Just when you think there’s a slight chance of getting some traction in the standings the Penguins are there to remind you they are who they are. They are an inconsistent team with even worse goaltending. It is almost an impossible task to stay afloat in a playoff race when behaving in this fashion.

After an impressive victory over the Edmonton Oilers the Penguins laid an egg against the Ottawa Senators, a team they are very much competing with for standings points. They then followed that performance up by giving away the game against Tampa late in the third period. Even though the Penguins have been competitive in many of their recent games they are not winning them. They have only won three out of their last eleven games.

It isn’t really a surprise for the dip in wins. The goaltending is at a season low in recent games. Here’s the 10 game rolling average for save percentage this year

You can’t compete like this and they aren’t. I think at some point the team should call Joel Blomqvist back up. After being sent down he wasn’t exactly having a great run of play in the AHL. His most recent sample has been better and his overall save percentage is up to .912. He’s trending in the right direction. I think we’re all sick of watching Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic, but you still have to be careful with the likely successor. You don’t want a Devon Levi situation where the Sabres fed him to the wolves to get decimated at the NHL level. I don’t think Blomqvist’s situation is nearly as dire as the Sabres and Levi so I do have more of an appetite to see him play and that day should be sooner than later.

Rickard Rakell scored again. He now has 22 goals on the season. He is also up to a 19.8 shooting percentage. I think you have to have the discussion about trading him. His stock will likely never be higher and at age 31 you really have to think about making that trade considering his 22 goals are being wasted in a season where the Penguins playoff probability currently sits at 4.8%.

I’m not really so sure Rakell is that much different than he was last year outside of his shooting percentage. Through 45 games played last year Rakell had 8 goals and 17 assists for 25 points. He took 108 shots and had a 7.4 shooting percentage. This year through 45 games he has 22 goals and 16 assists for 38 points. He has taken 111 shots and is shooting 19.8%.

Shooting percentage is a hell of a drug.

Evgeni Malkin was listed as day to day and I felt like the overall vibe was he just needed a short bit of time off. He’s since been retroactively put on IR. It is more of a paper move than a cause for concern. Malkin has a green light for contact at practice.

Michael Bunting missed yesterday’s game because of a fender bender he was involved in before the game by the arena. It has been reported Bunting is OK and I would expect him to be back in the lineup on Tuesday against the Kraken.

Thanks for reading!

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