That didn’t go as hoped.
Aside from the obvious goal of grabbing two points against the Philadelphia Flyers in their last game before a 10-day break, the Penguins had some other items on their agenda.
“We want to put a full game together,” captain Sidney Crosby said after Sunday’s exciting 4-3 comeback win against the Boston Bruins.
“Make sure we finish on a good note going into the break.”
So much for that.
Their 3-0 losing “effort” in Philly on Wednesday night was so futile, coach Mike Sullivan said he couldn’t find anything good to focus on after the defeat.
“There wasn’t anything,” Sullivan said. “For me, there was a lack of execution, a lack of attention to detail, no sense of urgency, no cooperative play.
“There’s nothing positive I can draw from this game. It’s disappointing.”
I might disagree with that. On one front.
Tristan Jarry was OK, stopping 27 of 29 shots.
So along with Matt Murray’s recent spike in play, Sullivan can feel happy about his goaltending going into this extended mid-winter lull.
Aside from that, though, the coach’s assessment was on point.
There were lots of positive talking angles for his club that disappeared between the end of his team’s victory over Boston on Sunday and the snooze-fest of a loss against the Flyers on Tuesday.
Tenacity. Edge. Forecheck. Speed. Finish. Grit below the goal line.
Those things better return immediately after the break ends. Because the Penguins have a brutal stretch of games as a welcome back to action.
They get a rematch with the Flyers at PPG Paints Arena on Jan. 31 to resume play. Then it’s:
• Feb. 2 at Washington — The Capitals have the highest point total in the NHL with 71.
• Feb. 6 at Tampa — The Lightning have 62 points, are in second place in the Atlantic Division and have won eight of 10.
• Feb. 8 at Florida — The Panthers are in a playoff spot and have won six games in a row going into the All-Star break. They have also beaten the Penguins twice already this season.
• Feb. 11 at home against Tampa — Oh, also, the Lightning have a plus-38 goal differential. That’s the best mark in hockey.
So the Pens won’t have any time to ease back into action.
They hopefully will get Justin Schultz and Dominik Kahun back by then. That will help. Brian Dumoulin may be on the mend soon, too.
But the Pens will have to chew on that result from Philadelphia for the next week and a half.
“It just seemed like (the Flyers) wanted it more,” Crosby said after the loss. “It’s never a good feeling when you finish the game, and that’s the feeling you have. To have to sit on this one a bit, it’s not great. We’ll be motivated when we come back.”
They better be.
