TAMPA, Fla. – Even in the middle of the long playoff grind there is room for a little levity.
So while some of the Pittsburgh Penguins went through an optional morning skate before Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final on Friday, a few others were busy redecorating Phil Kessel’s locker stall.
There was a large bottle of Listerine placed on the top rack and pieces of gum strewn around his skates and gloves.
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No one initially owned up to the prank – a playful jab after Kessel was asked “how’s your breath?” in an interview with NBC’s Pierre McGuire following Wednesday’s game – but to coach Mike Sullivan it was a positive sign about his team’s mindset.
“I think that’s an important aspect of where we’re at right now,” said Sullivan. “I think these guys enjoy one another, they like being around one another, and that’s part of being part of a close-knit team. These guys, they don’t miss much.”
Kessel has been one of Pittsburgh’s top performers in these playoffs with seven goals and 16 points in 14 games. His line with Carl Hagelin and Nick Bonino has been dubbed the “HBK Line” and recently got a sandwich named after it at Primanti Brothers.
The interview Kessel did with McGuire after registering a goal and an assist in Game 3 quickly went viral, and his Penguins teammates were among those watching.
“First of all it was funny,” said captain Sidney Crosby. “It was awesome. I think anyone being asked that question I think we’ve all probably thought to ourselves how do we answer that, right? It’s kind of a tough one to answer and he handled it great. It was pretty funny.
“Probably perfect that it was Phil because he’d be the one to handle it as good as that so we had a good laugh over it.”
That spilled over to a game day where the Penguins have a chance to move within one win of the Stanley Cup final. They own a 2-1 series lead over Tampa Bay entering Friday’s game.
No one appeared to be very tense in the visiting dressing room at Amalie Arena.
“When they have opportunities to have some fun with one another I think that’s a good thing,” said Sullivan. “I think it brings our team even closer together and that’s an example of it. For me, that’s just another indication that our guys are really embracing this moment and embracing this challenge.”
