Wheres the Defense?

~from 3sn hockey analyst Pete Leck.

Two games into their first round matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Pittsburgh Penguins have   only trailed during regulation once, an instance that lasted just over 11 minutes. How is it then that they trail the series two games to none? The answer lies in the defense, which has done a terrific job of surrendering every lead that the Penguins offense has handed to them. No gap seems to be too great for the Flyers to overcome; a 3-0 Pittsburgh advantage appears no safer than a cupcake stuck inside a room full of fat people with low blood sugar. Both systematic breakdowns and individual shortcomings have turned a defense once thought to be elite, into a probable scapegoat for an early 2012 exit.

Taking a look at the Penguins defensive coverage as a whole reveals problems more typical of a borderline playoff team than a Cup contender. Even that’s probably a bit generous. At Game 2’s end, the Penguins have given up an unofficial total of seven breakaways. SEVEN! That’s Columbus Blue Jackets territory! Can anyone even name three Columbus defenseman (I can: Johnson, Wisniewski, and Martinek)?! The neutral zone coverage executed by the Penguins has allowed Flyers’ forwards to slip behind the defense for scoring chances at an alarming rate. The two main culprits here appear to be a lack of gap control between defensive pairings, and a lack of coverage for defenseman upon pinching into the offensive zone. Look no further than Jaromir Jagr’s breakaway within the opening minutes of Game 1. Paul Martin carried the puck into the offensive zone, a move perfectly fine when properly supported. However, partner Zbynek Michalek failed to drop back far enough, and no forward even feigned covering for him. Upon Paul Martin losing the puck, Philadelphia simply threw it in the opposite direction, giving Jagr a one-on-one shot with Marc Andre Fleury. To many Penguins fans, this may have been cute the first time, because it resulted in Fleury easily kicking Jagr’s shot away. It’s not cute anymore. It’s costing the Penguins games.

Having Crosby and Sullivan as "defense" on a 5-forward
power play hasn't helped either. Result: two short-
handed goals for Philadelphia in game 2.

 And if you think the neutral zone coverage is bad, have you watched the Penguins play defense once the Flyers establish some zone time? The Penguins seem to think the best way to break up a cycle is to nonchalantly attempt to poke check the puck off sticks. Flyers winger Jakub Voracek looked like Pavel Bure skating circles in the Penguins defensive zone in Game 2. Voracek isn’t fit to lace Bure’s skates for him, let alone imitate him on the ice.

Yes, the Penguins hit totals in the first two games are off the charts. However, there is a difference between hitting for the sake of hitting someone, and hitting to knock someone off the puck. There’s been a lot more of the former going on so far in this series. EVERYONE IS LOOKING AT YOU BROOKS ORPIK. Orpik’s inability to shy away from the big hit at the expense of taking himself out of defensive position is costing the Penguins goals. Same goes for David Engelland.

Voracek's game winning OT goal in game 1
was perfect evidence of defensive miscommunication
as Letang, Staal, and Fleury all let each other take
the puck. Instead, a Flyer gets it, and game over.

Then again, at least they seem to know what it means to play playoff hockey. Zbynek Michalek, Paul Martin, and Ben Lovejoy have looked like little kids who lost their parents in the middle of a crowded mall: they have no clue what to do. They’ve each equally contributed to a medley of shortcomings, including, but not limited to a lack of physical play, inexplicable clearing attempts aimed near the front of the net, an inability to win battles in the corners, and defensive zone turnovers. SO MANY TURNOVERS. Ben Lovejoy’s misguided cross ice pass in game 2 was like handing a goal to rookie Sean Couturier on a silver platter. That goal tied the game at 5-5 after Tyler Kennedy had opened the 3^rd period with a goal. Plays like that are completely inexcusable, and cost teams games, if not series.

                

  Don’t think Kris Letang is above criticism either. Though he improved his play in Game 2, his Game 1 performance was borderline pathetic. Letang was right in front of the net for two Flyers goals, including the overtime winner. Kris Letang is a good defenseman, but he still has too many holes in his defensive game to be considered “elite”, a title many Penguins fans seem insistent on giving him.

                Maybe this is all just an overreaction to a small sample size of playoff hockey; an angry rant that you would expect from someone new to hockey instead of someone who has put it above all other sports his whole life. But this seems different than just two bad games. This seems like a defense that can’t play within a system, and one filled with players with too many individual flaws, which are only exacerbated in crunch time playoff hockey.