NHL News: Mike Sullivan issues blunt statement to Sidney Crosby, rest of the Penguins after ugly loss

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ hopes of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs are fading as they continue their downward spiral in the NHL standings. Following an awful 4-1 defeat against the Seattle Kraken, head coach Mike Sullivan sent a very straightforward message to the locker room, including captain Sidney Crosby, who scored the lone goal for the Pens.

The Penguins are spiraling out of control during the 2024-25 NHL season. Pittsburgh has now lost eleven of its last fifteen outings. In the midst of a grueling seven-game road trip, Pittsburgh has dropped three of its first five road games by wide margins, including back-to-back losses by 3+ goals to Anaheim and Seattle.

The playoff race in the East is fierce, with almost every team still in contention for a postseason spot. The Penguins are teetering on the edge of elimination, sitting second-to-last and trailing the second wild-card spot by seven points.

After a frustrating 4-1 loss in Seattle, coach Mike Sullivan voiced a very stern statement to Crosby and the rest of the team.

Sidney Crosby (87) of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates the Stanley Cup Final victory over the Nashville Predators on June 11 2017.

“I thought for the majority of the game, we carried the play. But you can’t hand teams easy offense like we did,” Sullivan stated, per Pens Inside Scoop on X. “When you look at the goals that they scored, it’s just too easy. It’s just too easy. Obviously, it makes it hard to win when you do that.”

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Veteran’s message

Veteran forward Kevin Hayes joined Sullivan’s comments and made something clear to the team after the loss against the Kraken. Hayes joined the Penguins from rival, the Philadelphia Flyers, and has played mostly on the team’s third line this season.

“We’re giving up easy offense and a lot of mistakes are ending up in the back of the net,” Hayes admitted after the loss to the Kraken. “And we’re not scoring on our chances, too. Everyone’s working hard. Everyone in this room wants to win. It’s frustrating, these last couple of losses that we’ve had.”

Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins reacts after scoring his 600th career goal in the second period during the game at PPG PAINTS Arena on November 23, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Crosby’s season

37-year-old captain, Sidney Crosby, continues his impressive season by leading the team in points and assists. Crosby tallies 52 points (14 goals and 38 assists) through 51 games on the campaign.