The Penguins have been going through a rough stretch, to say the least. But Kyle Dubas is taking a bigger-picture view of the whole situation, and it goes back to the expectations outlined in training camp.
Pittsburgh’s President of Hockey Operations said with the mix of veterans and young players, there was going to be some rough waters. But they’d be able to rise out of it because of the foundation that Dan Muse and his staff were starting to build on Day 1, with the hope that it would take hold for the entire 82-game season, “and hopefully beyond,” and for it to be clear to everyone that the team is on the right path back to legitimate contention.
It’s been evident at times, like the road trip where Pittsburgh picked up five of six points against some terrific opponents before starting their season-long, five-game homestand against the Ducks.
“We come and we play 59 minutes and 59 seconds of great hockey against the team that’s in first place in Anaheim, and that's without (Rickard) Rakell, (Evgeni) Malkin, (Blake) Lizotte,” Dubas told Josh Getzoff on the most recent edition of the GM Show. “We show regardless of what the lineup is, if we play to that foundation, we can really carry play and be a really good hockey team. And so, to me, that foundation is there. We just have to get back to it.
“That's our neutral zone play tracking, not allowing teams to just come through at will. And I have full faith that the players want to do that, and I know the coaching staff is working tirelessly at all hours to get us back there.”
Zooming out in another direction, while the Penguins have been winless in their last six outings, they’ve managed to come away with at least a point in nine of their last 12. So, they are still in the hunt, with their next four games going into the holiday break against opponents right there with them: at Ottawa on Thursday, at Montreal on Saturday, versus Montreal on Sunday, and in Toronto on Tuesday.
“So, I don't really have a lot of time to sit and feel sorry or frustrated. We have a chance tomorrow night to get back to that foundation of how we want to play,” Dubas said. “That's where we're at right now. So, we can be as frustrated as we want internally or externally, doesn't much matter, because we're in a spot where we fully control our own fate and how we play, and we get a chance to do that.”
It does not appear that the Penguins will have Malkin or Lizotte, who are both week-to-week with upper-body injuries, for any of those games. They did not travel with the team for this two-game swing, and Dubas doesn’t think they will be ready to play at all this weekend, which leaves just one game before the break.
“So, I would say (their returns are) likely trending towards after the break,” Dubas said. “But, we'll see. They’re two very diligent and hard-working people, Geno and Blake both. But we also have to be mindful of the long run. We can't rush them back just based on results or trying to get them back before the Christmas break. We have to use everything at our disposal and put them in a good spot.”
