Style of play hurts Penguins
when asked for his thoughts on the response to the Toronto loss. “We’re saying the right things but our actions have to follow our words. We come out in the first period and we play a high-risk game. We can’t win in this league if you play a high-risk game.”
He added: “I know our guys know how to play. That’s not the issue. For me, the challenge is the mindset. Are we thinking the right way before the puck drops? And are we committed and willing to play that way for 60 minutes? That’s discipline, and we haven’t had it the last few games. So this is what happens.”
Zemgus Girgensons scored just 14 seconds in after Evgeni Malkin lost the puck behind his net and Kyle Okposo found Girgensons alone in front. With 13:12 left in the first period, Kris Letang coughed up the puck at his blue line, leading to a Sam Reinhart breakaway. He popped a shot over Tristan Jarry’s blocker.
Four minutes, two more breakdowns and one ping off the post later, a frustrated Malkin shattered the stick of Girgensons in the offensive zone, putting the Sabres on the power play. Jack Eichel whipped a shot past Jarry to make it 3-0.
As the Sabres celebrated and fans at PPG Paints Arena murmured, Sullivan took his timeout, using the full 30 seconds to give his team a tongue-lashing.
“My message was that we’re beating ourselves right now,” Sullivan said.
Given their steady rise in the standings, their recent defensive lapses had largely been overlooked by those outside the organization. But Sullivan’s anger has been simmering since the Penguins returned from the All-Star break Jan. 31.
In their 10 games since, seven times now the Penguins have surrendered 10 or more high-danger scoring chances in a game, per NaturalStatTrick.com. They had just seven such showings in the previous 39 games before the break.
“We’ve not played great the last five, 10 games. Same mistakes. We play high-risk game. We try to play easy. It’s not right way,” said Malkin, who got a measure of redemption by scoring both Penguins goals. “There’s [22] games left. Everyone trying to fight to playoffs. We think we’re fine . ... But every team is close.”
Malkin, who took responsibility for his first-period gaffes, said the Penguins have to be more careful with the puck. He thinks they need to fight harder and with more physicality. And they need to play as a five-man unit in all three zones.
Marcus Pettersson added that they must defend tighter on odd-man rushes.
“We kind of let the other teams roam free a little bit,” the defenseman said.
The Sabres reached double digits in high-danger chances in the second period as the scrambling Penguins tried to get back in it. Buffalo then pulled away in the third. Jeff Skinner got position on rookie Sam Lafferty and poked a pass through Jarry’s pads. Then, Eichel scored with a wicked wrister on the power play.
“Our team worked hard to try to get back in the game,” Sullivan said. “But we didn’t play smart. So we got beat. It’s not good enough just to play hard.”
The Penguins had dominated the Sabres in recent years. But the Sabres, whom they hosted in their opener, have won both games in Pittsburgh this season.
The Washington Capitals are up next Sunday in D.C. The two rivals remain tied for first place in the Metropolitan Division. But the Philadelphia Flyers are nipping on their heels and three other division teams lurk within striking distance.
The Penguins could get top-four defensemen Brian Dumoulin and John Marino back in the near future, which will help. But they can’t just wait for their returns. Sullivan’s team must rediscover its early-season discipline before it is too late.
“We’ve been talking about it. But we can talk all season and not do it,” Pettersson said. “We’re in a dogfight in the standings. We’ve got to figure it out quick.”