(Cranberry Township) Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas believes head coach Mike Sullivan is not to blame for his team’s slow start to the season.
Dubas said Monday that the Penguins are “lucky” to have Sullivan, even though the team is languishing at the back of the Eastern Conference a third of the way through the campaign.
“Do I believe he is the right person to fill this position now and for the future? Absolutely,” Dubas said.
Dubas praised the open mindedness and work ethic of Sullivan and his staff in turning around the Penguins, who are 3-5-3 after going on a five-game winning streak earlier this month. november.
“They’re trying to find solutions to get us going again,” Dubas said. In my opinion, this is what is most encouraging. And like every other team in this league, we have to continue to look for ways to get out of this. And I am sure that ‘Sully’ is the right person to help us on this level. »
Sullivan, who led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017, is the second longest-serving head coach currently in the Bettman circuit behind Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Penguins, who haven’t won a playoff series since 2018, have the oldest roster in the NHL and are currently going 0-for-37 on the power play – heading into Tuesday night’s game against the NHL Coyotes. ‘Arizona.
Sidney Crosby continues to be the heart of this team, producing 15 goals and 12 assists in 26 games so far this season, but most of those points have come at even strength – while the game power, he was held in check despite the presence of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Erik Karlsson, in particular. Dubas calls the Penguins’ problems with the man advantage surprising, but added that “the players and staff that are here are far too talented to fail to get us out of the situation we’re in.”
The Penguins haven’t scored on a power play since November 11, and that’s one of the main reasons why the club is seventh among the eight that make up the Metropolitan section. Nevertheless, according to Dubas, the Penguins’ even-strength play and the performance of the goaltenders justify his optimism. And if the power play regains its composure, then the results will come very quickly.
“If we can revive this aspect of the game… I believe we will have a lot of success down the road,” he concluded.
The Penguins will visit the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday evening at the Bell Centre.
