Penguins coach Mike Sullivan recalls some players after the loss to the Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. – The Pittsburgh Penguins haven't won a game in Raleigh since 2018, which incidentally was the last time they won a playoff series.

These respective streaks could remain intact for a while.

The Penguins were soundly dominated by their Metropolitan Division rivals for the second time this season, this time suffering a 5-1 loss at Lenovo Center on Thursday.

This drops the Penguins' record to 5-8-2, and although the season is still young, the development is obviously worrying for Mike Sullivan's team.

Sullivan was angry after the contest about the work ethic of some of his players.

“I thought we had a lot of guys that played really hard and weren't rewarded for their efforts,” Sullivan said. “I think there were a few people who didn't live up to expectations. It is difficult. We need everyone to give their best every night to have a chance to win.”

Sullivan was asked to confirm that he felt some of his players did not play hard.

“I thought a lot of the group played extremely hard tonight,” he replied.

Sullivan didn't mention anyone by name, but that wasn't necessary.

Erik Karlsson was almost solely responsible for the first two goals conceded and endured a nightmarish first third, even taking into account his subpar standards this season.

Sullivan was referring to this goal.

“I mean, the first goal, we talk about playing behind them, making hard plays and we make a soft play,” Sullivan said. “We’re not playing against him. It ends up in our network.”

Karlsson was the player on the wrong side of the puck when Jordan Martinook scored just 52 seconds into the first period.

This captain's pass is just silly pic.twitter.com/ro9hvkWHxf

– Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) November 8, 2024

Things didn't get any better for Karlsson, as his decision-making ability and effort level became even more questionable on Carolina's second goal.

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Jack can't stop
I score points with you pic.twitter.com/C8yPl2yXgS

– Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) November 8, 2024

Karlsson was asked to rate his performance after the game.

“Not bad,” he said. “It’s a shame sometimes. Sometimes it's hard when you're on the first shift, you score on the first play and it starts snowing the other way. It's just one of those days where you have to keep your head down and try to always be in the right position. And even if you're just a little wrong, sometimes things don't turn out the way you want them to. And this is just one of those evenings. I've had a lot of them, and I'm sure I've had a few more. I just have to find a way to control them.”

Karlsson committed a few more fumbles later in the first period, giving Carolina a few more opportunities, while the Hurricanes only recorded four shots on goal.

While Karlsson was not on the bench at any point during the five-on-five game, he was replaced by Michael Bunting on the top power play for the remainder of the game.

Jack Roslovic and Jaccob Slavin scored goals in the second period to put the game out of reach.

“We did some good things, but we paid for every mistake we made tonight,” Lars Eller said. “We played hard, but I think the 4-0 result took a lot out of us.”

Ten observations after the game

• I covered Sullivan throughout his nine years in Pittsburgh and saw him angry after games. It happens. And it was inevitable.

However, I have never heard him question the performance of individual players in the way he did after that game.

Sullivan didn't use any names and I won't put words in his mouth. But any reasonable logic makes it clear that the head coach's frustration with Karlsson is growing. How can it not be?

• I don't know what else can be said about Karlsson.

In fact, he's been feeling better the last few weeks since the Penguins returned from western Canada. But then this game happened.

His first period was extraordinarily bad. Being benched in favor of the struggling Bunting on the power play is really something

Karlsson needs to start playing better. Hitting him outwards has become far, far too easy for the left. His mental blunders are equally troubling and frequent.

• The Penguins had absolute play in the first half, but were down 2-0 after the first 20 minutes. Of course, this was a pretty demoralizing thing considering they were playing in a building where they have historically struggled and against one of the best teams in the NHL. When you're that convincing in the first half, you just can't be down 2-0, especially against a team as good as the Hurricanes.

• The Penguins have been a very poor finishing team in recent years. We'll see it again this season. You need to generate a significant number of scoring opportunities.

This isn't a common theme in Penguins history, but that's how things are right now.

• It was similar with Alex Nedeljkovic.

Should he have been better? Secure.

Were the goals particularly bad or “his fault”? No.

Same old story.

“The difference in the game was that their man (Pyotr Kochetkov, who stopped 36 of 37 shots) was better than me,” Nedeljkovic said.

He was better than Nedeljkovic. But that wasn't the difference in the game.

• The Penguins have scored two five-on-five goals in their last seven games without Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin on the ice. One of them on Thursday was Blake Lizotte.

Yes, the Penguins' top line was very good. In fact, it was effective against the Hurricanes. But I can't emphasize enough that Crosby and Malkin may not be able to stay together for much longer because the rest of the front unit is so weak with the two not spread out on different lines.

• Bryan Rust is traveling and running but had not been cleared to play as of Thursday. He was joined in the press box by Kevin Hayes, who was injured late Tuesday against the Islanders.

Rust appears to be close to returning to the lineup, although I don't know if he will play in Washington on Friday.

• The Hurricanes are impressive. Are they a Stanley Cup contender? They look really good at the moment. They don't blow you away with star power, but they do everything at a high level and have completely outclassed the Penguins twice this season.

• The Penguins will face the Capitals in our nation's capital in less than 24 hours. Washington has been quite the story this season and the Capitals will be more rested than the Penguins, who expect to play with rookie goaltender Joel Blomqvist between the goals.

While the Penguins usually play in Washington, this game is a very difficult test.

• So technically this was a pre-game observation. But let's end on a nice note.

I had a long chat with Jordan Staal before the game and wanted to share some things he told me. Watching Marc-Andre Fleury's final game in Pittsburgh clearly affected Staal emotionally.

“We all kind of came together,” Staal said. “And we all feel a little older these days. But I remember that time quite often. Especially when I saw Flower there.”

Drafted in 2006, Staal became an instant sensation in his rookie season and was an indestructible two-way force during the Penguins' 2009 Stanley Cup run. After six seasons with the Penguins, Staal rejected a 10-year contract offer from Ray Shero, preferring instead to play with his brother Eric in Raleigh.

It has been more than 12 years since this trade.

“I had a lot of trouble with that decision,” Staal said. “On the one hand, I knew that if I stayed in Pittsburgh I would be part of a really good team for a very long time. And watching them win (2016 and 2017) hurts. But I also had the opportunity to play with my brother, attend his kids' birthdays and stuff like that. And just playing with him in the NHL. It was a very, very difficult decision. But no regrets. This is my home now. However, I will always have fond memories of Pittsburgh.”

Staal smiles as he talks about Crosby, Malkin and Kris Letang still being in Pittsburgh. We call them the Big 3.

Once upon a time there were the Big 4.

“That was the group that got the ball rolling in Pittsburgh for a long time,” Staal said. “The memories are a bit clouded now, but it was an era. There was so much hype and excitement in Pittsburgh back then because we were so good and so young. I think about it all the time. It was a great time in my life and it was special to be a small part of this team.”

(Photo: James Guillory / Imagn Images)