Tim Benz: Getting in the giving spirit with a Penguins Christmas wish list

It’s almost Christmas, and I haven’t gotten anything for the Pittsburgh Penguins yet.

I’m not being a Grinch. I just needed a little time to figure out the perfect gifts.

In recent seasons, the Penguins haven’t been in need of very much this time of year. But in 2021, their wish list is a little longer and a bit more clear.

With the recent news that the NHL is shutting down the league for the Christmas break starting Wednesday, that means the Penguins are going to have games against the New Jersey Devils (Tuesday) and Philadelphia Flyers (Thursday) rescheduled sometime following the holiday. So their holiday pause is upon us.

Here’s a look at what I’d put under the tree of head coach Mike Sullivan if I could.

Improved health

This seems to be something the Pens ask for every year and never get.

In 2021, we knew before the season started that they’d lose numerous man-games from Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin because of offseason surgeries.

But because of all the additional injuries and covid cases up and down their roster, the Penguins have had to deal with less-than-ideal health all season.

Malkin wore a regular jersey and handled limited contact during the team’s Dec. 18 session. But, according to the team’s website, on Monday he went back to the no-contact jersey he had been wearing since returning to practice on Nov. 29.

Also on Monday, Bryan Rust (lower body) and Jake Guentzel (upper body) practiced in a non-contact capacity for the first time since suffering their respective injuries.

So maybe the Pens will get these presents belatedly, but soon enough.

Continued good goaltending

This is a little bit more difficult than just letting your jelly-of-the-month club automatically renew. But at least the Penguins have been able to count on their goaltending tandem to be excellent for most of the season.

Tristan Jarry is fifth in the NHL in save percentage at .932. His goals against average of 1.93 is tied with Frederik Andersen (Carolina) for best in the NHL. His 15 wins trail only Andersen and Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay) at a league-leading 16 apiece. And his three shutouts trail only Calgary’s Jacob Markstrom (5).

And after a slow start, Casey DeSmith appears to have found his groove, stopping 61 of 62 shots over his past two starts with victories over the Seattle Kraken and the Anaheim Ducks.

Better awareness late in games

The Penguins can’t keep putting themselves into vulnerable positions as they have the past two outings.

Against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday, Jeff Carter took a horrible offensive zone tripping penalty with five seconds left in regulation of a 2-2 game.

Against the Devils, Mike Matheson absorbed an egregious cross-check penalty, up 3-1 at the 10:35 mark of the third period. Then they allowed a home run, stretch pass to connect with Andreas Johnsson for a shot that Jarry stopped at the horn.

They’ve got to be better than that late in games when they start playing more competitive teams after Christmas.

Power-play prowess

The Penguins penalty kill has been awesome. It’s clipping along at an NHL-best 92.1%.

But the power play needs a post-holiday boost. It’s 29th in the NHL at 15.3%.

See item #1 on the Christmas list. If those guys come back, the power play will get better.

I’m not saying it’ll fix itself. But it will get better.

New NHL coronavirus protocols

The NHL needs to adopt the NFL plan. The NFL is ceasing mandated weekly covid-19 tests for asymptomatic vaccinated players. The updated protocols will go into effect after this weekend’s games.

That’s what hockey should do. There’s no reason why sports leagues need to put themselves above everyday society when it comes to coronavirus regulations. Most places of work don’t mandate weekly testing for asymptomatic vaccinated people. The NFL and the NHL shouldn’t be any different.

And for hockey players who do pop a positive, the NHL should also mirror a tweaked return-to-play model similar to their football counterparts.

Under original return-to-play protocols, a vaccinated player who tests positive must have two negative tests 24 hours apart before being cleared to return. Newly adopted changes shave that requirement, allowing fully vaccinated individuals to return, provided they are asymptomatic for at least 24 hours.

After all, does being vaccinated matter or not? We all want to say it does. So, if that is the case — and we want the players to think that it does — then more of a differentiation needs to made between those who are vaccinated and those who are not.

In pro sports … and in the rest of society.

In this week’s “Breakfast With Benz” hockey podcast, Brian Metzer of the Penguins Radio Network tries to play Santa Claus and tells us if these presents will be delivered. Or if the Penguins will wind up with lumps of coal.

Listen: Tim Benz and Brian Metzer talk about where the Penguins stand at the holiday break