Penguins Unacceptable, Something Remains Horribly Wrong
Six goals in 18 minutes. The Pittsburgh Penguins were fresh from a resurgent win over a good team and arch-rival, the Washington Capitals on Friday. It took about 10 minutes to figuratively wad up those good feelings and dropkick them into the Allegheny River on Monday.
The Penguins were embarrassed and humiliated and were quickly skated out of their own building Monday in a 7-1 loss to the Dallas Stars.
Analysis? Sure. They stunk. They were unmotivated, lifeless, and failed to muster any sort of engagement at any point in the 60-minute proceedings. Rookie goalie Joel Blomqvist deflated the crew with a pair of softies in the first seven minutes, but 2-0 is hardly an insurmountable lead–just ask the Penguins, who have tossed away four of those this season, too.
That was no excuse.
“Especially this week on that trip, I thought we did a lot of good things. I don’t think this game was a sign of how we’ve played lately. So it’s frustrating,” a dejected and sullen Sidney Crosby said. “Obviously, when you look at the losses, not where we want to be, but I think leading up to this, we were doing a lot of good things.”
They were, just as they have for spurts over the last couple of seasons, but then they crash back in spectacular fashion. Monday’s loss was no different.
Rather than fight back, the Penguins hid under the covers. It was their worst loss since last December when the Toronto Maple Leafs embarrassed them 7-0 in front of a national TV audience. Oddly, in that game, the Penguins had a healthy number of scoring chances and opportunities, especially in the first period. Our review of that game and the team to that point was scathing, but new faces have not affected change.
We wrote this back then: Penguins Grades: Internal Frustration, Something is Deeply Wrong
There was no such effort on Monday. The Penguins started flat, stayed flat, and ended as a pancake beneath the Dallas steamroller. No heart.
Last December, we wrote that something horribly wrong with the Penguins team was obvious then, just as it’s obvious now. The fundamental and core problem with the Penguins continues to be larger than a few defensive mistakes or a weak spot in the lineup. The undeniable issue that looms above the Penguins like a dust cloud around Pigpen is the lack of motivation.
Where the fault lies is up to general manager Kyle Dubas, who is paid handsomely to make such decisions and ascertain such information. The addition of Erik Karlsson in August 2023 remains the last significant Penguins addition. Otherwise, players such as Matt Grzelcyk, Kevin Hayes, Cody Glass, and Anthony Beauvillier cannot be classified as difference makers, and the group has done little to add buoyancy to the Penguins’ sinking ship.
It’s still barely afloat, and some nights it goes underwater.
“I’m not going to sit here and say I’m frustrated because I’m not. I’m determined to move this team forward and get us going in the right direction. More consistency,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “I know we’re a better hockey team than what we just displayed out there today. And I know we have a group of guys that care. None of us feel good about this. I think that the most important thing is that we’re trying to get better every day. We’re trying to understand what winning needs to look like with the team we have right now.”
Many point their fingers at Sullivan as the culprit for the lack of motivation. Brooming the coach in bad times is a time-honored hockey tradition, which is why most coaches last only three years. There’s little question that most coaches in Sullivan’s position would have received that uncomfortable call from the GM by now. Yet there’s also little question that no coach could change the trajectory of this team.
It’s headed downward until they figure out the lack of motivation.
Does the advanced age of the primary half-dozen players lessen the desire of the team as a whole?
Does the absolute lack of secondary scoring and declining fortunes grate on the top players?
Or because the team is undermanned, does it simply take too much effort to be good on a consistent basis, and the flashes of success are merely the result of all-time great players occasionally being able to lift a subpar group but asking that every game is a task too great?
We lean towards the latter. We like many of the Penguins players, but they’re asking Drew O’Connor to be a top-line winger, Grzelcyk to be a top-pairing defenseman, and Erik Karlsson to do all of the good things without bringing an equal number of bad. And where has Kris Letang gone?
The team is also asking its oldest players to be their best players every night and to provide emotional engagement. That’s all a bad recipe. Sometimes, it’s going to click, like it did in Washington, but more often—as evidenced by the epic beatdowns delivered by teams good and bad over the past two seasons—it is a catastrophic failure.
There are plenty of dollar-store solutions, but those usually involve a thorough house cleaning. However, stop right there. For a myriad of reasons, financial and contractual, that’s just not happening. But fundamental changes are badly needed.
After all, after yet another 60-minute game for which they failed to show up, just like last December, there remains something horribly wrong.
Categorized:Penguins Penguins Postgame
Just read that EK65 can be bought out next season for only 4 years and $917K per season. Seems like a bargain. I think JJ costs more!
That 917 is the last 2 years of the 4 years you have to pay him. 8.4mil in year 1 and almost 11 mil in year 2 is the problem with buying him out
Please, please, please I hope this is correct!
You guys can check the puckpedia buyout calculator.
When, after a game like that, the coach says that he’s not frustrated, there’s a real problem! After that we wonder why players have no motivation or emotion? This coaching staff is lifeless and holds players in no way accountable for their mistakes or lack of efforts. Ever. There are never any consequences. Sullivan is the guy in charge of that! It doesn’t work since the bubble, they changed almost everybody except the core (keeping 71 and 58 was a huge mistake but it’s not the subject) and nothing has changed… It’s time to replace the only person who has… Read more »
Get rid of Sully already.
If anyone is surprised it’s only because they were not honest with themselves or others. Horrible devious lead to horrible consequences. Yes it began with the Brassard trade under GMJR, then hiring Hextall , extending the core and Sullivan, cheerleading for Dubas and Karlsson , & FSG elevating Sullivan as Diety. FSG Oct 10, 2024 “We think that he’s one of the two or three best coaches in hockey,” Werner said. I wrote on your next column after that quote That Sullivan would be gone by March 1st. That may or may not occur but FSG owns this , horrible… Read more »
I Agree that the Brassard trade was the beginning of the end for me. It was awful, the trade capital was huge, the return was abysmal, with that pussy not even wanting to be here to go fight for the 3Peat. It’s been brutal last 2 1/2 years. Dubas inherited a mess, but he’s made it worse
Amen on the beginning of the end with Brassard trade.
What the h_ _l are we doing? It’s like the brass are on drugs? Is somebody kidding? Dubas and Sullivan like SNL.
Blame can be put on Dubas for getting Karlsson, Graves, and other moves. But to me, it looks like the worst players out there are Letang, DOC, the homegrown guys. I think blame should be shouldered by Sullivan. He’s stuck around while the Pens have had 3 different GMs. What does Sully have to show for it recently? Being less than mediocre for over 7 years. When is enough, enough? The leader hitters for the Pens in last night’s game were Beauvillier and Crosby, that tells the whole story of how soft this team really is.
It all starts in the locker room and it is my belief that the issues with this team are rooted in Letang and Karlsson. I truly believe that combo never resolved itself and continues to cause issues amongst the members of this team. To a point where there may now be a division, sides developing which is the cancer that’s taking this team down.
Bringing in a guy who makes $11M per year when your star player is at $8.7M also sends a bad signal. Geno is probably also unhappy to be paid less than EK. Retained salary doesn’t matter, the dude makes more than anyone else on the team and now seems to have an attitude.
Motivation is the responsibility of the head coach! Keep Sully, keep losing.
How many years of losing do we need before we try someone (anyone) else?
As BrianX and I mentioned above, we both believe theirs a deep rooted problem that Sullivan may not have any control over, this one may all lie on Dubas to come up with a solution.
The problem is a new coach will not change a thing. This is completely on roster construction. And most of that is on Dubas. Instead of getting a top 6 scoring forward, he used the cap space on Hayes, Glass, Beauvillier, and Grzlyck. This is why so many fans are clamoring for the young guys, because even if they don’t work out great, can it actually be any worse than this? I would have much rather had Jake and the young guys on the 4th line than the team they are throwing out there now.
BS. It all starts with a new coach!
This has been a train wreck for several seasons.
1. This team hired the wrong GM. I haven’t seen anything out of Dubas to make me have any confidence he can build this team back up.
2. All 3 goalies are below average.
3. The Coaching staff needs to go. This team plays so sloppy, it’s hard to believe these are pro players.
4. Resigning Letang and Malkin was unbelievable. This was the missed opportunity to get out from their contracts and do a mini rebuild around Crosby.
The core is waiting for retirement. They know they will not get better and only have few years left in any case. They understand that it’s over, and do not actually believe that this team can contend or even reach playoffs ever again. If the core is just killing time playing meaningless seasons, why would the rest of the team care? There is no reason for putting in any effort. This season doesn’t matter and no season will until Crosby, Malkin, Letang and now Karlsson are finished and gone.