The Pittsburgh Penguins (24-31-10) were active leading up to the NHL Trade Deadline. However, their roster adjustments did not help them score a goal against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Penguins remain winless on their three-game road trip, losing 4-0 on Friday night.
As Pittsburgh continues to occupy the eighth seed in the Metropolitan Division, they are just 1-6-1 since returning from the 4 Nations Face-off.
The Golden Knights are 24-6-3 at T-Mobile Arena this season, while the Penguins are 10-18-5 as visitors. The odds were not in Pittsburgh’s favor to walk into Vegas and steal a win.
Despite the mismatch on paper, the Penguins still employ several Hall of Famers who are experts in scoring. However, it wasn’t their night. The visitors only managed 22 shots on goal, while the Golden Knights managed four goals on 27 shots.
Thankfully, Vegas didn’t convert on any of their three first period power-play opportunities, which could have made the score more lopsided. After going up 1-0, Alex Nedeljkovic made the save of the night when he robbed Jack Eichel on the power play in the dying seconds of the opening period on a cross crease push as Eichel fired one off his shoulder.
Even though the Penguins’ goalies once again gave up four goals, the final score does not indicate how close the game was. But Stanley Cup contenders take advantage of their slim opportunities and make opponents pay.
Philip Tomasino has no points in his last four games and is minus-3, skating just 12:09 against the Golden Knights. It was his lowest ice time since the team resumed playing after the 4 Nations Face-off.
As one of the top secondary scorers in the Penguins’ lineup, it is odd that a player reunited with a former teammate in Tommy Novak, would skate the third lowest minutes of all forwards.
Considering Pittsburgh’s current standings, their performance in the game, and Tomasino’s ability to create offense, he played less than several other teammates, including Novak, who skated almost two more minutes in six extra shifts.
Hopefully, Tomasino can bounce back on Sunday against the Minnesota Wild.
The Penguins recalled Tristan Jarry before heading out on their three-game road trip, and he will play again at some point. Nedeljkovic has done his best to hold the fort, but even he has his fair share of bad outings.
These games, like the one against the Golden Knights, are not always about the goalies but on the players and the system. By becoming sellers at the deadline and stockpiling draft picks, it’s clear the Penguins have finally raised the white flag on the season.
The question, especially after getting shut out on Friday, is how far are the Penguins willing to move up in the draft? Naturally, every professional athlete wants to win and has never been seen as someone who packed it in during the home stretch.
According to MoneyPuck, the Penguins have an 8.5% chance of winning the Draft Lottery, tied with the Nashville Predators. After Friday, Pittsburgh is five points away from becoming the third worst team in the NHL, securing them a top-five pick and another tool towards their retool.
