HC Mike Sullivan: Penguins need 'swagger,' 'urgency' amid struggles

Ahead of Tuesday's home game against the Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins superstar captain Sidney Crosby said his team needed "to find some desperation and some urgency." Pittsburgh ultimately fell to Buffalo 2-1 to drop to 5-6-4 on a season that could quickly get out of hand if the Pens don't right the ship before the beginning of the winter months. 

Per Michelle Crechiolo of the NHL's website, Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan spoke with reporters about what he said to his players following Wednesday's practice coming off the team's third consecutive defeat. 

"We got to bring swagger, and we got to bring urgency," Sullivan said. "And when we bring those two things, we're a pretty competitive team, and we can compete against anyone. I think that's where our focus needs to be." 

A total of eight players and also Sullivan have missed time since the campaign's start because of the league's COVID-19 protocol, and the coach's recent positive coronavirus test will prevent him from attending Thursday's matchup at the 4-12-2 Montreal Canadiens due to Canada's 14-day quarantine requirement for infected individuals. As was the case during Sullivan's absence, assistant Todd Reirden will serve as temporary interim coach. 

"They understand the circumstance," Sullivan added about the Penguins, who sat seventh in the eight-team Metropolitan Division as of Wednesday afternoon. "We just got to make sure that that we keep our heads up, we get ready for the next one, and we got to get the result."