Pair of wins to break skid haven't satisfied Penguins' quest for better play
Penguins G Tristan Jarry, March 6
Tristan Jarry after practice discussing his calm demeanor and his rising confidence.
The Penguins' losing streak is over. But a pair of wins over the past four days hasn't satiated coach Mike Sullivan's desire for better play from his team.
"We were certainly pleased with the result we got (Monday)," Sullivan said after practice Tuesday, "but certainly not satisfied with the type of game we played. And that was the message to our team (Tuesday) morning – let's not be fooled by the score."
Monday's 4-3 victory against the Flames happened despite Calgary a 64-46 advantage in even-strength shot attempts. It also occurred in overtime, just like Saturday's 3-2 victory against the New York Islanders.
Hey, each still sure beats allowing 17 goals over the three-game losing streak that preceded those wins. But the Penguins are wise not to let earning two points – nice as that is – cloud the prism through which they evaluate their play.
"We are probably giving up more (chances) than we would like," captain Sidney Crosby said. "We gave up some odd-man rushes, and defensively we think we can tighten things up a bit. And I think if we do that, the goals will come.
"The most important thing this time of year is urgency and details. That's the stuff that really shows that's what separates you down the stretch here."
#Pens coach Sullivan: 'The message in the film session this morning was the amount of odd-man rushes we gave up and how and why. The positive side of it is, and this is what I said to our players this morning, is that these things are easily fixable.' -MC
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) March 6, 2018
Sullivan said the message for the Tuesday morning film study of Monday's game centered around the abundance of scoring chances Calgary got.
The Penguins have allowed an average of 34 shots on goal against over their past 16 games, allowing at least 32 shots in 12 of those games.
"It's about attention to detail, it's about commitment to playing the game the right way," Sullivan said. "I know that this group is capable of playing that way, and when this group does, we get consistent results."
Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at cadamski@tribweb.com or via Twitter @C_AdamskiTrib.
