Of Mike Sullivan's plethora of pet phrases he pushes on his Penguins day after day, drill after drill, the one that probably resonates most, is 'compete level.'
It's really as simple as it sounds, too.
"It's about competing on every play, every decision you make," Olli Maatta was telling me Monday morning at PPG Paints Arena in advance of the 8:10 p.m. faceoff for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final with the Senators. "And that doesn't just mean competing for the loose puck or being physical or stuff like that. It means competing on everything we do. It means making the smartest pass, being in the best position, everything."
So that's it?
"Yeah. Do the same, only better."
That might not be the most popular sentiment, given righteous public disappointment about the lame-o effort -- compete, concentration, you name it -- that went into the 2-1 overtime loss in Game 1 Saturday. But it's indisputably the most accurate if weighed without emotion.
Sure, strategically, a couple things need to change:
1. Shoot, for God's sake.
By our count, the Penguins passed up on no fewer than seven spectacular chances to put the puck on Craig Anderson, a lapse that would be egregious against any goaltender but doubly so against one of Anderson's dubious pedigree. He was made to look way smoother and calmer than his norm for no reason other than being repeatedly left unchallenged.
Get a load of Sullivan's reply when asked after the skate if his players should be attempting even bad shots:
