Pittsburgh Penguins Continue to Display Bipolar Tendencies

Sporting a record of six wins and six losses, one of which came in overtime to confer the illusion of being over .500, the 6-5-1 Pittsburgh Penguins closed out October with a 3-0 shutout victory in Raleigh, N.C., against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Judging by that one result, it would seem everything was going according to script. After all, accumulating 13 points in 12 games has placed the Penguins in a first-place tie in the Atlantic Division with Philadelphia, a status that sounds fairly palatable considering that injured second-line center Jordan Staal has yet to step on the ice for a game.

Looking below the surface, though, much of the season's first month proceeded in a roguish manner, with little transpiring as anticipated during training camp. One bastion of stability has been Sidney Crosby, who is once again on a 100-plus point pace and played a predictably central role in a turn of events last weekend.

But besides the contributions of the star captain, the Penguins seem to be living in the Bizarro World of "Superman" fame. Capped by a scintillating 33-save shutout performance Saturday against Carolina, assumed backup goaltender Brent Johnson has stolen the spotlight from Marc-Andre Fleury by playing the best hockey of his career. His 5-0-1 record and .960 save percentage have been gifts from above with Fleury struggling to rediscover the stout level of backstopping he displayed in the preseason.

Another sore spot for the club has been its early performance at its new hockey palace, CONSOL Energy Center. Departing the historic yet dilapidated Mellon Arena figured to provide a boost of adrenaline for the Penguins and their fans, as they were able to join the 21st century at long last. However, the modern world has proven to be harsh thus far—a 2-4-0 home record in October was low-lighted by bookend losses to the rival Flyers and has given cause for much consternation in the Tri-State Area.

The fact that the power play has struggled isn't exactly a departure from the norm, as relative underachievement with the man advantage has been a hallmark of the past few years, at least in the regular season. The free-agent departure of blue-line conductor Sergei Gonchar has added a spark of unpredictability to the unit, but increased production has yet to result from the multiple-points-of-attack strategy.

Returning to this previous weekend, the two games seemed to present the young season in microcosm, complete with the confounding home-road disparity. The disjointed 3-2 loss to the Flyers at CONSOL Friday night featured sloppy, unfocused execution, especially in the second period as the visitors came from behind to steal the momentum and, ultimately, the game.

Following the contest, Crosby led a players-only team meeting in the locker room. According to media accounts, Crosby and other veteran Penguins wanted to reiterate how important it was to have every player focusing on the same goals.

The cohesion certainly seemed to be at a high level 24 hours later on Tobacco Road, as No. 87 led the way. Although Crosby couldn't manage to sneak a puck past Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward on five shots, his presence on a two-on-one rush with winger Pascal Dupuis allowed Dupuis to carry the puck right to the doorstep and shovel in his first of two goals on the night.

Many saves from Johnson later, Crosby laid along the ice to block a point shot, gathered the rebound and sent defenseman Alex Goligoski away on the rush with Dupuis midway through the third period. Goligoski subsequently fed Dupuis for the sniper-like finish, and the Penguins had built a three-goal lead that effectively drained the drama from the evening.

Just as striking as the shutout for Johnson was the wave-upon-wave nature of Pittsburgh's play at RBC Center. The relentless forechecking and puck possession was reminiscent of the spring of 2009, when coach Dan Bylsma transformed the Penguins philosophy from passive to active.

Playing as the actor instead of the reactor takes more effort, but as the Penguins proved two seasons ago, its reward can be great. A return to consistent take-charge, four-line hockey is the only way the team will be able to claim the lofty spot in the standings it feels it deserves.