Dan Muse’s postgame press conference was a beaut. He nailed it. His tone and his words, essentially telling the Pittsburgh Penguins that there would be no more celebrating good efforts if they ended in a loss of any stripe, were not only well received by the public, but they were appropriate without being over the top or anything that he would need to walk back.
The words weren’t emotional, though they carried a good degree of dissatisfaction. They were the blunt assessment of a coach who wants to win to a team that badly wants to win.
Muse scolded his team and anyone who might take positives from yet another loss, overtime or otherwise. That’s not how this team is going to operate moving forward. It was a clear delineation from recent moments of encouragement and talk of “it’s early.”
It’s no longer early, and it’s no longer good enough.
“Our game was better. But we just came out of this weekend with one out of four points. And that’s not good enough,” Muse began. “And so was our process better? It was. But we need to get points. We had an opportunity too, and so it’s a fine line. Like those little details, the little things that can make a difference. You know, (we need to find) a way to get another opportunity (and find) a way to take away one of theirs. And so I’m not going to sit here and say that’s good enough. It’s not. We’re past that.”
The Penguins are 2-4-3 in their last nine games and know full well they could or should have at least five wins in that time. The last nine games include third period collapses against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who scored four unanswered goals, and the LA Kings, who scored three straight.
They pummeled the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 8 but lost in a shootout. They led 1-0 with 1:10 remaining, but lost to the hapless Nashville Predators on Nov. 14.
There was an undertone of challenge to Muse’s verbal rebuke, as well. It almost felt like a pregame speech in its intensity and passion.
After years of Mike Sullivan gritting his teeth and stomping down the flimsy metal stairs in the media room at PPG Paints Arena, we had something more transparent and immediately identifiable. After watching the previous coach get tersely short in those very same moments–think of how many times we had 57-second postgame pressers with one-word answers as the coach glared at those who would ask the questions–Muse’s willingness to speak was a welcome moment, and fans responded quite positively.
The bet is that the team will, too.
Muse used the media to send a loud message to fans, but more importantly, the team. There was no yelling or temper tantrums, but instead a resolute head coach demanding better from a team that had it to give.
Fans want to share in the emotion, good and bad, and they don’t want to hear “There was a lot ot like about our game,” over and over. That works for a moment. Eventually, the cold reality is that professional sports are a results-based business. The Penguins have to win, Muse has to win, and even general manager Kyle Dubas needs progress, and at this point, part of that seems to be winning.
Lest anyone thought Muse was too nice, and there is an interesting and placid side, he showed his teeth at just about the right moment.
Penguins Trade Scenarios
The Penguins need scoring help, and they are about to have three healthy goalies, including a young Sergei Murashov, who will only get better.
As of Saturday, five potential playoff teams had team save percentages below .885. Six if you count the Toronto Maple Leafs at .886.
There are teams that need goalies. The interesting thing is the Penguins have not one, but two expendable goalies. Perhaps Murashov is ready, and the Penguins’ goaltending coaches are ready to turn him loose, or perhaps they want a little while longer to work with him in the AHL.
He sure looks a little raw but also ready. He’s ready to learn a little more from NHL shooters.
One thing that Dubas should consider is making Arturs Silovs available. Understandably, that’s less than ideal, but if the Penguins are to clear space, one of Silovs or Tristan Jarry needs to vacate a spot, and Jarry’s desirability is still dubious, especially after another lower-body injury.
The Penguins paid Vancouver a fourth-rounder for Silovs. Could Silovs now net something close to a second-rounder, which is the going rate for a middle-six rental forward?
Silovs hasn’t done anything to lower his value, but has raised it. Jarry would not fetch such a return. If not now, then sooner or later that decision is coming.
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