Penguins Takeaways: Why Pens Should be Angry with Themselves (+)

OTTAWA, Ontario — Coach Mike Sullivan didn’t rip officials after the game, but he clearly wanted to let loose. Refs gave the Pittsburgh Penguins nine penalties, and the Penguins’ PK yielded four power-play goals in a 5-4 OT loss to the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre.

The Penguins can point to nine whistles. They also pointed the finger at themselves for some bad penalties and allowing four power-play goals on those nine chances.

‘Well, it’s tough. Some guys don’t get into the rotation and they sit for a long periods of time,” said defenseman Marcus Pettersson. “So I think we’ve got to do a better job of staying out of the box and our kill has got to be better for sure.”

It wasn’t the same as almost losing to Anaheim or Arizona, because Ottawa’s young players are ripening into stars. Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk are a dynamic duo, but the sting of losing to lottery-pick Ottawa should leave a blister.

The Penguins’ even-strength play relied almost solely on one line. A depth defenseman shined. Goalie Casey DeSmith was just short of brilliant until the final by Brady Tkachuk shot hit the net.

“Except for the last one? I thought I played well,” DeSmith said. “The last one? Not good … it kind of went through me, snuck through my armpit.”

The Penguins got a point, but no one seemed to feel very good about it. They have some real issues, including an unexpected one at the top of their lineup.