Resilient Penguins Facing Their Biggest Test Yet
By
Michelle Crechiolo
Penguins Team Reporter
After the Penguins dominated the contest and produced exactly the type of response they were looking for after their Game 4 setback - outshooting the Islanders 50-28 - they ended up losing 3-2 in double overtime after Tristan Jarry misplayed a puck and Josh Bailey capitalized.
"It's a team game," defenseman Kris Letang said. "It's nobody's fault. We win as a team and we lose as a team. You shake it off and you have to bring your A-game the next one."
The Penguins now trail 3-2 in the series, and must win Game 6 on Wednesday at Nassau Coliseum in order to keep their season alive. It's obviously not the result anyone was looking for, but the Penguins are going to have to find a way to move by it and look to the next opportunity.
"Things happen throughout the game, and obviously we would have liked to have that win, but I think we're all going to grow closer as a team," winger Bryan Rust said. "I think we're going to work together; I think we're going to lift our heads up and get out there and try and win (Game 6).
"Obviously, this is a race to four. Our backs are against the wall now, and we just got to work hard to get these next two, but especially this next one."
Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said they are all going to rally around their goaltender, and the players echoed that sentiment, saying they win as a team and lose as a team.
"I think he had a heck of a game up to that point. He made a mistake," Sullivan said. "But he made some big saves for us throughout the course of the game as well. He's a resilient kid. He's a real good person. He's a great teammate. He's a hell of a hockey player. And we all believe in him."
If it weren't for the play of Jarry's counterpart down at the other end, this probably would have had a more favorable ending for Pittsburgh.
Rookie netminder Ilya Sorokin was sensational, making 48 stops in the game. And it wasn't like the Penguins were lobbing shots from the perimeter - they did a much better job of getting more pucks and bodies to the net front and making life difficult for Sorokin.
The Penguins were particularly dominant in the second period, outshooting the Islanders 20-4. But thanks to Sorokin's heroics, the Penguins only had a 2-1 lead heading into the second intermission.
He continued to keep his team in it as the game went on, coming up with saves on Pittsburgh's significant amount of quality scoring chances that came through rebounds, deflections and traffic, and allowing the Islanders to eventually get the win.
"You got to give him some credit, he made some big saves," Sullivan said. "There was a lot of opportunity there. I'm not sure we could do much more to get a different result as far as the amount of goals that we scored. But as we always say to the players, we can just control the process. You can't always control whether it goes in the net or not. We generated a lot of scoring chances against a pretty stingy defensive team, and so we can hang our hat on that and be proud of that."
There was a lot to be proud of in this game. All four lines and all six defensemen were going, playing with speed, swagger and confidence. There were certainly some breakdowns, but overall, they deserved to win this one.
That being said, it's not easy to have perspective on a night like this. It was an emotional game with a lot at stake, and it's understandable to feel frustrated. But the Penguins can't afford to get caught up in negative emotions.
Sullivan spoke this morning about how they have to ignore the noise, learn from the experience and focus on the task at hand. That is more relevant than ever after this evening.
"We've got to win one hockey game," Sullivan said. "That's the way I look at it. That's what I said to the players after the game. We have a lot of leadership that's been through a lot of experiences in this league, especially in the playoffs. And so we'll just keep this thing in perspective. And we'll go to the Island and we'll put our best game on the ice."
