"We've just got to make sure we get back to our habits. If we have a chance to clear, we've got to make sure we get it all the way down, and keep our changes short so we can keep the pressure up."
Kuhnhackl, 26, has been a valuable member of the Penguins' PK since joining the team in 2015-16.
The PK has floundered in recent weeks, allowing nine goals on 23 kills over the last eight games. But Kuhnhackl remains unperturbed.
"We've just got to make sure we realize when to get pressure," said the German-born winger. "At the beginning of a PK, when we're fresh, we can always get pressure.
"But if you're out there 20-30 seconds, you've got to play smart. The first thing when you fatigue is, your brain shuts down. You've got to make sure you read the plays and play smart."
The Penguins' personnel on the PK isn't a problem, Kuhnhackl said:
"It doesn't matter who's out there. We know what kind of job we have to do. We did a great job [vs. New Jersey]. It's just that seeing-eye shot that found its way in, that wrister from the point. There are days when it doesn't go in, and there are days when it does."
The Penguins' PK ranks 17th in the NHL with a success rate of 80.2 percent. It went one-for-three in Sunday's 5-4 overtime victory over visiting Philadelphia.
Coach Mike Sullivan was succinct when discussing the Pens' struggling PK after losing to New Jersey: "I don't think it's any one thing. It's a group effort, and we have to be better."
The Penguins' PK excelled the first two months of the new year: From Jan. 1-Feb. 26, it was successful 86.6 percent of the time, second-best in the NHL during that span. It allowed just nine power-play goals, also second-best.
Consistency is a big part of killing penalties. It's also a big part of winning hockey games.
"We had a real good first period," Kuhnhackl said after the loss to New Jersey. "But in the second period, they got momentum. Then we had a great third period. We've got to find a way to play 60 minutes.
"We knew they were going to use their speed, so we've just got to make sure we match it. In the second period, we didn't."
The Penguins were outscored 3-0 in the second period against New Jersey, conceding three goals in 3:39 as a 1-0 lead turned into a 3-1 deficit.
Kuhnhackl, who has mostly skated on the fourth line besides handling duties on the penalty-kill, has two goals and six assists in 63 games. Kuhnhackl has one of the Penguins' six shorthanded goals.
Kuhnhackl's current concern is helping the Penguins play well heading into the Stanley Cup playoffs.
But he still cracks a smile when asked about Germany's Cinderella run to a silver medal at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics Feb 14-25. Germany lost the gold-medal game, 4-3 in OT, to the Olympic Athletes from Russia.
"I don't think anybody expected us to make it that far," said Kuhnhackl, who last represented Germany at the World Junior Championships in 2011 and would likely have played at PyeongChang had the NHL participated. "Winning that silver medal is absolutely incredible.
"We even had a chance to win the gold, but it was just one of those bounces. Everyone in Germany can be proud of German hockey."
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays at WXDX-FM (105.9).
