The Pittsburgh Penguins couldn't overcome their struggles enough to make the postseason.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins have been one of the most frustrating teams this season. Collecting points in 11 of their last 12 games, they looked nothing like the 30-30-9 team they were before the run. 

That's the story of the Penguins' season: inconsistent and topsy-turvy. They've beaten Stanley Cup contenders handedly while squandering multi-goal leads with regularity. Their depth lines went dry in the scoring department, and when they did come to life temporarily, their goaltending failed miserably. When the goaltending soared, their offense faltered. There was never any consistency during a full 60 minutes of hockey, let alone game-to-game, for the Penguins. The results were a disappointing, under 40-win team. 

While they made it interesting, their consistently bad losses in critical times were too much to overcome. The trouble began at the start of the season and continued through all 82 games. In chronological order, here are just a few losses that doomed the Penguins' season. 

Penguins vs. Blackhawks - October 11, 2023

How could the first game of the season cost the team a playoff spot? It didn't literally eliminate them, but boy, did it set an uneasy tone for the season. The Penguins established a two-goal lead (this will be a recurring theme) at the halfway point of the contest. 

A few minutes later, the Chicago Blackhawks picked up four unanswered goals. The Penguins had no fight in them, leading to a 4-2 loss at PPG Paints Arena. It was the first of many games this season in which the Penguins: 1.) blew a multi-goal lead and 2.) gave up a goal minutes after scoring one of their own.

Penguins vs. Ducks - October 30, 2023

Halloween came a day early for the Penguins when early signs of power play incompetence reared its frightening head. It's pretty well known how awful the Anaheim Ducks were supposed to be this season, yet the Penguins couldn't even sneak away with a pity point in their first meeting.

It's not like the Penguins' power play completely failed them against the Ducks; they scored on the man advantage twice early in the contest. It's just that it came up empty in the most important moments.

In the dying seconds of a tie game, while on a 5-on-3 advantage, a bad pass was tipped to Mason McTavish coming out of the penalty box, who beat Tristan Jarry clean to take the lead.

Penguins vs. Hurricanes - November 18, 2023

A few weeks later, the Penguins shot themselves in the foot again. This time, it was during a critical matchup against a Metropolitan Divisional opponent. 

The Penguins were riding the back of Sidney Crosby during this matchup. His offensive mastery gave the team an early 1-0 lead, and a tying goal in the third period made it 2-2. 

From there, the Penguins lost control of the game completely. Carolina tilted the ice, and forward Seth Jarvis fired back just two and a half minutes later to give the Hurricanes the lead once again. He added an empty-netter to boot and sealed a 4-2 victory for Carolina.

Penguins vs. Golden Knights - January 20, 2024

This loss against the Vegas Golden Knights was a dagger for the Penguins. At the time, the team was swapping wins and losses to begin the new year but still firmly in the mix of the playoff race. 

To make matters worse, this was a stereotypical loss for this team. They played well for only part of the game. The first 30 minutes were all Pittsburgh, giving them a 2-0 lead. 

After that, it was all Vegas, and the Penguins had no response. The Golden Knights scored three goals in less than five minutes in the third period, including rookie Brendan Brisson's first NHL goal, which served as the game-winner. 

Penguins vs. Blue Jackets - March 30, 2024

While this loss wasn't the nail in the coffin of the Penguins' season, it was easily their most deflating. It's one thing to give up leads to contending teams like Colorado or Vegas, but to do it against a basement dweller like Columbus spoke volumes about this team's overall abilities. 

After Rickard Rakell put the team up 3-1 in the third period, the Penguins did their thing and turned a winnable game into an overtime loss. The defeat stung even more because the team had earned points in three straight games before, and it felt like it could make a run. All that momentum was brought back to reality, and the Penguins were reminded again that they were not a playoff team. 

It might feel like the Penguins' loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs or Boston Bruins in their last week of play were the games that cost them the playoffs, but it isn't true. Sure, the defeats didn't help their chances, but the writing was on the wall for this team months ago.  

Credit to this team for not giving up, but they never had a shot. Crosby tried to will them there but couldn't even drag the struggling organization to the postseason. How could the Penguins, a team that consistently blew leads, underachieved in many respects, and struggled to win when it counted most, ever find themselves in Stanley Cup contention? 

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