Sully Says: It's All About The Group

After Evgeni Malkin celebrated his 1,000th game with a 2-1 victory over Calgary at home on Wedneaday, the Penguins traveled to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers.
The Penguins extended their winning streak to five games with a 4-1 victory, powered by a phenomenal effort from the fourth line. Ryan Poehling scored twice, Teddy Blueger collected three assists, and Josh Archibald got two points (1G-1A).

Twelve minutes into the first period, Archibald started the scoring on a 2-on-1 rush with Blueger. Then, with just 31.5 seconds remaining in the opening frame, Marcus Pettersson took a slap shot from the blue line that Sidney Crosby tipped into the back of the net to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead.
Poehling redirected a pass from Blueger just under three minutes in to make it 3-0. He scored again with six minutes remaining after ricocheting a puck off Carter Hart's stick that snuck into the net, which put Pittsburgh up 4-0 and chased the Philadelphia netminder from the net.
The Penguins put on a strong all-around performance, getting some great netminding from Tristan Jarry as well. Jarry made 30 saves, including one from a penalty shot, and extended his winning streak to three games in a row.
Here is what head coach Mike Sullivan had to say postgame before the Penguins traveled back to Pittsburgh to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.
On what he liked from the fourth line tonight: "That line is playing really well for us. They've really built an identity for themselves as far as how they are playing to help us win games. First and foremost, they're a real conscientious, stingy defensive line. They've got a great defensive conscience, they compete hard on pucks. And when they can chip in offensively, like they did tonight, it's just that much more of a bonus for us. But I thought all three of them had a strong game tonight."
On what Teddy Blueger brings to the team: "He's a real good player, a good two-way center iceman. He's got an offensive dimension to his game, but he's a real conscientious defensive center iceman. He's good in the faceoff circle. He gets better every year in the faceoff circle, he just keeps improving there. He's a real good penalty killer, he has great awareness away from the puck. And his offensive game, I think, is getting better and better with each game that he plays. So, just think he's a real important player for us. I don't think it's by coincidence that our penalty kill has been as strong as it is since he's come back into the lineup, he's a big part of it. But he just adds so much to our team."
On his thoughts about Marcus Pettersson stepping up for Kris Letang: "He's just an unbelievable teammate. He's a competitive guy who cares about his teammates. To stand up for Tanger in that circumstance, he fought a pretty tough kid on the other side. I just give him so much credit. It's hard to articulate it for me, he's just an unbelievable teammate."
On his reaction from the bench when Marcus got into the fight: "I think it gave our team a huge boost when a player like that shows that type of courage in that circumstance and puts himself in harm's way for the sake of his teammates. For me, it just shows the ultimate loyalty, and I think our players, they understand it. That these guys are going to battle every night, and they understand those circumstances. I think it gave our team a huge boost."
On the differences he sees in the team between the losing streak and the winning streak: "We're playing a more complete game. I feel we're playing a more conscientious game. We haven't given up as many odd-man rushes, we've cut down on some of the easy offense that we may have given to our opponent earlier in the year when we went through that stretch of games. I just give the players a lot of credit. They are paying attention to details out there, they are making good decisions, and they are competing hard. It's a collective effort out there from everybody on the ice. Every line is chipping in in different capacities. I think the penalty kill has been huge for us, the power play is making strides. For me, that's the most important thing - it's all about the group. And I just think we are getting contributions up and down the lineup."
On how quickly the team has turned it around since the losing streak: "I don't think it happens quickly. I think it's a process, and we can see it coming even in the last few games there where we didn't get the result, and we felt like we were playing the right way. In my experience, sometimes, that's usually what happens. You might deserve a better fate on those types of nights, and you don't get it. But if you keep playing the game the right way, you'll get rewarded. Ultimately, we believe we've got a good team, and I think we've got a talented group. When you play the game the right way, where we bring a conscientious game and mitigate some of the risk in our game - I think we are a competitive team, and we can compete with any team in the league."