Daniel Harmon- Burgh Nation Host Sunday's 7-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets continued a concerning trend for the Penguins. In the second of back-to-back games, they lost big again. The Jets offensive explosion against an unsound defense brought the Penguins to 0-4 in the second game in back-to-backs this season. In these games, the Penguins have given up 29 goals, while only scoring 7. Before Sunday, their -15 goal differential in these scenarios was placed on the squarely shoulders of Antti Niemi. After just 3 games, Niemi was place on waivers in favor of young net minder Casey DeSmith. Niemi, in his 3 games, saw 79 shots, allowing 16 goals, posting a 7.50 GAA and an abysmal save percentage of .797. These struggles weren't helped by his conceding a goal as period time expired in not just one, but two games against Tampa Bay. As bad as those numbers are, if you remove Niemi from the equation, (yes I realize this is an even smaller sample size): Matt Murray: 8.63 GAA, 0.750 SV% Casey DeSmith: 4.33 GAA, 0.800 SV% That's right, even if they've played less minutes than Niemi, each goalie in the second game of back-to-back games has struggled to keep the puck out of the net. Niemi struggled, but was it really all his fault? The likely answer is that the defense had let Niemi down, and every goalie for that matter. Of the 29 goals against, 20 have been scored during 5 on 5 play, a mark of almost 70% of goals scored at even strength. There is a defensive lapse when the Penguins play on consecutive nights. Need anymore evidence, just look at the play made on Blake Wheeler's hat trick goal Sunday night. A lethargic defense is is shredded by a simple move, to beat DeSmith on the first NHL shot he sees. It is notable to state that while the defense has been abysmal, the offense hasn't been spectacular. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have combined for just three points in the second games. Before Evgeni Malkin's goal against the Jets, the pair had not had a point in this scenario since the second game of the season against the Blackhawks.
The defense is out of sync. The offense is out of sync. Could it be fatigue from two long summers? Is it that hard to win on the road? Who knows. Look, road games aren't easy. Road games with a target on your back as the 2-time defending champions aren't easy. And back-to-back road games are definitely not easy. The problem is that it doesn't get any easier for the Penguins this season. The schedule calls for 19 total back-to-back games this season, with 8 more on the road, and 7 at home. The Penguins are giving up, on average, 18% more shots against in the second game of the back-to-back when compared to the shot totals of the first game. If the team doesn't tighten up defensively, it's hard to see this trend ending, even if you put a literal brick wall in front of the net. Despite the losses, this shouldn't be a cause for panic. Why? Last season, the Penguins only won the second game of back-to-back scheduling twice. Oh by the way: they won the cup.
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