Kovacevic: Sullivan's quick hook accompanied by calm

Mike Sullivan's many awesome attributes as a head coach, all fairly applauded these past three years, still have one that rises miles above the rest: He's at his best when bouncing back.

No, it shouldn't have taken the Penguins overtime to outdo these fast-sinking Islanders, 3-2, Saturday at PPG Paints Arena, and it definitely shouldn't have taken 50 shots to beat some dude who hadn't set skates onto an NHL rink in years. The whole affair was strange and, at times, unsettling.

But they did eventually dig their way out, and Sullivan had plenty of cause to express a safe measure of pride afterward: "I liked our team game. I felt we had the puck an awful lot. We generated a significant amount of scoring chances. There were a lot of things to like about our game."

Other than needing that 50th shot, a five-hole snipe by Sidney Crosby, to beat a journeyman emergency recall, Christopher Gibson.

"It was one of those nights where you feel it behind the bench," Sullivan continued. "You get a fair amount of scoring chances, and the puck just didn't seem to want to go in for us. But I just liked our stick-to-it-iveness. We just stayed with it. There was no panic to our game."

That begins right there behind the same bench. Because the three-game losing streak that preceded this, pushed to a scary depth with the 8-4 annihilation in Boston, could easily have become that much scarier with a loss -- no matter what form -- to this New York team that's now lost six in a row and has leaked more goals and shots than anyone in the NHL.

But Sullivan, in his own inimitable way, calmly kept the team focused -- "Just play our game," as he'd reiterate afterward -- while also implementing at least a half-dozen meaningful changes:

1. Chad Ruhwedel, brought back from a two-month exile, was paired with Olli Maatta, as those two have always clicked in practice and a few games. That was ambitious but also prudent in prioritizing Ruhwedel's comfort level.

Ruhwedel had "a real solid game," in Sullivan's estimation, and that was easily supported. He was sturdy on the puck, sound positionally, and he's still got another gear he could find in rejoining rushes. All positive.

Also, Matt Hunwick was scratched. All positive.

2. The other blessing in that switch was that Jamie Oleksiak, who'd suddenly looked utterly lost once Hunwick replaced Ian Cole as his partner, now was paired with Justin Schultz. The big man didn't rediscover all his mojo in one night, but he did seem to settle.

Win-win on both defensive fronts.

3. Dominik Simon, back from his own brief exile, wasn't deployed as a spare part but as an integral left winger alongside Derick Brassard and Phil Kessel. What's more, he was "really good," as Sullivan worded it, registering an assist and a couple shots but more than anything being a constant presence on the puck.

Brassard went further, telling me without solicitation, "I didn't really know much about him, but he was so smart out there. He makes a lot of good plays."

 4. Patric Hornqvist was reunited with Crosby. And if you're a longtime reader, you'll have heard me share many times that this actually would be Sullivan's panic button if he had one. He loves the combination, even if the captain's never been crazy about it, and he seizes any chance to recreate it because he loves the extra space Hornqvist's straight-line approach creates for everyone around him.

Those two and Jake Guentzel fared just fine, and Crosby finished with a game-high seven shots.

5. Evgeni Malkin and Carl Hagelin were reunited with Bryan Rust. Never would have been split up if not for Hornqvist's return and, now that Sullivan gets his way again with Hornqvist, there's no longer a need.

6. Kessel occasionally popped out there with Malkin, a fun and effective tactic Sullivan's taken to using after a PK. He explained he's recognizing the value of their chemistry, and those settings put both on the ice fresh.

The list could go on. You get the picture. The coach is good.

• Wait, one more ...

The too-many-men penalty on the Penguins in overtime was absolutely the correct call. Malkin had just skated past a completely closed bench door and was looking across the ice toward Kessel with the puck. It wasn't until Malkin noticed Riley Sheahan leap over the boards that he made any motion to get off. And by the time Kessel's pass zipped right onto Sheahan's tape, that was that.

Seriously, it was a no-brainer.

"I think it was the right call," Sullivan himself would concede. "It's a difficult circumstance. But I think the referees have to call it. It's the right call."

Know what I liked even better?

Even with the crowd booing and a couple players barking when the call was made, Sullivan's expression never changed. He could have piled on or even tried to work the officials basketball-style. Instead, he spoke a few words of encouragement to his penalty-killers before they took the ice, and he lived to fight another day.

Officials recognize and respect that. And that'll matter a lot more in the long run than this early-March meeting with the Islanders.

• Speaking of the crowd: The most emotional reaction all season at PPG Paints was for Marc-Andre Fleury's return, obviously. But the most emotional reaction to actual hockey, without a doubt in my mind, was for that OT penalty-kill. Man, the place was pumped. Up on its feet, too, for the final couple of clears.

That was neat to see. Doesn't happen too often here.

• Here's your every-single-game reminder that Kessel is performing at an MVP level, this one a two-parter:

That up there was Hornqvist's icebreaker late in the second. And that blur going down the middle is Kessel, who'd collected a whole lot of tail wind through the neutral zone before collecting Malkin's perfect saucer, then backhanding across for the assist.

Thomas Hickey of the Islanders was the one wearing the white No. 14 sweater and the tire tracks, if you're curious.

That up there is Brassard's tying goal in the third, fed by Kessel from above the right circle.

Someone asked Brassard if he thought Kessel had spotted him down by the New York crease, and Brassard replied with honesty, "I'm not sure. Maybe it's just that I got lost down there."

Yeah, he'll learn.

Watch Kessel's chin up, eyes forward, focused on the target. Nothing was lost there.

• The knock against Tristan Jarry, as far back as juniors, was that he'd occasionally lose focus. And even though that's not what occurred on that insane first New York goal -- he lost his footing instead -- it still might have brought back the focus issue in a funny way

When Jarry made his mark with that solid run earlier this season, what Sullivan praised most was the focus. He liked the intensity, the concentration, the determination to battle for every situation, not just every save. This is why Sullivan smartly seized this opportunity to make a similar statement -- "I was really happy with how he responded" -- toward a similar goal. This is also why Mike Buckley's spent the past few days working with Jarry mentally far more than physically.

It's a concern, but the context is that the kid's still 22.

• Some milestones mean more than others, and here's a good one: Kris Letang's assist on Crosby's winner was his 333rd, breaking a tie with Paul Coffey for most by a defenseman in franchise history.

• If anyone can conceive of anything dumber than five-o'clock hockey, I'm all ears. Hockey players are creatures of habit. Every rhythm in everyone's system gets seriously disrupted. Plus, in this case, it's legitimately unfair to the Islanders, who played the previous night. If Donald Fehr and the NHL Players Association were invested in anything other than money matters, this would get pursued. Well, this and that ridiculous 11:08 a.m. faceoff in St. Louis last month.

• The truly great Mike Lange turned 70 on Saturday, and the Penguins surprised him with a cake in the press box after the first period. Buy the man a drink. And his dog appears thirsty, as well.

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY