Penguins' Mike Sullivan, Islanders' Barry Trotz set for cat-and-mouse game
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – While the increased intensity among players is plain to see for anyone watching even one shift of playoff hockey, this is also the most intense time of the year for coaches.
One coach comes out with a wrinkle in his forecheck or breakout for Game 1. His opposing number counters for Game 2. The cat-and-mouse game continues until a handshake line forms.
When the puck drops between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders on Wednesday night, Mike Sullivan and Barry Trotz will be matching wits for the fourth consecutive season. Sullivan won the first two meetings, and Trotz won the third.
Sullivan said he expects to see some concepts from the Islanders on Wednesday night that are similar to the ones the Washington Capitals employed under Trotz the previous three seasons.
“I think all of us, as coaches, have certain convictions of how we envision our teams to play and certain strategies on what we think allows us to have success,” Sullivan said. “I’m sure he can probably say the same for me. I know he has strong convictions as well on how he likes his teams to play. I have so much respect for Barry. He’s a real good coach and has been for a long time in this league. He’s done a good job with this Islanders team. We’ve got a big challenge ahead of us.”
The Penguins and Islanders haven’t squared off since early in the season, completing their four-game series by Dec. 10. Still, Sullivan said he doesn’t expect any big surprises from Trotz or vice versa.
“There’s really not a lot of secrets in today’s game with the technology the way it is and how diligent respective coaching staffs are in making sure they do their homework on their opponents,” Sullivan said. “It’s certainly a part of it. That’s part of our responsibility as coaches, to make sure we provide the necessary adjustments for all the different aspects of our overall team game to try to give our guys an opportunity to have success out there, but I do think, at the end of the day, it just boils down to effort and execution.”
Jonathan Bombulie is the TribLive assistant sports editor. A Greensburg native, he was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17. He can be reached at jbombulie@triblive.com.
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