Penguins Try Upbeat Practice; Coaches Having ‘Honest Conversations’

CRANBERRY, Twp — They still believe.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are last in the Metropolitan Division. They were thoroughly embarrassed in a pair of home-ice losses on Friday and Saturday, losing to the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 and visibly quitting against the Utah Hockey Club in a 6-1 loss Saturday. Questions swirl around the organization and potential changes behind the bench or via the NHL trade market.

Read More: Penguins Report Card: Team Quits, Someone ‘Do Something’

As evidenced by eight times losing a two-goal lead and giving up a goal on the first shot of the game six times, if it can go wrong for the Penguins, it surely has. Forward Blake Lizotte has missed all but seven games because he suffered a pair of concussions after getting hit in the head by a puck on two separate occasions.

And yet, the Penguins chose the sunshine on Monday. After about 50 minutes of practice, the coaches left, but the players remained on the ice for a shootout competition, the rules seemingly negotiated by captain Sidney Crosby at the benches.

There were no mustaches at stake, but the bottom six and depth players in the yellow jerseys beat the top six forwards and top four defensemen in the black jerseys.

However, the cold light of reality can’t be ignored, either. The team is in last place, two points behind the Philadelphia Flyers, who have played two fewer games. The arbitrary but prophetic Thanksgiving line of demarcation is fast approaching.

“We were talking about it, we’re only a few points (out of a playoff spot),” goalie Alex Nedeljkovic told PHN.

Whether or not they can magically fix the clear and structural issues that have plagued them for six weeks is another matter. On paper, the issues shouldn’t exist, but in reality, they have been glaring.

The lost leads are merely a symptom of greater flaws, both personnel and mental. Those symptoms are similar, if not the same, for the unraveling losses.

Technically, the Penguins are five points out of the second wild card, but Nedeljkovic indirectly made the point that they’re looking upward with optimism. The off day helped clear a few residual ego bruises, and the team is clearly embarking on the task of rebuilding itself.

“We have to move on,” Nedeljkovic said Saturday and again to PHN Monday.

Indeed, the Penguins need some help. They have just seven wins in 23 games, and the results haven’t been close. They have the worst goal differential (34) in the NHL, and it feels even worse.

While an old-fashioned bag skate might be in order, the team is taking a different approach.

“I think it’s important that you try to create an environment that is conducive to winning. Regardless of how you’re going, mindset is really important,” said Sullivan. “The easy thing to do would be to come in and create a negative environment because it’s not going the right way, but I’m not sure it’s productive or in any way helps us moving forward. We’re going to try to create an environment where we can inspire players to be at their best, and we’re going to try to bring solutions each and every day.

“We’re going to work on different areas of our game that we think can help us get results. We’re going to challenge (players) to be at their best. We do have honest conversations with the guys in assessing their games and how (they) can improve. But the environment is important. It matters.”

Sullivan’s lines at practice may raise a few eyebrows. If they hold for the game against the Canucks Wednesday, Valtteri Puustinen would return to the lineup, but Owen Pickering could be the odd man out on the blue line.

Ryan Shea and Ryan Graves could be the odd men out, while Pickering and Jack St. Ivany comprise the third pairing. Rookie Sam Poulin could also be out of the lineup. However, it appears the Matt Grzelcyk to the right side experiment was indeed short-lived.

Penguins Lines

Rickard Rakell-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust

Michael Bunting-Evgeni Malkin-Anthony Beauvillier

Drew O’Connor-Kevin Hayes-Valtteri Puustinen

Matt Nieto-Noel Acciari-Jesse Puljujarvi

Defense

Matt Grzelcyk-Kris Letang

Marcus Pettersson-Erik Karlsson

Ryan Graves-Ryan Shea

Owen Pickering-Jack St. Ivany

Goalies: Tristan Jarry/Alex Nedeljkovic

Penguins Injury Updates

Lizotte and Cody Glass returned to team practice for the first time since suffering their respective concussions. Both were non-contact, but Sullivan noted it was an important step for both.

Lizotte, 26, has two goals in seven games this season. A deflected puck felled Lizotte near the net against the Detroit Red Wings on Nov. 13.

Glass has four assists in 14 games and hasn’t played since colliding with teammate Lars Eller on Nov. 7 against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Valtteri Puustinen

Simple question about Puustinen, and simple answer, though the solutions have remained elusive for Puustinen.

“I think he needs to make an impact. I think he needs to make an impact and not just blend into the hockey game. And when he’s at his best, he’s conscientious defensively, but he makes an impact on the offensive side,” Sullivan said. “He makes plays when they’re there. He uses his speed, his quickness, and his anticipation skills to force turnovers. He has the ability to distribute the puck and shoot. And so I think what he needs–just like every other player that’s going in the lineup–to make an impact.”