Obviously, Mike Sullivan does not like his team's current predicament. But he really does not like the word "desperation."
A sense of urgency? Sure. But not desperation.
"I'm not sure I like that word because it implies a certain level of hopelessness associated with it," Sullivan said a few hours before the puck dropped on Sunday's Game 3 at PPG Paints Arena. "I try to avoid the word a lot because I just don't think that's the mindset that we need. We're in complete control of the circumstance. We have have to make sure we go out and win a game. That's what we told our players."
Yep, though the Penguins are down 2-0 to the Islanders, a first for them under Sullivan, their coach was the picture of calm, if not resolve, on Sunday morning. It was pretty impressive given that, as he was speaking, the Islanders were playing a very loud game of one-touch soccer in an adjacent hallway.
Sullivan's stoicism is a bit of different approach than that of, say, Jon Cooper or Terry Murray. After the Presidents Trophy-winning Lightning went down 2-0 to the Blue Jackets on Friday, Tampa Bay's coach called the situation a "five-alarm fire." After the Flyers went down 3-0 to the Red Wings in the 1997 Stanley Cup Final, Philadelphia's coach infamously said his team was in a "choking situation." Sullivan said he remains confident in his team because of its experience.
"I think our players, we have a mature group," Sullivan said. "They're well aware of the circumstance we're in. It's really about responding the right way. You have to play the game with a sense of urgency. You have to play with a certain compete level that gives you a chance to win every night. There should be a heightened sense of urgency given the circumstance we're in. But that's what it takes to win this time of year anyway."
• The decision to play Dominik Simon on the top line has been a hot topic of discussion among fans and media. One of the obvious alternatives would have been to play Patric Hornqvist as Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel's right winger. The thinking was that the power forward could have plowed his way to the front of the net to create time and space for his linemates. Sullivan said Hornqvist was a consideration but ...
"I'm not going to share everything with you as far as how the coaches feel about why we make the decisions we make, but there was reasons behind what we do," Sullivan said. "We believe in the combinations we put together each and every night gives us the best chance to win."
• Sullivan did not give an injury update but, rest assured, Jared McCann will be a game-time decision. How he feels after the pre-game skate will determine whether he plays. He missed Game 2 with an upper-body injury but said he was feeling good after Saturday's practice.
• Hockey players are creatures of habit. The normal 7 p.m. start time allows for a morning skate, an afternoon nap and then a game at night. Needless to say, a noon start throws a bit of a wrench into everything. Speaking to reporters at 9:45 a.m., Barry Trotz joked that all games should start at noon.
"That way you have all day and get normal sleep hours," Trotz said. Jokes aside, he says that players simply adjust.
• Speaking of adjustments, Trotz said the Islanders are prepared for the Penguins' new-look lines. So far, Casey Cizikas' fourth-line has been matched up against Crosby's line about "40 percent" of the time, the Islanders' coach said.
"We'll just react, it's part of the process," he said. "We've got multiple lines that can do the job. I'm not worried."
