Early Trends in October, Pens Unhappy

Last season, Mike Sullivan didn’t take long in his assessment of what ailed the Penguins under former Head Coach Mike Johnston. The way in which the former coaching staff had their forwards and defensemen positioning themselves in the defensive zone provided little in the way of imagination for the skill to take over against the opposition.

We can all reminisce to the struggles of Sidney Crosby and the discussion wondering why he and Evgeni Malkin were being asked to skate so low in the defensive zone, shift after shift. A few games into his reign, Sullivan made sure those guys knew their accountability defensively had to take shape but also the dynamic talent of the skating and puck skills…