Pittsburgh Penguins end season with first win for Maxime Lagace
The Pittsburgh Penguins finished the 2020-21 season 37-16-3 after a 1-0 win over the Buffalo Sabers. The game was not ideal for the Penguins as they seemed to be outmatched the entire game. However, all that matters is that they got the victory. Here are some things to note in this game.
Maxime Lagace makes his elite debut
Who would have expected Maxime Lagace to be the bright spot in the game for the Penguins? Certainly not me, that’s for sure. The St. Augustine native saved all 29 shots he faced, as well as 2.19 more than expected goals (GSAx) and became the first goaltender in franchise history to record a shutout at his debut with the team.
Lagace, 28, came from the Boston Bruins organization in free agency last October and is unlikely to have any ice time this season, with the Penguins already having their tandem of Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith. However, when both goalkeepers were injured on a daily basis, he got a nod and made his debut.
Lagace was 4-3-2 with the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins in the American Hockey League this season, posting a save percentage of .907. It was his first appearance in the NHL since September. 2018-19 season and his first victory since December 9, 2017, in the inaugural season of the Vegas Golden Knights. (from “ Penguins to start goaltender Maxime Lagace in the regular season final ”, Live Trib, 05/09/2021)
If Jarry and DeSmith are unable to make it back in time for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, we may be able to see a Jeff Zatkoff-like game from Lagace.
Jeff Carter Reaches His 399th Career Goal
The Penguins did their best to get Jeff Carter a second goal after his first, even putting him on the ice for the last 30 seconds of the game as the Sabers had an empty net, but he will have to wait until next season to get it. his 400th career goal.
Carter, 36, finished the regular season on a very high note, scoring five goals in his last two games, and nine goals since his acquisition by the team, he has led all players who have been traded to date. limit in goals at the end of the season. His fast speed and shoot-first mentality are going to play a big part for the team as the playoffs come to an end.
In addition to his goal, Carter had an expected goalscoring percentage of 61.75 (xG%), mainly due to his attacking play, as his line with Jared McCann and Frederick Gaudreau were the best teams to create scoring chances of high quality, with a combined expected 1.79. goals for (xGF) in trio.
Evgeni Malkin fined after collision
Penguins fans were panicking all over social media when Evgeni Malkin collided with Sabers forward Dylan Cozens and did not play the final eight minutes of the game. However, he appears to be fine and healthy after the collision. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said: “[Malkin] thought he had changed something about this collision. He was checked in afterwards and was feeling fine. We do not foresee any problems in the future. We have chosen it for reasons of precaution.
Malkin played 13:58, winning two face-offs and landing at the bottom of the team with the expected goal percentage, at 25.61%. Analytically, he was the worst offensive player on the team, and his line with Kasperi Kapanen and Jason Zucker was by far the worst on the team.
The team must be better to move forward
Despite the win, the Penguins were actually outscored by the Sabers and bailed out by the incredible goalkeeper Lagace, who as previously reported saved more than two goals above expectations.
The penguins were beaten expected objectives (xG), from 2.19 to 1.66, and was only 44.4 percent on Moneypuck’s Merit to Win O’Meter. Obviously a game isn’t the end of the world, especially when the team won, but they just looked a little lazy on the ice.
If the team gets the New York Islanders in the first round, it will be much better for their championship chances and give them time to get back to playing their game.
PIT Penguins Writer THW. Twitter and Instagram: puckempire. Formerly writer for the Florida Panthers.