Penguins staying even-keeled ahead of must-win Game 4

The Pittsburgh Penguins know exactly the spot they’re in ahead of Friday afternoon’s Game 4 match-up against the Montreal Canadiens.

"The mood is great," said forward Patric Hornqvist. "We know what kind of situation we're in. A lot of our guys have been there before. No one said it was going to be easy to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. We just have to get the details together."

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The team isn't harping on giving up a 3-1 lead in Wednesday night's 4-3 loss.

Hornqvist emphasized how the team has been playing well for stretches of the series but added there’s still plenty of room for growth.

“When we play our best hockey, I think we’ve been really good in this series,” he said. “That’s when we play fast, relentless and create scoring chances. We have to give a lot of credit to Montreal too. It’s a tight match-up. We just have to do the things we do well, and get it together for a full 60 minutes. Then I like our chances.”

READ THE RECAP OF GAME 3 HERE

With Montreal just one win away from sending the Penguins home, the team knows they need to create a sense of urgency as they look to stay alive.

“It’s not where it needs to be,” said Head Coach Mike Sullivan. “Right now we have to find the urgency in our game if we’re going to be at our best.”

Sullivan wouldn’t go into specifics about if the team plans on making any personnel changes for Game 4, such as replacing goalie Matt Murray with Tristan Jarry -- who was an All-Star selection prior to the shutdown.

A notable change in Game 3 was forward Jared McCann being swapped out for rookie Sam Lafferty.

“Anytime a coach or a group makes changes, there’s always an element of risk associated,” said Sullivan. “One could argue there’s an element of risk associated with not making changes as well. We’re going to try to make the best decisions that we think give our team the best chance to win.”

The Penguins look to stay alive and force another game Friday at 4 p.m.

If the Penguins lose this series, they will have a one in eight chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NHL Draft. That pick is unanimously expected to be forward Alexis Lafrenière.

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