No matter what goes wrong with the Steelers, it’s Matt Canada’s fault. The head coach can be a fraud, the quarterback can stink, but everything bad is the offensive coordinator’s fault. You don’t like him in the first place. (More on Canada later.)
With the Penguins, it already feels like this season’s designated scapegoat might be goaltender Tristan Jarry.
Like many myths, that notion has roots planted in fact.
Jarry has been with the Penguins for seven seasons, the starter for three. Jarry has yet to win a playoff series, has allowed his share of bad goals and made costly errors. (See Bailey, Josh.) Jarry isn’t as proven as he should be, especially when he just got a five-year contract worth $26.875 million. (That was a bit of a “devil we know” deal.)
But it feels like Jarry is absorbing an undue share of blame for the Penguins’ opening-night 4-2 loss to visiting Chicago when he really deserves very little.
Jarry mostly played terrific. He stopped 17 shots in the first period. He turned aside a fistful of excellent scoring chances on the night.
The Penguins were often outplayed by a Chicago team with much less firepower, making it far too easy for the Blackhawks to penetrate and get chances.
Jarry was the main reason the Penguins led 2-1 halfway through the third period. He wasn’t why they lost. Two uncontested shots from the slot are why they lost. (Failure to score more than twice is the biggest reason the Penguins lost.)
You can parse everything bad that happens, sure. Jarry got caught a bit deep in the crease, as can be his wont.
But Jarry made 32 saves. He withstood plenty of flurries and successfully battled traffic in front of his net.
It was largely a winning effort. Jarry just didn’t win.
As noted, the Penguins only scored twice.
They can be criticized for blowing a third-period lead and losing, which felt all too familiar. (It happened nine times last season.) But these Penguins aren’t constructed to hold third-period leads. They’re built to extend them. When they don’t, trouble will result.
It’s only one game, but it felt like a giant thud. The excitement built by the acquisition of Erik Karlsson dissipated. (Karlsson was minus-2 with no points. He did some amazing things offensively, but none wound up in the net. But Karlsson will be fine.)
One key moment came when the Penguins scored to make it 2-0 at 11:56 of the second period. Chicago lost an offside challenge. The Penguins needed to use the resulting power play to put the game away. But the power play was ineffective. Chicago scored two minutes later to get back within one.
My predetermined scapegoat is the power play. It needs to win games.
Chicago stinks but beat the Penguins at home on opening night. It was nationally televised. Not good.
But, again, it’s only one game.
The citizens indulged their Matt Canada fetish at PPG Paints Arena Tuesday, striking up a “Fire Canada” chant midway through the second period.
It was embarrassing.
It’s the opening night of hockey season. Sidney Crosby vs. rookie phenom Connor Bedard (who was very good).
But the crowd’s focus turned to their meh football team that hasn’t won a playoff game in six years, soon to be seven. To their pantomime villain.
It’s disrespectful to the Penguins and especially to accomplished veterans like Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
When you’re at a Penguins game, be a Penguins fan.
Your precious Steelers will arrive at 9-8 soon enough. If you’re lucky.
