Justin Schultz is no stranger to the occasional multi-game losing streak.
Having been a member of some dreadful Edmonton Oilers teams during the previous decade, it could be argued he endured a four-season losing streak with that franchise.
The veteran defenseman appears to have a pragmatic approach to the Penguins’ ongoing six-game stretch without a win, including three consecutive losses to teams in California.
“It (stinks),” Schultz said. “It’s a tough trip, but the sun still came up today. Just glad to be home and getting this thing turned around.”
The Penguins will try to prevent their losing streak from extending to seven games Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena when they host the Ottawa Senators.
While the Senators are the NHL’s third-worst team with a 23-31-12 record and 58 points, the Penguins’ most recent three losses came against the league’s second- fourth- and fifth-worst squads: the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks, respectively.
Even under ideal circumstances, they realize they can’t overlook any opponent. That is why their practice Monday at PPG Paints Arena was a vigorous, energetic, intense and, perhaps most importantly, positive affair.
Players performed drills with emphasis but in a jocular mood. Coaches acted more as classroom instructors than drill instructors.
“Everyone came in with the appropriate mindset, a professional mindset,” defenseman Jack Johnson said. “There’s not doom and gloom because there’s no reason to feel sorry for yourself. You’ve just to get back to work.”
Above all else, no one seemed interested in throwing a pity party
“We’re not going to sit around and mope about it,” forward Jared McCann said. “It’s just going to dig yourself deeper. It’s real easy to be negative in situations like this. It shows the type of person you are, the character you have if you’re positive through everything. We have guys that have been through a lot worse than this. We’re going to stick with it, keep pushing forward. That’s all we can do.”
The Penguins don’t seem to think much needs to change schematically. They just need to execute better.
“There’s nothing missing,” defenseman Kris Letang said. “I can tell you that because everything is in our room. Every good team hits a rough patch every once in a while. Usually, the reflex is try to do more and try to do too much almost. Sometimes, you can actually make it worse. I don’t think it’s a lack of effort or commitment or anything like that. We just have to go back to what gave us success. Maybe just do our own job, and support each other and play that way.”
Added coach Mike Sullivan: “When you go through a stretch where you’re having trouble finding the back of the net, part of the solution is just to simplify and just making sure we put pucks to the net and go to the net. We look for those second and third opportunities. Maybe sometimes, when you put the puck to the net, some of them actually go in. We’re talking a lot with our group right now just about simplifying the game out there in all three zones. But offensively, we certainly want to shoot the puck more than we have.”
The Penguins’ most recent seven-game losing streak happened eons ago, at least by hockey standards. In 2005-06, they lost seven straight in late January and early February.
Earlier that season, they endured losing streaks of 10 and nine games as well.
Captain Sidney Crosby was a rookie then.
“You go through points of the season where it comes a little easier than other points,” Crosby said. “We’re facing some adversity right now. We’ve faced it all year long with different things. It’s a good test and a good challenge for us.
“You look at it a game at a time. We’ve done some pretty good things over the course of these games that we haven’t won but not enough. We’ve got to find a way to get over that hump, get that first one under our belt and build from there.”
Seth Rorabaugh is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Seth by email at srorabaugh@tribweb.com or via Twitter .
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