Phil Kessel blew his lid several times during Pittsburgh's 1-0 win over the Senators in Game 2. Every time he was caught on camera going bananas on his coaches and teammates, the stupid, unfounded 'Kessel doesn't care' narrative died a little bit more.The real story is quite the opposite. Kessel is developing into the emotional leader of the Pens, if he hasn't taken hold of that role already.Kessel appeared to be blowing up nearly every time he returned to the bench as the Penguins dominated the Senators but were unable to buy a goal through the first two-and-a-half periods of Game 2 on Monday night. Though he appeared to lose his shit on a few of his teammates, it was he and usual linemate Evgeni Malkin who were verbally jousting most.
After witnessing the two stars go at it all night, the ending to the drama certainly couldn't have been any more movie-like for the Pens, as Malkin found Kessel for the game's only goal with under seven minutes left in the third period. There was little yelling between the two superstars after that, and Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan had nothing but praise for Kessel after the game, making it clear his emotional tirades on the bench have little negative effect on his teammates.Sullivan loved it, actually, and his teammates don't seem to mind when Phil is being Phil, either.
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After witnessing the two stars go at it all night, the ending to the drama certainly couldn't have been any more movie-like for the Pens, as Malkin found Kessel for the game's only goal with under seven minutes left in the third period. There was little yelling between the two superstars after that, and Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan had nothing but praise for Kessel after the game, making it clear his emotional tirades on the bench have little negative effect on his teammates.Sullivan loved it, actually, and his teammates don't seem to mind when Phil is being Phil, either.
"Phil's an emotional guy. When he comes back to the bench and he wants a pass and he doesn't get it, he lets the guy know. I have no problem with that and I don't think our team has any problem with that. It tells me he's invested and I love that about the guy. He's always like that. I think our players get a kick out of it, quite honestly," Sullivan said after the game."It's emotional. They're heated for all the right reasons—because they're invested. We call it a man's argument."Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury thinks highly of Kessel's intensity and presence on the bench, as well."When Phil is emotional in the game, he's into it, and he's a threat out there. Again, tonight he came up big for us," Fleury said.Chris Kunitz, who was caught on the bench laughing during one of Kessel's impassioned rants, said that "lots of things amuse me out there," when questioned about his teammate's blowups.Whatever Malkin and Kessel are doing to motivate and annoy the shit out of each other is obviously working. Malkin is the NHL's top playoff scorer over the past two postseasons with 38 points, including 12 goals in 37 games, while Kessel is the league's second-leading scorer in the same span, recording 16 goals and 36 points in 38 contests.Apparently, an angry Kessel is the best Kessel.