Penguin forward Zach Aston-Reese was not without honesty Monday in Toronto.
The winger was asked about the potential for his lineup to match the Montreal Canadiens’ highest-scoring unit in the preliminary round series between the clubs.
That unit will likely be Phillip Danault (47 points) flanked by Tomas Tatar (61 points) on his left and Brendan Gallagher (43 points) on his right. Those three players totaled 151 points.
“I’m not sure exactly who is on his front line. Or what exactly is it, “Aston-Reese admitted.
Perhaps this is an example of Aston-Reese’s “Ignorance is happiness”.
However, many Canadians fans on Twitter took it more as “ignorance is bad!”
The Aston-Reese quote speaks to a unique reality that is heading into these NHL playoffs. At the beginning of the competition in the central cities, the “self-exploration” will be at its highest point. Meanwhile, confidence in studying and researching the opponent’s tape could be very limited compared to the start of a normal playoff campaign.
Can coaches and players see individual cuts to learn trends, traits, and techniques? Of course.
But these franchises are starting a hockey knockout round with nothing more than four-month-old opponent tape to watch.
“You don’t want to worry too much about the other team,” said Aston-Reese’s linemate Brandon Tanev. “You want to work with the guys in the locker room and work to get your game back to the level it was before the break as fast as you can. Get together. Communicate. Trust each other on the ice. “
While Aston-Reese’s response may have been surprising in Montreal, perhaps they should be looking at it from the other end of the lens.
Consider that the last time these two teams played each other was on February 14. The Penguins would win the game 4-1 at PPG Paints Arena. Jason Zucker scored twice in assists for Sidney Crosby. Aston-Reese also scored.
Tristan Jarry was at the Ballpoint Pens goal that night. Conor Sheary was still in Buffalo. Jake Guentzel was on the disabled reserve list. Brian Dumoulin and John Marino were also injured. Players like Andrew Agozzino, Sam Lafferty, Dominik Simon, Chad Ruhwedel and Juuso Riikola were all on the ice in black and gold.
Agozzino is now with the Anaheim Ducks. Simon was hurt. And the other three players will probably start the postseason as scratches.
Not to mention that Matt Murray will likely start Game 1 online, Crosby will likely be between Sheary and Guentzel. And Zucker will potentially be alongside Evgeni Malkin.
In other words, how much does the opponent’s scan tape really mean? It’s not like the penguins and islanders in round 1 a year ago when the two teams squared off after vying for position in games that mattered until the last week of the regular season.
For clubs starting this 2020 hybrid support postseason, early success or failure in the best-of-five mini series can boil down to each team’s self-assessment more than ever.
Penguin head coach Mike Sullivan referred to recent training camp practices as “a unique circumstance” and reiterated his mantra of “controlling controllables” when it came to preparations for the center playoffs.
Translation? Sharpen what you can. Work on yourself.
“We are going to try to challenge each other to keep growing and capture their best game,” said Sullivan. “They came to this training ground in great shape. And we try to build on that every day. We are pleased with the progress we have made. “
In that context, the Aston-Reese quote in the headlines has a less derogatory and more pragmatic tone.
Especially when he expanded the thought.
“Any team, (when) you face their superstars, it will be the same,” Aston-Reese said. “They are all expert players. You have to play a sandy game and a difficult game. Make it difficult for them. They are small details. Finishing each check. Get in their way. Slow down.
“It doesn’t matter who we’re playing with, it’s little details like that.”
Or we could go ahead and say, “ZAR SPEAKS TRASH IN MONTREAL!”
That also works. Hey, it’s been four months since we saw a game. I will do anything for a little fabricated controversy.
Brian Metzer of Penguins Radio Network joins me for our weekly hockey podcast. We talked about that, as well as Sidney Crosby’s health.
We also dive into the goal-scoring situation, possible surprises in the preliminary round and who the penguins can see as a result of the round robin, if they survive the Montreal series.
Listen: Tim Benz and Brian Metzer discuss Zach Aston-Reese’s comments, Sidney Crosby’s health and more Penguins news
Tim Benz is a writer for the Tribune-Review. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or via Twitter. All tweets can be republished. All emails are subject to publication unless otherwise specified.
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