7 Games left. I say it every time but this season has flown by so quickly. Although they have not yet clinched the playoffs, they’re going to make it. At this point, the fight is to try to place as high as you possibly can in the division, because the home-ice advantage is going to be key in the warzone that will be the East Division in the playoffs. With the return of Kapanen, as well as the near return of Malkin and Tanev, the Penguins are looking at going into the playoffs near fully healthy.
The Penguins are currently 32–14–3, and they are looking absolutely fantastic. Everything is clicking right now, and it looks like every single player has bought into this team. The Flyers already can’t pass Pittsburgh in the Standings, and the Rangers can get a maximum of 70 points on the year. That means that 2 more wins, or a Rangers regulation loss and a Penguins win on Tuesday will clinch their spot in the playoffs.
After that 7–6 win against New Jersey, I had my worries, but the Penguin's next game against the Devils has made me feel much better about this team. They showed resilience with a very good 5–1 win. They had the lead heading into the third, and they shut the game down. That defensive clinic on Boston helped just as much.
So, let’s get into the grades. Only people who have played in the last 7 games for the Penguins will be on this list. Also, these grades are adjusted for my expectations for these players. For example, if someone on the 1st line has an A+ and someone on the 4th line also has an A+, I don’t think that they’re playing at the same level of hockey.
Jeff Carter — C
7 Games, 2 Goals and 1 Assist
Grade: A-
Carter has far exceeded my expectations. He may be below a 0.5 Point Per Game pace, but that’s all at even strength. The line of McCann-Carter-Zucker has been dominant, to say the least. They haven’t exactly had great results on the scoresheet, but that will come with time. Carter's speed is surprising for his age, and he seems to have a knack for finding loose pucks in the middle of the ice and ripping them past the netminder. His hands are still there and he has improved the 2nd powerplay unit exponentially. I have to say, I’m very impressed so far.
Radim Zohorna — LW
8 Games, 2 Goals and 2 Assists
Grade: A
Despite not playing much in the recent stretch of games, I think that Zohorna has solidified himself as an exciting young player in the Penguins depth chart. He’s humongous, fast, has good hands, and good hockey sense. What more could you ask for? I don’t think he has a spot in the lineup this season but next year I feel like he’s going to become somewhat of a mainstay in the bottom 6, and I’m excited to watch more of this guy in the near future.
Sam Lafferty — LW/RW
33 Games, 6 Assists
Grade: D-
I mean, what is there to say really? He has been as disappointing as ever, the only difference is that he has only played 2 games out of the past 7. He picked up his physical game, but besides that 5 or so game stretch earlier in the year his offensive production has been minimal. He’s an alright 4th liner right now, and that’s fine. But if he wants to make an impact on this team, or even play at all, he has to be better.
Colton Sceviour — RW/LW
39 Games, 5 Goals and 3 Assists
Grade: C+
Colton Sceviour has been exactly what I expect from him. A very solid 4th liner who can be an exceptional depth forward in case of injury. He has been a very solid finisher too. I expected his defensive game to be amazing, but right now all you can say is that it’s slightly above average. He has been getting a lot better on the PK, and that’s something that I really like. It was a weakness in his game earlier this season, and I’m very happy that it is improved. Will he be in the lineup for the 1st playoff game? If everything works out as expected with the current injury situation, he probably won’t be. But if he is I wouldn’t be angry whatsoever.
Mark Jankowski — C
44 Games, 4 Goals and 7 Assists
Grade: D
At least he has been healthy for the most part? Mark Jankowski has had a very rough year. 2 years ago he was phenomenal, and last season he was a perfect 4th line centre for the Flames. This season he has been very meh for him. His defensive game is there, but he hasn’t been the monster in his own zone that I expected. He has been a liability offensively but he had one solid stretch for a while there. I look at him like he’s Sceviour at centre, but I do think he’s the 6th best centre on this team.
Jason Zucker — LW/RW
31 Games, 7 Goals and 6 Assists
Grade: C
This one is so hard for me. I really, really like Jason Zucker. He is a hard worker and you can see the passion in his game. I said last time how I don’t know what his fit is, but he has found it on a line with Carter and McCann. He has had so many great chances recently but he just can’t finish them off. When he breaks the dam, he may just let all of the goals flood through. Hopefully, he gets a hot streak during the playoffs, because if not I’m worried about his future on this team.
Zach Aston-Reese — LW
38 Games, 8 Goals and 5 Assists
Grade: A
He is so impactful. ZAR is one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL. He’s not a great play driver but he’s certainly passable. His handle of the puck has seemed to improve a lot more as of late, and he’s using his high hockey IQ to his advantage. As predicted, his goal-scoring production has slowed down immensely, but this still has been the best offensive season of his career when he wasn’t playing with Sid. ZAR’s very important to this team, and I really hope he isn’t lost in the expansion draft.
Evan Rodrigues — RW/LW
33 Games, 7 Goals and 7 Assists
Grade: B
Rodrigues, like many others on this team, has found his spot. It isn’t trying to keep up with Sid or Geno, it’s playing in the bottom 6. Who would’ve guessed? He’s a great 4th liner, and that’s where he has been since Kapanen has returned. He has been great there. Unlike a normal player you want on a 4th line, he can’t kill penalties. But he doesn’t need to. The Penguins have many great penalty killers on this team, so he can just play his game. It fits his style, and I hope he keeps this up. He’s earned his spot in the lineup for me.
Teddy Blueger — C
36 Games, 7 Goals and 14 Assists
Grade: A+
Good old Teodors Bļugers. Yes, that’s his real name. He is amazing. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this guy from Riga, Latvia is the best 3rd line centre this team has had since Nick Bonino. He won’t be playing on the 3rd line very soon, however. When Malkin comes back, the acquisition of Jeff Carter bumps Blueger to a 4th line role. That’s alright. He is one of the best penalty killers in the NHL, and his role now is to do that even better. He’ll be the best 4th line centre in the NHL when he plays there. His game on both sides of the ice is a treat to watch.
Kasperi Kapanen — RW
33 Games, 8 Goals and 15 Assists
Grade: B+
After a slowish start, Kapanen is looking like the real deal. Since returning from his injury he has looked incredible for this team. His speed is unreal, but it's how he uses it. Tanev is very fast, but Kapanen's speed brings a lot more to the table because of when he decides to turn on his boosters. His puck handling has been incredible for how fast he is moving, and his quick 5 hole release is crazy to see sometimes. Kapanen has a smart brain, and he fits perfectly with Geno. It’s nice to see him still play extremely well when he’s not with Geno, as he’s still looked great with Blueger. I’d only like some more goal-scoring out of him, but he isn’t great on the powerplay so you can take that as you will.
Jared McCann — LW/C
36 Games, 13 Goals and 13 Assists
Grade: A
Malkin has to go on the 2nd PP unit…right? Jared McCann is unreal. He has a fantastic shot and he stands out every time he’s on the ice. He has almost single-handedly carried the Penguin's powerplay since he has been back from injury. He looked fantastic with Malkin and Kapanen, but after they were both injured he got time at centre. He still looked good, and he has looked even better on the wing with Carter and Zucker on his line. I can’t wait for them to be the best 3rd line in the NHL when they get the chance to play there. McCann dominates at both sides of the ice, and he has been a fantastic playmaker. McCann is also so fast, and he’s just overall a great player.
Bryan Rust — RW
49 Games, 20 Goals and 19 Assists
Grade: A
Bryan Rust is very good. He had an unbelievable season last year, and I didn’t expect him to have the same production of 56 points in 55 games. He has still been very impressive with Sid and Jake this season. He has improved his defensive game, and he’s still a great play driver. The big difference between this season and last season for Rust is that he hasn’t been as good as finishing off his chances. He has been robbed too many times to count, so I’m not too worried about it.
Jake Guentzel — LW
49 Games, 21 Goals and 31 Assists
Grade: A+
Point per game is just the expectation for Jake now, isn’t it? He’s a star, no doubt about it. His own end? Unreal. His work ethic is insane. He never gives up on a play. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, he’s the best winger Sid has ever had, bar none. He isn’t slow, but he also isn’t the quickest skater around. What Guentzel is the best at is creating space for himself. He’s fantastic at noticing when he can speed past defenders and get open for a shot. One thing you can tell that he has improved on is that he is much better at tipping pucks. He has scored some insane goals in front of the net this season.
Sidney Crosby — C
48 Games, 20 Goals and 36 Assists
Grade: A+
He’s having a fantastic comeback season. Despite having around the same point pace last year, Sid is scoring goals much more this season. He has been a worse finisher overall, however, as he has had many chances not go for him this year. His defensive game dipped last year and a lot of people thought that it was the start of his regression, but he has improved to a point this year that he is now in the Selke conversation. Maybe playing that much with Jack Johnson doesn’t help you out. Another fantastic season for the captain, sadly we’ve been robbed from seeing him play McDavid, MacKinnon, or Matthews this season.
Marcus Pettersson — D
40 Games, 1 Goal and 5 Assists
Grade: C
I’m feeling a lot more confident in Pettersson heading into the playoffs. His defensive game has picked up and he rarely has moments as he did earlier in the season. His offensive game has just disappeared but it doesn’t help that the other player on his pairing is looking the same way, just better. I understand the other 2 D-pairings are creating offence at a fantastic rate, but it would help if this pairing of two proven players also picked up their game in the other end. Pettersson especially. If this team gets in cap trouble I wouldn’t be surprised if Hextall considers something with him, although I still do think that he’s better than Matheson.
John Marino — D
45 Games, 2 Goals and 8 Assists
Grade: B
Like I said for Pettersson, it doesn't help that Marinos fantastic offensive ability he showed last year has diminished this season. However, he has been much better as of late. He loves to drive past defenders using his speed and strength to go behind the opposing team's net to try to set somebody in front, and that’s something he has done a lot more recently. I’m fairly certain that he has his confidence back, and it couldn’t come at a better time. His defensive game has also not been as elite as it was last season, but a sophomore slump is just something that happens. He has still been very, very good.
Brian Dumoulin — D
34 Games, 3 Goals and 10 Assists
Grade: A+
He scored a goal from the red line, what more can you ask? Seriously, Brian Dumoulin has been as good as ever this season. He is so good defensively it’s unreal. He makes Letang better, and making Letang better makes this team's blueline as good as it possibly can be. Without Brian Dumoulin in the lineup this season the Penguins are 8–7–0. I’m sure Sid likes that number, but not because it’s good. With Dumo in the lineup, Pittsburgh is 24–7–3. I wouldn’t call that a coincidence. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, he also has an outstanding outlet pass. We saw it many times over the last 7 game stretch, and it’s so helpful for this Penguins team.
Mike Matheson — D
41 Games, 4 Goals and 11 Assists
Grade: C+
I still don’t like his defence. He seems to make Cody Ceci better, and with how good he has been it’s worth it. Offensively, however, he is very good. Matheson is so unbelievably fast and he’s very smart at using it when he needs to. If it wasn’t for Sully's new system I think we would still be talking about how bad he is defensively. His backchecking ability is a standout because of his speed, but other than that I do have my worries.
Cody Ceci — D
46 Games, 4 Goals and 13 Assists
Grade: A
Cody Ceci is about to mess around and win the Norris. Seriously, he has been great for this team. I watched him in Toronto and he couldn’t hit the net to save his life, but on Pittsburgh, he has been much better. He isn’t the same player. I don’t know if Matheson is bringing the best out of him, or if he has just bought into this team. Either way, he has just been great overall. Who would’ve guessed that playing Ceci 3rd pairing minutes would benefit him compared to playing him on the top pairing with Morgan Reilly?
Kris Letang — D
48 Games, 7 Goals and 32 Assists
Grade: B+
I couldn’t give Letang a higher grade purely because of that abomination of a 3rd period against New Jersey. I know Jarry didn’t play well either, but man oh man Letang didn’t have a great showing. He was shaken up at the end of the 2nd, so maybe he has an excuse. Either way, Letang has been Letang offensively. Very, very good. Defensively, however, he has been worse than he normally is. That’s expected at his age, and it obviously hasn’t hurt the team to the point of ruining their record.
Casey DeSmith — G
19 Games, 11–6–0, 0.913 Save %, 2 Shutouts
Grade: A
It’s really hard to talk about goalies. But DeSmith is great still. He hasn’t been completely dominant as he was earlier in the season, but he has still been what you need from a backup. Besides that short cold streak, DeSmith has been consistently great. His rebound control has been great, and you don’t even notice that he’s one of the shorter netminders in the league. He’s rarely caught being too aggressive or too deep in his crease, but he always manages to get across very quickly. I wasn’t sure how he would be at the start of the season, but I’m very impressed by how he has played.
Tristan Jarry — G
33 Games, 21–8–3, 0.911 Save %, 1 Shutout
Grade: A-
I have loved how he has bounced back. He went from allowing 6 goals in a period, most of them being awful, to allowing 1 Goal on the next 61 shots. I really trust Jarry. I feel like that period was a great lesson for him, and he has responded so well to it. It helps that the Penguins played a masterclass of defending against Boston, but you still have to give Jarry credit for some of the huge saves he has made. He has bailed this team out plenty of times, so I’d like to see him get more credit from Penguins fans who haven’t been impressed with him because of a couple of blunders.