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Penguins gain a point in fourth straight

October 20, 2021, 8:51 AM ET [110 Comments]
Ryan Wilson
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to take standings points. This is their fourth straight game earning a point and have taken six out of an overall eight points. This is not the start I had predicted for the team and it is close to a best case scenario. They have been competitive in every game, have received good goaltending, and have done so without key forwards missing from the lineup. Last night, they fell 2-1 in a shootout to the visiting Dallas Stars.

The stars for the Penguins last night was their third line of Zach Aston-Reese, Teddy Blueger, and Brock McGinn. They were dominant as far as territorial play goes. As a trio they were on the ice for 16 shot attempts and only on the ice for 3 against. Their xGF% was 93.98. Their line combined with John Marino to produce the Penguins lone goal of the game.

Tristan Jarry is a .935 goalie through three starts this year. Much like the team this is a best case scenario for Jarry. It is by no means a guarantee he’s good to go as the goalie of the future, but could you imagine if he came out of the gate struggling? It would have been game over before the month of October was over. Jarry has played quite well and will need to continue to do so. This is a good start.

I knew when I heard the student rush tickets were becoming available again that the Penguins sellout streak was on thin ice and it appears the ice has broken. The 14-year sellout streak is over.


It has been an incredible run of hockey in Pittsburgh, but between everything with COVID changing our routines, Crosby and Malkin being out, and playing a team nobody cares about on a Tuesday it makes sense yesterday was the game. It was just too bad it was on Mike Lange’s night.

This isn’t a dig at Pittsburgh fans specifically, but the arena is going to be quite empty in a few years once this era is officially over. People aren’t going to spend their entertainment dollars on a poor product just for the bragging rights they are a “true” fan. This would happen in the majority of markets around the league after the run the Penguins have been on.

Kris Letang had another rough night at the office. He had an xGF% of 34.63. His last three games are 8.42, 36.59, and 34.63. Brian Dumoulin hasn’t been great either going 53.32, 32.64, 40.63, and 29.10. Historically Letang has been immune to his QoT as he would be great regardless of who was with him (even if his QoT has historically been great). I think I credit Letang with more of Dumoulin’s success than some people do so it isn’t a surprise to see Dumoulin not looking great if Letang isn’t looking great. For years this has been one of the very best pairings in the league and through four games this year it has not even been the best on their own team.

The best pairing has been Pettersson-Marino who have almost 60 minutes together. The early returns are a CF% of 59.04 and an xGF% 66.48 per Natural Stat Trick. Marino showed some assertiveness in the offensive zone on his goal




The Penguins are now off until the 23rd and we just might see Sidney Crosby return on a Saturday night and I think we’ll also see the start of another sellout streak, albeit one that won’t last 14 years.

Thanks for reading!
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