sensational this year. 27 goals, 70 points in 62 games, but also Dougie Hamilton. He might come back in the playoffs, but it looks like he's done for the regular season. Nine goals, 40 points in 63 games.

Starting point is 00:26:51 So when you combine those two players, they have 110 combined points this year, two absolutely major losses. And I've said, a lot of times on the show. If this team is fully healthy, I think they can go far. But now that they don't have Hughes for the playoffs and we'll have to see if Hamilton comes back for the playoffs, it's just going to be that much tougher because you're going to have to really rely on someone like, yes, but Brad, you're going to have to really rely on someone

Starting point is 00:27:15 like Nico Hesier to Hesier. He'll be playing in this one. He's going to get the matchups against Cindy Crosby. That's going to be a fun chess match, considering how hot Crosby has been lately. He's sure, he's one of the best two-way forwards in the league. So I'm really excited to watch that. have to find a way to slow down someone like Brat who he's crushed the penguins over the last few years, man. It feels like every time these two teams play, yes, for Brat always goes on the score sheet. Timo Myers had a really nice year. Dawson Mercer always plays well against the Penguins too. Andre Palat is a good depth forward.

Starting point is 00:27:45 They have Tomas Tatar down there. Even defensively without Dougie Hamilton, Pesci is a really good top four defenseman. Luke Hughes is playing well. They acquired Brian Dumlin right before the trade deadline. They have Brendan Dillon on their top pair. and then they did get Jacob Marks from back, which is huge because I think when healthy, he is still one of the best goaltenders in the league. And they also have Jake Allen.

Starting point is 00:28:06 But another key for me, the devils can play really stingy. You saw that on display in these first two matchups, penguins have to find a way to generate a bit more offense. Like I know it's going to be hard to come by because, yeah, the devils can come at you in waves. And they've done that in both of these matchups. But they are also totally content with. playing back, playing a bit slow, and letting the game come to them. And the Penguins, they're going to have to really work for their offense if they want to win this game.

Starting point is 00:28:36 And to me, that screams the top line. You got to keep relying on the top line in this one. I think of getting Malkin. You've got to have a good game out of the second line. You're really going to need all four lines just because of how stingy the devils play in their own zone. Like, yeah, you can get by against some teams where only one of your lines shows up, maybe two of your line shows up.

Starting point is 00:28:56 can't do that against the devil's team even without jack hughes and nuggy hamilton you need all four lions hook in here especially with the way they play in their own zone for sure and the thing i want to kind of build off of of what you were saying about them being a little bit stingy i know people hear that and think didn't you guys just say that these aren't your grandfather's new jersey devils the difference is i harken it a lot to the new york rangers of the last couple of years they're not playing a trap game and just waiting to capitalize on your mistakes, what they're waiting to do is beat you in transition with their speed. Yeah, they are hanging back a little bit and waiting for you to make a mistake,

Starting point is 00:29:37 but then as soon as you make that mistake, it's all gas, no breaks. It's not, okay, you guys made a mistake. We're going to send our one four checker up and our one support man up. It's we have the puck now and we're going to catch you out of place. And even if we don't score, we are going to four. check you into the ground once we get the puck. So that's the big difference now. So you can't get caught in a transition game against the New Jersey Devils,

Starting point is 00:30:08 especially even with the injuries that they have because this is a team. Yes, I know they acquired Brian Dumlin, but that's not going to move the needle too much. It's still a team that is built and predicated on speed, which still feels extremely weird to say about the New Jersey. Jersey Devils. But they play their game at top speed. And while they can ease off that gas a little bit waiting for you to make a mistake, as soon as you make that mistake, it's game over and you are going to be on your heels against them. So the penguins really can't make mistakes in the neutral

Starting point is 00:30:45 zone this game because if they do, they're going to pay for it. The other thing, I agree to an extent about the goaltending. I think Jake Allen is a very solid backup to even 1B. And I do think Markstrom has had a solid bounce back with the devils. But even that in mind, both of them are hovering right around what is NHL average at this point in the NHL season. Jacob Markstrom with a 906 save percentage. Jake Allen with a 9-11 save percentage. This is a game where you can swallow your pride a little bit and don't be afraid to be the Carolina courses. put everything on net, every chance you get to shoot, shoot the puck,

Starting point is 00:31:26 make these guys face whoever it is, whether it's Markstrom or Allen. We're obviously recording this on Friday, so we don't know what the goaltending matchup is going to be. But either or, don't be afraid to fire everything at the net and force them to face a high volume of shots, because that's kind of also been something that's been missing from this three-game win streak of the Penguins. And this isn't me trying to be somebody up in the 200s at PPG Paints Arena yelling shoot as soon as the puck goes on a penguin stick.

Starting point is 00:32:01 But they have not made the goalies they're playing lately work all that much. And obviously you don't want to have a bunch of junk shots that miss the net and kickstart a breakout or it's a blocked shot that also kickstarts a breakout. out. But if you have a lane against either of these two goalies, put the puck on net, make them work, make them tire themselves out, because again, it is a devil's team that is going to try their hardest to limit you. So you have to take every single thing that they give you. So that for me is a huge key for the penguins to try to get their fourth straight win. They got to get traffic in front of Markstrom, man. He has feasted on the penguins a lot throughout his career. You look at his numbers against the penguins. I have them in my notes today. Eight in full record, two 0.08 goals against

Starting point is 00:32:55 average, 933, say percentage, man. He plays his tail off against this team. You have to get in his kitchen and make him uncomfortable. And one more thing for me, devils have the third best penalty kill in the league. They run very much a power kill, as I mentioned earlier in the show, kind of like Carolina. Penguins are going to have to be on high alert when they have power. I know the Penguins powerway for the most part this year has been good. It's a little bit in the last few weeks, but they got to be super careful. Like when you're moving the puck around,

Starting point is 00:33:24 and you saw that in the second game, when the Penguins were getting power plays, the Devils were really pressuring up. Like, they weren't allowing them to kind of just do their own thing. Like, they make you make quick decisions. Penguins are going to have to do that times infinity if they want to score on the power play against this devil's penalty hill. They really will.

Starting point is 00:33:44 So once again, Penguins and Devils at 3 o'clock. It is a national game, so it will be on ABC, as well as ESPN Plus from PPG Paints Arena. But that is going to do it for our Friday edition of Locked-on Penguins. Hunter and I will be back on Monday to break down this game, as well as get you ready for the week ahead. Hopefully we can get Jesse Marshall,

Starting point is 00:34:07 but we know that life happens. We would love to have another Marshall Monday. But again, when you're a dad, life happens. things get in the way. We totally get that. But for now, for Hunter Hodes, I am Patrick Dam. Thank you, as always, for tuning in. Have a great weekend, everybody. Be safe on St. Patrick's Day, and we will be back on Monday.

Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Ryan Graves scores his first, Penguins win their third in a row!

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.