Sully Says: It Wasn't The Cleanest Game, But It Was A Character Win

Heading into the break and coming out of it, the talk in Pittsburgh's locker room centered around how they needed to be better, starting tonight against the defending Stanley Cup Champions.
And while the Penguins didn't have their best game for a full 60 minutes, they were able to come away with a huge 2-1 overtime victory.

"It's definitely a really good stepping stone," said Bryan Rust, who scored the equalizer late in regulation. "We got to learn some good lessons from this, but consistency is key right now. We've been harping on our consistency, and I think we got to walk the walk here and put that into motion."
Kris Letang scored the overtime winner for the second time in four games since returning to the lineup following the death of his father.
"It's great for him, it's great for our team," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "I know it's well-chronicled that Tanger's had a tough first half in so many different ways. So, we're certainly thrilled for him for a lot of reasons. He's just so important to our team."
Casey DeSmith made 41 saves, keeping his team within one goal of the Avalanche, who carried play for stretches. They opened the game by outshooting Pittsburgh 8-0, and had a 13-6 advantage after a scoreless first.
"I feel like I'm seeing the puck well, definitely feeling more and more comfortable as games go by," DeSmith said. "Just happy to get wins at this point."
Nathan MacKinnon, who recorded eight shots in the game, then opened the scoring in the second with a terrific individual effort. "Obviously, he's an elite talent, it would be like saying you're trying to keep Sid off the scoresheet. It's not going to happen, you know?" Letang said with a smile and a shrug. "He's going to be able to find a way to produce."
To the Penguins' credit, they started to really tilt the ice in their favor in the third. Rust had a great chance coming out of the penalty box about midway through the period, and ended up evening the score during a netfront scramble with 3:38 left in regulation.
"I think it's just one of those where you're trying to do everything you can to try and get the puck in the net, and I was able to get a lucky bounce," he said.
Pittsburgh's penalty kill went to work 1:21 into overtime to try and shut down a team loaded with talent. The first trio of Teddy Blueger, Brock McGinn and Brian Dumoulin and the second trio of Ryan Poehling, Josh Archibald (who returned to the lineup following an 18-game absence) and Jeff Petry - along with DeSmith - got the job done.
As soon as the Penguins went back to full strength, Letang and Sidney Crosby hopped over the boards to join Malkin, and the three of them connected for the winner. Here's what Sullivan had to say after the game.
On Kris Letang's impact (full quote):"It's great for him, it's great for our team. I know it's well-chronicled Tanger's had a tough first half in so many different ways. So when he scores big goals like that, I know it makes him feel good, it makes our whole team feel good. We're certainly thrilled for him for a lot of reasons. He's just so important to our team. He plays so many minutes. We rely on him in so many situations on both sides of the puck. When he's able to get rewarded by scoring a huge goal like that - he's done that a couple of times in overtime -it's just a great feeling. We're thrilled for him."
On Casey DeSmith's play:"Case is a real capable goaltender. He gave us an opportunity to get points tonight. He held us in there early in the game when we were getting outplayed. He made some big saves for us. When you watch the nature of how games are played in this league, in my mind, it's so much about momentum. When you don't have it, a lot of times, it's a big save or a key save at a key time that helps teams find their legs or find their game, so to speak. I think that's what great goaltending provides for teams. A lot of times it's those big saves that give teams an opportunity to win. Case certainly did that for us tonight."
On if it says something about his team's resiliency, that they stuck around and found a way to swing momentum: "I think it does. I mean, obviously, we didn't have the start we wanted. I thought Colorado was the better team in the first half of the game, for sure. Casey made some big saves, held us in there. I thought as the game went on, we got better. I thought our third period was our best, by far. I just liked our stick-to-it-iveness, just kind of staying with it, you know? Knowing that it wasn't the cleanest game from an execution standpoint in the first part of the game. We didn't have the puck a whole lot. Give Colorado credit, they're a talented team. But I just liked the fact that we were able to elevate our game. I thought we got some momentum in the third period in particular. The penalty kill in overtime was huge. Case made a couple of big stops, but those guys did a really good job in front of him that gave us the opportunity to get the extra point."
On the approach in the final frame:"We talk with our guys a lot about simplifying the game. In my mind, nothing breaks coverage down better than a shot on goal. It forces decision making. If there's any hesitation or if there's duplication of jobs, opportunity presents itself. So, I think part of our DNA as a group is we're always looking for a better play sometimes. I think the playmaking aspect of some of our higher-end players, they're very selective. We're trying to encourage them to maybe adopt a modified game. Every once in a while, it's not a bad idea to put a puck at the net, and then create off of it. We talk about that with our power play for example. As talented as these guys are, there's always that fine line, because we don't want to overcoach that and get in the way of their instincts, because that's what makes them what they are and as good as they are, and they're elite players. But we're trying to encourage them to simplify the game in certain situations and put more pucks in play, so to speak. A lot of times, if you don't score on that first one, you're creating the next play opportunity. That's when I think our guys do their best work."
On what was discussed during the timeout (called by Colorado) before the OT PK: "(Assistant coach) Mike Vellucci grabbed them, he's responsible for our PK. He made them aware of what they were potentially up against. That's something that's part of the prescout before the game starts. Just reminders on what they might be looking for and their positions, and where the sticks are and where the threats might be, and some of our game plan going into it. A lot of it is just reminders for those guys. They've already seen them once or twice. Mike did a great job of preparing them, and the guys did a terrific job executing."
On if the players hit the key points he gave the players coming out of the All-Star break in terms of improvements, or is there still work to do: "Well, I just think we've talked to them about hitting the reset button from a mindset standpoint, getting excited about the opportunities that we have in front of us, and the challenges we have in front of us. Our most meaningful hockey is in front of us, and, and we got to get excited about it. It's also going to be our hardest hockey. We talked a lot tonight going into a game when you haven't played in a while just about simplicity. Trying to play a straight-ahead game, take some of the thinking out of it, get your legs going. As I said, I thought we got better as the game went on. Certainly not the cleanest execution in the first part of the game, by any stretch. I know our team is capable of being better. But our guys found a way. I thought we grabbed ahold of it in the third period in particular, and I think that's something to build on. It's a character win. I think that's something to build on. But also, we understand we've got to get better at certain areas, and we'll do that."