No doubt about it, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have been struggling to score lately.
Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan recognizes that, although he also believes that the high-end scorers still make an impact on playoff contests, even when they’re not generating goals and assists.
That said, those goals and assists sure are nice.
Sullivan says #Pens are better when Crosby and Malkin score. "I don't think that's Earth-shattering news." #Pens
— Wes Crosby (@OtherNHLCrosby) May 14, 2016
So, how do you get Crosby and Malkin back to scoring against the Tampa Bay Lightning after their offense dried up?
Some want the Penguins to put that dynamic duo together ...
Neither Crosby or Malkin have done anything at 5v5 for a few games. Let them help each other
— Ryan Wilson (@GunnerStaal) May 14, 2016
... But either way, Sullivan’s message is simple enough. It seems to go along the lines of “Keep plugging away.”
Sullivan says Crosby and Malkin "have to continue trying to play the game the right way."
— Dave Molinari (@MolinariPGH) May 14, 2016
“When they play the game the right way, they’re very difficult to play against,” Sullivan said. “They help us on both sides of the puck. They’re talented enough players that we think they’ll score for us. That’s really been our message to those guys.”
Sullivan didn’t just have messages for No. 71 and No. 87. He also expects more from the likes of Olli Maatta.
Sullivan says "we would like [Maatta] to have more of a positive impact on the game" than he did Friday.
— Dave Molinari (@MolinariPGH) May 14, 2016
The Penguins get a chance to get back on track in Pittsburgh against the Bolts in Game 2.