As the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Penguins are the class of the NHL, the team other franchises are actively modeling in their attempts to win a Stanley Cup.
So, yeah, it was a bit odd to hear, after the Penguins' 4-3 win against Florida on Saturday, coach Mike Sullivan say his team could learn a thing or two from a Florida team that has only made the playoffs twice in the last 16 seasons.
"They're a team that obviously their game plan is to put the puck on the net, and they do that, from literally everywhere," Sullivan said. "I do think it's a great lesson for us because they create a lot.
"We're a team that has a little bit of a different mindset. I wish our guys would adopt a little bit more of a shooting mindset."
As counterintuitive as it may be, Sullivan's point makes sense. Through six games, the Penguins rank 10th in the NHL with 34.2 shots per game. That number is not bad, necessarily, but it's worth remembering the Penguins led the league in that category last season.
They've been outshot by their opponent in three of the six games this season, most recently Saturday night. Last season, the Penguins were only outshot in 34 of the 81 contests.
As Sullivan often says, though, it's a fine line he has to walk when urging his team to shoot more. Part of the reason the Penguins can be a "pass-first" team sometimes is because of their elite skill players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Phil Kessel.
"We pass up opportunities to put the puck on the net when we're in pretty good areas because we're looking for that next play and sometimes, or a lot of times, that next play never materializes," Sullivan said.
Specifically, Sullivan pointed to rebound opportunities as a reason for wanting to get more shots at the net. Especially when a player like Patric Hornqvist is on the ice, just throwing the puck toward the goal can create an opportunity for him to get to work down low and, quite frequently, that leads to goals.
Jake Guentzel's goal in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday night was another case, where Letang put the puck toward the net and Guentzel tipped it in. And as Crosby showed once again against Florida, his stick skills around the net are among the best in the game.
"It creates a next play opportunity, and then their instincts will take over," Sullivan said.
But Sullivan isn't going to flip tables the next time someone passes up a shot on a 2-on-1, or tries to thread the needle on a high-difficulty pass to set up a teammate. The Penguins and their stars have also shown numerous times that they can score beautiful goals off some intricate passing, as well.
"They're always looking to make that play to try and set up a goal, and that's part of what makes them elite," Sullivan said. "There's always that delicate balance, and as a coaching staff, we don't want to get in the way of their instincts. We certainly don't want to force them to shoot all the time, because that's what separates our guys from others."
So maybe take a lesson from the Florida Panthers, but _ for many, many reasons _ don't try to become the Florida Panthers.
"We don't want to become something that we're not, because that's not who we are, that's not part of the fabric of this group," Sullivan said. "Certainly, I think we can adopt some strategies from other teams that can help us improve in our overall team game."
