Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Ten Hockey Thoughts

10/23/2015 at 1:38pm EDT

from Allan Muir of Sports Illustrated,

1. I think all you need to know about Mike Johnston’s job security in Pittsburgh can be boiled down to one stat: Over their past 22 regular season games, the Penguins have scored a total of 36 goals. The same Penguins that dress Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang and, for the past seven, Phil Kessel. This is a team that should be putting up three goals a night without breaking a sweat, but it has managed to score that many in regulation just four times over that stretch. In the seven games they've played so far this season, the Penguins have been held to two goals or fewer six times. The one exception? A 3–2 overtime victory against the Panthers.

There are almost too many problems to list. The power play is an embarrassment, connecting just twice on 25 chances. The defense struggles to make plays in transition. The lineup is a case study in failed chemistry. But the real indictment against Johnston is the team's body language. This group looks it's ready to crumble after every bad bounce. That's especially true for Crosby, who looks miserable. You can argue (and rightly so) that as the captain he should be the one putting the Pens on his back and carrying them through this. But the fact that he hasn't speaks loudly of his regard for the current staff. Have to believe a change is coming.

2. I think John Tortorella’s first game back behind the bench suggests things are about to get really interesting in Columbus. In the grand scheme, Thursday night’s contest against the Wild was hardly a must-win. At 0-7, 0-8, what’s the difference, right? That said, the Jackets needed that game on an emotional level, and it was right there for the taking. But rather than go for the short-term relief a victory would have provided, Tortorella took the long-term approach of establishing his expectations for the team and benched star center Ryan Johansen for the final 6:10 of a game that they eventually lost, 3–2....

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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