Penguins seek 'child-like enthusiasm' at practice to get back on track taken in Cranberry, Pa. (Penguins)

DANNY SHIREY / DKPS

The Penguins go through drills Friday in Cranberry, Pa.

CRANBERRY, Pa. -- The Penguins are losers of six games in a row, dating back to Oct. 22 in Edmonton, and they have secured just one of a possible 12 standings points during that time.

Now, after consecutive blown multi-goal leads against the Bruins and Sabres, and seeing the team's goal differential drop below the breakeven mark, it would be pure human nature to be a bit dejected when you show up for work. If nothing else, the Penguins' current struggles have to be mentally taxing on the players.

After a day off on Thursday, the Penguins were back at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex here in Cranberry for practice on Friday. 

The Penguins certainly aren't happy with their current situation, but they aren't going to sit around and mope about it until things get better, either. That simply wouldn't be conducive to getting out of a funk. That's why Friday's practice began with a 4-on-4 drill at the far end of the rink in which every player used an opposite-handed stick to shoot and pass from their non-dominant handedness.

It was quite the spectacle to see Jason Zucker and Evgeni Malkin attempting to make plays on the puck as righties, just as much as it was to see players like Bryan Rust and Brock McGinn look as if it was one of their first times playing hockey.

Following practice, I asked Mike Sullivan what he likes about the drill and why the coaching staff decided to open practice with it.

"I think sometimes when you play a game like that, it brings back a child-like enthusiasm amongst a group of adults," Sullivan said. "And sometimes when you start a practice like that, it sets the mood or the tone for the rest of practice from an energy and enthusiasm standpoint, and we felt like today — that was something that would be productive for us."

From personal experience, I have fond memories of playing goofy games like that during my high-school playing days, and judging by the smiles from the players and the energy throughout the rest of practice, I'd say they enjoyed it quite a bit.

"I think it’s pretty funny," Teddy Blueger told me of the drill. "It’s just interesting how much changes, even just like, looking at a guy and how much different he looks with an opposite-side-handed stick, and then obviously, I don’t know what goes on in the brain, but a lot of things change and it seems like guys can’t skate very well with the opposite-hand stick, so it’s pretty funny to watch."

If you've ever thrown a ball with your non-dominant hand or tried to use a fork with your non-dominant hand, you know exactly what Blueger is talking about. The drill lasted only several minutes, but it was a fun, light-hearted way to spark the team and engage them.

"Yeah, it’s awkward. We’ve done it before, and yeah, you feel pretty uncoordinated pretty quick doing that," Sidney Crosby told me.

Despite feeling uncoordinated during the drill, Crosby, unsurprisingly, appeared to be the most comfortable of the group. Toward the very end of the drill, he even snagged a puck off the wall below the goal line and sent a backhand pass out front for a goal.

Everybody on the ice went crazy for the play.

"Yeah, that’s about it," Crosby said, laughing off his pass, "that’s about it. I don’t know why, but I’m pretty useless with a right-handed stick. You’d think we’d be able to be more coordinated even if it’s the other way, but it feels pretty weird."

Now in his 18th NHL season, surely Crosby has endured his fair share of whacky practice drills, but he told me this one might take the cake as the whackiest.

"Man, that’s tough," Crosby said after I asked about the most far-out-there drill he's participated in. "That one’s up there, I think. Yeah, I’d put that up there. It’s hard to feel any more uncomfortable or awkward than that in a drill, you know?"

The next game is Saturday, 7:08 p.m. against the Kraken at PPG Paints Arena.

MORE FROM PRACTICE

Jake Guentzel and Josh Archibald both missed practice. It's nothing serious for either of them, as Sullivan said Guentzel is sick and was kept at home, while Archibald was given a maintenance day. 

It's unclear if Guentzel will feel good enough to go on Saturday night. Kris Letang missed one game earlier this week, likely due to the same illness.

Jeff Carter once again missed practice with a lower-body injury. He left the game early last weekend in Seattle and did not return. Sullivan said Carter's status remains day-to-day.

Ron Hextall said before the game in Buffalo on Wednesday that he's hopeful Blueger will be able to make his season-debut on Saturday against the Kraken, which is the soonest Blueger is eligible to be activated from long-term injured reserve.

Blueger has been out with an upper-body injury since the middle of training camp, although he has been skating with the team for quite some time now and has moved on to being a full-participant in practice.

Blueger wouldn't indicate one way or the other if we might see him suit up Saturday, but his placement as the Penguins' No. 3 center during line rushes at practice instead of Drew O'Connor, who dropped down to the right wing of the fourth line, suggests there's a real possibility he will play.

"I mean, I’m feeling pretty good, yeah. I don’t know what I can really say about tomorrow and all that, but yeah, (I’m) feeling better," Blueger told me after practice. "Progress has been, I guess better the last week or two, so it’s been good."

Blueger later reiterated previous sentiments on just how challenging this injury has been for him.

"It’s been hard not to get discouraged," he said. "I think it’s probably the most frustrating injury I’ve ever dealt with in my career, as far as the timeline and how I guess I expected it to go versus how it’s playing out right now. It’s been a real challenge mentally and staying with it. I know it’s only been 10-11 games, but it feels like half the season’s gone by."

• Here are the lines and defense pairings utilized during practice, sans Guentzel, Archibald and Carter:

Danton Heinen - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust
Jason Zucker - Evgeni Malkin - Rickard Rakell
Brock McGinn - Teddy Blueger - Kasperi Kapanen
Ryan Poehling - Sam Poulin - Drew O'Connor

Brian Dumoulin - Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson - Jeff Petry
P.O Joseph - Jan Rutta/Chad Ruhwedel

• And the special teams personnel ...

PP1: Crosby, Rust, Rakell, Malkin, Letang
PP2: Poulin, Zucker, Heinen, Joseph, Petry

PK1: Poehling, McGinn, Dumoulin, Rutta (Blueger rotating in)
PK2: O'Connor, Kapanen, Pettersson, Ruhwedel

• The Penguins will hold an optional morning skate Saturday at 10:30. I'll have your coverage for that, then Taylor Haase and DK will join me for the game in the evening.

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