Pittsburgh Penguins Fall Short in Key Areas – Hockey Writers – Pittsburgh Penguins

The Stanley Cup Finals are underway, and the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers are the last two teams standing. The Pittsburgh Penguins missed the postseason for the second consecutive year but will be looking to return to the playoffs next year. There are a few key areas where the Penguins are still lacking, and they could take notes from the top four teams in the NHL this season.

Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars played the Oilers in the Western Conference finals and lost 4-2. Dallas has one of the deepest teams in the league, and all four lines can score. When they ran in the finals, it was not the top six; everyone contributed to the scoreboard.

The Penguins have been struggling in this area for some time. They should strengthen their bottom line this summer because scoring deep is critical to consistent success. Dallas also plays a strong schedule and has a good chunk of youth on its roster. Pittsburgh would be wise to follow their example.

New York Rangers

The New York Rangers faced the Panthers in the Eastern Conference finals and lost 4-2. Pittsburgh can take a few notes from their Metro Division rival, but the biggest one is probably the goal. Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin posted a .912 save percentage (SV%) this season. He has made the most playoff appearances of any NHL player since 2021, with 1,157. His ability to read and follow the game as it goes along, combined with his work on the rim, makes him one of the best forwards in the NHL.

The starting point guard for the Penguins had a good year this season, but he was nowhere near the best. Tristan Jarry signed a five-year contract last summer with an estimated annual value of $5.375 million. He posted a .903 SV% this season and struggled with consistency all year. Unfortunately, he continued what seems to be a career trend of getting worse as the season goes on.

Backup goalie Alex Nedeljkovic has been a nice surprise for Pittsburgh this year. He posted a .902 SV% and made 13 consecutive starts to finish the season. The Penguins had more faith in their second-string goaltender at the end of the year than they did in their starter, who makes $5 million. That speaks volumes.

Nedeljkovic is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and general manager Kyle Dubas may still be interested in keeping him around. One thing’s for sure: the Penguins won’t win if they can’t score well. It will be interesting to see how their goalkeeping situation plays out in the summer.

Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers lost to the Panthers in the Stanley Cup finals, 3-0. Another area where Edmonton has excelled this season is on the power play. In the regular season, they ranked fourth in the NHL on the power play and shot 37.3% in the playoffs. A couple of interesting things about their power play is that they often keep the top unit on the ice for a full two minutes, and once the puck gets into the offensive zone, it stays there. Players have no problem with the included zones; everyone is doing their job. The Penguins’ power play ranks 30th this season and has looked like a circus all year. As good as they are on special teams, there’s no reason for them to struggle so much. Dubas must find a way to fix that this summer.

The Florida Panthers

The Panthers are back in the finals for the second year and are in full control of their future. Obviously, Florida does a lot of things well, but one thing they don’t have is the Penguins lack of offensive players. They drive opposing players crazy with their in-your-face style of play and easily throw other teams off their game.

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Michael Bunting, who joined Pittsburgh this season, is the only player on the roster to play in that game. Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi are two prime examples of the type of player Pittsburgh needs more of. Domi and Bertuzzi will be free agents on July 1, and adding one of them to the roster could make a big difference.

The Summer of Change

Next year could be the last chance for the Penguins to continue running deep with their core. There is no question that they have talent, but it seems like they just couldn’t make all the pieces come together. If they have a productive season, they could compete for the championship next year.