Penguins maintain optimism, resolve as struggles continue

The Pittsburgh Penguins held a fairly brief practice Tuesday in Cranberry.

While vigorous in pace, it was approximately 25 minutes in length.

And it when it came to a conclusion, the entire group gathered at center ice for a somewhat lengthy chat.

The substance of that discussion is a private matter. Players and coach Mike Sullivan largely declined to reveal much about what was said.

But franchise pillar Evgeni Malkin spoke volumes on behalf of the team roughly 14 hours after a humiliating 7-1 loss to the Dallas Stars at PPG Paints Arena.

“We have to play better at home,” Malkin said following practice. “Last night, I want to say sorry to the fans. They (watched) a really bad game. I hope we, together, find a good way, win (Wednesday) and start building the team better.”

OSHA probably would flag the Penguins for plenty of violations for what they largely have constructed to this point of the season.

With a 6-9-2 record that equates to 14 points, they entered Tuesday in seventh place of the Metropolitan Division. And it’s fair to wonder how they have avoided eighth place.

To be certain, the first 17 games of the Penguins’ 2024-25 campaign haven’t exclusively been a string of failures.

There are triumphs such as a resolute 4-2 road win against the rival Washington Capitals on Friday. But more often than not, any victories have been followed by clunkers such as what the reported 16,526 paying customers — attendance is listed by tickets sold, not tickets used — witnessed Monday.

“Everybody felt kind of bad about what happened (Monday) night,” defenseman Kris Letang said. “It’s not a reflection of who we really are as a team. We needed hard conversation. Look at ourselves in the mirror. As a team, talk between each other. You have to come to practice with the intention of getting better.”

Wednesday’s home game against the Detroit Red Wings, presumably, will be better, if only because Monday’s performance was so abhorrent.

“(Sullivan) said, ‘It’s a tough night for everybody. Not just players or coaches, but the whole city, probably,’ ” Malkin offered. “Again, tomorrow is a new day. Today is a new day. And tomorrow is a new game. It’s time to play better at home, for sure, and show our best. We can play better, for sure. … There are good guys here. We’re tight. We’re together. But we need to stop looking to each other, probably. We have to play (with) each other.”

Be it stubbornness, delusion or genuine optimism in their souls, the Penguins profess resolve, even with a mostly ramshackle set of results.

“You’ve got to take your lessons,” Penguins forward Bryan Rust said. “Sometimes, you’ve got to just take it on the chin and move forward. Obviously, (Tuesday) was probably not the most exciting day. We kind of had to face that (Monday) night (stunk). The only way to get out of things like that is to get the energy back up. Come out here and work hard. Sometimes, if you’re not feeling the greatest, if things aren’t going great, you’ve got to fake it until you make it.

“The more you try and get that contagious attitude throughout the room, throughout the ice … that just helps us climb out of this hole.”

The Penguins might need some crampons and a bunch of ascenders to clamber from the chasm they find themselves in.

But they say they have what it takes.

“You can’t win if you’re not optimistic,” Malkin said. “It’s a long season. How many games left, 65? It’s still a long way. … You can’t be mad every day. It’s a new day. Life is good. (Mostly) everybody is healthy. Why not? Just do what we can. We have a good practice today, and we see what happens tomorrow. One win can change everything.”