Penguins have ‘got to dig in,’ move forward following loss to Stars

PITTSBURGH -- Mike Sullivan wasn’t sure what happened Monday.

The Pittsburgh Penguins coach watched his team allow six consecutive goals in the first period of a 7-1 loss to the Dallas Stars at PPG Paints Arena. Fresh off a 4-2 win at the Washington Capitals on Friday, they came home to a thud.

To Sullivan, it just didn’t make sense.

“I don’t know if I have a valid answer,” he said.

Since being hired Dec. 12, 2015, Sullivan hasn’t been confused often. He won the Stanley Cup in his first two seasons and made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in his first eight.

The Penguins (6-9-2) aren’t the same, currently seventh in the Metropolitan Division and 13th in the Eastern Conference after missing the playoffs the past two seasons.

That doesn’t match Sullivan’s expectations. Neither did Monday.

“I’m not going to sit here and say I’m frustrated because I’m not,” Sullivan said. “I’m determined to move this team forward and get us going in the right direction more consistently. I know we’re a way better hockey team than what we displayed out there today.”

Joel Blomqvist, a 22-year-old rookie goalie, let a wrist shot from Matt Duchene trickle under his glove at 2:33. Then it was two snap shots, one from Logan Stankoven at 7:13 and another from Mason Marchment at 10:16.

“Well, obviously, the first couple of goals, I’m sure if you asked Joel, he would’ve liked to have had them back,” Sullivan said. “So, you know, that is what it is.”

Alex Nedeljkovic gave up the final three goals of the period, including two on his first two shots faced.

Tristan Jarry watched from the press box.

Jarry, an All-Star in 2020 and 2022, was recalled Saturday from a conditioning assignment with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. He is 1-1-0 with a 5.47 goals-against average and .836 save percentage in three starts for the Pittsburgh this season.

On Sunday, Sullivan said performance would determine the primary starter.

“You can’t roll over,” Nedeljkovic said. “They just put up six goals in 20 minutes of play. ... It goes without saying, you can’t spot a team six goals. The rest of the game, we played the rest of the game 1-1. We’ve got to look at it that way, try to look at it that way.”

Founded in 1967, the Penguins had never allowed six first-period goals at home entering Monday. But they have given up at least four goals in 12 of 17 games this season, surrendering an average of 3.88 (third worst in the NHL).

“You just have to go play through it,” captain Sidney Crosby said. “You can't quit. You can't give up. We put ourselves in that situation. We've got to keep playing and see what happens. So besides that, you can't change the period. It happened. We've got to find ways to play through it.

“I mean, you just want to get out there again and play better, feel better. It's not ever fun losing, but especially that way, it's one you want to forget pretty quick.”

They’ll get the chance Wednesday, again at PPG Paints Arena, against the Detroit Red Wings (7:30 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, MAX, TNT).

“The message is: ‘We’ve got to dig in. Control what we can, and we’ve got to dig in,’” Sullivan said. “We’ve got to give ourselves a chance to win. I think the most important thing is understanding what that looks like. We have evidence, through the course of this season, where we’ve shown that we’re a competitive team.

“We need to repeat that over and over again. ... We need more consistent commitment in playing the game a certain way. I think it boils down to a lot of details and diligence and, quite honestly, a certain discipline to stay the course.”