PITTSBURGH – After dropping games on back-to-back nights, Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan called out his players, saying guys need to step up. The Penguins lost to the Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets by a single goal, fueling Sullivan’s dismay with the team.
Since Sullivan’s call to action, the Penguins have played three games with a single win against the worst team in the NHL. With a possible season-defining stretch of home games in swing, have players stepped up? Not one bit.
“I just think we need more constancy throughout our lineup,” Sullivan said. “That’s obvious. We’ve shown the ability to be a competitive team when we play the game a certain way.”
Since returning from the All-Star break, the Penguins are 2-4 and have seen their playoff hopes slip further away. With 30 games to play, the Penguins are nine points out of the second wild card spot and 10 behind the Philadelphia Flyers for third in the Metropolitan Division.
Sullivan put the Penguins' lines into a blender, hoping something could provide a spark. While new linemates may wake something up for certain guys, that doesn’t mean the problems are solved. Sullivan is still looking for guys to step up and answer the call.
“When we bring that certain game, there isn’t a team in the league we can’t compete with,” Sullivan said. “We just got to make sure that we understand what that game is. And then everybody’s got to take some ownership for bringing their contribution to it.”
Sullivan believes the Penguins have what it takes to win, no matter the circumstance. The players share that thought but also understand they need to get something going.
“I think the ultimate goal here has been and always will be to win the Cup,” Erik Karlsson said. “I think we got to find a way right now just to have the privilege to play for that.”
Karlsson is one of the faces the Penguins could use a jump from. He’s had a good year, but re-joining forces with Marcus Pettersson needs to open a new level of confidence.
Evgeni Malkin, Rickard Rakell, and Reilly Smith could also all use wake-up calls, which are going to be crucial pieces if the Penguins have any plans to achieve their ultimate goal.
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