The Confluence
Bylsma quickly erasing that “Interim” tag
by Tony on 03/21/09 at 09:33 AM ET
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Or is it already gone ??
You can’t do much better than 12-1-3 in your first 16 games as a head coach in any sport, much less in the NHL.
But as the Penguins start down the final stretch in the regular season, looking more and more like it will result in a decent playoff berth, Interim Head Coach Dan Bylsma (or IHCDB, as is his “official” acronym) is making a very strong case to Penguins’ management that the “Interim” tag should be removed,
And right now, it’s tough to argue that.
Bylsma took over for FHCMT (Former Head Coach Michel Therrien) on Feb. 15th, a day prior to an afternoon matinee in New York vs. the Islanders. It’s turned out that the 3-2 shootout loss that day to the Isles was one of only four games the Penguins haven’t won since he took over. However, in these first 16 games, the Penguins have gotten points in 15 of them. Not too shabby, indeed.
The Penguins were an extremely frustrating team to watch up until that time. Inconsistency was the main theme in nearly every aspect of their play. Secondary scoring, special teams, defense and goaltending were all significant problems. Certainly, they suffered more than their fair share of injuries, including serious injuries to defensemen Ryan Whitney and Sergei Gonchar. It appeared that the Pens were in serious danger of missing the playoffs one season after being two games away from hoisting the Stanley Cup.
While a playoff berth is nowhere near clinched, after the coaching switch to Bylsma the Pens now sit tied for the Flyers for 4th in the Eastern Conference with 86 points, although Philly still has three games in hand. They have a six-point cushion between themselves and the 9th place Florida Panthers. In a month’s time, they’ve gone from sweating a playoff berth to shooting for home-ice advantage in the opening round.
Some would say cautiously not to jump to premature conclusions when it comes to the success that has come as a result of the coaching change. Often times, the exuberance seen after similar changes is a temporary one, and the team reverts back to its ways soon afterwards. So in that regard, it’s important to see if and when the bloom comes off Bylsma’s rose, so to speak.
However, I believe it’s also important to recognize one of the main reasons for the Pens’ resurgence under Bylsma, and why that might be justification that this may not be temporary at all.
Bylsma quickly threw the trapping, defensive style under Therrien for the Penguins out the window, replacing it with an aggressive, forechecking, physical style of play that takes advantage of the speed and offensive abilities of their forwards, including the world-class skills of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. As a result, a common theme nowadays has been Penguins’ forwards forechecking and creating turnovers, resulting in many more scoring opportunities than the play during the Therrien era, where they were more times than not back on their heels waiting for the play to come to them.
One of the biggest benefactors under the Bylsma regime has been much-maligned center Jordan Staal. Staal has been playing like a huge weight has been lifted from his shoulders, perhaps heaped upon him from constant barrage from Therrien. The third line which Staal centers with rugged winger Matt Cooke and speedy forward Tyler Kennedy, while not possessing the skills of neither the Crosby nor Malkin scoring lines, has been regularly productive since Bylsma’s arrival.
It’s still prudent for a wait-and-see attitude from Penguins’ management, and even if they internally agreed to give Bylsma the permanent gig, they wouldn’t announce it until after the season anyway.
But IHCDB is sure as hell making it hard for them to pick anyone else.
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Tags: NHL-Hockey, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
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