Sully Says: We Just Didn't Get It Done Tonight
Pittsburgh had battled back from a 3-0 deficit to enter the final frame tied 3-3. And even though Detroit got on the board early to regain the lead, Josh Archibald got it right back to even it up.
But when Bryan Rust went to the penalty box late in regulation, it took former Penguin David Perron all of eight seconds to convert the man-advantage… and then complete the hat trick shortly after, with Dylan Larkin rounding out the scoring with an empty-netter.
"I think we gave them too much life. I don't think we were as sharp in the D zone as we needed to be, especially in the third," Zucker said. "Then obviously, they capitalize on the power play there. Tough one. Being 4-4 against that team in the third, especially being down 3-0… coming back in that game and tying it up again at 4-4, we need to come away with points there."
The Penguins got into penalty trouble in the first period, with Mark Friedman heading to the box two times in a row - and the Red Wings made them pay on the second minor. From there, Detroit tallied twice more on a pair of deflection goals to take that 3-0 lead into the first intermission.
Casey DeSmith remained in goal to start the second, and the Penguins played a much better period in front of him - clawing back and evening the score. The coaching staff put Rickard Rakell back on the second line (Mikael Granlund had been there to start), and he promptly earned the primary assist on Zucker's goal.
Then, after Drew O'Connor drew a penalty, Evgeni Malkin got high-sticked to send Pittsburgh to a 5-on-3 power play - assisting on Jake Guentzel's goal 25 seconds in to bring the Penguins within one. Jeff Carter tied it with Pittsburgh's third goal in a 4:01 span, though it took a while to get confirmed.
His re-direct chance hit the post and slid under Wings goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, who swept it back over the line with his pad. Detroit then used its coach's challenge, saying Zucker interfered with Nedeljkovic. The situation room in Toronto didn't agree, so the goal stood for a second time.
But for as much as the Penguins battled to put themselves in a position in the third, they once again struggled to get the job done there, which has been a recurring theme all season. The Islanders, who are in the first Wild Card spot, won tonight to gain a three-point lead over Pittsburgh in the second spot. Florida is three behind the Penguins.
Here's what Mike Sullivan had to say after the loss.
How much did goaltending play a role in the loss tonight?"Listen, we win as a team, we lose as a team. We just didn't get it done tonight."
How do you explain that first period? "I don't know how to explain it. We got outplayed, you know? We got outplayed in that first period. What I did like was the response. I thought we responded the right way, climbed back in the game. It turns into a one-period game. Then we didn't get it done in the third."
Was there any particular reason for that? Anything Detroit did, or you guys didn't do? "I just don't think we executed like we could. We just weren't good enough."
