The Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves at a crossroads after suffering a humiliating 7-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Letting in six goals in the first period alone, Pittsburgh hasn’t looked worse than they do right now. It was the kind of performance that has Penguins fans calling for major changes. Could the first change be one that will see head coach Mike Sullivan on the hot seat?
The Stars wasted no time pouncing on the Penguins, as Matt Duchene opened the scoring on Dallas’s very first shot. The onslaught continued with Logan Stankoven and Mason Marchment finding the net, and Miro Heiskanen added two of his own. Tyler Seguin capped off the first-period scoring, making it 6-0 on 12 shots.
The Penguins’ starting goaltender, Joel Blomqvist, was pulled after allowing three goals on eight shots, but backup Alex Nedeljkovic fared little better, allowing four goals on 31 shots in relief. Blomqvist finished with a .625 save percentage and Nedeljkovic a .875.
Anthony Beauvillier provided the only marker for the Penguins, scoring their one goal.
The first period was an absolute defensive meltdown for the Penguins. The Stars are a solid team, but this kind of performance is inexcusable for a team trying to stay in the playoff conversation.
Penguins Have to Consider Coach Sullivan’s Future
Falling to 6-9-2 on the season, Pittsburgh’s struggles reflect deeper issues with an aging, top-heavy roster. And, their salary cap situation means there isn’t a lot that GM Kyle Dubas can do about things. The team’s defense has repeatedly failed to support inconsistent goaltending and the forwards aren’t on the same level as their elite competition.
The end result is speculation mounting about head coach Mike Sullivan’s future. He said after the game:
“They get a couple of fluky goals early in the first period. … We didn’t play the rest of the game the right way. … They turned it into an insurmountable challenge. … We have to dig in and give ourselves a chance to win.”
Sullivan has enjoyed immense success in Pittsburgh. That said, things are no longer going well. Maybe he doesn’t deserve to be the fall guy for the team Dubas has constructed, but something has to give. Even the best coaches have a shelf life, at least in the same city (Sullivan will get hired quickly if released).
With the Crosby era waning and the playoffs slipping out of reach, the time for significant change could be arriving faster than expected.
