Horror Show
There’s no way to sugarcoat a 3-6 start and the worst record in the Eastern Conference for the Penguins.
Who knew it could get worse, though?
It did last night, as the Penguins twice blew a lead despite less-than-stellar goaltending from Tristan Jarry due to a pair of power plays goals and an utterly dominant night from the E-Z O line of Lars Eller, Radim Zohorna, and Drew O’Connor.
The problem was, it took all of that for the Pens just to claw their way to a tie game with one of the worst teams in the league after 57+ minutes.
Then they were gifted another prime opportunity, just as they had been earlier, with another extended 5-on-3.
And what did they do with it?
Evgeni Malkin and Erik Karlsson, who’d each scored on the power play earlier by simply shooting the puck, played patty cake at the top of the offensive zone and eventually turned the puck over, leading to Mason McTavish’s shorthanded, breakaway goal with just 12 seconds remaining to win the game for Anaheim.
Now, sitting at the bottom of the standings, having wasted a schedule that should’ve earned them at the very least 12 points in their first 11 games, the Penguins are staring down the barrel of a western road trip and a November schedule that includes New Jersey, Carolina, Vegas, the New York Rangers, Toronto, Tampa Bay, and a young and hungry Buffalo team twice.
And a reminder: During the salary cap era, over 75% of teams in playoff position at Thanksgiving made the postseason in the spring.
Good luck with that uphill climb, especially at this age, boys.
Tomlin Tuesday, But On a Monday
With just three days between games, Mike Tomlin’s weekly press conference was moved up a day to yesterday on the South Side, and in addition to doing his best to avoid blatant criticism of the officiating –“I’m gonna keep those comments to myself.”- the biggest issue of the day was whether Kenny Pickett will be available against the Tennessee Titans despite a rib injury that kept him out of the second half of Sunday’s loss to Jacksonville.
With Wednesday the only day where the team will really be able to get in a full practice, Tomlin called Pickett a true gametime decision, and affirmed that Mitch Trubisky will start at quarterback if Pickett can’t go.
In other news:
- Joey Porter Jr. has done enough to be considered a starter going forward, regardless fo whether Levi Wallace is healthy or not.
- It will be a “multi-man” job trying to replace Minkah Fitzpatrick, whose hamstring injury will keep him out.
- For some reason, rookie tight end Darnell Washington isn’t deemed as effective as Rodney Williams -who didn’t make the opening day roster- when “down multiple scores, late” in games.
- Tomlin didn’t address the idea of only using Broderick Jones as a tackle eligible and continuing to start Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle.
- When asked if George Pickens needs to get the ball more, Tomlin gave a succinct response: “Yes.”
- As for today’s 4pm Trade Deadline, “we’re always open for business.”
What About the Portal Now, Pat?
Since Pat Narduzzi’s comments following Pitt’s 58-7 dismantling at the hands of Notre Dame, there have been plenty of discussions about what he said, the context of it, and what it means for him and the program.
What hasn’t been as closely analyzed is just how Narduzzi reconciles his view of the transfer portal and NIL -two things he’s spoken out against in the past- and the idea that his players simply aren’t good enough.
He’s going to lean in on his assertion that he simply hasn’t coached them well enough to win, especially after throwing them under the bus on Saturday night by calling them not good enough.
The best way to get better players though, especially ones ready to make an immediate impact, is the portal with the help of NIL.
So will Narduzzi eat some crow, and aggressively pursue the kind of players that can quickly turn a 2-win team into something capable of competing with the top of the ACC again next season?
Or will he staunchly stand by his opinions on NIL and the portal being bad for college athletics and commit to spending another 2-3 years building his program back up?
I think I know what Pitt fans would prefer.