Mike Sullivan won't coach Penguins against Flyers due to 'covid-related protocols'

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ troubles with covid-19 have extended into the coach’s office.

Coach Mike Sullivan will not be available for Thursday night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers after being placed into isolation for what was described as protocols related to covid-19. According to assistant coach Todd Reirden, who will fill Sullivan’s duties for the time being, Sullivan is symptomatic. There was not specific mention if Sullivan has tested positive for the virus.

The announcement comes on the heels of news Wednesday that captain Sidney Crosby and defenseman Brian Dumoulin tested positive for the virus. On Sunday, the Penguins said defensemen Marcus Pettersson and Chad Ruhwedel tested positive.

Forwards Zach Aston-Reese, Jeff Carter and Jake Guentzel and defenseman Kris Letang also have been isolated at times since the preseason after testing positive.

“It seems like it’s something that we’ve been dealing with for a while now, at different phases of it,” Reirden said via video conference. “As we work through it here, the focus is going be on us continuing to find some of the hockey that we were playing at the beginning of the year, getting back to some of the things that we were doing well, some of the details and habits that we had in place that have slipped a little bit lately. Hopefully, tonight gives an opportunity for some different guys to be a part of our solution here tonight. Everything will be pointing in the direction of a full team effort here given the fact that we’ll be missing key players and our head coach.”

According to Reirden, the Penguins opted not to hold a morning skate Thursday morning in reaction to their recent spate of players testing positive. The team did not discover Sullivan’s status until fairly late into the afternoon.

“It’s all happened quite quickly,” Reirden said. “The decision that we made (of) not having a morning skate today, pushing some of our schedule back a little bit to allow us to not have quite as much contact with one another until this evening. Then finding a little bit later on that these were the cards we were dealt for tonight and things we have to deal with.”

Reirden has NHL experience as a head coach, having guided the Washington Capitals for two seasons from 2018-20, compiling an 89-46-16 record during that span.

Note: Kris Letang is scheduled to return to the lineup after missing the previous four games while in isolation.