Tim Benz: It's tough to defend Mike Sullivan's defense of Penguins' power play

During his final press conference of the year, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan was asked about the performance of his team’s power play.

Listening to Sullivan’s defense of his man-up unit was as frustrating as it was to watch at times this season.

“I think our power play finished 14th in the league, if I’m not mistaken. Our net power play (subtracting the goals against from the goals scored) finished 10th. So they’re 10th in the league. So they’re top third in the league,” Sullivan said. “Expected goals, depending on who you look at, they are somewhere around third, fourth, fifth in the league, which suggests that process — they are getting looks. They are getting to spots to get those looks. So when you assess the power play (from) an actual numbers standpoint, they are probably top third in the league.”

Let’s pause there for a moment. His response lasted more than four minutes. But let’s start with that initial chunk.

First of all, to begin a defense of the Penguins power play by pointing out it’s 14th (21.7%) out of 32 teams is pretty flimsy. It was in the top half of the league by three slots and 0.6% in front of 17th-place Detroit.

So what? Big deal. Especially since the Pens have so much alleged firepower on that unit. With Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Jake Guentzel at his disposal, theoretically, Sullivan’s power play should be able to attain top-14 standing — or even top third — in its sleep.

In 2021-22, it was 19th ranked at 20.2%. So is this past season’s moderate improvement of 1.5% what has Sullivan so enthused? If so, that’s a low bar to leap.

In terms of Sullivan using expected-goals-created analysis to defend the structure and planning of the man-up unit, what he said was accurate. For instance, NaturalStatTrick.com had the Penguins ranked third on the power play in expected-goals-for, scoring chances and high-danger-scoring chances.

But then, that’s kind of an indictment of the players on the man-up unit for not finishing the chances they create, isn’t it?

We shouldn’t be surprised at that disparity between power play chances created and the Penguins actually putting the puck in the net. Overall, the team’s shooting percentage was a below-average 9.3%, good for just 25th in the NHL.

No one — especially Sullivan — would ever frame the conversation that way, though, because ever uttering a critical word of the Penguins’ star players (all of whom are on the power play) is taboo in Pittsburgh. That said, maybe the lack of a Patrick Hornqvist-type of net-front presence is a bigger deal than what Sullivan is willing to admit.

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Sullivan wasn’t done pushing back on behalf of the power play, though.

“I don’t think it was as bad as sometimes you guys perceived it to be,” Sullivan continued. “I think there were moments we could have been better. There were also long stretches where they were difference-makers for us as far as winning games. But, once again, we will continue to look at it. We will continue to drill down into more detail. I’m not prepared to give you that detail today because that’s a process.”

If Sullivan wants to talk in broad strokes about the power play’s effectiveness — or prefers to focus on the times that it was at its best — that’s fine. But there’s no denying that this alleged strength of the team wasn’t good when it needed to be at its best late in the season.

When the team went 1-5 during a key stretch of games from March 14-23, the power play failed 14 of 18 times. In the six games that mattered in April (before the meaningless season finale in Columbus), the power play was 4 for 27 (14%).

The Penguins went 3-3 in that stretch. Keep in mind they missed the playoffs by one win.

In those April losses, the power play was 0 for 6 during a 4-3 loss to the Boston Bruins, 0 for 4 in a 5-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils and 1 for 5 during the embarrassing 5-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in their must-win home finale.

Going to the mat for this power play seemed like an odd place for Sullivan to plant his flag. However, more and more often that has become Sullivan’s style — to ardently stand by what was a championship formula six years ago, but one that has produced nothing but mediocre results in the years since.

I think that’s largely because the personnel Sullivan has can’t play the brand of hockey Sullivan wants and is searching to rediscover. But so long as Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Guentzel and Bryan Rust are on the team, Sullivan seems conditioned to think that time hasn’t marched on as much as it has.

Even if it has for some of those players specifically and even if better supporting cast members have long since marched out the door via free agency, trades and retirement.

In that context, Sullivan isn’t any different than many of the people who root for and cover the team. He’s just getting paid a lot more to do it.

Through 2027. Which is part of the reason why I’m assuming Fenway Sports Group will keep him on board as Penguins coach.

As Sullivan pointed out in his response, the up-and-down nature of the power play this season was reflective of the inconsistency of the team itself. In the coach’s defense, he did pledge to “try to find ways to help that group and try to get better.”

Whatever those areas are, Sullivan better find them this offseason. Because as he pointed out “the expectation level” of the power play is still higher than where it finished. And, again, that is also reflective of the team overall.

Or at least it was in years past. After five straight years without a playoff-round win, I think it’s safe to say expectation levels are sinking.