CRANBERRY, Pa. -- The Penguins' penalty-killing numbers after Teddy Blueger was injured five-plus weeks ago are pretty easy to understand.
So, Mike Sullivan said Wednesday, are the reasons behind them.
He pointed out that when the Penguins' penalty-killing efficiency suffered, they were guilty of things like losing an inordinate number of faceoffs and not sufficiently disrupting opponents' zone entries.
Those translates to more time in the attacking zone for the other team's power play, which generally leads to more scoring chances and, eventually, more goals-against.
"When you think about it, if you win faceoffs, when you get 200-foot clears and you make the entry tough, you limit zone time," Sullivan said after practice at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.