When Jim Rutherford brought back Matt Cullen last July, some thought it odd.
Why would the Penguins need a 42-year-old who had already done one stint in Pittsburgh and left?
Strikingly, the GM cited leadership at the time, and maybe some might have thought that odd, too. But it's possible that Rutherford might have had in mind games like this dismal 5-0 loss to the Maple Leafs Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena. Because sure enough, it was Cullen, ever the calming influence, the voice of reason, who probably summed it up best:
'When we're playing, we're quick to pucks and winning battles, we're outracing teams," he said. "Right now, we're not doing that. We're getting beat to pucks and losing battles. We're just playing on our heels. We have to find a way, and winning teams find a way. I don't doubt that we will, but it's awfully frustrating when you waste a night and an opportunity like tonight."
Of the Penguins' five losses, three came either in overtime or by shootout. Coin-toss games, basically. Twice, they lost in regulation to teams they might have overlooked in the surprising Canadiens and Islanders.
Saturday, they didn't just lose. They were beaten. Soundly.
At home in what should be friendly confines, they were outplayed, outskated and pretty much out-everything-elsed in dropping their third in a row. It was the first time that the NHL's highest-scoring team -- 4.09 goals per game entering the night -- had been blanked, and it came on 31 mostly harmless shots on Frederik Andersen.
This, plus the two preceding losses to the Islanders, have all but buried that four-game sweep across Canada.
"This league has a funny way of humbling you," a visibly displeased Mike Sullivan said afterward. "Right now, I think we've been humbled. We didn't deserve to win tonight. We didn't deserve to win."
Both teams were coming off consecutive losses, but it was only the Auston Matthews-less Leafs playing hard from the start, beginning with John Tavares' tip of a Mitch Marner shot at 9:34 of the first period:
The Maple Leafs effectively flipped the script on the Penguins' Oct. 18 game plan at Scotiabank Arena by keeping them to the perimeter, leaving them and their coach frustrated.
"They did to us, basically, what we did to them up there," Carl Hagelin would say.
Sullivan had tinkered with his bottom six forwards before the game and tried several combinations during it, including splitting Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel for a spell. But nothing seemed to work. What was missing from his team, he expressed, was commitment.
"We got beat by a team that was hungry," Sullivan said. "When we come with the right attitude and that emotional investment, I think the rest of our game follows suit. We can be hard to play against. We can be dynamic offensively. We can hang onto pucks. We can win puck battles. We can be fast. But if we're not invested, then we look ordinary."
Mostly, the Penguins looked slower than the young Leafs, who fancy themselves a Stanley Cup contender. There was no answer, in particular, for the speed of Mitch Marner or Kasperi Kapanen.
Sullivan wouldn't allow that the opponent has faster players -- Patrick Marleau is only slightly younger than Cullen, after all -- but the coach allowed that they were faster at least for one night. He should hope so. The coach can mix lines and make tactical adjustments, but he can't make his team -- a team built on speed and a quick transition -- faster.
With two games against Metro rivals coming up next -- Devils and Capitals -- the Penguins don't have much time to get themselves right.
"We have to move on. There's not much positive to take from this one," said Crosby, who was a minus-3 and had a rare game to forget:
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THREE STARS
My curtain calls go to …
1. Morgan Rielly
Maple Leafs defenseman
It's hard to envision Toronto winning the Cup with this blue line, but Rielly is a star. He scored twice, his fifth and sixth of the season and leads all NHL defensemen in goals and points (18).
2. John Tavares
Maple Leafs center
Tavares had just three goals in 22 games in Pittsburgh while with the Islanders. He got his first in his first game here as a Leaf, as well as setting up Rielly's first on a two-on-one. Rest assured, there will be more.
3. Mitch Marner
Maple Leafs right winger
The 21-year-old had a pair of assists and his speed was too much for the Penguins to contain. Even without Matthews, the Leafs are an entertaining team to watch.
THE GOOD
A large contingent of Leafs fans made their way south to Pittsburgh and they made their voices heard in what seemed almost like a neutral-site game. Toronto fans belted out "O' Canada" and had ample opportunity for their "Go, Leafs, Go!" chants. It made for an electric atmosphere. Unfortunately for the home crowd, there really wasn't cause to bark back.
THE BAD
Like Thursday night's loss in Brooklyn, the Penguins gave up another short-handed goal. But at least they also went 0 for 5 over 8:49 with the man advantage in their worst performance -- by far -- of the season.
The Leafs’ 12th-ranked penalty-kill had the Penguins all out of sorts. When they could enter the zone cleanly, they fumbled with the puck and had just four shots.
In fact, the Penguins were lucky to survive one second-period power play without injury. First, Dominik Simon was struck by a Daniel Sprong shot:
Then, Crosby was also struck by friendly fire. Fortunately, neither was injured though Simon did see his five-game points streak come to an end.
"Special teams are important, and the power play probably hurt us," Crosby said.
THE PLAY
Before many in the 18,638 were able to make it back to their seats for the start of the second period, Marleau made it 2-0 just :44 seconds in.
Olli Maatta joined the rush leaving Phil Kessel to fill in as the second defenseman. When Nazem Kadri picked up the loose puck in his end, he made a quick outlet pass to Kapanen, chipping it past Kessel, who was stationary near the boards.
Facing a two-on-one, Jamie Oleksiak pushed Kapanen wide to the right, but the former Penguins first-round pick was able to find Marleau, who beat Evgeni Malkin's backcheck, breaking for the far post. Marleau deked Matt Murray, beating him on the backhand and then plowing into him:
Murray appeared shaken up on the play but his skate blade, apparently, took the worst of it. After playing another six minutes without much of an edge on his left skate, Murray temporarily took himself out of the game to get an equipment fix. Casey DeSmith made two saves in his 3:13 of action.
An Ontario native, Murray gave up five goals on 31 shots to suffer his first regulation loss to Toronto in six career games. He had made 38 saves in the Penguins' 3-0 win at Toronto on Oct. 18.
"Seems like they had a lot more space and were able to make plays," Murray said. "They're a dangerous team when they have time and space."
THE CALL
For Saturday's morning skate, Sullivan shook up his bottom six placing Riley Sheahan at center with Bryan Rust and Patric Hornqvist, while the fourth line had Derek Grant centering Cullen and Sprong. Sullivan said the moves were made in an attempt to better manage minutes, balance the scoring, and to get some players going. Tops on that list were Sheahan and Rust, who have one goal each.
Indeed, the Penguins rolled four lines but none of the moves had the desired result. In addition to not scoring, the possession metrics were awful for the line of Sheahan, Rust and Hornqvist. Rust's Corsi For percentage was 30.0 while Hornqvist checked in a 33.3 and Sheahan at 36.84.
Suffice it to say, the Penguins need to get Derick Brassard healthy and back in the lineup.
THE OTHER SIDE
Mike Babcock was saying Saturday morning that if the upstart Leafs wanted to be successful they were going to have to learn how to beat the best. He said that his top-six, without their leading scorer, would have to beat the Penguins' top six.
The Leafs did just that. Toronto's best was better than the Penguins' best. Marner, Marleau and Rielly each had two-point games, as did Kapanen.
It was an impressive effort from the Leafs, who were humbled by the Penguins just 17 days ago in Toronto with Matthews still in the lineup.
Tavares, who is viewed as the final piece to ending Toronto's 51-year Cup drought, clearly won his matchup against the Crosby line.
"Try to treat any game, any matchup the same but when you're going up against the best player of this generation and what he's done over the course of his career, you have to be at a high level," Tavares said. "His competitiveness and his skill-set is obviously well-rounded. Just try to be as ready as I can be. Had a lot of battles over the years. It's fun to play in, these are great games to be part of. They're a great team, very proven. You want to go out there and earn it and get the result you want."
Having won their first game without Matthews, Marleau said the Leafs showed they can can play with anyone.
"They're a really good team, you have to get up for those games," said the 39-year-old veteran, who lost the 2016 Cup Final to Pittsburgh while with the Sharks. "Definitely one we can build off of."
Now, if only the Maple Leafs played every game on the road. They are 3-5 at Scotiabank Arena but are now a perfect 6-0 on the road. The Leafs' next two games are at home, beginning Monday night vs. the Golden Knights.
"Just make sure we come ready to play at home," Marner was saying. "Bring that same intensity we do on the road. Be more relaxed at home. Sometimes we come in too tense and put too much pressure on ourselves. We have to go out there and have fun."
Conversely, the Penguins are now 2-3-1 at home, 4-0-2 on the road.
THE INJURIES
• Derick Brassard, forward, missed his fourth straight game with a lower-body injury. He remains day-to-day. He has not resumed skating but is progressing, according to Sullivan.
• Justin Schultz, defenseman, is expected to miss four months after fracturing his leg Oct. 13 in Montreal.
THE SCHEDULE
The Penguins are scheduled to practice Sunday at noon in Cranberry. They will host the Devils on Monday night in their first meeting of the season.
THE COVERAGE
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MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Penguins vs. Maple Leafs, PPG Paints Arena, Nov. 3, 2018 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS