Let it Rip: Time for Sullivan to Bag Skate Penguins, Deliver Real Punishments

The Pittsburgh Penguins not only did not hold the lead again, but they slumbered through the third period just as they did against the San Jose Sharks, one game after absolutely imploding against the Columbus Blue Jackets. It’s no longer an issue to address but part of the team’s DNA as they get a lead only to stop playing with the same energy. And it’s time for coach Mike Sullivan to send a team-wide message.

It’s time for a good old-fashioned bag skate. A no-puck practice. A skate until you’re exhausted and then a bit more type of practice.

No system lessons, no power play drills, and no shootout practice.

Sullivan needs to bag-skate them hard to lay down the mandate that defensive carelessness is not acceptable. The laissez-faire and nonchalant method of protecting leads is good only for losing, and a team with self-respect would fight for itself.

I’ve seen Sullivan angry and have seen it up close. Tuesday night was as angry as I’ve seen Sullivan off the ice. There was fire in his eyes and fire in his voice, even as he chose to articulate the softer version of his thoughts.

“Because we have to compete harder. We need more guys to compete harder and pay more attention to detail,” said Sullivan. “And we need to take more pride in playing defense.”

The disdain and anger with which he uttered the words were intense. He stared at the back wall in the media room as he said it, his words pointed, and his facial expression flashed the fury of a coach guiding a team good enough to outplay the Tampa Bay Lightning, which once again succumbed to a mental collapse.

It’s not a crisis of confidence. I’ve asked numerous players that question, including Sidney Crosby, for a second time on Tuesday.

“I don’t think we’re trying to sit back. I think it’s just we’ve got to realize and find ways to get momentum shifts back,” Crosby said with a lack of conviction.

However, Sullivan has not lowered the boom on his team in a very long time. We cannot recount the last time the Penguins were put through a team-wide punishment. Sullivan generally doesn’t believe in it—a bag skate in this day and age is a last resort. It’s a “break glass in case of emergency” tactic, and if it fails, there’s nothing else left to do.

And then the coach is in real trouble.

Sure, if the Penguins had stud prospects pushing to leap forward in the lineup or eating up AHL opponents, sending a message or three by delivering a few plates of press box nachos would be well warranted. It’s difficult to sit players such as Erik Karlsson because they Penguins are already down to two right-side defensemen until Kris Letang returns.

It surely would be justified, but the list of players who deserve a seat is not short, either.

There is also an inherent danger to team-wide punishments. A coach can’t use the punishment a second time if the first one doesn’t work because then the card is played with no fallback.

However, there’s also a potential benefit, too. On Nov. 1, Montreal Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis put the boys through a bag skate.

“There are different ways to get a message across. That’s the most blunt way. There’s not a single guy in here who thought we didn’t deserve it,” Brendan Gallagher told reporters after practice. “You go out there, you put your head down, you work, and you do it together. Now, it’s time for us to rectify it and move on.”

The Canadiens’ record hasn’t improved much since being put through their paces (3-5-0), but the team has been showing more signs of life lately. Also, they’re not a good team (yet).

Last season, Nashville Predators head coach Andrew Brunette took away a team party after a particularly bad stretch. He yanked the team’s trip to The Sphere in Las Vegas to see a U2 concert.

The team responded by becoming the hottest team in the league over their last 25 games and rallying from four points out of a playoff spot to claiming the top wild card by seven points over the first team out of the playoffs.

Sullivan undoubtedly saw an esteemed member of his fraternity go down in flames Tuesday and heeded the lessons, good and bad. Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery is a good coach, and the Bruins have had success under him—until this season.

It’s one thing to have harsh video sessions and coarse dialogue. The Penguins need more than that now. The season has sputtered headlong into a self-inflicted disaster, and there’s no help on the way. General manager Kyle Dubas is on a different mission than saving this team—he’s stockpiling for the future.

There is no good reason for the Penguins’ failure to hold a lead. One cannot say it is because they’re old and faltering in the third period because they’ve booted their leads or collapsed in the second period, too.

One cannot pin the blame on one defenseman or line, either. All of the Penguins have dipped their cup into the trough of shame, including Crosby. It’s time for Sullivan to use the hammer because there’s nothing left to do but build some hate. And there should be no player who feels they didn’t deserve it.

Practice is at noon.