Sully Says: Insights from Coach Following the Preseason Finale

The Penguins concluded their preseason slate with a dominant 7-1 win over the Sabres on Friday at PPG Paints Arena. They will open the regular season on Thursday versus Arizona.
Jeff Carter made his preseason debut after dealing with an upper-body injury, and P.O Joseph slotted in next to Jeff Petry, which was a spot that had been occupied by Marcus Pettersson for much of training camp. Pittsburgh used the following lineup:

Guentzel-Crosby-Rakell
Zucker-Malkin-Rust
Heinen-Carter-Kapanen
McGinn-Poehling-Archibald
Dumoulin-Letang
Joseph-Petry
Smith-Rutta
After missing the last game on Monday due to illness, Tristan Jarry returned to play the entire game in net. He made 22 saves.
The Penguins' best players were just that, with the top line setting the tone early on. Crosby scored twice and added an assist, Guentzel got a goal and two helpers, and Rakell played his best game of the preseason.
Rust also tallied twice, and Malkin got three assists. Heinen and Smith - who had a phenomenal game and was named Third Star - rounded out the scoring. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan shared his insights after the game:
On the Crosby line's performance:
"I think it's just them doing their thing, but I also think that there was another level of intensity to their game tonight than there has been throughout the course of training camp, and that's to be expected with some of the veteran players and how they approach training camp and the exhibition season. I had mentioned before that I'm always reluctant to assess some of our veteran players because they've been through this a lot, and they're trying to get what they need out of the exhibition season and the training camp. But they also want to go through it, they don't want to get hurt. There's lots of other things that are involved there. So I thought there was another level of intensity in their game tonight. They ratchet it up in spurts. And when they do, they're just tough to handle. They're such a threat. When they have the puck and just the way they pursue the puck, I thought their line in particular tonight in the offensive zone - they just put so much pressure on Buffalo's defense. They have such great sticks. They have such great anticipation skills. They just know where the puck's going before it goes there, and they're knocking pucks down and then they're attacking. That's when they're at their best. It was on display tonight.
On the element that Rakell brings:
"The thing that jumps out at me with respect to Raks' game is his ability to make something out of nothing. We're sitting on the bench thinking, 'okay, the play is going to die in that area of the rink, we're going to fight for possession' or whatever it may be. But he can stickhandle in a phone booth. He can really make plays in tight areas, and he tends to be able to make something out of nothing. I think that's the one element of Raks' game that has really jumped out at me. When he plays on a line with guys like Sid and Jake, or even in the instances when he played on Geno's line - I think when he brings that dimension, he just adds another level to that to that line that he plays on."
On if Jarry is capable of yet another level at this point in his development:
"I think he is. He's still a young goalie, and he's played really well in this league. I think he has the ability to get to another level, and what I mean by that is just (having) a level of consistency in his game. I think that's such an important aspect of any position, but in particular for a goaltender when there's just a level of consistency night in and night out. I think Tristan is very capable of that. When he's on the top of his game, in my mind, he's one of the better goaltenders in the league. I think the challenge for him and for us is to try to keep him at his very best consistently, night in and night out."
On P.O Joseph's night and camp overall:
"I thought it was his best game. I think when you play with a player like Jeff, it makes the game a little bit easier. But I thought that it was P.O's best game, for sure. I thought P.O got better as the camp went on, and it's really encouraging to see him have a game like tonight."
On how the 23-year-old blueliner has handled the trade speculation while trying to compete for a spot on the roster:
"I think he's done a great job. He's controlling what he can, and that's his effort, his execution, and his mindset going in day in and day out. P.O is such a great kid. I know how much he cares, and he wants to make a good impression. Him and I have had a couple of conversations here along the way throughout training camp, and I've been trying to encourage him not to put pressure on himself and just play the game. Just take what the game gives you. Embrace the game, and have fun with it and his talent will emerge."