This Penguins Team Deserved Better
"I said to the players after the game that I was so disappointed for them, because I know how hard they've worked and some of the adversities that we've fought through throughout the course of the year to give ourselves an opportunity to compete in this position," he said. "I couldn't have been more proud of the season that we had as a team."
And it truly is one where they deserved better.
The Penguins really did battle through so much to get here, starting with people questioning whether the core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang still had elite hockey left in them after Montreal eliminated Pittsburgh in the Qualifying Round last August.
That group went on to prove their doubters wrong, leading the Penguins to the East Division title in this unique, challenging season played in the midst of a pandemic.
The players sacrificed so much during an absolute grind of a year - both physically and mentally, dealing with the shortened and condensed schedule while adhering to the COVID-19 protocols - to earn the privilege of playing for a Stanley Cup for a 15th straight season.
They entered this postseason a team in the true sense of the word after rallying around the different experiences they went through, and had plenty of reasons for optimism going in. They were mostly healthy for the first time all year, with a deep lineup committed to playing the right way, and just felt like a collection of players with great chemistry who had the opportunity to do something special.
"This year I felt like we had a good group, and we did a lot of good things," captain Sidney Crosby said. "I think we easily could have made a run. I feel pretty confident about this group and in saying that with the way that we were trending and the way we finished the year. But it's a fine line in the playoffs."
It really is, which is what makes this loss even more heartbreaking. The Penguins played well enough to win this matchup, and that hasn't always been the case with some of their other recent exits.
As Sullivan said, the Penguins felt good about their overall team game in five of the six contests, with Game 4 being the only one they didn't have it. They played to their identity, dictated the terms, generated scoring chances and just produced some really solid hockey. In fact, their two best games might have been the last two games - tonight's setback and Monday's 4-3 double overtime loss.
"I think we did a lot of good things and for so much of this series, we had the lead," Crosby said. "We felt comfortable with our game. We didn't feel like we were on our heels very much at all during the series. It's such a small margin for error. I feel like I didn't make a big play, whether it's overtime or adding to a lead when we're up 2-1. I look at some chances that I had, and those kinds of things are so important, and you can't overlook the importance of those."
And the Islanders deserve a lot of credit for their own resilience and ability to respond the right way and come up with those big plays to ultimately get the result.
"I felt like we played pretty well for a lot of the series," Sullivan said. "It certainly wasn't from the lack of scoring chances or scoring opportunities. We're obviously playing against a tough opponent. We're in close games. For the most part there, there was a lot of good hockey being played on both sides. That's the nature of playoff hockey."
And there aren't any moral victories at this time of year. Ultimately, the Penguins didn't get the job done, which means the questions will begin again - particularly when it comes to people talking about whether Crosby, Malkin and Letang should be split up.
"They've been saying that for four years, right?" Crosby said. "So I don't know if I'm going to change anybody's mind, but I know that the three of us - we want to win, and we'll do whatever it takes to try to compete to do that every year. I know that we've been together a long time, I've seen how much they care and their commitment, so I never doubt or question that.
"There's so many parts and it is a business, so that's up to other people. As far as what I can see and how I feel, there's zero doubt in my mind that the group that we have is a really good group and we had an opportunity here, and that's why it stings so much."
