Pittsburgh Penguins Report at All-Star Break
Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
With having targets on their backs to start the season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have weathered the storm for the most part in the first half of the season. They are 30-13-5 with 65 points. Pittsburgh sits 3rd in the Metropolitan Division.
If the season ended right now, they would start the series on the road and face the Columbus Blue Jackets. Starting a series on the road is not what they want this season. They struggle miserly on the road with a 10-10-3 record, compared to a 20-3-2 record at home.
That is the one main area the Penguins need to focus if they want to repeat. They need to find a way to become a force to be reckoned with away from PPG Paints Arena. Pittsburgh actually had a couple dominating wins away from, but they also have some very bad losses. Pittsburgh has scored 172 goals and given up 141 goals so far this season.
Another question the Penguins face when the trade deadline appears is what to do with Marc-Andre Fleury. Do they hold on to him incase Murray gets injured or they do trade Fleury to make him happy and be a starter elsewhere?
Fleury has been a professional when it comes to handling this situation. He has been loyal to this organization for a long time. He also needs to waive his no trade clause in order to be moved. If they keep him past the deadline then they need to consider what they should do for the expansion draft.
Do they git rid of Fleury or Murray or do you make an agreement with Las Vegas not to get either one, despite the rules claiming teams are only allowed to keep one goalie.
Matt Murray is 17-6-1 with a 2.42 GAA and a .921 save percentage along with 2 shutouts. Marc-Andre Fleury is 13-7-4 with a 3.23 GAA and a .904 save percentage.
The Penguins also need help on the blue line. Should they go after Kevin Shattenkirk from the St. Louis Blues and offer Fleury and Olli Maatta for him? It makes sense for both teams. The goaltending situation in St. Louis is shaky right now, and Shattenkirk is a physical specimen defenseman the Penguins need.
Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin missed some time this past month due to injuries. Matt Cullen is also sidelined for a few weeks.
Chad Ruhwedel has done a nice job on defense for the Penguins. Justin Schultz keeps elevating his game every night. He is very good on the defensive side of the puck, and he also has good offensive instincts. In ways, he looks better than Kris Letang despite him missing some games this season.
Schultz has 8 goals and 27 assists on the season along with a plus/minus of 27. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were named to the Metropolitan All-Star team. Malkin won't play in the game this weekend because of a lower-body injury.
Crosby has 28 goals and 27 assists so far this season. Malkin has 22 goals and 32 assists. Phil Kessel has 15 goals and 31 assists this season. An unexpected star is rising for the Penguins and his name is Conor Sheary. He has 17 goals and 17 assists so far this season, and he is making a living off of Crosby's line.
Jake Guentzel is another star in the making. He has played in 11 games. He has 4 goals and 3 assist in that span. Guentzel will probably see more play time in the second half of the season and possibly beyond.
On the power play, they are ranked 4th in the NHL with a 22.8% rate. On the penalty kill, they are ranked 24th in the NHL with a 78.9% rate. The Penguins need to continue with a mind set in the second half of the season and the playoffs as in why they are a difficult team to play against.
