Penguins Locker Room: O’Connor Wears It, Graves & Crosby Get Rough

DETROIT — Pittsburgh Penguins winger Drew O’Connor wasn’t too chatty about his goal slump following the Penguin’s 4-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings Tuesday night.

The game was one of those hard-fought, bad-bounce losses that didn’t sit well with the team, and O’Connor wasn’t about to put his personal accomplishment over his team’s tough loss. O’Connor scored both Penguins goals, each one a game-changing tying goal.

O’Connor had other big moments in the game. There was his standout penalty kill, in which he nearly scored a shorthanded goal after stickhandling around and through a few Red Wings players.

“I told him before the game, and as I said, after the last game we played, I thought it was the best game he’s played in a couple of months,” said coach Mike Sullivan. “If he continues to play like that, he’s going to score. So, I was happy that he was able to break through. I think it will be a big boost for his confidence. I’m sure it’ll be a relief for him.”

However, O’Connor wasn’t in a glowing mood following the game.

He answered the questions about breaking his 32-game goalless slump, but there was no smile or joy. The frustration and irritation of going months without a goal was not only visible but spoken, as well.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s a step in the right direction,” O’Connor said Tuesday night. “It’s still one game, so it’s something to build on. But yeah, I wouldn’t say that changes the past 32 that much. I think it’s just something to build on for me and try to keep going.”

Breathe, kid.

It’s going to be all right.

Jesse Puljujarvi Update

Despite going unclaimed on waivers, Puljujarvi is still with the Pittsburgh Penguins, not the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The Penguins roster remains full with 23 players, so additional needs addressed by addition would necessarily be met with a demotion.

Sullivan punted the roster decisions and next step to general manager Kyle Dubas but repeated that the waivers were about being fair to the player: if a team wanted to give him a chance, it was only right that the Penguins made him available. It looks like things are back to business for both player and team.

Ryan Graves and Sidney Crosby

Practice Wednesday was a different atmosphere than the terse room Tuesday night.

As part of the fun and cleansing, Sullivan ran some unconventional drills Wednesday, including having penalty killers use their sticks upside down. There was a method to the madness.

“We were trying to give the offensive guys a little bit of an advantage, but one of the things we’re trying to impress upon our guys defensively is to get into people physically,” said Sullivan. “When you take the stick away a little bit, it forces them to have to be more physical–get in the people.”

And so the players were getting into people.

One of the eyebrow-raising moments was when defenseman Ryan Graves roughed up Sidney Crosby behind the net. Crosby slid around the boards to the mid-wall, got up, and rejoined the drill. He didn’t look happy, but he and Graves laughed about it as the drill ended.

“He likes it when guys (play hard) against him,” Graves told PHN.

Yeah, that tracks. Does anyone doubt that Crosby wants to play physically, even in practice, and respects guys who give him a challenge?

Of course, Graves also joked that he and Crosby were going to wrestle after practice. It was decided that Graves had the reach advantage, but if Crosby got inside on Graves, it would be over quickly.