The Pittsburgh Penguins narrowly escaped Nashville with a win and know they’ll be in trouble heading into their Saturday night contest against the top-seeded New Jersey Devils. Indeed, it was a tough night for the Penguins, who managed just 12 shots on goal and were shut out 3-0.
It was a bad night on both ends of the ice, and the loss led to further divisiveness in the situation. The Ottawa Senators won their game, opening a three-point gap in the wild card race.
It looks like Pittsburgh is dreading playing Metropolitan Division rivals and has little time to regroup as they host the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.
The Penguins are on the Wrong Side of History in 2024-25
On Saturday, the Penguins became the third team in the 2024-25 season to register just 12 shots on goal. However, Pittsburgh is now the only team to register at least 12 shots and not win its game.
The Senators beat the Sharks (4-3) on November 27 with just 11 shots on goal, the same as the Red Wings over the Islanders (1-0). In addition, the Islanders won 4-2 over the Senators by 13 shots, while the Canadiens lost to the Utah Hockey Club (3-2 OT) by only 13 shots.
It’s sad to see a potentially dangerous offense like the Penguins get shut down by the Devils like they’ve been playing a trap since 1995.
Staying Competitive in Metro in 2025 Will Not Be Easy
The Penguins won one game against the Metropolitan Division representatives, who came against the Washington Capitals on November 8.
As they complete half of their 2024 schedule, Pittsburgh manages a 1-6-1 record. Therefore, in the 35 games they have played so far, only eight have entered the division, the number increases by one on Monday against the Flyers.
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Even though 25% of their schedule before the Christmas break was against Metropolitan Division opponents, that number will rise to 36.9% in their last 46 games.
Unless they find the magic formula for more wins in the second half, a team hoping to stay in the wildcard race could face a slippery slope.
Where is the case?
In 2022-23, the Penguins had two shutouts in 82 games. Last year, the number increased to five, but they had only been covered twice before the Christmas break.
Pittsburgh has been held without the score sheet three times this season and has yet to play 40 games.
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In the past two years, the team failed to collect 20 shots on goal just once, and last year, their season low was 20. Saturday night’s shutout was the fourth time the Penguins have failed to score 20 goals in just 35 games.
Historically, Pittsburgh’s performance against New Jersey resulted in the fewest shots in a game during Mike Sullivan’s tenure. In addition, the team’s second-lowest shooting total of the Crosby era, the team registered 11 against the Sharks on Oct. 28, 2008.
Why this season’s team can’t score goals? Their inability to lose is a costly expense that everyone will look back on in April and wonder what could have been handled differently.
Penguins & Devils Trivia Answers
How did you hit ours? Game Day Trivia questions? Here are the answers.
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Sidney Crosby
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Rod Buskas
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Kris Leteng
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Evgeni Malkin
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Mario Lemieux
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24
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Tom Barrasso
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Michel Dion, Marc-Andre Fleury
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Gary Edwards
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Tom Barrasso
