CRANBERRY TWP., PA (93.7 The Fan) – Pens worked hard in the battle areas in front of the net Monday as they try to get back going following a pair of losses this weekend.
“We just got to find ways to get points,” said Pens captain Sidney Crosby. “It’s not always going to be pretty, but we got to find a way to grab some points, especially with less games here and how tight it is. We got to get ourselves in the picture here.”
After climbing to within arms reach of third place, the Pens slipped back to seventh in the Metropolitan Division and now nine behind the resurgent Flyers for third starting the day Monday. The Rangers lead the division with 69 points, then Carolina at 65, Philly at 62, Islanders-56, Devils and Caps with 54 and the Pens at 53 points. Pens have played the fewest games but as they said last week it only helps if you win them.
They missed out on a chance to get something going this weekend, losing at seventh place Minnesota as in fairness Marc-Andre Fleury played well. Saturday, it was another game with one of those slow starts against a Winnipeg team that had lost five straight games.
“We got to be more hungry, that’s the bottom line,” said Pens defenseman Marcus Pettersson. “It’s tough when you get a start like that. We have to battle back. It’s always tough when you find yourself in a hole.”
It was only a 2-0 hole, but they couldn’t finish opportunities and gave away too many chances to own more ice time.
“We want to control play more than that, not getting into that rush for rush, that’s when we get in trouble of over time,” Pettersson said. “You are chasing at that point. I thought we were creating, but they were creating as well. Control play a lot more is huge for us.”
“I don’t think it’s been a lack of effort,” Crosby said. “It’s a bounce, it’s a play. Special teams are always really big. It’s very minimal, it’s a detail. It’s a play here or there. We are right there. If we can get those plays, we’ll get some points here and get ourselves in it.”
Pettersson said they don’t have time to feel sorry for themselves. He feels they have to get back to competing and had a great practice on Monday. Head coach Mike Sullivan spent a lot of that practice with one-on-one, two-on-two combat drills around the net. As the play would continue, players would be added to increase the intensity.
“It’s a hockey sense opportunity where guys have to have a certain awareness,” Sullivan said. “It’s not unlike how the game is played-players join the rush, someone goes down and the landscape changes. A player’s ability to scan the ice and on the offensive side seek opportunity and know where those opportunities are and then be able to execute on it.”
“Defensively, it’s about awareness and recognition. Do I have numbers? Do I have even numbers? Can I be aggressive? How can I defend against the most dangerous guy? It gives us an opportunity in that grind game to get pucks stopped, some physicality involved and creating separation from the puck.”
Injuries
· F Jansen Harkins was diagnosed with a concussion
· D Kris Letang ‘was a little nicked up’ and left practice early on Monday, Sullivan said as a precaution
· F Evgeni Malkin-planned day off
· F Noel Acciari skated before the team but not in practice
· F Matt Nieto has not returning to skating
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