PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – If this were a December matchup, you probably walk away saying it was a tight game that could have gone either way. One where you battled back and will get them next time. Problem is there are only six more next times and you are in a fight to make the playoffs.
What really let the Pens down in the 4-3 loss to the Bruins Saturday afternoon was not the five-on-five play, but the special teams. Two power play goals allowed, while 0 for 6 on their own power play including 45 seconds of five-on-three.
“We just didn’t execute on either side,” said Pens head coach Mike Sullivan. “We didn’t execute. We have to make better decisions, a lot of it on the penalty kill. It boils down to decision-making, details and execution.”
“We had failed clears that ended up in the back of our net, missed assignments. Our penalty kill was disconnected tonight.”
“They were spreading us, moving our box and getting it in-between us,” said Pens goalie Tristan Jarry who finished with 31 saves. “It’s tough when we are playing a style of play where we want to stay tight. We want to stay together and help each other. When they are spreading us and getting us apart, it’s tough.”
“We got to get locked in,” Sullivan said. “We’ve got to get excited about going over the boards in those situations. The guys got to hang their hat on that’s their contribution in helping us win and we’ve got to do it together as a group.”
Power play
Whether it was at home or at the arena, outwardly or inwardly you were probably yelling for the Pens to shoot the puck more on Boston back-up goalie Jeremy Swayman. Only seven shots in twelve minutes of power play time, 45 seconds of that included the five-on-three. When asked about that by Pittsburgh Hockey Now’s Dan Kingerski?
“You think we are not trying to shoot?” said Pens forward Evgeni Malkin. “Sometimes they are blocking shots and we are trying to move something open. It might be shoot more, but we are trying. It’s Boston, the already won the President’s Trophy, they are doing everything perfect. Power play didn’t work.”
“We will listen to you and shoot more tomorrow.”
“The power play, we just didn’t execute,” Sullivan said. “The power play has been good as of late, we didn’t get it done tonight.”
“Got a find a way to generate more,” said Pens captain Sidney Crosby. “Got some good looks 5-on-3. If we get one, it’s the difference in the game.”
Pens are right back on the ice Sunday at 6p against a Flyers team that had points in seven straight games before hosting Buffalo Saturday night.
“We got to find a way to get over it,” Sullivan said. “It was a tough way to lose and that stings when the games have so much meaning like they do at this time of year. The challenge is making sure we put it behind us, (Sunday) is a new day.”
“Every game is huge right now for us,” Malkin said. “We understand that. Tough loss for sure, but keep our heads up (for Philadelphia).”
Notes
· Pens had won 9 of the last 12 against the Bruins at home
· Boston won all three games against the Pens this year by one goal
· Bryan Rust scored a pair of goals and is a pair away from a fourth consecutive 20-goal season
· Jake Guentzel with his 35th goal, third time in his career he’s reached that number
· Guentzel, Rust and Crosby were each a plus three
· David Pasternak finished with his 14th career hat trick and has 56 goals on the season
Wild Card standings
After every team in the top five played on Saturday, here are the Wild Card standings.
Islanders-77 games 87 points
Florida-77 games 85 points
Pens-76 games 84 points
Buffalo-75 games 81 points
Ottawa-76 games 79 points