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Pittsburgh Penguins practice Oct. 12, 2025. Photo by Shelly Anderson\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPittsburgh Penguins practice Oct. 12, 2025. Photo by Shelly Anderson\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
CRANBERRY, Pa. \u2014 According to one player, Dan Muse didn\u2019t address the Pittsburgh Penguins following a lopsided loss Saturday night. That\u2019s not unusual in the NHL.<\/p>\n
So the players had to wait until Sunday to learn a little more about the new coach\u2019s process \u2013 how he and his staff handle things in the wake of a loss. The Penguins had not lost since early in the preseason and had won their first two regular-season games before the 6-1 setback against the New York Rangers on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The players relayed after practice Sunday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex that Muse didn\u2019t rant or show anger. He didn\u2019t pretend the game the previous night didn\u2019t matter, either.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said as soon as practice starts, it\u2019s a new day and we get better,\u201d first-year Penguins forward Anthony Mantha said of Muse\u2019s message.<\/p>\n
The process is still very much being set for a team with new coaches and a lot of new players.<\/p>\n
So they got their first real taste of what message they might get after a loss.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more the way you go about it,\u201d first-year Penguins forward Justin Brazeau, who somewhat surprisingly leads the team with three goals, said. \u201cThey thought we had a good start and just kind of let it get away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Muse said his philosophy is to react to each game independently, and yet still stay true to the process he\u2019s trying to instill.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think every game\u2019s going to be a little different,\u201d Muse said. \u201cI\u2019m not just saying on losses; I\u2019m also saying on wins. I think you\u2019ve got to approach it a little bit different based on what happened during the game. But I don\u2019t think you want to stray too far (from the overall message), either.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s an approach that can be common among coaches, especially those who, like Muse, have a reputation for teaching and helping to work with young players.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also an approach that the Penguins apparently are embracing.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, you never want to lose, but I think it\u2019s kind of the way you lose,\u201d Brazeau said. \u201cI thought we got off to a good start (Saturday). When a couple things didn\u2019t our way, we let it get away from us.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something we can learn from and build off of. We need to stick with what we\u2019re doing, stick to the process.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Penguins will get a prime chance to do that this week as they embark on their first multiple-game road trip, this one to the three California teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou learn. You watch clips. You move on,\u201d Mantha said. \u201cIt\u2019s 82 games. We\u2019re playing every other day this week. You can\u2019t think about a bad game (for) long. Think about the learning process, move on and think about the next game. (Sunday) was about trying to get better in practice. (Monday) is another practice, and then it\u2019s go time again.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor young guys maybe it\u2019s not quite the same. In juniors, you might be in your head for a couple days, but in the NHL you move on quick.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of those players not far removed from junior hockey, defenseman Harrison Brunicke, acknowledged that dealing with losses in a healthy way is something that has to be learned, but he\u2019s taking cues from Muse.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve kind of gotten past that a little bit,\u201d he said. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to lose. I hate losing. But we\u2019re talking about it, going over video, learning the mistakes you\u2019re making, how to clean that up.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Muse) talked about it (Sunday) morning \u2014 you lose a game, it\u2019s still the same mindset as if you win a game. You want to have a good practice, learn to correct things.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was more of a teaching thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a part of what, for Muse, is not only a process but also an overarching philosophy as he makes his way through his first season as an NHL head coach.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to have more of a day-to-day approach,\u201d Muse said. \u201cIf we\u2019re coming off a game we really like, our job the next day is to come to the rink and to get better. If we\u2019re coming off a game that we didn\u2019t like, our job the next day is to come to the rink and get better.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really believe that. In this league, there\u2019s such ebbs and flows, highs and lows, you\u2019ve got to try make sure that you\u2019re getting back to what\u2019s the job at hand this day? And that is to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTags: Dan Muse<\/a> Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> Shelly Anderson<\/a> <\/p>\n