How Penguins Blew Another Lead; Sullivan’s Blunt Answer

The Pittsburgh Penguins do not like themselves. They have been one of the worst teams at holding leads, especially multi-goal leads, for three seasons running. Through different goalies, lineups, and even coaching tactics, the Penguins’ absolute rejection of their success has crippled them, and they are currently 3-6-1 in vital start to this season.

And so their hatred of leads bit them against Winnipeg last Sunday, again against Vancouver on Saturday, and again against Minnesota on Tuesday.

Multi-goal leads quickly become deficits. Vancouver did it in a Vancouver franchise record of 65 seconds. Minnesota needed just 2:27 to erase the latest 2-0 lead and tie the game.

With some dark foreshadowing, coach Mike Sullivan addressed the topic Tuesday morning, even before the Penguins’ latest faceplant.

Here’s most of Sullivan’s response from Tuesday morning. It must be printed almost entirely because he addressed everything—and multiple things the Penguins did wrong again on Tuesday, such as quick goals allowed and goals in the final minute of the period.

“Obviously, it’s been a challenge because we haven’t solved that aspect of our game. I get asked this question a lot. I think there’s a lot of volatility in scores, not just of our team but others as well, but speaking from my personal experience, I know we can do a much better job at managing the game,” Sullivan said.

“Giving up multiple goals in a short time, there are critical moments that I think teams need to recognize and acknowledge in being able to elevate your intensity, simplify the game, things of that nature that can take risk out of your game and give you an opportunity to get momentum back. We talk about a lot of things–the beginning of periods, the last minute of periods, after goals are scored, and sometimes after a fight happens on the ice–these critical moments in games that teams that manage those situations have a better chance at having success.

“And I don’t think we’ve done as good a job as more capable of at managing those situations. When we get scored against, those next two or three shifts are really important in making sure that we try to grab the momentum back right away. I think a big part of that is just simplifying the game, simplifying the process on the entries coming out of our end zone, putting pucks behind defensemen, getting the puck over the goal line, allowing us to establish a fore-check, putting defense down pressure, get involved physically. I think those are the areas that could help us get some pushback in our game.”

And go back to the first line of Sullivan’s answer. The team hasn’t solved that aspect of their game. No, they have not even made a dent.

The mistakes are mental, glaring gaffes that are fundamental in nature. They have been committed by different lines, different players, and different defensive pairs. If anyone could narrow down the problem to one player and one pairing, that pair wouldn’t see the ice until December after the Penguins score. But it’s everyone, including some typically reliable players.

Saturday, Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust muffed assignments.

Tuesday, rock-solid Lars Eller made a turnover at the offensive blue line.

“It’s happened a number of times. It happened again tonight. There needs to be a commitment to details. We need to stop when we drive back into our zone and not circle. We need to recognize who’s going to get to the puck first,” Sullivan said. “Are we on offense? Are we on defense? We can’t always take the offensive position. We have to think about the defensive side position. As I said to the guys before the game, we’re going to defend our way out of this. We’re not going to score our way out of this.”

If you watch our Coach’s Debrief videos, that’s exactly what coach Francis Anzalone said.

Make no mistake, there’s bewilderment in the Penguins locker room. Sidney Crosby shook his head when he attempted to answer for the problems. Even when pressed to go beyond the “what” to the “how” to avoid the crucial, even Crosby was at a loss.

Crosby wasn’t overly angry, hurt, or crushed. It seems no one in the locker room is crestfallen but stunned. This issue isn’t supposed to happen to a veteran team, certainly not one good enough to repeatedly claim leads.

“Hopefully, these experiences and these games will fast-track that. Especially after we get scored on, we’ve got to find a way not to allow that to come in bunches. And we’ve been guilty of that,” said Crosby. “So you’re going to make mistakes. We’re going to give up goals, but hopefully, we can do a better job of not allowing teams to get back in the game that quickly. It’s happened the last couple for sure, and just little areas like that will go a long way.”

Read More: Sidney Crosby on His Game: I’m Trying to Find it (+)

It’s again a nightmare for the Penguins, well beyond what Tim Burton could imagine. It’s veering more toward a Sam Rami movie. Everyone knows the evil is coming, but you’re never quite sure from where until the jarring shock that, despite expectation, still surprises.

The Penguins have already completed the trilogy in just 11 games this season. The prequel was more of the same, and if there’s a sequel anytime soon, the team is sunk.

Penguins Structure

For what it’s worth, the Penguins adopted a 1-2-2 structure early in the game. Sullivan clearly wanted to ease his new lineup into the game–he paired Crosby with Evgeni Malkin for the first time in years, and the rest of the lineup were entirely new lines as a result.

The 1-2-2 accomplished its mission to settle the game as Minnesota attacked and the Penguins were sliding. It’s probably not a structure the Penguins are built to play for 60 minutes, but it was well used, if underused, on Tuesday.

Not long after the Penguins calmed the temperature, they had a 2-0 lead.

The next wave of mistakes had nothing to do with structure and more to do with terrible decisions with the puck and in the defensive zone.

Lars Eller, Kevin Hayes, Matt Grzelcyk, and some bad luck with a soft goal were the Penguins’ culprits Tuesday. But it was just their turn, as seemingly everyone has taken a turn or three this season … and last.

Fishing for Pucks

When Frederick Gaudreau tied the game 2-2 just 55 seconds after Minnesota scored their first goal, the Penguins did what Sullivan calls “fishing for the puck.” Look at the lunges by Grzelcyk (first) and Hayes (second) and how easily they could have negated the chance/goal.

Gaudreau had time to win the loose puck and turn to his forehand without being hit or otherwise defended.

Either Penguins defender could have taken an extra stride and played the man or puck. Both reached. Gaudreau was mostly unchallenged.

Now, watch Eller turn a three-on-two into a goal against.

It’s also a credit to Minnesota and defenseman Brock Faber, who played a tight gap, giving Eller no room to work. However, Eller needed to know the situation and make the open lateral pass or chip it off the wall before it was too late.

If Crosby was a little tense after the game, it’s understandable. The season is quickly getting away and it’s not opponents beating them, it’s the Penguins beating the Penguins.

And a team with nine players over 30 shouldn’t need “experience” to learn to make simple plays, make fundamental defenses, and be hard to play against instead of reaching.

But here they are. Credit Sullivan for making big changes, including putting Crosby and Malkin on a line together, as well as dusting off the 1-2-2, albeit for a short time.

In the next few days, we’ll find out how many of the changes Sullivan liked, which hold promise, and which will be scrapped. It’s a step forward from last season, when very little changed, creating a spiraling negativity. But the changes need to spur better results, too.

And thus far, they’ve just been changes.