Blue Jackets 2, Penguins 1

I've got tickets for the April 4 game in Columbus. The Pens should be rolling by then.

2 point would be welcomed.

Pens getting dominated early.

Maybe one of the "coaches" could gently remind the players that the game started at 7:00.

Sid and Geno with a combined 40/111/151 this year.

Cripes, I remember when that was a good year by one guy.

That was horrendous. And that's being kind.

flower keeping us in it

THIS TEAM NEEDS TO FIND ITS HEART.

YEA, I AM QUESTIONING IT.

I SEE ZERO WANT TO

Good evening, all. I've read and read columns and comments about what this team lacks. You know what it is? A pulse. This team is lifeless. When you have guys like Crosby and Malkin on a team and you've come out skating in quicksand for the foreseeable past, you've got issues. Real ones. It's hard to keep on blaming it on the status quo battle cries that "Sid needs a winger" or "the 3rd line sucks" or "Fleury is terrible." I don't know what it is, but it goes much, much deeper. Just my take, folks.

That was awful. I honestly don't know if I can watch this team anymore till something is done. HCMJ needs to do something or be out. I just don't see any coaching.

Penguins are 3-11-4 when trailing after the first period.

Awful.

Complaints under Bylsma: pass too much, don't go to the net enough, gets physically dominated by bigger teams.

Complaints under Johnston: ditto.

Minus Perron, Downie, Lapierre, Hornqvist, & Comeau, ironically the most physical players in forward group, the roster is basically the same. Guess it wasn't so much about the coach who, by the way, never coached the Pens to less than a 2nd place regular season finish. The roster just isn't good enough and hasn't been since Staal, Talbot, Guerin, Roberts, Fedotenko et al were here and willing to get dirty.

The Pens have only won 3 out of 18 games when trailing after the first period. #Gulp

Talking about puck support is great and all, but five guys in 50 feet of ice is easy to defend when teams know it is coming and you attempt the breakout like that every time.

wow what a lousy first period. Awful job getting out of their own zone and terrible play in the neutral zone. A lot of bad passes and pucks bouncing off their sticks. better hope the focus is there in the second or this will be a short game. Thank you fleury for being the only player to show up every night. Pens mvp this year.

this is awful. they don't win any battles. the captain sets the tone. time to get to it or make BIG changes. coaching isn't the problwm

#BabcockWatch 2015

There's 2 MVPs on this roster and unless they get back to this level, this is what you get. Add in a listless Sutter and there's no lines which are effective. 58 and 29 are the only "stars" showing up right now. This team needs a good kick in the behind.

Need serious, agenda-free assessment of Chris Kunitz's performance tonight. I can't see any of this game.

It's a tough for the coaches to ask for more from these guys when all they talked about from Day 1 is that the playoffs are the only thing that matters.

So if the goal is to have fresh players for the playoffs, why does senior citizen Craig Adams play every game and Sill sits two in a row? Even if you pretend Adams is playing well, why would he not sit every once in a while or in back to back games for somebody like Sill?

Great play by Paul Martin there.

The forwards are generating no offense, maybe the D can.

Paul Martin took it to the net; 3 guys collapse in the shot; Malkin rewarded!

Now why can't the other 3 lines follow this playbook? This isn't the NHL circa 1980s. Grease goals = wins!

4 on 4 and Kunitz hits the ice with Crosby before Perron.

UNBELIEVABLE

what did downie do exactly? I suppose that's a oh downie was involved automatic minor.

Why is it that the heavier baseball and hockey lean on analytics, offense steadily declines ?

The fact that Downie gets a penalty tonight in that scrum after being the only player to get a penalty after a similar scrum with Washington player (Hillen I believe) says a lot about the NHL's officials.

Don't see that often.

So stupid of Sid to fight. Why take the chance at breaking a hand.

Sid's chances at a Gordie Howe hat trick are pretty minimal considering the Pens would have to score twice more.

How is that not a a penalty?!

PP scores here, those calls to trade Crosby will grow.

geno, hornqvist, kunitz, letang and pouliot on the first PP.

Why kunitz instead of Perron in that case?

I understand Carbonyl Metallurgy* better than I understand what constitutes a penalty in the NHL.**

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonyl_metallurgy

**I have no idea what 'Carbonyl Metallurgy' is...even after reading about it.

Can't even get into the zone on PP now.

So what's Brandon Sutter's excuse ? At least I can explain Kunitz - Father Time is undefeated.

Is it me or did it seem like Sid had no speed coming down the near boards?

Washington game all
Over again - no discipline

Adams-Scuderi-Martin were masterful again on the 5-on-3 kill.

Whatever they're paying Fleury, it's not enough. Great kill. Finally some signs of life.

Fleury really has been the most consistent and best Penguin all year.

What a kill there

Fluery superb but Atkinson missed a wide open net

Good to see Fleury gettin' some love this season.

Ovie played with a passion for the game on Tuesday while Pens demeanor is that playing is some kind of torture

fleury is the only reason its tied. defense is not good

Well, can the PP win a game?

I'm not the biggest Sutter fan but solid shift there, now the PP...

Ok game on the line a few minutes to go and a PP. They need to score right now.

Un effing believable.

Can we just decline power plays?

At least someone can score on a Pittsburgh power play.

Anyone have a few aspirins they can spare?

Wow a shortie unreal

PP goes bad to worse

I guess 1 goal is our limit against any decent team.

Crosby looks like he wants nothing to do with being on the power play. Just stands on the wall and if puck comes he passes. Unbelievable.

PATHETIC

On the bright side, the PP looked solid until the worst 8 seconds of Comeau's career. Turnover and run over Fleury...

Pens will now fall into first wild card slot

Team stinks.

something has to change on the pp

seen enough of pouliot for this year on the nhl level

Someone has to lose their job. I don't care. 0-20 PP in the month. Awful, unacceptable, just a joke.

Yet another wasted effort by Fleury. This team is going nowhere in a hurry.

McElhinney also played a ridiculous game. He robbed the Penguins several times. Give credit where it's due.

We're gonna find out how good a coach MJ is. This team is in free fall mode, stars aren't good enough and a goal a game doesn't beat anyone. Fleury is playing great and it's totally being wasted.

Also what the hell was Downie doing not covering Doubinsky?

Well, Sid only a goal and assist shy of the Gordie Howe hat trick.

So here is my new theory after watching the past 2 plus months and somebody please tell me that I am nuts.

The beginning of the year brought new promise and hope and everybody bought into the new coach and his system. A couple months passed and the core of this team started to slowly slip into bad habits and probably wondered a little bit as to who this "minor league" coach was and why are we listening to him.

The calendar has now turned to 2015 and this offense and team is in such disarray that we have trouble scoring against any decent team. I see not system in place and no flow to this offense. The head coach, the assistant coach and even the GM talk as if the players aren't listening on the power play and they seem to be doing whatever they want on the PP.

So somebody please tell me the 5 months into the job that this coach hasn't already lost this team.

This team is terrible.

Now 3 wins in 19 games when we trail after the first period. #Built4Playoffs

http://penslabyrinth.com/2015/02/18/pittsburgh-penguins-comebacks/

The Penguins current position in in the standings isn't terrible, but everything else...

Fleury, Letang and Martin are carrying this team

Every Metropolitan morning the Penguins wake up in Punxsutawney, in the same bed, to the same song.

Too bad Andie MacDowell isn't the Commissioner.

Only the Pens could possess two superstars like Crosby and Malkin, and be absolutely hapless in both:
- Scoring on the PP
- Giving up SH goals

It's RIDICULOUS. Tell me a team in the NHL that has no injuries.

Good teams overcome their issues and win.
Bad teams grouse about their bad luck and lose.

They are heading straight for a first round exit to either the Rangers or Capitals. And another lost season.

@mvukovcan: Sid's struggles: Scoreless in 9 of his last 13 games...Crosby with only 6 pts in the month of February......Only 12 goals in last 46 games

My emotional reaction to the Pens season has gone from outrage to disinterest to pity. I feel bad for them at this point. It just ain't workin out so hot.

They're just not good. They don't make plays, it's like they skate up and down the ice and don't score goals. Change lines and do it all over again.

You can talk about 71 and 87... But when's the last time anyone really scored for the pens?

Just can't buy a goal. Not sure what the fix is. They aren't playing terribly 5 on 5, but they just can't score. I don't know how a team with that much offensive skill scores a goal a game. Opponents have a lot to do with it, but they have to find ways to score goals. If we are this frustrated as fans, imagine how the team must feel.

Deja vu all over again.

And what did they do to change up the PP? Absolutely nothing.

Dying alive watching this team.

Before the season began, I remember Johnston saying he would tolerate regular season losses in order to implement a playoff-winning system. And all the fans nodded, saying "Okay coach!"

Is this all part of the system-implementing process?

Panthers win to move within 9 points

The Pens are now 0-20 on the pp. That's horrible. They should fire this coach. Bylsma Neal Orpik Niskanen have to be laughing every time they see these scores. How can Mario sit and let this happen to this team ??

Anyone see Ovie's goal tonight? Took the puck from the blue line straight to the net in traffic.
I remember when Sid used to do that...(sigh)

Anyone see the writing on the wall yet or am I still the only one?

They have no money. No draft picks to make a move. Or use to help them out. Their young D hasn't made the team yet. No offensive prospects in WB. Two old over paid d men. And two old forwards Kunitz and Dupuis. Plus Crosby and Malkin are in their late 20's. Future don't look good.

I was really excited to see what this team looked like with all of its forwards finally healthy, and to say that I'm disappointed is an understatement. If this continues, we won't have to worry about the playoffs.

Well, it's just about March. Can't wait for HCMJ and staff to start making those in game adjustments and flicking on that playoff switch. Right now, they're unwatchable...still with the blue line turnovers. Sheesh.

No heart.
Rutherford has his work cut out for him at the deadline.

Panthers play Ottawa Saturday while Pens head to St. Louis so chance Panthers come into town Sunday just 7 points behind with a game in hand. I would rest Flower and play him on Sunday. Bruins now only 1 point ahead of Florida.

Phil Bourque is basically calling out 87 right now on the radio. He's a passionate Penguin.

This team is a rudderless ship. I'm very close to abandoning this same ship.

We are headed back to Devils circa 95-96 - 2000 -2003 style hockey. Day by day, inch by inch. Lowest powerplays earned league wide in over a decade. 4 times since 1967 has the Art Ross recipient scored fewer than 100 points, buckle up baby for numero cinco!

Enough excuses for this pathetic looking team. Injuries, bad ice, its too cold outside, etc...... - What this team doesnt have is HEART and BRAINS!!!!! Get under there skin and you can have as many power plays as you want. Shoot they will even give you a 5 on 3 with 4 minutes left in a tied game.

All this talk about the Pens getting the second wildcard so they can match up against an Atlantic division team instead of a team in their division, and then a possible matchup against a Pacific division team in the cup finals, is garbage. At this point, the Pens couldn't make it out of the Mediterranean division. Sure, they may be able to take Mykonos (if they don't have to get on the powerplay), but no way they match up against Malta or Crete!!!

They'll get in the playoffs and be gone pretty fast. Hope Rutherford doesn't move too many assets to get rentals at the trading deadline.

This team is not "one top 6 forward or #3 D" away from a prolonged run..

the pens are getting out muscled in every way. no power at the point.. desperate shots into a body not a lane. positioning has been horrible.. no one there for rebounds. we get man handled. what has changed from the beginning of the season till now. duper? and mattaa can not be what went right. frustration is draining and desperation shows we are a weekend team. what do you do to bring back the eye of the tiger?

Dk u never answered my tweet about getting a coffee!!!!!

Sid the Skid is in playoff form having not scored a goal in 11 of last 13 games and completely shut out in 9 of them. Sorry but the "best" player in the NHL shouldn't go through long slumps as often as Sid.