For the first time in 17 seasons, the Pittsburgh Penguins look totally lost and don't seem to have a spark.
PITTSBURGH - Have the Pittsburgh Penguins hit rock bottom? It sure seems like it; a 7-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers feels like it’s carrying a little more weight than a normal defeat.
The fans were visibly and audibly unhappy, the players are losing hope, and the coaches know they can only do so much with this Penguins roster.
The game looked like the kind of loss that people lose jobs, or players get dealt over; it was the kind of defeat not felt in Pittsburgh since before Sidney Crosby arrived.
It's beginning to feel like the end on an era is upon us, just when we thought there might still be a few years left in the tank.
Everyone in the room did what they could to make it seem like there was still hope, but with a third lengthy losing streak in the same season, confidence is dwindling.
“We’re not playing the way we’re supposed to play,” Kris Letang said. “We get discouraged pretty quick.”
Letang went on to say that everything flows through the leadership group and they need to improve themselves.
“It’s starts with the main guys,” Letang said. “Me, Sid, and Geno. We have to step up our game and find a way to win. It doesn’t matter if it’s pretty or not. We have to push each other to be better.”
Crosby said that a turnaround starts with a single win, but those have been hard to come by.
They’ve lost four straight and only won three times since returning from the All-Start break.
The losses are piling up as the NHL trade deadline approaches; the lack of activity on the trade front was likely the catalyst for 18,000 strong to voice some anger towards the general manager, but the players have to perform no matter who is in the lineup.
“We’re just trying to win games, no one’s trying to send messages,” Crosby said. “It’s a matter of playing better. I’m not going to sit here and talk about messages.”
A lot of heat has also been coming head coach Mike Sullivan’s way during this stretch, as well.
Sullivan can only do so much with the group of players he is being given, however, and even he knows that.
"Well, our roster is our roster,” Sullivan said. “We have what we have. And we're trying to put the best combinations on the ice that we think give us the best chance to win.”
Where do the Penguins go from here? It sure doesn’t seem like the postseason is in the cards, but they still have 25 games left to play.
Without any changes or long looks in the mirror, there won't be many wins in those 25 games.
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