I think part of the reason the PK is stuck in "meh" mode is partially the personnel that keep getting used. I don't care what Bednar or anyone else thinks--Gabe Bourque is not that great a penalty killer. I'd argue he's not even good. Too passive, relies way too much on blocking shots, not enough awareness or anticipation to plug up passing lanes and the times he DOES get the puck, not enough skill to safely carry it out or clear the zone.
I'd also argue Soda's ability as a PKer is a little overrated. Not that he can't, just that I don't think he should be the go-to guy when a man down, even though he's responsible for a couple shorthanded goals.
The guys I'd use for sure would be Compher, Kamenev, Nieto, and Jost in that order. I'd also use Landeskog but obviously he gets a ton of work at even strength and the top power play so I'd limit him a bit. Kerf should be able to kill penalties as well quite adeptly. Bourque should be one of the last guys used to kill penalties, not one of the first.
And yes, I agree Z doesn't deserve all, or even a majority of the blame, but he doesn't come away unscathed on that play. That's his job to not only be aware of the back-door play, but also when he sees a gap in coverage. He was laser-focused on the puck carrier, as were all the other skaters there. The PK is still a bit of a weakness for this team, which, all things considered, is not a terrible thing since they're still winning and the power play, last night being a rare exception, is humming along quite nicely.
BTW, somewhat of a tangent here--it's really ridiculous how bad Soda is on faceoffs considering he cheats like crazy (got kicked out of the circle a ton of times last season with the new rules in place) and still manages to lose. I'll give him credit for winning a couple key defensive zone draws last night though.
Lastly, Barkov was amazing last night. He frustrated the living hell out of the top line last night to the point where Bednar had to break it up. Even Patrice Bergeron couldn't do that, and I usually consider him to be the Gold Standard of two-way centers.
I'd also argue Soda's ability as a PKer is a little overrated. Not that he can't, just that I don't think he should be the go-to guy when a man down, even though he's responsible for a couple shorthanded goals.
The guys I'd use for sure would be Compher, Kamenev, Nieto, and Jost in that order. I'd also use Landeskog but obviously he gets a ton of work at even strength and the top power play so I'd limit him a bit. Kerf should be able to kill penalties as well quite adeptly. Bourque should be one of the last guys used to kill penalties, not one of the first.
And yes, I agree Z doesn't deserve all, or even a majority of the blame, but he doesn't come away unscathed on that play. That's his job to not only be aware of the back-door play, but also when he sees a gap in coverage. He was laser-focused on the puck carrier, as were all the other skaters there. The PK is still a bit of a weakness for this team, which, all things considered, is not a terrible thing since they're still winning and the power play, last night being a rare exception, is humming along quite nicely.
BTW, somewhat of a tangent here--it's really ridiculous how bad Soda is on faceoffs considering he cheats like crazy (got kicked out of the circle a ton of times last season with the new rules in place) and still manages to lose. I'll give him credit for winning a couple key defensive zone draws last night though.
Lastly, Barkov was amazing last night. He frustrated the living hell out of the top line last night to the point where Bednar had to break it up. Even Patrice Bergeron couldn't do that, and I usually consider him to be the Gold Standard of two-way centers.
