Penguins, Bruins & NHL’s missed opportunity

Welcome to 10 Insights and Observations. Every Thursday, I’ll use this space to highlight teams, players, storylines, and general musings around the NHL, and perhaps at times, the greater hockey world.

This week, we look at a well-rounded Pittsburgh team, power plays going in opposite directions, David Pastrnak trying to fill the David Krejci hole, the NHL all-star game and more.

1. The Pittsburgh Penguins were one of the most explosive teams in the league last season (second in goals per game, fourth in power-play percentage), but in the playoffs they got goalie’d by their own goalie. Seriously, just watch the goals the Islanders scored in that series – in which they were largely outplayed – off a collection of wrist shots from distance, and a stunningly bad giveaway that led to a Game 5 double-overtime winner to put the Islanders up 3-2 in the series. The Penguins haven’t won a playoff round (including the play-in) in three years. Even Brian Burke lamented that the team needs to stop the trend of trading first-round picks.

And for the first time in years, I wonder if people are actually sleeping on the Penguins? They are top 10 in virtually every category of note. They are ninth in goals per game, have the fourth best goals against per game, eighth in team corsi at 5v5, sixth in team fenwick at 5v5, seventh in expected goals percentage at 5v5 and seventh in overall goal differential. The one area of note outside the top 10? Their power play, which ranks 11th as of this writing, and it should be noted Evgeni Malkin has only played 12 games (and put up 13 points). Sidney Crosby is still as productive as ever (40 in 34), Jake Guentzel is tied for the 10th most goals in the league, only four defensemen have more points than Kris Letang this season and Evan Rodrigues is having a breakout season. It’s weird to say this about a Sidney Crosby-led Penguins…