Penguins Grades: Inconsistency, Soft Goals, & Uninspired in BAD Loss (+)

The Pittsburgh Penguins had a chance to extend their playoff lead to five points over the Florida Panthers and keep pace with the New York Islanders in the race for the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The chance was served on a silver platter with a game against a lottery team, but the Penguins weren’t hungry.

The Detroit Red Wings surged to a 3-0 lead at Little Caesars Arena as the Penguins blandly skated up and down the ice, considerably off their recent aggressive performances. The Penguins then scored three second-period goals in 4:01 to erase their early deficit, but never led in the 7-4 loss to Detroit.

The Penguins’ blitz included a pair of consecutive power-play goals, as they converted a 5-on-3, then the following 5-on-4.

But the Penguins never got ahead, nor did they deserve to. Loose play, soft goals, and missed chances were the Penguins’ guillotine.

The Penguins’ problems were in the shiny display case, bright lights shining in the first period and third periods. Those issues are correctable, but the team might want to begin that correction with some consistency.