Structurally, Mike Sullivan's game plan worked against Jersey

Watching the first period of last night's 3-2 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils was like watching paint dry outside of the final 30 seconds. It was a dump and chase hockey game without many chances on either side.

Sure, it was a boring brand of hockey, but after analyzing the game from a bird's eye view, Mike Sullivan's game plan was effective against the Devils, and we might be seeing a lot more of it in the coming weeks.

Despite being down 1-0 at the first intermission, the Penguins were not allowing dangerous chances, and the goal was a greasy, mad scramble in front of the net. They were getting pucks deep and forcing Jersey to come the full length of the ice.

Back on December 21 when the Penguins last played the Devils, the first period looked about the same as last night. That tells me that against high-octane scoring teams with lots of fast skating talent will continue to be met with a game-shortening plan in the future.

Fast-forward to the third period where the Penguins tied the game and sent it to overtime, I'm not sure I've seen this Penguins team skating with such speed in years. Energy conservation allowed that to happen.

Everyone had an extra step. Guys like Anthony Beauvillier, Cody Glass, and even older guys like Sidney Crosby and Kevin Hayes were burning up the ice in the final 20 minutes.

The best way I can describe it was desperation. The Penguins were playing like their lives depended on it. With the two days off between last night and Friday's game against the New York Rangers, expect a similar game philosophy coming from Sully.

Reckless abandon from the opening puck drop might not be the best option moving forward, and although the outcome on Tuesday didn't result in a win, props to Mike Sullivan for creating an effective game plan.