Tim Benz: If anyone is happy about ‘hitting the reset button’ for Penguins, it should be Kris Letang
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Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan was clear in his directive for his struggling players upon their return from the All-Star break.
The Penguins limped into their week off by dropping two games in a row and four of six. So Sullivan told his squad to “hit the reset button” before they got on the ice Tuesday night against the Colorado Avalanche.
“Hitting the reset button from a mindset standpoint. Get excited about the opportunities that we have in front of us. The challenges we have in front of us,” Sullivan said. “Our most meaningful hockey is in front of us, and we have to get excited about it. It’s also going to be our hardest hockey.”
If any Penguins player took that order with pleasure more than the rest of his teammates, one could assume it would’ve been Kris Letang.
Based on how his season has gone, he probably wanted to smash that reset button with a whack-a-mole mallet. After a second stroke, an injury and the death of his father all in the span of a few weeks, Letang, I’m sure, would’ve loved to have any metaphorical or literal help imaginable to erase the last two months of his season.
So it’s fitting that the veteran defenseman scored the overtime game-winner in a 2-1 comeback victory against the Avs at PPG Paints Arena.
A WILD FINISH IN PITTSBURGH! ????
It's Kris Letang with the @Energizer OT winner for the @Penguins! ???? pic.twitter.com/BwLQpXR15D
— NHL (@NHL) February 8, 2023
“They came hard at us. They are the Stanley Cup champions for a reason,” Letang said. “At times, we carried the play. At times, they did. But we didn’t go off-page. We stayed within our system. We stopped them in the middle, and we defended with five guys.”
According to NHL public relations, that was Letang’s 10th overtime game-winner. He now only trails Brent Burns (16) and Scott Niedermayer (13) for the most among all defensemen in NHL history. Sidney Crosby (19), Evgeni Malkin (13) and Mario Lemieux (11) are the only players in Penguins history to have more.
“It’s great for him. It’s great for our team. Tanger has had a tough first half in so many different ways. When he scores big goals like that, I know it makes him feel good. It makes our whole team feel good. We are certainly thrilled for him,” Sullivan said.
Letang actually may have gotten a jumpstart on turning his season around before the All-Star break. He had two goals, four points and the overtime game-winner in that wild 7-6 affair against the Florida Panthers on Jan. 24.
IT IS KRIS LETANG'S NIGHT AND WE'RE LOVING EVERY SECOND ???? pic.twitter.com/Krr8kWi1Jz
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 25, 2023
That had been Letang’s first game back since the announcement about his stroke on Nov. 30. But, like the rest of the team, Letang had his struggles the next two games against Washington and San Jose. Both were losses before the Pens scattered in advance of the All-Star game. Letang was held pointless and served four penalty minutes in the 3-2 loss to the Capitals. Then he managed just one shot and no points in 25 minutes during the 6-4 home loss to the Sharks on Jan. 28.
“Sometimes you won’t have your A-game, whether it’s execution or stuff like that. But you have to rely on your system. Be focused on accomplishing those little details. That will always give your team a chance to win,” Letang said after the game.
Other players on the Penguins have plenty of reasons to follow Letang’s suit and steer themselves toward a turnaround in the second half. Some of them also started to do so Tuesday night.
Casey DeSmith leaps to mind. His first-half struggles during extended playing time with Tristan Jarry sidelined had been pronounced. But DeSmith was excellent against the Avalanche, stopping 41 of 42 shots.
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Bryant Rust had just two goals in his previous 16 games heading into the All-Star festivities. But he scored the game-tying goal in the third period Tuesday.
Josh Archibald and Kasperi Kapanen both got back to action after an extended time away from the ice. Archibald, in particular, drew praise from Sullivan. Jake Guentzel’s scoreless streak extended to five games, but he fired a season-high 10 shots on goal, more than his previous four games combined.
“I know our team is capable of being better. But our guys found a way. We grabbed hold of it in the third period. That’s something to build on. It’s a character win. We have to get better in certain areas, and we’ll do that,” Sullivan said.
But based on everything he’s been through since Thanksgiving, no one needed to follow those words more than Letang. And for at least the first night out of the All-Star break, the entire team benefited because he did.