Penguins Update: Can Mike Sullivan Adjust?

Lately I’ve spent a good deal of cyber type defending Penguins coach Mike Sullivan in articles and comments. And just to reiterate…I do believe he’s a good coach and a quality human being.

However, as the Penguins’ game continues to go south faster than a flock of robins seeking warmer climes in winter (three straight losses) it begs the question. Can Sullivan make the necessary adjustments to get the Pens back on track? Even if it means altering his system?

Before I begin, I need to acknowledge the fact that injuries have played a significant role in our recent struggles. Who knew do-it-all center Teddy Blueger and his “Grind Line” were the glue holding everything together? Since Teddy went down with a fractured jaw on January 23, the Pens have gone a decidedly pedestrian 5-4-3 and allowed 37 non-shootout goals over that span. Accompanied by a significant decline in secondary scoring and an equally steep drop-off in the effectiveness of our PK.

In other words, elements that were driving our early success…solid team defense and scoring depth…have fallen by the wayside.

I have another, deeper concern, and it speaks to the very heart of Sullivan’s system. A scheme built around an aggressive 1-2-2 forecheck. When it works as it did earlier this season…a thing of beauty. We get on the opposition’s defense and force turnovers, which leads to scoring opportunities.

But what if the forecheck falters? What if we fail to win puck battles and maintain possession?

The net effect (no pun intended)…our forwards get trapped up ice…leaving our defense and goalies to fend for themselves. And that’s exactly what’s been happening, time and again. In all my years of watching hockey, I don’t ever recall seeing us yield as many odd-man breaks as we have over the past 5-6 weeks.

It goes without saying if we don’t win puck battles and maintain a cycle or possession, it becomes more difficult to score. Which would go a long way to explaining why our once-vaunted secondary scoring has all-but evaporated.

We hit a similar brick wall back in 2019-20…at virtually the same stage of the season. On February 18, 2020, we beat Toronto, 5-2, to run our record to 37-15-6 and grab a share of first place in the Metro.

Then the wheels totally fell off the wagon. We lost six games in a row. Our offense dried up. I remember thinking at the time that I’d never seen a team lose it as quickly and completely as that one.

Worse yet, Sullivan seemed to have no answers for his team’s sudden demise.

It begs the question. Does the problem lie with the system itself, an eggs-in-one-basket approach that relies heavily on speed, all-out-effort and a hard forecheck…coupled with Mike’s preference for smaller players? Could that be why the Pens seem to wear down and their collective game seems to come apart over the course of a long 82-regular season grind?

I suggested in a previous article that it may benefit the black and gold to play a more structured, counterpunching style. It’s not as if we don’t have the talent to make foes pay for their mistakes.

There is a precedent. During the 1992 playoffs, our defending Cup champions were being taken to the woodshed in the opening round by a very strong Capitals team. Worse yet, they were beating us at our own run-and-gun game. At the behest of Mario Lemieux and Ron Francis, Hall-of-Fame coach Scotty Bowman switched to a trapping system known as the 1-4 delay for the do-or-die Game 5. The Pens won three straight and went on to capture another Cup.

Afterward, defenseman Gordie Roberts summed up the key to the team’s success. “We can change gears. We can play any style. We do what we have to do to win hockey games.”

Is Sullivan capable of making such an adjustment? Is he able to make the tweaks to his system necessary to encourage better fundamental play? Or is he a one-trick pony, wedded to playing a certain style while the mistakes…and losses…continue to mount?

I’m hoping Mike can sort things out. As we enter a stretch of the schedule loaded with tough matchups both inside and outside the division, our success or failure depends on it.

Matheson Out

The Pens got an unwanted wallop of bad news on Friday when it was announced that defenseman Mike Matheson will be out “week-to-week” with an undisclosed upper-body injury. Certainly a blow, given that Matheson has emerged as perhaps the Pens’ most effective all-around d-man in recent weeks.

In response, the team recalled blueliners Mark Friedman and Pierre-Olivier Joseph from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Friedman has played a dozen games for the Pens this season (none since January 8) and acquitted himself reasonably well while adding a dash of mustard. Following a rather shaky four-game stint with the Pens earlier in the season, Joseph hit his stride with the Baby Pens, tallying eight goals and 28 points in 40 games for an offensively challenged team.

Let’s hope POJ’s strong play continues. We could sorely use a spark.