The Pittsburgh Penguins got off on the wrong foot after the NHL’s Christmas break. During their visit to the New York Islanders, the Penguins suffered a crushing 6-3 loss. Although the Pens will have a shot at revenge immediately after, forward Rikard Rakell sent his teammates, including Sidney Crosby, a very strong message.
The Penguins are in the mix for the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, however, they haven’t looked very consistent throughout the campaign. Going into every matchup, fans don’t know what version of their team they’ll watch. This irregularity is best showcased by their strong win over the Flyers on Dec. 23, and their awful loss just five days later.
If the Penguins are serious about making a deep playoff run in one of the final seasons with their historic core, they must prove they can compete with the best night in and night out.
Rakell registered a goal and an assist during the game in Elmont, but far from content, the forward sent a harsh message to his teammates. Sidney Crosby struggled as he registered no points and posted a -3 plus/minus.
Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates after Rickard Rakell #67 scored a goal against the San Jose Sharks in the first period at SAP Center on February 14, 2023.
“We didn’t get the job done. We were not good enough,” Rakell said postgame, via NHL.com. “We got to do a better job controlling the puck, helping each other, winning the netfront on both sides tonight.“
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Sullivan adds to Rakell’s statement
Head coach Mike Sullivan has been around long enough in Pittsburgh to be around winning teams, and losing teams, as well. Sullivan knows better than most coaches in the NHL what it takes to win, and as the two-time Stanley Cup champion addressed the disappointing loss, he made something clear to his players.
“I don’t think we played as smart. We just didn’t play a conscientious game like the game we’ve been playing for the last six weeks,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “I just think our decisions with the puck weren’t where they needed to be.
“We didn’t play straight ahead. We talked about playing simple before the game, just the importance of simplicity and playing straight ahead. I just don’t think we did it well enough.”
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Pittsburgh is currently one point behind the last wildcard berth with 37 points. The Penguins are quite behind Metro division third place, Carolina Hurricanes, which tally 45 points. Over the last ten games Pittsburgh is 5-4-1, and will need a better balance to stay in the hunt for the Playoffs.
