PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – So much of Saturday was about the Steelers, but they weren’t the only Pittsburgh team to have a bad performance. The Pens lost 7-0 at Toronto, but did bounce back to beat Minnesota 4-3 Monday night.
“No one likes to go through that experience we went through in Toronto,” said Pens head coach Mike Sullivan. “That’s a humbling experience for all of us. I was pleased that we responded the right way.”
It helped the Pens got a few injured players back-forward Rickard Rakell returned to the top line having not played since November 19. Forward Noel Acciari anchored the fourth line and steady defenseman Chad Ruhwedel back as well on the final defensive pairing.
They also responded quickly after the 3-0 lead disappeared. Captain Sidney Crosby said one of the keys to the win was not having to chase the game, noting it would have been nice to not allow the Wild to come back. But after they did, Crosby answered with a goal less than a minute later.
“They scored (to tie it) and we came back and got the next one,” Crosby said. “That was a good response. We will just try to keep building here.”
What we saw may have started from some candid conversations between coaches and players after the blowout to the Maple Leafs. Sullivan said part of the message to the players was they are in this together. There is a partnership and they have to figure it out together. Sullivan said they are working hard as a coaching staff to bring solutions to the table.
“We are trying to put the players in positions to be successful,” Sullivan explained. “We are trying to give them an understanding of what Penguins hockey looks like and when we play it we can be a real competitive team. We just have to play it more consistently and we’ve got to hold one another accountable to it.”
“I think we have terrific leadership. We have a veteran team. No one likes to go through that experience we went through in Toronto.”
“I was pleased that we responded the right way.”
Milestones
· Crosby moved up to 13th on the NHL’s all-time points list and is four away from Joe Thornton at 12.
· Crosby is alone in 23rd on the NHL’s all-time goals scored list and five from Mike Bossy.
· Defenseman Marcus Pettersson recorded his 100th career point
Up Next
Pens are home to the Hurricanes on Thursday night at 7p.