PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Playoff hockey emotions, probably more so for the fans, changes game-to-game. Coming off a loss where they were outplayed the last two periods on Saturday, Pens head coach Mike Sullivan takes this approach for game 5 at home tonight.
"There's going to be ebbs and flows in a seven game series," said head coach Mike Sullivan. "This something we discussed before the series started. We are going to win a game and there is going to be all kinds of praise. We are going to lose a game there will be all kinds of doubters. For us, we are just going to focus on the task-at-hand. We are going to try and ignore the noise. The resilience of the mindset and making sure we put the best game on the ice that gives us the best chance to win."
"I think it starts right at the drop," said defenseman Brian Dumoulin. "We have to be ready. We know they are coming with pressure. We know their game plan. They know ours. We have to have more urgency in the battles and every aspect of the game. We have to keep pushing back if things don't go our way. We have to be a little more disciplined."
"More of what we did in game 3 than game 4," said Captain Sidney Crosby. "The urgency and battle level and all of those little details that go into winning. That's what it's going to take to win."
"It's a tough series. There's not a lot of room on either side and we have to do a better job of winning battles and focus on those little details all over the ice."
A way to do that is to stop complicating it or trying to make too many fancy plays with Islanders diving on the ice. New York forces teams to make mistakes and then capitalizes on them.
"We need to play simple," said Evgeni Malkin. "It's playoff hockey. We need to play in the offensive zone more. Don't take bad penalties and control the puck."
Of course Malkin is among those guilty, especially in game 4, and he needs to heed his own words. His improved example can go a long way on Monday night.
"We are playing against a good opponent," Sullivan said. "We knew it was going to be a tough series going into it. This isn't anything we didn't expect. We just have to make sure we react the right way. I think there is no higher motivation than there is this time of year to compete for the Stanley Cup."
"We are excited," said forward Jared McCann. "Obviously it wasn't our best game against them last game against them. We are going to go out there today and prove that we got a lot better."
