Penguins' Sullivan praises Red Wings after loss: 'They’re a tough opponent'
Published
The Pittsburgh Penguins emerged from their 6-3 loss Wednesday with a new appreciation for the Detroit Red Wings.
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan was full of praise for the Red Wings, who improved to 3-1-0 on the early season with Wednesday's win.
“I think they’ve got a good team," Sullivan said. "Some of their young players are starting to emerge and they’ve added some veteran guys that are impactful players, like [Alex] DeBrincat. They’re a tough opponent. They’ve got a lot of speed in their lineup.”
Looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016, the Red Wings added DeBrincat, Jeff Petry and Klim Kostin via trades this off-season and brought in free agents J.T. Compher, Shayne Gostisbehere, Justin Holl and James Reimer.
DeBrincat, acquired from the Ottawa Senators, is off to a red-hot start with his new team, owning five goals and eight points in four games after a two-goal performance on Wednesday. The 25-year-old, who had 27 goals and 66 points in 82 games last season, credited his new teammates for his early season success.
“This kind of start makes everything easier, and a lot of that is because of my linemates and teammates,” DeBrincat said. “We have so many scoring options that it is hard for anyone to cover all of them.”
Penguins sit at .500
After adding Erik Karlsson with a blockbuster trade of their own this off-season, the Penguins are off to a 2-2 start to the campaign.
Karlsson enjoyed his best game of the season Wednesday with three points in the loss after posting one in the previous four games, but the Penguins shaky start continued.
Penguins veteran Evgeni Malkin called on his team to play a tougher style after Wednesday's loss.
“We need to block shots more,” Malkin said. "We need to play harder in front of the net because every forward tries to screen the goalie and play for rebounds.”
The Penguins will visit the St. Louis Blues on Saturday before closing out a four-game road trip on Tuesday against the Dallas Stars.