for a long time Pittsburgh Penguins Head coach Mike Sullivan says he’s not frustrated with his team’s current state after another slow start to the season that hit a low point Monday night with a 7-1 drubbing by the Dallas Stars in homemade ice.

“I’m not going to sit here and say I’m frustrated because I’m not.” Sullivan told NHL.com after the game. “I am determined to move this team forward and get us moving in the right direction more consistently. “I know we are a much better hockey team than what we showed today.”

The Penguins were outshot 40-21 in the loss to the Stars and allowed six goals in the first period.

Joel Blomqvist opened the net and allowed three goals on eight shots before being relieved by Alex Nedeljkovic who conceded four goals on 32 shots the rest of the game, including the first two shots he faced.

“Well, obviously, the first two goals, I’m sure if you had asked Joel, he would have liked to have them back,” Sullivan said. “So, you know, that’s what it is.”

Goaltending has been an issue all season for the Penguins, as they have allowed 66 goals against and have a -21 goal differential, both tied for worst in the league with cellar housing. Montreal Canadians.

“It’s hard, it’s difficult” Nedeljkovic told NHL.com. “Obviously, it can get away from you quickly. Things snowballed from there. It’s unfortunate. Tonight we had one of those nights. But tomorrow is a new day. Wake up, move on. I’m sure we’ll watch the video. “It won’t be fun for anyone.”

Two-time All-Star Tristan Jarry He began the 2024-25 season as the team’s No. 1 goalie, but was sent to the American Hockey League on a conditioning assignment last month after posting a 5.47 goals against average and .836 save percentage in his first three stars.

Jarry was called up to the NHL on Saturday.

Sullivan, 55, was hired by the Penguins in 2015 and won the Stanley Cup in each of his first two seasons, making the playoffs in his first of seven seasons in Pittsburgh. However, the Pens finished fifth in the Metropolitan Division the last two seasons, missed the postseason entirely and appear to be following a similar path in 2024-25 unless they can turn things around.

“The message is: ‘We have to go deeper. Control what we can, and we have to go deeper,’” Sullivan said. “We have to give ourselves the opportunity to win. I think the most important thing is to understand what that looks like. We have evidence, throughout this season, that we have shown that we are a competitive team.

“We need to repeat that over and over again. …We need a more consistent commitment to playing a certain way. “I think it comes down to a lot of detail and diligence and, honestly, some discipline to stay the course.”

The Penguins are 6-9-2 on the season and are in second-to-last place in their division. They house the Detroit Red Wings On Wednesday.