CRANBERRY, Pa. -- The Pittsburgh Penguins remain committed to Mike Sullivan as coach, president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas said Monday.
“Do I think that he’s the right person for the job now and far into the future? I absolutely do,” Dubas said.
The Penguins (11-12-3) are seventh in the Metropolitan Division, two points ahead of the last-place Columbus Blue Jackets. They are six points behind the Washington Capitals for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
Sullivan and the rest of the coaching staff should not be blamed, Dubas said.
“As soon as the team didn’t play to its potential, now it seems that right away, the focus shifts to coaching,” Dubas said. “I’m not sure exactly why that change has happened, whether it’s social media or just a greater focus on coaching, or what have you.
“With ‘Sully,’ I had my impression of him coming in and my respect for him coming in. Being with him every day, and not only seeing his attention to detail on the systems but his attention to detail on the players and coaching them individually or personally, I think we’re very fortunate to have Mike.”
On Tuesday, Sullivan said he was happy to be working with Dubas.
"I certainly appreciate Kyle's support," Sullivan said. "I think my relationship with Kyle has developed over our time together. I think it's really good. I think we share a very similar vision on where this team is at and, potentially, on where it needs to go moving forward. He's very communicative. He's very transparent, as am I. I think the daily conversations that we have, I certainly appreciate. So I appreciate his support."
Partially because of Sullivan, Dubas said he is confident Pittsburgh can move past a disappointing start, beginning against the Arizona Coyotes at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, SCRIPPS, SN, TVAS).
It’s also because Sidney Crosby, in his 19th NHL season, leads the Penguins with 15 goals and is second in points with 27, behind linemate Jake Guentzel (29 points; 10 goals, 19 assists). Second-line center Evgeni Malkin, at 37 years old and in his 18th season, is third with 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists).
Erik Karlsson, acquired from the San Jose Sharks in a three-team trade involving the Montreal Canadiens on Aug. 6, leads Penguins defensemen with 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) in 26 games, ahead of Kris Letang (13 points; two goals, 11 assists).
But for the foreseeable future, Pittsburgh might not have Bryan Rust, usually right wing on the first line, and Rickard Rakell, normally right wing on the second.
Rust, who has 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 22 games, is week to week with an upper-body injury sustained Dec. 6. Rakell, who has four assists in 17 games, has not played since Nov. 19, also because of an upper-body injury.
They headline a list of injured Penguins including forwards Noel Acciari (lower body) and Matt Nieto (lower body), and defensemen Pierre-Olivier Joseph (lower body) and Chad Ruhwedel (lower body).
Injuries can’t be an excuse, Dubas said, and Pittsburgh is unlikely to make a significant addition, likely via trade, before late January.
“When it comes to how we dictate our course, I’m going to give the players and the coaching staff as much time as possible,” Dubas said. “So just by nature, I’m not going to make any decisions based on how we do this week or next week. When we get through the All-Star break and on the other side of that, we’ll have a better idea of what we are as a group and where we need to go.
“Are we close and need some help? ... Or do we need to have a deeper discussion on where we’re at as a club? Time is going to tell us that.”
A specific concern is the power play, which is 0-for-37 since last scoring against the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 11.
Crosby, Malkin, Guentzel, Karlsson and forward Valtteri Puustinen were on the top unit in practice Monday. Letang was at the point on the second unit with forwards Reilly Smith, Jansen Harkins, Jeff Carter and Vinnie Hinostroza.
“In my experience, when the power play struggles, it’s the heaviest experience you can have,” Dubas said. “You feel the angst that goes with it. I think the players that we have and the coaching staff that we have are far too good not to solve our way out of it.
“The players, they know what worked for them in the past on the power play. That hasn’t worked here of late. … In particular, in practice, they’re more open to doing things that aren’t particularly common for them in their game as they try to find their way out of it.”
