Tuesday night, the Penguins debuted their new Hometown Remix jerseys. The new jerseys are meant to pay homage to the cities the teams represent. The team on the ice did little to reward the fans within that city.
The Penguins had Vegas coming off a back-to-back, which went past regulation, and couldn’t muster any offense through two periods. In the third, they actually took advantage of tired legs and were tilting the ice. They even held a lead, albeit briefly. The Penguins were swarming the Golden Knights, and it felt like goals were going to come in bunches.
That was until Chinakhov had a pass ricochet off a stick and Letang inexplicably pinched to intercept it. Letang missed a puck flying through the air, which sprung Vegas on a breakaway, and the game was tied once more.
The Penguins still had plenty of life, even getting a 5-on-3, and yet couldn’t do anything. Ultimately, the Penguins went 0-for-6 on the power play and gave the Golden Knights a man advantage late in the game, which sealed the deal.
I really don’t understand how Dan Muse can justify having Declan Carlile out late in a game. Carlile made a horrendous read that allowed for the cross-crease pass on the game-winning goal. Carlile was also cheating the play, rather than backing up his partner, on the game-tying goal. He is so bad and completely unplayable right now.
Other than Carlile, Kuzmenko can no longer get a jersey. I know he went through personal tragedy, but the guy is completely invisible. There’s no reason for a prospect to sit in Wilkes while Kuzmenko does cardio in the NHL.
Lastly, Ville Koivunen cannot be on the top power-play unit. Ville makes really creative, even great, passes at times but brings nothing else. He doesn’t shoot, he doesn’t win puck battles, and he showed an inability to accept a pass Tuesday night.
The team has Ben Kindel and Egor Chinakhov at their disposal. It’s about time they utilize them. Koivunen is going to be a fine playmaking middle-six player, but he isn’t worthy of a top power-play spot regardless of the contract he received.
Having a 5-on-3 that late in a game and losing in regulation is laughable. It also has to inspire some sort of personnel changes throughout this lineup. Whether it be trades, waivers, or just benching players, the team needs to look different.
If they fail to change anything, then Dubas might as well just embrace the tank.
