Pittsburgh Penguins' PK Reaching New Heights: Natural Born (Penalty) Killers

The Tampa Bay Lightning's Steven Stamkos ripped a one-timer into the Pittsburgh Penguins' net during a 5-on-3 power play to draw the visitors to within one goal in the third period on Nov. 12 at CONSOL Energy Center.

In one sense, it was a thoroughly unremarkable marker, considering Stamkos is the NHL's leading goal scorer and the 20-year-old sniper fired away from his favorite spot on the ice, the left faceoff circle.

But despite the particulars, Stamkos' two-man advantage tally has become a milestone of sorts as November has bled into December, but not for him; rather, entering Thursday's game with Atlanta, that goal almost three weeks ago is the last time an opponent buried a power-play goal against the Penguins.

At this point, the math is becoming staggering: Pittsburgh has exterminated 31 consecutive advantages, boosting its penalty kill rate to a stratospheric 90.5 percent, ranking first in the league as of Thursday morning.

The Penguins' superb penalty-killing efforts have triggered an overall defensive resurgence, as Pittsburgh has allowed just five goals in its last five games and only 15 in the nine games since the PK has been flawless.

Of course, the revival of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has gone hand-in-hand with the Penguins' new-found stinginess, as he has powered Pittsburgh's current 9-0-1 tear by stopping 252 of 267 shots (.940 save percentage) in nine starts since returning to the cage on Nov. 12 versus Tampa Bay.

Fleury's sturdiness has indeed been a godsend to the Penguins (16-8-2, 34 points), who have jumped into a first-place tie with Philadelphia in the Atlantic Division, but the absurd penalty killing has stolen the headlines, at least somewhat.

In retrospect, the striking success of the Penguins' penalty killing shouldn't have been much of a surprise. Last season, the team's first full campaign under coach Dan Bylsma, Pittsburgh's PK finished ninth in the NHL at 84.1 percent.

Bylsma's penalty-killing philosophy is much more aggressive than that of his predecessor Michel Therrien, often sending three and even four defenders to one side of the rink in an effort to put extreme pressure on puck carriers.

However, this strategy is not unique in the modern NHL, as passive penalty killing has largely gone the way of the glow puck.

Looking at the Penguins' roster, there are an abundance of players that play the type of grinding, tenacious game that is conducive to effective PK work. Defensive-minded blueliners Brooks Orpik and Zybnek Michalek rank in the NHL's top 30 in shorthanded ice time per game, while workmanlike forwards Max Talbot, Matt Cooke, Craig Adams and Pascal Dupuis are all in the top 100.

Minus Michalek, the above players have more than a season of experience killing penalties together, making most of their movements synchronized and battle-tested. When down a man, every motion must be made with both calculation and full effort.

The Penguins' PK soldiers got to the NHL on a foundation of hard work and heady play, so it's a natural fit.

Whether the catalyst for prime penalty killing is coaching, players or both, the fact remains that solid PK work wins games; one only need to look to Monday's meeting with the Rangers in New York for an example.

Despite outplaying and out-chancing the Rangers dramatically, the score remained 3-1 in Pittsburgh's favor midway through the third period when New York was awarded back-to-back power plays.

One goal would have undoubtedly lead to an explosion of energy at Madison Square Garden, but the Penguins refused to yield and closed out the game rather quietly, avoiding what could have been a dicey finish for the visitors.

While not as crowd-pleasing as offensive prowess or obvious to the casual fan as goaltending, penalty killing can be just as important as any other aspect of hockey, as the Penguins' hasty leap to the top of the standings proves.