Opinion
Penguins in Denial after More Bad Losses; Where’s the Outrage?
NEW YORK — After an ugly loss to the Montreal Canadiens and a pair to the New York Rangers, including the 6-0 embarrassment Saturday, Madison Square Garden feels like the burial site for the 2022-23 Pittsburgh Penguins.
Given the relative age of the roster, perhaps we shouldn’t make such references.
After months of the right words, the wheels again came off the cart Saturday. After 69 games, the same mistakes made by the same players and the same shortcomings are no longer correctable but a characteristic of the team.
The Penguins have lost three in a row, while the Florida Panthers have won five of six and comfortably rest just one point behind the Penguins for a playoff spot. The New York Islanders beat the San Jose Sharks Saturday to move ahead for the first wild card.
Everything seems to be crashing down around the Penguins, who don’t seem to want to admit it is by their own hand. The reason they’re in trouble in the playoff race is because of their own continued mistakes.
If the mistakes and shortcomings were fixable, a pair of games against the New York Rangers with a chance to get in the race for third place would have been the place for their best.
Instead, they showed their worst.
“Lack of urgency” characterized the Thursday loss.
Getting blown out characterized the Saturday loss.
“I don’t think you’ll look at tonight as an example of how we played lately. We’ve played pretty good hockey lately. Tonight obviously was tough, you know, we weren’t good, and it showed up on the scoreboard,” said Sidney Crosby. “We’ve just got to move by it. But for the most part, we’ve done some pretty good things, but we’ve got to find a way to limit our mistakes.”
For the record, the Penguins have lost three in a row. The 7-2-1 stretch to which Crosby referred has been buffered by mediocrity and losses.
Where is the team’s outrage or anger after three more losses?
They again flatlined against a Metro Division opponent, were again embarrassed, and the season is slipping away. The Penguins have just two wins against the four teams ahead of them in the Metro Division, and both were against the Rangers. The Penguins have zero wins against the Carolina Hurricanes (0-2-2), New Jersey Devils (0-2-1), and New York Islanders (0-3-1).
One might see their record against the top teams in the Metro Division and assume the top teams are better.
GM Ron Hextall did not.
Featured NHL trade deadline acquisition Mikael Granlund has been an upgrade on the Penguins’ previously awful third line but not terribly effective or impactful. Granlund has two points in eight games and only 16 attempted shots.
Who is going to stand up and say they’re mad as hell and not going to take it anymore? Who will make a difference on the ice? Or does the locker room think they have no choice but to accept their coming disappointment?
Are we seeing acceptance?
“Tonight was a humbling experience for all of us. These guys that put the uniform on, they’re proud guys, and they care a lot about what’s going on here,” Sullivan said. “Nobody feels it more than the players themselves and the coaching staff. But I also believe in this group, and we believe we have what it takes.”
The belief is supported only by history, certainly not by any evidence accrued this season.
It is no longer out of bounds to question this team’s heart. They wilted in two games against the Rangers. Opportunities like that have come and gone for the last month, only to be treated with near disdain by this team and tossed like rotten fish. There have been as many jaw-dropping losses as wins.
It is one thing to fight for a win but lose. It’s another to lose in soft or sad ways continually.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are 34-25-10, which means they have lost 35 games this season. By NHL math, they’re above .500, but the lack of regulation wins (25) also puts them at a disadvantage in any playoff tiebreaker.
Saturday, they had a promising start with energy and intensity. The Penguins outchanced the New York Rangers 15-5 in the first period, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
And yet they trailed 2-0 because Jeff Carter lost his coverage on Mika Zbinejad, who scored. Evgeni Malkin took a bad penalty in the final minute of the first period. And Brian Dumoulin failed to clear an easy puck leading to an open snipe by Artemi Panarin in the final 11 seconds of the period.
It’s a bad script that has been recycled more often than the same eight pages of dialogue in the Fast and Furious franchise. Except the Penguins are no longer fast or furious.
Contrary to coach Mike Sullivan’s vigorous defense of Carter and Dumoulin, the pair have worn the goals-against over the last couple of weeks. They’re not just on the ice but prime suspects.
Goalie Tristan Jarry has been pulled three times in his last six games, in large part because the team has hung him out to dry, but in smaller part, because he’s not making any of the saves, either.
Saturday, the Penguins buckled. They pressed. They had no answers. New York counter-attacked and soon led 6-0.
“Everything went wrong. This wasn’t our night,” said Jason Zucker before making a vow. “We believe in ourselves. This was not our night. We’ll be better on Monday.”
Two weeks ago, the Penguins rallied from 4-0 to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-4 in OT. In the merriment over the comeback, too few asked — How in the world did they fall behind 4-0 to the lowly Blue Jackets.
That night, Zucker said the team doesn’t “really have a guy who will break sticks.”
Well, somebody has to do something.
Break sticks.
Tables.
TVs.
Something.
Anything.
The maddening, inconsistent team is swooning at the worst time, and no one seems to be able to do anything about it. Crosby is putting up the points and has achieved his 18th season with a point-per-game average or better. Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are having solid seasons, too.
No one else is having a career year, and few others beyond Zucker are raising their game to support the core.
Eventually, a team’s record does define them. Performances and responses define them. Yet rather than own it and address it, denial seems to be more prevalent.
Saturday night, the players cleared out of the locker room with alarming speed. By the time Crosby’s two-minute media availability ended, all but one other player was gone.
It’s all going wrong. Yet if there is any outrage, the Penguins are hiding it. If there is anger, it is not visible. If there is any hope, it is fading.
These Pittsburgh Penguins are in trouble.
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Its a sad situation. Do we really want them in the playoffs to only get whipped in the first round again. The way they’re playing I can’t see them making it.
They’re just a 500 team, will be one and done if they make the playoffs
With all do respect, I think the players leaving at an alarming rate is being blown out of proportion, would you want to talk to anyone after losing 6-0?
Perhaps if it wasn’t a regular occurrence. Professionalism and all that.
Well, everyone here I assume saw the game, so I don’t think you need any elaboration from the other players on what happened last night.
I get what you’re saying, but there is no law that they have to speak, just like Dan Kingerski said in his video Q and A, there is no law that owners have to speak. Unless you’re Jerry Jones, no owners speak to the media. Mario rarely spoke at all maybe once a year.
No, of course there’s not. And I don’t want to hear from the owners anyway, shrug. I don’t need to hear from GMRH either (he already made the moves that he’s made and now… “the roster is the roster”). But if it’s late in the season and you’re up against a team that you might see in the playoffs and they absolutely take it to you… and no one’s around? Are there rules that if the leaders leave early everyone else can too? Shrug, I don’t get it. But in this day and age where we get reports about who… Read more »
As much as we all love Sid, there’s no excusing his failure to exhibit real leadership along with his fellow “core”. These silly, sad excuses after embarrassing losses is getting old. Completely agree with Dan’s sentiments. Hard to feel sorry for the core that many posters express when they barely seem to register a pulse in the leadership of the team. Sometimes you need more than leading by example.
In the end, the team is in this debacle because they have squandered points all year, especially in games they haven’t shown up in the first period. No excuse for that.
We as fans have been living in denial for the past two years. These players were great once and we were privileged to witness it. But time catches up with everybody. I believed we should have started the rebuild before Malkin and Letang’s contracts were up.So now we will go through a hard rebuild for years.
Living in denial? With the numbers they put up? I don’t think so. People are looking at the elite production from this core at their age and saying that it’s a shame to not have the supporting cast and coaching/management to give them a better chance to compete. That’s why everyone is mad at Hextall. They are also signed at really reasonable cap hits. That’s not denial. That’s being incredibly fortunate. But Hextall and Co. are WASTING that good fortune, for what? Picks!? The ‘future’? I hate to tell everyone, but there is not going to be another Crosby for… Read more »
Hextall must go. FSG must take the rains as majpority owners and bring in a GM that can EVALUATE talent and make the changes that need done. Rough times are coming indeed
I want to start by saying I am a huge fan, wish that things were better than they are, but…. What numbers are you looking at. If I put Jared McCann, Evan Rodriguez, Mike Matheson, David Perron and Jordan Staal out there for 2 minutes on every power play and 20 minutes a game, they would destroy the “numbers” that are being put up. Oh yeah and they are all bottom 6 guys the Pens decided they were better off without. How are the beasts of our team doing 5 on 5. The contracts are cheap compared to elite talent… Read more »
Nobody is or has been in denial. Teams need good players and the Penguins have some of the best still and at very very cheap prices compared to the best players on other teams. Malkin is like 23rd in the league in scoring at a pretty damn cheap cap hit. Letang has had a tumultuous season off the ice but is still playing at a high level and will continue to. This is a failure of ownership and management first and foremost to not build anywhere near a good enough team around them and constantly make poor decisions that snowball… Read more »
Anybody that wanted Malkin and Letang to be re-signed on long-term deals, is living in denial. There are plenty of you. Sure, Geno has the offensive numbers this year, but as his contract ages, he more than likely won’t be there again. Playing no defense, lack of urgency, coasting, etc., but he’s 23rd in scoring. He has played this way for years, but he has been able to put up great offensive numbers, so people overlook the shortcomings. Players that play a complete game would have been more favorable over all offense.
I could foresee Sid retiring at the end of his current contract and Geno and Letang doing the same (with term left). So they all go out on their own at the same time. And, if I understand these contracts, Geno and Letang’s AAV stays on the books (even if they retire). I’ll be *very* interested to see what Sid does. It will tell all.
The core will ask to be traded at some point so they can compete for a cup one more time this is how they rebuid yesterday the core was as young as they will ever be
Thank you in my opinion we needed to start rebuilding not because the deals the Malkin and Letang signed weren’t a bargain just to long. So instead of gathering quality picks and younger players they are going with this team as soft as it is as long as they can.
Ding-ding-ding-ding!
Sullivan should get his share of the blame. He is stubborn and thinks he is in 16 and 17. He is not. He refuses to remove Carter and Dumolin. Burke and Hextall need to be removed ASAP and put Sullivan on a short leash!
Agree
YES!!
AMEN. Can someone please explain why FSG did not change GM sooner as is their perogative as majority owners? Adn can some please tell me what Burke does?? Seriously, FSG must exert their authority, look for a new GM after this disaster of a season and fins someone who will make the needed changes and evaluate talent.
Back in the preseason I remember the Pens almost full NHL squad got embarrassed by the Red Wings mostly AHL team. I could tell right there it was going to be a long season because this team thinks they can beat most teams most nights merely by just showing up. Every hiccup early in the season was met with “it’s only one game, they will fix things.” They’re just not as good as they think they are and are way too fragile a team that wilts as soon as things don’t go their way. They’re all smiles after setting up… Read more »
Seeing the line-up for the third and fourth lines for game 1 was a dead give a way.
And who would’ve thought that Granlund’s effectiveness would have decreased being moved to the third line here from top six minutes in MIN…? smh. Like we didn’t see that one coming. (Can’t blame the player for the position he’s put in. Yoi!)
Alright Sully changes need to be made now. Carter needs a rest and if you wanna start winning games again down this crucial stretch restore the Drew O’Connor, Ryan Poehling, Danton Heinen line which was fast, young and a highly dangerous combination and was actually scoring goals every game. Instead you have played Jeff Carter every match who has been ineffective and his goals against is atrocious. We are fighting for the playoffs, it’s time to start acting like it.
The whole breaking sticks, throwing things around does what, absolutely nothing except make great internet memes.
When does Sullivan’s belief in players turn into being too stubborn to change? When does the team’s faith in themselves turn into delusion about the reality of the situation? How does a team full of veteran leaders who all care so much play without urgency when they’re fighting for a playoff spot? The veterans are way too comfortable with their spot on their team due to cap space and lack of depth in the farm system. Everyone should be asked to waive their “no trade/movement clause” and see what can be done for next season.
To John Henry, FSG owner ….How do you like your BURNT TOAST? With a SOFT pat of butter, MUSHY preserves, and WEAK coffee on the side?
Solid article. I can’t believe they hired hextal and Burke , what was Mario thinking. I guess he knew he was selling and didn’t care?
Seriously, what did people expect based on the events (and non-events) of the last two off-seasons? #OldNews #Hexed
Where’s Mario? He’s mainly responsible for the hiring of Hextall. Couldn’t believe that he did it then and still can’t believe he did it now. Then the guy cashes in his chips and gets the hell out of town. Got a lot of ‘splainin’ to do. #Hexed