‘Disappointed and Concerned,’ Sullivan Hammers Penguins After Loss

Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said it and said it succinctly in the opening seconds of his postgame press conference. The Penguins were again lackluster, at best, and were pasted by the hapless Buffalo Sabres 5-2 at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday.

Sullivan didn’t waste time or put a positive spin on anything. He was blunt and to the point.

“I’m both disappointed and concerned,” Sullivan said. “We’re saying the right things, but our actions have to follow our words. We came out in the first period and played a high-risk game, and you can’t win games when you play a high-risk game.”

The Penguins eventually outshot Buffalo 43-26, but that is mostly due to Buffalo leading the game 5-1 in the third period. The Penguins mistakes and turnovers began in the opening seconds when Evgeni Malkin was intercepted at the offensive blue line instead of chipping the puck deep. Malkin compounded his error with a defensive zone turnover, and Buffalo scored their first goal.

Sources described Sullivan’s locker room demeanor as intensely angry.