Friday, April 05, 2019

For sake of seeding, Penguins must take advantage of finale


By Kevin Gorman
April 4, 2019
Matt Murray #30 of the Pittsburgh Penguins takes the ice against the Detroit Red Wings at PPG Paints Arena on April 4, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)
April Before Mike Sullivan spoke a word about the Pittsburgh Penguins solidifying a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the 13th consecutive season, he played the spoiler.
Sullivan entered the media room at PPG Paints Arena Thursday night and glanced to his left at a television showing the shootout between the New York Islanders and Florida Panthers. The Penguins coach immediately informed everyone that the game was on a delay and the Islanders had won.
That’s how quickly the Penguins shifted from clinching a playoff berth with a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings to focusing on their impending playoff seeding.
“Obviously, when you solidify a playoff spot, it’s a good feeling,” Sullivan said. “But pressure, for me, is all about an attitude and how you look at it. Usually, if you’re in a situation that involves pressure, it’s a great opportunity. That’s what we talk to our players about, the opportunity that we have: ‘Let’s take advantage of it.’”
The Penguins took advantage of the return from injury by Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin, two goals by Phil Kessel, a save to stop a breakaway by Matt Murray followed 23 seconds later by Jake Guentzel’s 39th goal of the season and a diving shot by Sidney Crosby in the crease to get the two points to clinch.
That all of the aforementioned players have won at least one Cup championship plays a significant part in how they handled the pressure of making the playoffs and why they should make a seamless adjustment to shifting the focus to their seeding.
“That’s why I think this group of players thrives in high-stakes situations,” Sullivan said. “They have the right mindset, where they’re not paralyzed by the pressure of the moment. They’re focused on the task at hand. They’re focused on the opportunity in front of us and they’re excited about it. And that’s how we have to look at it.”
If the Penguins want home-ice advantage for the first round, they will need to beat the New York Rangers in the season finale Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena.
Even that feat would require assistance, as they need the Washington Capitals to beat the Islanders in regulation. Having clinched the Metropolitan Division title, the Capitals have little incentive to provide the Penguins a helping hand.
Where Murray wasn’t aware of what was going on in other games, he knows that the playoff possibilities tied to Saturday’s season finale will be the talk of the NHL the next two days.
“I’m sure we’ll hear about it,” Murray said. “I don’t know what the deal is for the matchups for the first round but the next couple of days could impact that.”
But the Penguins should have no shortage of motivation, as Sullivan noted how that the return of Letang and Malkin made a major impact that changed “the whole dynamic of our team.”
That started with the power play, which had gone 2 for 22 in the previous nine games. The Penguins scored twice in four opportunities, with Crosby setting up Kessel’s go-ahead goal late in the first period and putting the game away with a poke of a Kessel shot that hit the post in the third.
After missing 15 of 18 games since Feb. 23, Letang registered 25 minutes, 52 seconds of ice time and tied for a team-high 27 shifts. Malkin, who had missed eight games since March 16, won the faceoff to assist on Kessel’s second goal.
“Every game going into the postseason is important,” Letang said. “We want to finish as high as possible and we want to get everybody a couple games before the playoffs start.”
The Penguins can’t control what happens on Saturday, but there is a belief that the must-win mentality needed to clinch a playoff spot should serve them well with trying to solidify their seeding and propel them into the playoffs.
What the Penguins have to be careful about is making sure their seed doesn’t slip from third to fourth. With 97 points, Carolina trails the Penguins by two points but owns the tiebreaker, based on having one more regulation/overtime win.
Here’s where it gets dicey: If the Hurricanes win at Philadelphia and the Penguins lose to the Rangers, the Penguins would drop to fourth place in the division and have to open against the reigning Cup champion Capitals in Washington.
We all know better than to count on the Flyers and Capitals providing any help, so the Penguins have to put aside the pressure and embrace the opportunity once again.
“I think it’s a good thing to be in that mentality,” Crosby said. “I think it brings the best out of us. That being said, it’s one more game. Your habits have got to be there.
“As far as seeding, we’ve had a lot of motivation up to this point. That’s still something that’s on our mind and it was on our mind prior to (Thursday night). I think we’ve just got to go out and take care of the next game and make sure we play the right way and give ourselves a chance to win.”
That’s the attitude Sullivan wants to see.
Now, the Penguins need to take advantage of it.
Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Kevin by email atkgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter .
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