The Pittsburgh Penguins faced a tall order in Mike Sullivan’s coaching debut: facing maybe the hottest team in the East, if not the NHL. And it showed.
Despite setting a season-high with 45 shots on goal, the Penguins could only beat Braden Holtby one time as the Washington Capitals nabbed a 4-1 win.
With that, the two teams continue to travel in opposite directions, as this win leaves Washington atop both the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference. They’re now 9-1-1 in their past 11 games.
Holtby was the most obvious problem for the Penguins, yet T.J. Oshie proved to be a nuisance as well. He delivered the check that injured Beau Bennett and then iced the game with two third-period goals.
Backstrom said this is the best he's ever seen Holtby play.
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) December 15, 2015
Many will bury the Penguins for losing again, and to be fair, there were some sloppy moments.
Gettin' uglier by the minute in Pittsburgh.
— Damien Cox (@DamoSpin) December 15, 2015
Still, there were signs of spirit from the team, so maybe it’s fairer to label the situation as a work in progress?
If nothing else, they’ve already begun tweaking their roster by trading Rob Scuderi for Trevor Daley (more about that here).